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2011 Mazda RX-8 vs two thousand fifteen Subaru BRZ

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The Ultimate Quest for Chassis Balance and Four Seats

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Balance is a big deal for sports cars. One of the easiest ways to decently balance a car is to set the engine and transmission as close to the middle of the vehicle as possible. Since mid-engine cars can be costly and come with a myriad of compromises, most manufactures tackle the issue by installing a petite engine ahead of the driver, but as far back from the front axle as possible.

Over the past two decades two cars have taken this idea to the extreme. In two thousand four Mazda eventually followed up the iconic RX-7 sports car with the RX-8. Like any model using the RX designation, the RX-8 was rotary powered, using a 1.3-liter twin-rotary engine making two hundred thirty two hp and one hundred fifty nine lb-ft. of torque. Rotaries are little engines and Mazda was able to install the 13b so low and far back in the engine compartment that it was almost inbetween the driver and front passenger’s foot wells.

Discontinued after the two thousand eleven model year, the RX-8 has been spiritually succeeded by a joint venture from Subaru and Toyota. Albeit the FR-S and BRZ do not use a rotary engine, they use the next most compact engine design: a four-cylinder boxer. By being horizontally opposed, the two hundred hp Two.0-liter engine with one hundred fifty one lb-ft. of torque has been set very low in the FR-S/BRZ chassis and as far back as possible.

Old-ish vs Fresh

So who did it better? Well, there is only one way to find out – a comparison test. Gratefully, our local Mazda press fleet still has a pristine two thousand eleven Mazda RX-8 Grand Touring on fleet available for special requests. With fewer than Ten,000 miles on the odometer and having been meticulously maintained, it arrived at our office in better condition than a lot of newer press cars.

Next we grabbed a two thousand fifteen Subaru BRZ, but not just any BRZ. The RX-8 always had a bit of luxurious edge to it when it came to the interior so we determined to splurge and grab the special edition BRZ Series.Blue. Limited to just 1,000 cars for the two thousand fifteen model year, the Series.Blue is available in blue or white and comes tooled with an STI skirt package, crimson painted brake calipers, black STI wheels, a frameless rear-view mirror, fake carbon fiber dash panel, crimson illuminated STI engine embark/stop button and various blue trim and stitching bits via the interior.

Different Takes on the Same Mission

Both cars are tooled with a standard six-speed manual transmission that sends power to the rear wheels. The gearing in the RX-8 is noticeably shorter to make the most of the insane 9,000-RPM redline. With a rotary engine already being a fuel chugging hog, I guess Mazda determined there was no use in attempting to compensate for its unquenchable thirst by installing taller gearing. This led to official RX-8 fuel ratings in two thousand eleven that made Corvette owners laugh: sixteen MPG city and twenty two MPG highway. The BRZ is a Prius by comparison with ratings of twenty two MPG city and thirty MPG highway.

There may not be anything brief of an electrified motor that supplies power as slickly as a rotary engine. Making that distinct Renesis whirl, the Mazda sounds better than the Subaru when you step hard on the gas with the majority of the mechanical symphony emitting from the harass. Thanks to a sound tube connected to the Subaru’s intake, the BRZ sounds aggressive in its own right, but still features that trademark boxer-engine utilitarian thrash.

Sending power to the rear wheels, the shift mechanism in the BRZ is more direct with solid engagement and a stiffer feel. Managing Editor Luke Vandezande chooses this setup compared to my preference, the RX-8’s, which offers shorter throws and a softer but less precise engagement.

Sweating the Details

Antsy to rev, the RX-8 feels like it has a greater power advantage the numbers suggest. Yes, I just wrote that the rotary powered car feels like the torquier suggesting here. But the RX-8 needs the extra power since it has a significant weight disadvantage. Tipping the scales at Three,065 lbs., the RX-8 is almost three hundred lbs. stronger than the BRZ.

Aside from extra power, the RX-8 wears slightly larger tires, measuring 225/45R18 compared to the BRZ’s 215/45R17. With the rotary engine being so petite, Mazda was able to indeed set it far back in the RX-8’s chassis to accomplish a 52/48 front to rear weight distribution compared to the Subaru’s 53/47.

Joy to Drive²

Specs and stats are joy and all, but it’s on the road where a car shows its true treating prowess. Both the RX-8 and the BRZ are something special. Flawlessly weighted steering, an eagerness to switch direction and the way the balanced chassis communicates to the driver put both vehicles near the top of affordable drivers cars.

With the high-revving engine, the RX-8 is a blast to roll onto the throttle through corners and tip-toe on the edge or rear-wheel adhesion. The BRZ in contrast is ridiculous joy to throw from side to side through taut S-bends. The higher railing RX-8 is more prone to assets roll, but it also has a far softer, more compliant rail. The RX-8 also has brakes that left me feeling more certain about stopping.

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