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Mazda RX 8 Road Test Page 3
Continued...
Mazda RX-8 Page 1 |
Mazda RX-8
Page2 | Mazda RX-8
Page3
Storage wise there is a ski pass through, but the rear seats do not fold down so
your cargo carrying opportunities are fairly limited to eight shopping bags and
a bag or two of produce. The trunk has a high liftover with a small opening and
when you use the remote to open the lid it just barely lifts making it a problem
to get your finders underneath without getting them dirty or even damaging a
nail. However, it is much better than the
Mazda 3.

Additional
storage areas are in the center console, doors, and the backs of the front
seats. The cupholders are above average in usability, but could be made deeper.
The instrument panel is a problem for me. There is a digital speedometer read
out, which is easy to glance at as you frequently are going above the speed
limit in a car of this nature, but the indirect lighting and smallish fonts make
it difficult to read. The tachometer goes to 10,000 rpm and is very entertaining
to watch as it closes in on that mark. The rest of the muddled instrument panel
is too busy and the radio controls can be confusing for a while. They are not
intuitive.
I love the Mazda’s easy to grip emergency brake and the texture of the leather
stitched steering wheel. The wiper control and headlights stalks lack feel and
it is difficult to find the correct notch. The doors don’t require a large space
to open so you don’t have to worry when you come back to your car and find
someone has parked closely to this Mazda. The seats were easy to adjust, but I
wished for both tile and telescoping controls on the steering so that I could
find a better fit. The aluminum brake, clutch, dead pedal, and accelerator
pedals were attractive, but the rest of the interior was rather bleak. My
greatest complaint was the air-conditioning that was barely adequate even at the
highest settings. I also noticed this about the
Mazda 3 we recently tested.

I
found the RX-8 both friendly and eager to please. It would be perfect for
someone who had to give up their two-seaters sports car for a family or for
those who really enjoy the art of driving well. The price is responsible and
gives more evidence that Mazda is quietly producing some of the most driver
oriented vehicles around with it stable of Mazda 3, 6, and RX 8 all exhibiting
the potential for even greater performance.
Young working male’s view: Nice looking with a touch of spice, but a
lacking in the type of storage room I need are my takes on this Mazda. The glove
compartment is too small, the colored inserts on the interior too compulsive,
and the Bose stereo is very limited in range and reception. No doubt it is fun
to drive and certainly is not a poser when it comes to performance, but to me it
was neither fish nor fowl. I would go with the
Mazda 6 or even the
Mazda 3 hatchback and
have a fun car with more room.
Family conference: This is a good buy, if you want a sports car. The
Mazda 6 is a better
buy if you want a sporty sedan and it costs about the same. Regardless, if you
don’t test drive a RX-8 and hear and feel the rotary engine you are missing a
real treat. It is not for everyone, but is going to make you a better driver and
you can take four adults and two golf bags with you.
Return to Previous Road Test Page...
Mazda RX-8 Page 1 |
Mazda RX-8
Page2 | Mazda RX-8
Page3
Written by The Car Family |
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