Mazda RX-8 Facelift In Detail

On sale now in Japan

The facelifted Mazda RX-8 was revealed at the Tokyo Auto Salon back in early January before it showed its bonnet at the Detroit Auto Show. Back then Mazda refrained from releasing official specifications, which we can now bring to your attention. The freshened RX-8 has gone on sale in Japan today.

The current first generation Mazda RX-8 has been on the roads since 2003 and with this facelift it will grace the tarmac in primarely Japan and the US for a few more years before it will be replaced. The four seater will see an entirely new model added to its range, the Type RS. The Type RS joins the base model RX-8, Type E and Type S by offering an even more powerful engine combined with a new body kit.

The entire range is graced with larger air-intakes in the front bumper, the side air-vents now have a turn indicator and the rear lights contain LED lamps. The aluminium wheels come in three new designs and have been upgraded to 17 inches on the base model and Type E, the Type S has 18 inch wheels while the new Type RS sits on 19 inch rims.

Inside, the base model and Type S are adorned with densely woven black seat covers, the Type E models come equipped with leather seat covers in black, red or beige. The tachometer also received an update with silver markings and white illumination.

Under the hood Mazda upgraded the water and oil pumps improving the performance on the RENESIS rotary engine. The revised gear ratios on the manual transmission allows for a more responsive acceleration at lower RPM. Mazda also redesigned the body structure, increased local rigidity and improved aerodynamics.

Read on for further details.

Press Release

Refreshed Mazda RX-8 on Sale in Japan

New Mazda RX-8 Type RS offers enhanced driving performance and bolder styling

Mazda Motor Corporation has announced the launch of the freshened Mazda RX-8. The updated four-door, four-seat rotary-powered sports car is available from today at all Mazda and Mazda Anfini dealerships throughout Japan.*1

The four-seat RX-8 sports car debuted in Japan in May 2003, powered by Mazda’s lightweight, compact and powerful rotary engine. The freshened version evolves and refines the high performance and sporty styling core elements of the RX-8, and features enhanced quality and packaging. The newly released Type RS grade offers exceptional driving pleasure with better performance and bolder styling.

The exterior design features fresh new styling and improved quality, with larger air intakes in the front bumper, side marker lamps integrated with the headlight units, side air vents integrated with the turn indicators, and rear combination lights that contain LED lamps. Three new designs for the aluminum wheels all reflect rotor-shaped motifs, and the 16-inch wheels (on the Type E and RX-8 base grade) have been upgraded to 17 inches. With the addition of new exterior colors such as the high quality Diamond Grey Metallic, eight colors are now available.

Interior quality has been improved through densely woven black fabric seat covers in the Type S and RX-8 base grade, finely-perforated genuine leather seat covers in the Type E (available in black, red or beige) and a new tachometer with silver markings and white illumination. The packaging has been further refined with the addition of power adjustable seats with a memory function,*2 an electric folding driver’s seat*3 and a GPS navigation system fully integrated into the center panel.*4

The RX-8 now offers even better driving dynamics. New water and oil pumps, among other changes, improve the rotary engine’s performance and provide a better acceleration feel. Revised gear ratios in the six-speed manual transmission provide more responsive acceleration at lower engine speeds. Through a redesign of the body structure, increased local rigidity and improved aerodynamics provide greater sports car performance.

The new Type RS grade comes with exclusive aero parts, 19-inch forged aluminum wheels, RECARO bucket seats, Bilstein dampers and other equipment to emphasize the sporty appeal of the freshened RX-8 model range. To highlight its pedigree as a true driver’s car, the RX-8 Type RS also boasts more aggressive styling.

Manufacturer’s suggested retail prices vary from 2,600,000 to 3,150,000 yen (including consumption tax). The sales target volume for the new RX-8 model range is 270 units a month.

*1: The five-speed manual transmission RX-8 will go on sale in June 2008.
*2: Standard equipment on the Type E (with leather seats).
*3: Standard equipment on the Type E (with leather seats). The Type S and base grade seats are manually adjustable.
*4: Available as a factory-installed option on the Type E, Type S and Type RS grades.

Main features of the freshened RX-8

Exterior

While maintaining the RX-8’s distinctive sports car proportions, the freshened exterior produces better aerodynamics and cooling performance.

• Enlarged central and side air intakes in the front bumper improve engine cooling and emphasize the athletic styling. Side marker lamps integrated with the headlights reflect fine craftsmanship.
• The front fenders feature turn indicators integrated with newly designed air vents.
• The new rear bumper, designed in the same color as the car body, elevates the sense of quality. Enlarged dual exhaust pipes express high power, and LED lamps set in a circle in each rear combination light spotlight the sporty appeal.
• Newly designed aluminum wheels. The Type S has 18-inch wheels with a rotor-shaped motif that symbolizes the rotary engine. The Type E and RX-8 base grade have 17-inch wheels with a five-spoke design.
• New high quality exterior colors, Sparkling Black Mica, Diamond Grey Metallic and the sporty Aurora Blue Mica, bring the total range to eight body colors.

Interior

Based on the RX-8’s iconic sports car design, detailed interior refinements improve the packaging and quality.

• Updated instrument panel center section design. The pop-up type optional GPS navigation system has been replaced by a system fully integrated into the center stack.
• The addition of silver markings on the tachometer enhances the vehicle’s sporty feel. White illumination improves its visibility and the sense of quality.
• Tactile leather is now used to wrap the steering wheel and parking brake lever.*5 The appearance and feel of the door arm rests and rear console lid have also been improved.
• Newly designed seats. The Type S and RX-8 base grade have densely woven black fabric seat covers. The Type E’s seats have a finely perforated leather center section (in black, red or beige). Grades with leather seats also offer improved functionality through an eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat with a three-person memory function, an electric folding driver’s seat for easy access to the rear, and newly added heated front seats for extra comfort in winter.
• The Mazda G-BOOK Alpha-compatible voice controlled HDD navigation system is available at as a factory-installed option.*5 The system offers access to a range of information and services, and also supports Bluetooth® applications.

*5: Available on the Type E, Type S and Type RS grades.

Mazda RX-8 Type E (with six-speed automatic transmission)

Performance

After a review of every aspect of the RX-8’s superb performance, the freshened RX-8 lineup now offers an even more refined sporty ride.

• The RENESIS rotary engine now provides an enhanced acceleration feel at middle to low-engine speeds due to various improvements such as new water and oil pumps. These changes also contribute to improved durability and stability.
• New variable red zone system. The tachometer red zone moves in three stages according to the engine temperature. This prevents over-revving immediately after startup when the engine is cold.
• The gear ratios in the six-speed manual transmission-equipped grades have been lowered to improve off-the-line acceleration. Model grades with the six-speed automatic (Activematic) transmission feature a newly developed Direct mode. When driving with the gear selector in Drive (D), Direct mode allows the driver to temporarily change gears using the paddle shifters on the steering wheel without having to switch to Manual mode. This provides a boost in acceleration or engine braking to aid certain situations such as overtaking other vehicles or descending steep gradients.
• The front and rear suspensions were revamped, and the dampers, coil springs, bushes and stabilizers were optimized to improve stability and ride comfort.
• A trapezoidal strut tower bar (on manual transmission grades) and reinforced suspension towers and wheel aprons increase the torsional rigidity of the front body and improve stability.
• Aerodynamics were improved by adjusting the shape of the front and rear corners, enlarging the front tire deflectors and adding an engine undercover to control air flow. This resulted in an improved drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.30 and enhanced high-speed stability.

Main features of the new RX-8 Type RS

This new grade was designed especially for customers with sporty tastes. Its base model is the six-speed manual transmission version of the RX-8 Type S. With heightened sporty driving performance and strong and athletic styling that sets it apart from the standard model grades, the Type RS offers exceptional driving pleasure.

Enhanced sporty equipment

• Exclusive aeroparts
  The large front aero bumper, side under spoilers, and rear spoiler create a more muscular impression and increase stability at highway speeds.
• 19-inch forged aluminum wheels
  Gunmetal forged wheels with rotor-shaped motifs help reduce the unsprung weight. Matched with 225/40R19 89W tires, they yield exceptional grip and create a heart thumping impression.
• RECARO bucket seats (front)
  The exclusively designed RX-8 seats have fabric center sections (a black and grey combination), black genuine leather side supports and are accentuated with red stitching. They offer first-rate body support.
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel, shift lever and hand brake (with red stitching)
  The red stitching on the leather matches the exclusive bucket seats.
• Hard suspension (Bilstein dampers)
  The suspension was specially designed for the RX-8 to support its superb driving performance. It enables lithe vehicle movement with stable damping force for various driving situations.
• Front suspension crossmembers filled with urethane foam.
  Filling the crossmembers makes for excellent driving stability, linear steering and improved ride feel.

Manufacturer’s suggested retail prices for the Mazda RX-8 (*Prices of the models in the above photos)

Grade	Drive	Engine	Transmission	Price (yen)
				With tax	Without tax
RX-8	RWD	Water-cooled two-rotor (654cc x 2)	5-speed MT	2,600,000	2,476,191
			6-speed AT (Activematic)	2,600,000	2,476,191
Type E			6-speed AT (Activematic)	3,000,000*	2,857,143
Type S			6-speed MT	2,940,000	2,800,000
Type RS			6-speed MT	3,150,000*	3,000,000

• A separate recycling fee of 12,330 yen is necessary in addition to the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices listed above (if the curtain and front side SRS airbag system is selected as a factory-installed option, the fee is 12,900 yen).
• If the special body color Crystal White Pearl Mica is selected, the price increases by 31,500 yen (including tax).
• A five-speed manual transmission version of the RX-8 is due to go on sale in June 2008.