Mazda RX8 review - Top Gear - Series 3 - BBC

Filmed on a toaster

As much as i adore this car it has too many flaws. There is a reason it was discontinued for good.

Car throttle bought one for 600 quid. That kinda says it all

20 years ago . Unbelievable

This made me consider buying an RX8

Who here in 2023 cuz they looking for an r3 renesis?

Some of the RX-8 concepts looked much better. IMO

its actually a mid engine

The Mazdaspeed RX8 is one of the best looking cars of the early 2000s!

Such a fun pile of trash 😫

One of the most underrated cars of the world

Never knew people didn't liked the looks of this car... Mechanically... It's another history

They may not have skimped on the interior but they sure as hell skimped on having a turbo version… which somehow made it less reliable than both the n/a AND turbo rx-7s

Gotta love the cheeky tire joke at the end lol

I had a buddy blow thru 2 engines, both under 100k kms

Garbage show

Have a BRZ now but loved my RX8 🥹

240p.......

2023 👀

Mazda is the one of the best sport cars on the worl

Ah nostalgia

The RX8 aged well. Everyone was disappointed at the time by the design, bit it fits in with modern designs

Commenting because we own one and want to help current and future owners:
- we are at 84k with no major engine issues
- the car is fun and raspy if you saw off the exhaust right by the rear diff, lots of burble and pops lol
- this car WILL handle the snow and ice, just please monitor your tire tread. esipcally if you have coils and camber, monitor the inside tread
- issues with rough idle, storability, sometimes dying at idle? clean your SSV (secondary shutter valve) as they get clogged with buildup (this isn't a definite cure, as other solutions could be replacing the ssv or no cure at all)
- the trans gets super hot!! like, so much that 80-90 with spew out of the top to your rubber seals for the shift boot.
-in addition to the trans, the white plastic on the shift lever has the capability to melt, so if you are having trouble going into gears check that out.

^ or just don't make it a drift car and you won't have half of those problems! lol


OVERALL, it's a super fun car. we have debated selling it many times but it never leaves. happy revving!

edit: im also adding that the driveline is carbon fiber!!!!! so be SUPER careful when or if you take it out for maintenance. treat it like a delicate flower that will deteriorate if bumped lol

rotaries are dogshit, mazda is garbage

filmed in 2 pixels

Bought one recently and it’s a well built, unique and most of all fun car to drive. Get one while they are still relatively cheap. Not sure why Clarkson back flipped on his opinion..

"Isn't exactly the prettiest car in the world" What ? Was Jezza looking at it with his eyes closed ?

These cars are worth 2p today.

It's very beautiful

The easy fix for this car is a Honda k24 turbo swap. Hear me out. A complete kit exists. A ecu designed to plug in exists. The only custom work you need to do is a bit of metal trimming and exhaust work. In the end you get the awesome handling of an rx8 with Honda engine power and reliability. Power? Yep...a k24 fitted with a k20 oil pump and a 50° cam advance gear will make an easy 400hp with a gt30r sized turbo.
If you don't mind upgrading valve stems and valve springs you can add 100 more hp. If you swap out the pistons and rods...maybe some arp head studs you can make 750hp of course you will need a bigger turbo...maybe a gt4088r. If you have deep pockets you can install Darton mid sleeves and a gt42r on it and make over 1000hp.
Of course ,at that point,the transmission and or rear end will grenade from the power.
The point is you can build one of these to 400hp for under 10 grand including the price of the car!

I was going to buy one of these, but then I heard buying a used one is like buying an unexploded WW2 bomb that's been wedged in the ground for 50years. Be careful or it might blow..

Little did they know that most RX-8 won't survive their first 5 years without an engine swap...

You can find these ones now with the price of 5k-10k

cheap too

Idk why everyone doesnt use the wankle format

Imagine the price tag for that review. Must have cost a fortune for that car to come out smelling like a rose.

This car could've been a masterpiece....

Still want one.

this is one of those one of a kind cars

Was that Santas slay? I couldn’t tell

Dude!! Really, tires? You know the tires can be changed with ones that your iron heart desires...right?...right Jer?

My little Sister has more pixel ... ;o)

damnnn whats this claarkksooooonnnnnn

Im not a fan of the rx8

if any one recons digital was the one we still went from crisp to to this and waited 10 years to find better

Jeremy say "with none of the drawbacks".
.
Apex seals : Hold my beer

I wonder if I can still buy one in the next 10 years....

The RX8 was in no way a worthy successor to the RX7. It really annoys me that in the noughties all the Japanese brands lost it when it came to the performance end of their offerings. Toyota? Well, they discontinued the Supra and offered nothing to replace it. Nissan? The 350Z was worse than the 300ZX and the Skyline was discontinued and then replaced by a completely different (although admittedly awesome) car in the form of the GTR. Mitsubishi got rid of both the GTO/3000GT and the FTO, although I'll admit that before the Peugot-306-isation of the Evo there were some pretty cool revisions. Same goes for Subaru and the Impreza. But overall Japanese performance in the noughties was a swamp of uninspired mediocrity (apart from the GTR).

Back when sports cars were £22.000