RX-8 to be discontinued

Put me in the RX-Saturn camp. What the berkeley were they thinking?

RexSeven wrote: I really, really hope Mazda does not put the Mazda3's stupid E36 M3-eating grin on the RX-7/-8/-9/whatever. I also hope that the GDI system in the 16X will help redress the poor fuel mileage and lack of torque. I'd love to stuff one into an FC...

I was speaking to Derek Jenkins, Mazda's new design chief a couple of weeks back. Someone asked him about the big grins. The look on his face pretty much told the story - if he has anything to do with it, that's going away. Personally, I think the 5-pointed grille they were using in the early 2000's was pretty and could easily be applied to a range of cars.

With the new 35mpg cafe coming I would bet that the rotary is d-e-d dead here.

Beaten severely with the ugly stick(of course that covers just about everything Mazda currently produces-poor "Hello Kitty" mazda3). Did they hire Bangle's evil twin? That said, it's a great platform with an engine that doesn't appear ready for today's needs.

pinchvalve wrote: The rotary will never sell in big numbers as a novelty. It has to have some advantage or benefit, and the RX-8 did not make a good case. I look forward to a 2500 pound RX-7 with a turbo 3-rotor!

Was at the NY Auto Show with Shaun Bailey fro Road and Track and he said that an RX-7 is on the way with a 2 rotor

If you take the turbos off the FC and FD rx-7s, those engine's werent ready for THOSE days' needs either.

The rx-8 has always been lacking the only thing that made the previous two generations work: BOOST.

Having said that, i do agree that while the platform itself has great appeal to me (in large part due to the styling and doors ), the thing i end up thinking about when i think about rx-8s is engine swaps.

Otto_Maddox wrote: In reply to kreb: Miata based coupe with 250 rotary hp sounds pretty good to me as a new RX7. That would keep costs down too.

It SOUNDS great, but i still think that they'd canabalize each other. You're loking at a niche market as it is niche/2 = trouble.

Like I say, an All-Aluminum V6 wouldn't weigh a hell of a lot more than the Renesis. let's say 120 lbs. You'd get 70 more horsepower and DOUBLE the torque. Add two inches of rubber with box flares to match to the RX-8, and it'd be a monster. Everything but the fenders could be found in Mazda/Ford's existing parts inventory.

Dreeaaaamin!

The great thing is that Mazda's got a really strong product line, and I trust their people to do the right thing. What comes next might not be exactly what we want, but you can be damn sure that it'll be interesting and fun.

how about miata RX-5? Would solve a lot of issues.

For those unfamiliar with the 16X, here is Mazda's press release:

http://www.mazda.com/mazdaspirit/rotary/16x/

The highlights:
-Aluminum housings instead of steel for reduced weight
-Direct Injection for increased torque and fuel mileage
-Increased stroke and narrower rotors, also for increased torque

Another interesting tidbit is from the MT article I linked the concept drawing from, which speculates that Mazda is trying to make the 16X a dual-fuel engine (both gasoline and diesel).

honda & mazda needs to team up:

-s2k exterior/interior, hardtop option please

-rx8 suspension (so amazingly responsive yet easy to drive over the limit)

-MS3 engine

Well i might be able to pick one up for cheap soon! Although i am sad about this i hope they are able to bring something that will keep the roatry in north america, we will see though...

It's my fault. I was getting close to buying one and the quit making it.

Same with the G8 GXP.

Is it too much to ask for to want a RWD 4 door car with a stick for the price of an average family sedan? Sheesh.

pinchvalve wrote: The rotary will never sell in big numbers as a novelty. It has to have some advantage or benefit, and the RX-8 did not make a good case. I look forward to a 2500 pound RX-7 with a turbo 3-rotor!

I have owned two RX7s (still own one) but as much as I like the rotary it is not for everyone. It has a very limited market and special needs. I would like to see the RX7 return and I am sorry to see the RX8 go but a 3 rotor turbo (as cool as that would be!) would likely be very thirsty and expensive. Two features in this tough market that would not be a bonus. And of course could a smaller company like Mazda support two, two seat sports cars both of which would likely be low volume sellers? Having said that, if it had any other powerplant other than a rotary it couldn't be a RX7. Similar to a steel bodied Corvette or a front mounted V6 in a 911. The rotary defines the car.

Direct Injection rotary!

FINALY!!! Bring back my beloved RX-7 with BOOOoooosstt

In reply to 4eyes:

I like boost as much as the next guy, but do we really want to bring back grenade rotaries that only last 80K miles? And that is if you don't jack up the boost.

Keith wrote: I was speaking to Derek Jenkins, Mazda's new design chief a couple of weeks back. Someone asked him about the big grins. The look on his face pretty much told the story - if he has anything to do with it, that's going away.

I think it's a great look... on the Furai, where the lines make sense with the pointed nose. Squishing that nose is akin to taking a standard cat and turning them into one of those ugly-ass squashed-face beasts.

Furai:

Normal Kitty:

Furai'd Mazda3:

Squashed-face kitty:

Yeah, yeah, hotlinked pics.

Otto_Maddox wrote: In reply to 4eyes: I like boost as much as the next guy, but do we really want to bring back grenade rotaries that only last 80K miles? And that is if you don't jack up the boost.

It wasn't an engine problem that caused that... it was a cooling issue, and the fixes are out there. The 80k then explode fable being connected with the motors themselves, is just that.

Berate mazda for dropping the ball on the cooling. Not the motor.

I hope the "new RX7" isn't a near-supercarish FD, but rather a light, fast and cheap car (if that's possible anymore).

Why? Because I'd like to be able to afford it in my lifetime.

unevolved wrote: I'm with you. If they bring back the RX-7, it better be a modern interpretation of what that car was originally about. Simple, light, and fast. I'm afraid the first two are pretty rare in this day and age. I bet it wouldn't be that hard to make a car about the size of the current Miata with a hardtop and sexier styling, and a rotary under the hood.

I wouldn't hold my breath on that one... The last RX7 was a critical success but generally a sales failure. But it is defintitely a gorgeous car.

Economically, I think a Miata-based RX could work. Make it a bit more luxury. Add the rotary. Faster. But use a modified MX5 platform to keep the developement costs down. As much as we would love to see a dedicated performance platform for a new RX, we have to be realistic about the economies of scale and manufacturing needs in today's market.

When discussions about Ford selling Volvo were rampant, I had this pipe dream that a enthusiast investor would buy both Volvo and Mazda... The way I saw it, a Volvo/Mazda marraige would have benefited both greatly since they could have done a lot of cross-platform developement but market-wise, they don't really compete with each other. Also my MX5/RX7 dream above could also be the platform base for a new Volvo 1800... but sadly, that was not to be...

Well, i love my Mazda S40..

Im sure Volvo3 owners feel the same way...

So that mutual benefit marriage thing.. i think it already happened, to some extent..

And now that the mazda3 face is dumbtarded, i think id rather have a c30..

Can't say I'll miss the RX8. It has impeccable handling but nothing else going for it. And before anyone asks, yes, I have driven and even autocrossed them.

I want to like the RX8 and also have driven them, but can't seem to talk myself into buying one. I have a few issues with it, first, it has fuel mileage that I can't live with on a daily driver, and second, engine longevity and quirks like the flooding issue if you so much as move it out of the garage without knowing what they are doing. I do like the way they drive and like the interior, but do not care for the exterior in any way. In fact, Mazda has completely lost it with styling lately, that front end is so bad on all of their cars that blind hermits with no hands must have designed it by drawing it with a crayon between their teeth!

As an S2000 guy I commiserate with the those mourning the demise of the 8. I personally never appreciated the rotary very much, otherwise I might have had one. They are just too inefficient with mileage and the present model has only modest power. I'm sure the new version will handle great, be more powerful and get better mileage but if it has the stupid grill I won't look at it, never mind buy one.

MPG is the big deal-killer for me on owning and USING an rx-8... although im still wondering why im the only person in this thread that likes the styling? I mean, i wish the taillights were more angular.. but i think its a good looking car