Mazda RX-8 6 Speed 231ps Review

“Much has been made of the Mazda RX8's thirst for fuel....”

Written on: 20/12/2005 by johnlich (4 reviews written)

Good Points
Very smooth engine, feels planted squarely on the road at all times, looks fabulous, easy entry and exit to both the front and rear of the car

Bad Points
The oil level is awkward to check and given that the engine does burn a small amount of oil to lubricate the tip seals on the engine, I would have liked it to be possible to check the level from the cockpit

General Comments
Much has been made of the Mazda RX8's thirst for fuel. I have averaged 17.4 mpg to date with a best of 25 mpg on a single tankful. To put this into context this is much the same consumption as I got out of my Nissan 200SX which was a turbo-charged 2 litre coupe of similar performance to the Mazda. So you need to go into RX8 ownership with your eyes wide open to this and the fact that you will be adding a litre of oil every thousand miles to the engine.



Get over this hurdle and you will be rewarded by a very civilised, fast, beautifully handling car which you will surely fall in love with. The car is practical too: the turning circle is excellent especially for anyone used to the limited lock on front wheel drive cars, the boot is bigger than I expected and of course the rear seats are very usable for people or stuff.