Mazda RX8 MPS?

With the Mazda 6 & 3 MPS firmly on their way to the market, how long will it be before we see a Mazda RX8 getting the Mazda Performance Series treatment? And if Mazda do produce it, will that put to an end the rotary version altogether.

I ask this because of the growing number of Mazda RX8's back on the second hand market in such a short space of time. Lets hope this great car doesn't take the title off the Suzuki Vitara as the UK's number one novelty car?

Rumours abound from dealers and customers is that the engine is just too quirky and unpredictable for the normal everyday use. I have driven this car extensively and I honestly believe it is one of the best pieces of car engineering to come out this decade, and the Rotary engine has not given me one ounce of trouble.

One theory behind this sudden slow down is that when Mazda pulled an industry first with the RX8's unique pillarless design, the incredibly low price point lured not only sports car enthusiasts, but also attracted a lot of buyers unfamiliar with the Rotary engines long history and of those buyers were a lot people with young families. The problem is the Rotary engine was not designed for short trips to the school and back and its also a huge oil burner, so the added chore of having to top up the oil every 2 tanks of fuel, may be asking a bit too much of some its customers, especially in today's car market where fiddling with an engine is virtually unheard of.

Could it be that new Renesis Rotary Engine has inherited the same problems that plagued the RX-7? On short journeys, the engine just doesn't get hot enough, leaving the plugs damp with fuel and the car difficult to re-start. I am reliably informed that this happens on the new Renesis engine but only on short journey's where stopping and starting over short distances is involved. But if the car is in regular use and driven to its true potential, then the car appears to be fine. So this problem may not apply to a petrol head like me, but a young mum with children is hardly going to red-line it on the way to nursery.

When the car was first launched, you couldn't get a test drive never mind buy one, now the second hand market is flooded with them and they appear to be difficult to move on unless they are at a bargain price, something Mazda will definately not want to publish. So is this why the car has suddenly slumped in the sales arena causing ownership to be shorter than normal? It would be interesting to hear from any current or previous RX8 owners if they have experienced such problems.

If the engine is the problem then it seems logical for Mazda to overcome this with the introduction of an MPS version of what is truely a fantastic sports coupe car. The MPS (Mazda Performance Series) technology utilises a newly developed direct-injection turbocharged 2.3-liter engine, used in the Mazda 6 Sports as a normally aspirated variant, and develops an estimated 274 bhp. Its also conventional in design and should not have any quirks that the Rotary presents. Sounds like a perfect partnership to me, in fact it might just provide the perfect solution for Mazda.