2009 Mazda RX-8 in Jacksonville, FL - $0

With an athletic exterior shape and a driver-centric interior that offers comfort and practicality, the RX-8 continues to be a cutting edge sports car. As the only mass-produced rotary-powered car in the world, the rear-wheel drive RX-8 features enough passenger room for four adults, with freestyle doors that facilitates access to the rear seat.

Last year, Mazda gave the RX-8 a refreshed exterior and interior design, enhanced performance and a new R3 model for the ultimate driving enthusiast. Refinements included restyled front and rear bumpers and front fascia, sporty, high quality finish front LED taillights and rear headlights and larger exhaust pipes (90 mm). The RX-8 also offered a new 10-spoke wheel design featuring a symbolic and sporty design in the motif of a rotary engine with different arrangements for each wheel size.

Available in Sport, Grand Touring and R3 models, the new R3 introduced last year added a sport-tuned suspension with Bilstein shock absorbers and front suspension cross members filled with urethane foam for better ride comfort. Rear spoiler, side sills, fog lights, Xenon headlights and sporty front bumper have been added to enhance the sporty appearance along with 19-inch forged aluminum-alloy wheels with high performance tires. Inside, the R3 model adds a Bose® audio system with Centerpoint surround sound and AudioPilot® noise compensation technology, Bluetooth hands-free phone system, front Recaro sport seats with leather side bolsters, leather-wrapped parking brake and Mazda advanced keyless entry and start system.

Power for this agile sports car is generated by an advanced RENESIS twin-rotor 1.3L engine. Torque is communicated to the pavement through a six-speed manual gearbox or an available six-speed automatic transmission with Formula 1-style, steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. By turning a triangular rotor in a cocoon-shaped combustion chamber, the RX-8's rotary engine efficiently performance the four processes of intake, compression, combustion and exhaust. The smooth and high-revving RENESIS engine offers a smaller engine footprint than traditional internal combustion engines (60 percent smaller and lighter than a comparably powered V6, and 40 percent smaller and lighter than a four-cylinder).

The RX-8 uses an aluminum double-wishbone front suspension, reducing unsprung weight over the use of steel components. By mounting the upper and lower arms on a highly rigid subframe, the long arms ensure linear alignment changes throughout the jounce and rebound of the front wheels. All wheels receive mono-tube gas-filled shock absorbers designed with large diameter internal pistons and valving, which offer excellent road feedback and a smooth ride.

Mazda has designed the RX-8 using an advanced front-midships layout – placing the powerplant low and far back in the engine bay with the fuel tank positioned ahead of the rear axle and all seating within the wheelbase and track of the car. Combined, these factors lower the vehicle's center of gravity and contribute to a perfect 50/50 vehicle weight distribution, low yaw-inertia movement and superb handling characteristics.

The RX-8's interior boasts a comfortable and intelligently designed cabin. An extremely low cabin floor allows the seats to be mounted low in the chassis, which, along with a low instrument cluster and hood, enhance driver visibility. Mazda designers concentrated on the shape of the front seat backs and the rear seat cushions to ensure adequate rear-seat knee room. Front seat slide-rails are positioned to allow maximum leg room for rear seat passengers.

Dimensions & specifications

Wheelbase: 106.3; overall length: 175.6; width: 69.7; height: 52.8

All vehicle measurements are in inches

Engine: 1.3L RENESIS 13B twin-rotor – 212 hp at 7,500 rpm and 159 lbs-ft of torque at 5,000 rpm (automatic); 232 hp at 8,500 rpm and 159 lbs-ft of torque at 5,500 rpm (manual)

Transmission: six-speed manual, six-speed automatic

EPA Fuel Economy: 16 city/22 hwy. (manual), 16 city/23 hwy. (automatic)

Cargo capacity: 7.6 cubic feet

Safety features

Dual front airbags, front seat-mounted side-impact airbags, side head curtain airbags, limited slip differential (manual), four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock, electronic brake distribution, engine immobilizer, tire pressure monitors, and alarm system. Grand Touring adds rain-sensing wipers, Bluetooth hands-free phone system, advanced keyless entry and start system, fog lights, Xenon high-intensity discharge headlights, HomeLink universal garage door opener, dynamic stability control, traction control and toque-sensing limited slip differential (automatic).

Optional safety features include: navigation system and spare tire kit.

Warranty

Basic: 3-year/36,000 mile Bumper-to-bumper

Powertrain: 5-year/60,000 mile

Corrosion: 3-year/36,000 mile

Roadside Assistance: 3-year/36,000 mile 24-hour

Pricing

The base Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the 2010 Mazda RX-8 sports coupe starts from $26,645 for the Base model, $32,110 for Grand Touring and $32,140 for the R3. Destination charges add $750.