Mazda RX-8 (2004 to 2012)

The Mazda RX-8 was the successor to the RX-7 that was released in 2004. Mazda marketed the vehicle as a “4-door quad coupe.” It was essentially a quasi-four-door sports car with two doors that open opposite the two standard doors. Mazda kept the tradition of the “Wankel” rotary engine under the hood, with a 1.3L unit. The engine was mid-front mounted and sent power through a manual or automatic transmission to the rear wheels. Mazda assumed that a customer buying a six-speed manual wants performance; therefore, all manuals came with 238hp and added performance features versus the automatic paddle-shifted transmission with just 197hp. Some RX-8 variants of mention include the Sport, Grand Touring, 40th Anniversary Edition, Shinka Edition, Touring, and R3. Mazda discontinued the RX-8 in 2012.