| First Drive | Kemble, England | Mazda RX-8 R3 |

Mazda's unique four-seater, four-door, rotary-engined RX-8 range is now limited to a single RX-8 R3 model, which has been reworked with a sharper chassis, more assertive styling, a tweaked engine and improved standard equipment.

In the Metal

Always an interesting looking car, the Mazda RX-8 R3 gains a bit of attitude with revised front and rear bumpers, the front item featuring notably larger cooling ducts for the RX-8's rotary engine. There's a larger front grille and new headlamps, the RX-8's face familiar but obviously new at the same time. Around the rear there are similarly small but effective alterations: larger exhaust pipes, new circular LED rear lights and a new boot spoiler. It's in profile though that the RX-8 remains most interesting, its cool rear-hinged back doors making it remarkably practical, while the new smoked rotary-style 19-inch alloy wheels fill the wheelarches very purposefully indeed. The changes to the RX-8 go a little deeper than just styling revisions, its body shell having been stiffened to improve both torsional and flexural rigidity, too.

What you get for your Money

With only one model in the line-up Mazda has been pretty generous with the specification. Not only is it the high-power version of the engine with 228bhp, but it comes with a load of kit as standard. There are new Recaro sports seats inside, the fascia also getting a refresh - the rev counter gaining a variable red-zone rev counter that increases as the engine heats up - while a BOSE 9 speaker, integrated 6 CD changer stereo with an aux-in socket is also standard. Bluetooth is now included too, the RX-8 R3 coming with everything you could possibly need - Mazda offering no optional items at all on the equipment list as a result.

Driving it

Mazda is alone in offering a rotary engine in a production car. Engineering-wise the 1.3-litre rotary unit is a fascinating thing, but there's no denying that it comes with compromises. It might be extremely smooth and quiet, but it's not the most efficient with a 24.6mpg official combined figure and its 299g/km CO₂ emissions figure is also high. A rev-hungry engine, it really needs to be spinning hard to produce its best, it seriously lacking in low-down torque. But that's part of the engine's character and there's a great deal of pleasure to be had from wringing out its performance. Do so and 62mph arrives in 6.4 seconds and 146mph is possible.

Now stiffer and featuring revised suspension settings - and new Bilstein sports dampers - the Mazda RX-8 feels sharper than ever. The steering is incisive and well weighted, while the suspension rides commendably well given its obvious sporting focus. Always nicely balanced thanks to its 50/50 weight distribution, the advantage of that rotary engine is where it's placed - low down and far behind the front axle. There's now a six-speed manual as standard, it being the same quick and accurate shifting unit found in the MX-5 roadster, its top ratio chosen for increased cruising economy.

Worth Noting

Power and torque on the RX-8 R3's engine remain unchanged, but Mazda's engineers have made a number of changes to the rotary unit. Oil capacity is increased, the pump itself changing from mechanical to electromagnetic, while those larger air intakes in the front bumper mean that the RX-8's oil temperature is six degrees C cooler at maximum engine speeds. There's a new oil dipstick too, allowing easier checking of oil levels - useful on the notoriously high oil consuming rotary unit.

Summary

An interesting, individual choice, the RX-8 is better than ever in this latest R3 specification. The plentiful small changes add up to an impressive whole, making the Mazda RX-8 R3 more enjoyable to drive. With more standard equipment and even more dramatic looks allied to its always-impressive practicality (for a coupé, at least) the RX-8 R3 is a desirable car. Fuel consumption and emissions are still an issue in these green times, but if you can live when them then life with an R3 would be very pleasurable indeed.