Saw an interesting article about the RX-8 in Top Gear magazine
... but a car this radical was always going to split opinion. Those in favour loved the RX-8's nut-tightening 8200rpm, snappy gear change and pseudo-coupe praticality. Those against bemoaned the bulbous body, frentic engine characteristics and a severe lack of cruise-friendly torque.
But what united everyone was the ever-present issue of oil.(earlier on they mentioned that the TG crew are abandoning ship for the RX-8 after a year with them) If a world shortage of the black stuff really does come knocking, RX-8 owners will be the 1st to know. Mazda created a brilliant beast in the tiny and insanely free-revving RENESIS engine, but modern motorists shouldn't have to hack the constant oil checks and steady stream of top-ups. Add to that the anxiety associated with an engine that threatens to commit hari kiri every other tank-full and the contortionist's dexterity required to even find the dipstick, and it could all prove too much.
Checking the oil at every pitstop might have been more bearable if only there was some discernible lapse of time between leaving the petrol station and going back in. The mpg(miles per gallon) figure was down in the late teens - thats getting on for supercar territory.
The RX-8 is unquestionably affordable initially, but running it requires some pretty deep pockets and the patience of a saint...
some MPG figures:
RX-8: 19.3
Nissan 350Z: 32.5 (worrying since the 350Z is the chief rival of the RX-
Mercedes SL55 AMG: 19.9 (it far outperforms the RX-8 and consumes slightly less oil)
Porsche 911 GT2: 21.9 (it far far outperforms ANY of the cars mentioned here, and doesn't even dip into the teens)
