The four-seater sports coupe Mazda RX-8 of the first generation, which replaced the two-door RX-7, debuted as a concept for the first time in January 2001 at the stands of the International North American Auto Industry Exhibition, and in a commercial form appeared before the public in the autumn of the same year at a bride in Tokyo. Conveyor production of the "Japanese" began in 2003, and continued until 2008, which marked the entry into the market of the second generation model.
From the outside, the "first" Mazda RX-8 looks impressive even against the backdrop of many more modern cars. A squat front end with a sly look of slanting headlights, a dynamic silhouette with short overhangs, muscular wheel arches and unique swing doors, a powerful tailgate with fancy lanterns and two "trunks" of the exhaust system in a "meaty" bumper - the exterior of the four-door will definitely not leave anyone indifferent.
The length of the Mazda RX-8 of the original embodiment is 4430 mm, in height - 1340 mm, in width - 1770 mm. The wheelbase of the Japanese coupe is 2,700 mm, and its ground clearance does not go beyond 140 mm.
Inside the "Er-X-eight" the "Mazda" style is instantly identified - the interior not only looks nice, but demonstrates a truly imperial build quality. Behind the three-spoke multi-steering wheel in deep "wells" are arranged a trinity of instruments with a tachometer at the head, and the lacquered center console pleases with well-placed controls. The decoration of the car is made mainly of tough, but solid plastics.
The salon of the “first” Mazda RX-8 has four full-fledged seats, and even second-row passengers are not deprived of a sufficient supply of living space. At the front, the sports car has menacing-looking bucket seats, while the rear riders are provided with a pair of separate seats.
The arsenal of the Japanese coupe includes a spacious luggage compartment - its volume in the "stowed" form is a solid 290 liters for a class. There is a small hatch in the back of the "gallery" for transporting long objects, but a spare wheel for the car is not provided a priori.
Specifications. The engine compartment of the first generation Mazda RX-8 contains the Renesis gasoline rotary-piston engine, which consists of two sections with a volume of 654 cubic centimeters each and is completely devoid of valves, pistons and camshafts and camshafts. The 1.3 liter (1308 cubic centimeters) engine, equipped with fuel injection and water cooling, depending on the modification, generates from 192 to 250 horsepower and from 211 to 222 Nm of torque.
A 5-speed "manual" or 4- or 6-speed automatic transmission and a limited slip differential are responsible for the transmission of the power flow to the rear axle wheels. The starting acceleration up to 100 km / h for a four-door takes 6-7.5 seconds, its maximum capabilities are 223-235 km / h, and gasoline consumption in the combined cycle of movement ranges from 10.6 to 11.4 liters per "hundred" of the way.
The basis for the original "release" of the Mazda RX-8 is a rear-wheel drive platform with an engine longitudinally located above the front axle and a body built according to a load-bearing scheme. The coupe has an ideal axle weight distribution, and its curb weight varies from 1310 to 1425 kg, depending on the modification. By default, the car "flaunts" the electric power steering with a variable coefficient of effort integrated into the rack and pinion mechanism, and all its wheels have at their disposal ventilated "pancakes" of the brake system with ABS and EBD.
The positive features of the Japanese coupe include a noticeable appearance, an ergonomic and fairly roomy interior, efficient engines, excellent dynamics, fine handling, rich equipment, reliable design and much more.
But the car also has negative qualities - high fuel consumption, expensive maintenance, lack of a spare wheel, fastidiousness to the quality of gasoline and a stiff suspension.
Prices. In the spring of 2016, in the secondary market of Russia, you can buy a Mazda RX-8 of the first incarnation at a price of 200 thousand rubles (the cost of some "pumped-over" copies reaches 1 million rubles).
