Category: Affordable Sports 
Price Range: No data available
Unusual concept, smooth engine, good comfort, lots of fun to drive, room for four and their luggage, great value
Fuel costs, carbon dioxide emissions, not much else
Mazda takes the bold step of bringing a four-door rotary engined coupe to the market and gets it spot-on - the RX-8's superb.
Mazda is the only manufacturer to pursue the development of the rotary engine. In its early life, the Wankel engine had a raging thirst, poor emissions and questionable reliability. However, Mazda has tirelessly developed the engine into a workable and durable unit with enviable smoothness and power. The RX-8's twin-rotary engine, dubbed Renesis, develops 192 or 231bhp dependent on the model, and comes with the same comprehensive warranty as other Mazda models. The car's construction seems very solid, and the interior is one of the best to come out of Japan, although a few of the plastics and switches lack the softness and tactility of the best Germany has to offer.
