The aggressively styled RX-8 is a true four-seat sports car. The RX-8 is available in four trims, Sport, Touring, Grand Touring and the R3. The exterior receives a new front end with a wider grille and a lightly massaged tail. The interior's center stack is restyled slightly and there are several significant new available features.
Power and Performance
The rear-wheel-drive Mazda RX-8 is powered by a 1.3-liter RENESIS rotary engine. The engine's output depends on the transmission selected. Models with the six-speed automatic (with paddle shifters) receive 212 horsepower and a redline of 7,500 rpm. When equipped with the six-speed manual version it provides 232 horsepower and an atmospheric redline of 9,000 rpm. The engine produces 159 pound-feet of torque for both the transmissions.
Build and Styling
2009 Mazda RX-8 receives new aggressive front and rear styling. The "free style" reverse-opening rear doors make loading people and cargo much easier. The rear compartment is equally accommodating for luggage or grocery bags. The base Sport features a rear lip spoiler (manual transmission models only), cruise control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, while the Touring trim adds a limited-slip rear differential, xenon headlights, foglights, an auto-dimming rear view mirror and an in-dash six-CD changer. The Grand Touring RX-8s offer extra facilities like automatic headlights, heated side mirrors, an eight-way power driver seat with memory, heated front seats, leather upholstery and automatic climate control. The new-for-2009 R3 trim level is essentially a Touring model with a more aggressively tuned suspension.
Safety features
The 2009 Mazda RX-8 comes standard with antilock brakes, front side airbags and front side curtain airbags. Alarm with immobilizer, 3-point front seatbelts with pretensioners & force limiters and Tire Pressure Monitoring System are also standard on all. Stability control is standard on all but the Sport model. In government crash testing, the RX-8 earned a four-star rating (out of a possible five) for driver protection in frontal impacts and five stars for the front passenger, while in side-impact testing, the RX-8 received four stars.
