MAZDA RX8

The MAZDA RX8 stands out because it is a sports car built around Mazda’s rotary-engine idea, which gives it a very particular place among performance cars. By our assessment, that unusual powertrain is the main attraction for people who care about engineering character as much as straight-line speed, and the car’s shape and driving feel have earned it a lasting enthusiast following. The trade-off is equally famous: rotary engines are not the same as a conventional piston setup, so ownership tends to ask more attention than a normal commuter car. In practice, this is a car people choose with the heart first and the calculator second. Compared with ordinary coupes and hot hatches, it is less practical and more idiosyncratic, but also more distinct. It is a rewarding oddball, and the rotary setup is what defines both its charm and its demands.