New Mazda distibutors Bermaz Motor has just launched the new fully imported facelifted Mazda RX8 in Malaysia. The compact 4-door Mazda RX8 rides on an aluminium double wishbone front suspension and a multi-link rear suspension. Its large 18 inch wheels are wrapped with 225/40R18 low profile tyres.
The RENESIS engine in the RX8 is the new improved model that was launched with the facelift. The gas seal lubrication system has been changed from a mechanical type to a electromagnetic type, and there is now one additional nozzle for a total of 3 now. This improves lubrication performance, which extends rotor seal life and fuel efficiency.
A peak horsepower of 212 horsepower (lower than the manual version which revs higher for more power) is achieved at 7,500rpm while peak torque is 211Nm of torque at 5,500rpm, which puts the car’s power figures rather close to the Civic Type R’s 225 PS and 215Nm.
As you know, the engine is a high revving one, but you should only put such strain on the engine after it has properly warmed up. Much like the BMW M3, the RX8 has a variable redline that prevents overrevving when the engine has not warmed up yet. Its redline varies and goes up in 3 stages according to engine conditions. I’ve never seen the actual car yet but apparently according to sources on the internet, the automatic version has both its redline and peak horsepower point capped to 7,500rpm, presumably because of the transmission?
Our Malaysian-spec RX8 goes for RM233,699 OTR w/o insurance with a 3-year warranty and comes with a 6-speed Activematic automatic transmission and a 9-speaker Bose Audio system with an in-dash 6-CD changer, 8 airbags, an 8-way electric driver’s seat, ABS, DSC, EBD, body-colour coordinated leather seats, and more – a full list of the equipment can be found in a table after the jump together with a hi-res gallery.
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PHOTO GALLERY: Mazda RX-8
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VIDEO: Mazda RX-8 Promotional Footage
VIDEO: Mazda RX-8 Driving Footage
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wow..beautiful..haha..great facelift from mazda… =)
the sound must be great to..
overpriced against civic type-r.
gud is road-tax cheaper than civic type-r.
It’s not overpriced compared to Civic Type-R, the list of equipment on this RX-8 is a LOT compared to the Civic Type-R.
i dont know abt this facelift but ive drove a 2006 model…nice…bt the engin is very frustrating….u constantly have to rev very hight jus to get power…and constant gearchange(manual) jus to keep it o the boil….but everyting else is nice…high quality interior…quite refined oso…but with this price…i prefere to get those ap 350z facelift…more power..beter driveability….now selling around rm160k
Pity, they should bring in the manual version.
overpriced !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nice equipment list.
By now people would have bought and sold the car twice over already. Too late is too late
nice car..but would prefer 350Z..i dont care about 2nd hand car..as long as it good in my eyes haha..
I wonder how maintenance and (god forbid) repairs would be like, with its rotary engine and all.
over priced!and facelift look likes audi r8 i think…a bit..
A recond 2006 Mazda RX-8 JDM spec at around RM170k vs a brand new 2008 Mazda RX-8 facelift with manufacturer warranty at RM223K, which price is reasonable?
the price is one thing, but the warranty is important for a rotary car, outside KL it’s quite hard to find a specialist, and i dont think Mazda dealers will entertain gray imports…but the autobox is stupid for an engine that revs so high
Typical Malaysian mentality to bring in AUTOMATIC ONLY. Manual drivers are getting lesser nowadays and even sports cars are mated with semi-auto rather than manual. Luckily Civic Type R is manual only. Semi-auto is not gonna fix the problem either. I think G can implement Auto Transmission only license just like Japan to those people who prefer to drive Auto cars for the rest of their lives.
They should bring in the manual with higher horsepower.
If you haven’t try this car, you must. Rev it to 9k and listen to the rotary spins!!
Finally ……. :)
the equipment is much more better thn CTR bcause the car target market including women. CTR is more to a track car. if i’m looking for comfort n luxury(and rotary) i’d buy this car..if looking for a serious performance, CTR. owh how about golf gti? ;p
still one of the best and affordable Jap racer……
no more cheap 100k recon rx-8?
Its look like Mazda copied Proton design, look at the handbrake…notice any similarity with Gen-2?
Actually whose copied who?
Nobody copied anybody.
223k? So many sport car can get lo,skyline gtr r34 also can le,crap
This new RX-8 is be backed by a 3-year or 100,000km warranty. I’ve checked out and test drove the car at the PJ branch earlier today.
@ oscarsmh
Presently, U can’t get a BNR34 Skyline at RM220+K, the cheapest price U can find in the market now is at least RM270K.
why are still some idiot people reading this blog? they should compare this with other correctly, rather than price alone. yup, it more expensive then the CTR but can you get a car with RWD, bose sound system, dash 6-CD changer, 8 airbags, an 8-way electric driver’s seat ? 350z ? if you buy with grey import u sure don’t have any warranty, plus the road tax will for 3500cc will cost you for RM3480 per year..
@oscarsmh
R34 = more power of course better car interm of perfomance, but you need to see from other aspect, the car it older, if you can find under 200k most probably, a 2nd hand car then prone to problem, ware and tear. do you know how much japan spare part cost? then the loan % rate will be higher because of old car status, then the roadtax, then the petrol cost. long term cost will haunt you if you compare R34 with rx8.
m always impress with the mazda interior layout and design, nevertheless, good quality build.
Not worth a penny for such spec plus petrol hike nowadays,shall have Manual instead of Auto.Warranty? Wonder our local mazda ready equip with skills to fix its engine yet,even some old pro tuning sifu having problem dealing with this model.220k for BNR34 not possible?check out motortrader for such price…cheers
Paul,
Any idea on RENESIS fc?
To be honest, for bang-for-bucks and value for money, I think RX-8, not only being a rather handsome car, also offers good performance and quality for the money that Bermaz is asking. In fact, my first impression is that the price is very near its MX-5, when the MX-5 should be a good 30~50k cheaper. Wonder what’s their pricing strategy like?
Anyway, there are good reviews on this facelift RX-8. I for one won’t go for re-con or 2nd hand purely because of the engine needing an overhaul around 100k and I am sure not many (should be a handful) would know how to repair and maintain a Rotary Wankel engine. So as attractive as this car will be, abundance of caution is also necessary when buying 2nd hand. Only a new one will give u a peace of mind.
R34 GTR? just make sure u can pay the road tax……unlike the RX-8.
rotary engine rulezzzz..
it’s cheap ..
and the roadtax far cheaper too!..
might consider one.. but…. aiyah.. economy no good lar now…
Hikaru said,
October 28, 2008 @ 8:55 am
100k for a Rotary engine overhaul? Are you sure bro.
GTR is only paying for 2.6L .. Even my 3.0L is only 2k per year.
All in all, give and take, it’s quite a good deal at RM 223k for a brand new Mazda sportscar. Only thing is, if only the car comes with a manual tranny. Btw, does our market get the oh-so-sexy electric blue colour option as shown in the main pic?
e-nabilll said,
October 27, 2008 @ 2:15 am
i dont know abt this facelift but ive drove a 2006 model…nice…bt the engin is very frustrating….u constantly have to rev very hight jus to get power…and constant gearchange(manual) jus to keep it o the boil….but everyting else is nice…high quality interior…quite refined oso…but with this price…i prefere to get those ap 350z facelift…more power..beter driveability….now selling around rm160k
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Yes! The 350Z have more power and more torque. Plus, the recon one will only cost around RM160K like you said but are you willing to pay the road tax nearly RM4K per year compare to the RX8 at just around RM78 only?!
In terms of the driveability, both cars are great since both are RWD cars and these cars offers the driver/owners to hone their skill of driving. Still, the RX8 has better weight distribution compare to the 350Z and the 350Z is more prone to oversteer a little bit than the RX8 (that’s why the drifters loves the 350Z of it’s oversteer).
But I can’t argue with him regarding the high quality interior and refinement though. And please to the rest, stop comparing the CTR with the RX8 lah! Yes both at the same price range and both comes from OFFICIAL dealers with warranty to back them up! But both are not in the same class, one is FWD and the other is RWD, one is more prone as a track car and the other is more prone as a chicks magnet to drive to the night clubs or shopping cars for the chicks, one is more of a driver focus car and the other is slap with a much much more refinement and luxury comfort…seriously…they are not in the SAME league!
It’s all fall to that individual’s needs, taste and bang for buck in my opinion! Peace! :-)
Mayonaise said,
October 27, 2008 @ 10:38 pm
@ oscarsmh
Presently, U can’t get a BNR34 Skyline at RM220+K, the cheapest price U can find in the market now is at least RM270K.
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oscarsmh said,
October 28, 2008 @ 4:59 am
Not worth a penny for such spec plus petrol hike nowadays,shall have Manual instead of Auto.Warranty? Wonder our local mazda ready equip with skills to fix its engine yet,even some old pro tuning sifu having problem dealing with this model.220k for BNR34 not possible?check out motortrader for such price…cheers
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Mayonaise,
Sorry bro but what Oscarsmh said was right! These days you could actually buy a GTR 34 around RM220K. Check the local MotorTrader for more info! There’s even one selling at Sunway for that price if I’m not mistaken. I think it’s at Links Dyno Tune garage la…
IsaacVky said,
October 28, 2008 @ 12:47 pm
Hikaru said,
October 28, 2008 @ 8:55 am
100k for a Rotary engine overhaul? Are you sure bro.
GTR is only paying for 2.6L .. Even my 3.0L is only 2k per year.
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Yes bro, that is true! Reason is to make sure that the rotary blade still in a good shape. Anyone who rather choose to purchase the recon RX8, just make sure that when you test drive the car…it can revs all the way towards 9000rpm coz if it’s not…then I can assure you that the engine has been abuse hard and the rotary blade is not in a good shape!!! That’s one of the tricks when you decided to buy one from the grey importer, please don’t just see the “good shape” from the exterior and the interior of the car only…my advise, if the rotary can’t revs past the 9000rpm mark…then walk away or one day you’ll PAY the price of repairing a rotary engine! Peace!
If only fuel consumption not as thirsty, but still my dream car
100K? there’s such ******* ..
It wasn’t be like that.
My uncle an ex-foremen mention.. the spartpart is expensive. since it was hard to get one. But it wont that expensive.
The main problem of it was.. There is really hard to find a good mechanic those understand well of the rotary engine itself.
The engine itself easy to maintenance, hardly to broke because it mechanical part are less than normal engine. But again..
It’s hard to find an expert rotary engine foremen. Most or many ah beng workshop foremen not even know how the engine works then how to repair it?.
My Uncle said.. that is such a pride to open, dismantle and repair the rotary engine.. It’s just… GREAT!
Bmpower, wait…..are we talking about 100K in money term or the milage term? I thought we’re talking in milage issue….huh? Confuse liao….
Rotary engine might be less mechanical parts but the materials used are very exotic. The engine itself is still yet to reach the kind of reliability as per normal piston based engine but the beautiful part bout rotary engine is the inherent weight of the “piston” is a lot lighter with rapid ignition per rotor per cycle(that’s why it’s smooth as a V6 engine). It’s due to this inherited design of a rotary engine making the car seems to lack of low end torque coupled with very high RPM.
But again, for a engine merely the capacity of 1.3L, it can rival the output of a highly tuned “traditional” engine, like the K20A. How many “traditional” engine of 1.3L can crank that output without using forced air induction solution? By forcing so much output outta a 1.3L engine, any “traditional” engine will consume much higher fuel consumption (bear in mind one rotor has 3 ignition point per cycle x 2, that’s 6 of it, equivalent to a traditional V6 engine), perhaps even comparable to a rotary engine of similar displacement not to forget the driveability of such engine (the infamous turbo lag from high boost engine). As well, Mazda is struggling with R&D synergy with other car manufacturers due to the completely different engine design yet they’re still be able to come up with one of the best (if not the best) Jap car design which I think this alone deserved a high praise for their sheer persue of…err…REAL PERFECTION in car design.
Bermaz should have config their offering of the RX-8 here by offering the following :
1. RX8 Luxury – All the goodies you can find..Bose Sound Systems, Leather and electronic front seats, cruise control, 6 speeds tiptronic gear box, 8 air bags and so on;
2. RX8 Sports – Comes in 6 speeds manual gearbox with all the safety features as per the Luxury version and recaro sports seat and cruise control. All others are optional extra, like the Bose Sound System.
With the 2 variants, both will have the sunroof as optional extra as well as the Performance Package Upgrade like the 19 inches lighten sports rim, better suspension, body kits and the like. By “toying” around with the equipment to bring the price closer to the CTR (within 10k range) then HM will be losing some customers who seek a luxurious cruiser or FR pure performance fun though they wont be losing their sleep anytime soon.
Betul tuh.. aku sokong !
I personally don’t like the new facelift. Still prefer my original look albeit with a nice bodykit to go with it. 6MT is the way to go.
dont u guyz think itz too overpriced !!!! i wud rather add juz another RM10K to buy Audi A4 1.8T B8 !!!! or hw about addin’ another RM40K for d S-line package !!!!!
why so low HP one…
if its around 280hp.. then shock laa..
put in turbo fight with evo x maa… kakaka
add 60k buy evo better… kakaka
its a rather horrible car to sit in, but i’d have this anyday over a toyota
a 1.3 engine that has a fuel consumption of 4-5 litre engine while outputting less power.
it is a nicely balanced car. but the engine is already ‘dead’ as far as im concerned. the only way they can keep it alive is to price it alot cheaper than the 350z/370z and gang to offset the horrible fuel consumption. and to be realistic, the mx5 is a much better buy. way better.
a 1.3 engine that has a fuel consumption of 4-5 litre engine while outputting less power.
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leak petrol kaa… ahahaha… anyway, thats horrible thing if it uses tat much petrol to put out 210hp only.
haiya… dont buy this car laa… singapore ah gua love this cars.. almost every street can see this car. cheap-plug laa. At MY, its like gold and selling 230k … puke already.
more of a luxury than performance, kinda opposite of rx-7.