Zoom…Zoom…Zoom. I have often felt that the people behind that famous phrase were geniuses. After all, it perfectly sums up Mazda’s emphasis on sporty fun, which the company seems to build into every vehicle that it makes. This is particularly true of the 2009 Mazda RX8. 

Actually, to call this car sporty is a bit like saying; Mr. McCartney had a little success with one or two of his songs. 

I want to tell you, the RX8 must truly be one of the best looking sports coupes, for the money, on offer today. In fact, when I went to Mazda’s Head Office to pick up my RX8 Press car and I saw her standing there in the parking lot, a thought ran through my mind... the baby’s in black and ain’t she sweet!

The way in which the fender lines follow those of the 225/40/19 rubber which the RX8 sits on, is automotive design at its very best. The aluminum rims are truly something else, and as the car sits just inches off the ground, it really portrays one bad boy image!

Mazda’s design team have always tended to think in slightly different ways to other manufacturers, but by the time a vehicle goes into production, it all seems to Come together.

The RX8 with its ground hugging stance, in some ways, is a throwback to the customized street rods of once upon a long ago. This is one sexy looking automobile which can certainly turn people’s heads. In fact, I think that the RX8 could prove a real puller with the opposite sex. With a little luck, maybe no more lonely nights, eh!

I truly love the look of the RX8 and might even go as far as to say say say that it has the makings of a budget Super-Car. Of course, there aren’t many exotic Super-Cars running around with 1.3 L engines, then again, that’s because they don’t have Mazda’s famous rotary engine design. Over the years, other manufacturers have dabbled with rotary power and basically given up, but the guys at Mazda said, “We can work it out” and have produced some quite amazing vehicles utilizing this power plant. In fact, with each new RX model, it just keeps getting better.

Just about every little thing on the vehicle portrays a triangular designed logo which relates back to the rotary power unit and seems to bring it all together. It can be seen in the shape of the hood, the front, the rear and even on the interior carpets, very distinctive.

This brings us to the interior of the RX8 and never let it be said that Mazda falls down in the department as this is as impressive as the exterior. There might not be any Norwegian wood lurking inside the RX8 but Mazda has made good use of quality materials and have produced a cabin area which is comfortable yet still manages to yield excitement. The leather trimmed Recaro seats hug your body like your Auntie Carol on your birthday or your girlfriend on a Saturday night, and the dashboard layout is typical Zoom...Zoom.

Opening the rear clam shell-like suicide doors gains you access to the rear seats, and this design once again surprised the industry. As with a lot of coupes nowadays, rear leg room is more suitable for young children than adults, unless of course, you have cartoon-like characteristics or are a contortionist. Then again, as with all RX models, this is really a driver’s car with the emphasis on Zoom rather than room, and personally, I don’t carry much in the back seat of my car when I drive my car anyway! After all, Mazda makes plenty of great four door models, if you need one.