NEW YORK (Money Magazine) - It's easy to get spoiled by today's sports cars, whose 300, 400, even 500 horsepower leaves any driver a twitch of the foot away from hyperspeed.
These Schwarzenegger rides make it easy to forget what sports cars used to be about: lightness over mass; finesse and agility over sheer muscle.
Mazda hasn't forgotten. Like the near-classic Miata and RX-7, the new RX-8 is a highway dancer, a sports car in its purest form. Well, almost: The RX-8 thumbs its nose at protocol with a set of rear-hinged back doors that access an honest-to-God back seat, one that's surprisingly comfortable for two adults.
The penalty for four-seat practicality is the car's awkward proportions, especially viewed from the side. Yet the RX-8's grinning snout and muscular fenders give it a feisty flair that makes most onlookers go wild.
With its freewheeling rotary engine, the Mazda produces 238 horsepower with its six-speed manual transmission -- but 197 horsepower if you decide on the four-speed automatic. (Mazda has no automatic durable enough to handle the engine's lofty 9,000-rpm redline.) And there's a measly 159 pound-feet of torque.
Ah, but the RX-8 has no pork, and that's the gravy. Weighing in at just over 3,000 pounds, it's almost 10 percent lighter than the powerful but portly Nissan 350Z. The zero-to-60-mph run takes a scant 5.9 seconds, still a few tenths behind the Nissan.
But while the Mazda isn't the mightiest stoplight stallion, it hits its stride on twisty roads, where it's much friskier and more involving than the Z. (Credit in part the RX-8's ideal fifty-fifty weight balance between front and rear.) Rowing the gears and hearing the rotary engine sing its high-revving song only adds to the thrills.
Inside, it's no contest. The RX-8's rich, expressively detailed cockpit makes the Z's look like the emperor's cheap suit. Laser-sharp instrument readouts are stunning. The intimate relationship between driver, seat and controls feels like an exercise in perfect feng shui.
Starting at just $27,200 with the six-speed manual transmission, the RX's well-equipped price of about $31,000 undercuts anything in its category. Once again, brains win over brawn -- the year's best sports car is also its best bargain. Four doors and all.
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