THE midlife makeover for the Mazda RX-8 confounds the Japanese
carmaker's policy of trimming weight and saving fuel on its
vehicles.
Mazda recently has made a big noise about reducing fuel consumption
across its range by 30 per cent by 2015, as it continues with its
"gram" or weight-saving philosophy.
The arrival of the series II RX-8 is an exception to that rule as
it puts on some kilograms and uses more fuel than the original
version.
It sucks 12.9 litres per 100km compared with the 12.6 litres per
100km of the predecessor despite retaining the same 170kW power
delivery.
Changes to the gear ratios which give the RX-8 more urge down low
through to mid-range and a shorter final drive ratio are largely
responsible for the slip in fuel economy.
The big news about the updated model... //
Courier Mail