2006 Mazda RX-8 Test Drive

Pragmatic Performer

The Mazda RX-8's unique rotary engine is demanding and loud, but powerful enough to make this a fun, affordable ride.

The Mazda RX-8 is a pragmatic sports car, light and agile with an engine like none other on the market (see What's a Rotary Engine? section). A willing powerplant and lithe handling make it fun to toss through turns, while its well designed interior and unique rear half-doors allow four adults to ride in relative comfort.

One of the classic conundrums of sports cars is fitting a human being behind the wheel. The outgoing RX-7, the RX-8's spiritual predecessor, had a cabin about as capacious as the bathroom in a Winnebago. Taller drivers almost had to lay down behind the wheel. And there was almost no room for any driver's legs, the foot well was so small. So you'd come away from a spirited session at the wheel with black and blue marks on your kneecaps and a profound sense that, while fun, this was a car you simply were too large to own.

Thankfully the RX-8 has fewer ergonomic failings, though it does have some.