MAZDA RX8

The Mazda RX-8 offers four-seat practicality in an impractical-looking (ie, quite nice) coupe-thing. Suicide rear doors are a treat and the driving experience is one of a kind thanks to that manic rotary engine







Mazda's rotary ‘Renesis' comes in two flavours; 189bhp or 228bhp. The static measurement of 1.3-litres is a bit of a dodge really - the ‘rotary' part means that this isn't a classic bore-and-stroke mobile. There are three chambers, so it means that the engine is probably more like a 2.6-litre. It'll rev like a beast (well past 8,000rpm) and the 189bhp gets to 62mph in 7.2 and on to 139mph. Best to go for the 228bhp version though - 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds and a 146mph top speed.