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Mazda RX-8 Sport Coupe 2010

The Mazda RX-8 features a Manual transmission and Rear Wheel Drive drivetrain on the base model RX-8. The 2010 base model has an MSRP of $26,435.00 which is well within the range of most car buyers. However, don’t let the great retail price be your only deciding factor. At Automobile Magazine you’ll get all of the information you need to help with your car buying decision. Whether you are looking for interior and exterior car photos, engine options, or safety ratings, just select the vehicle trim on the left to begin researching your next new car. We are constantly updating our information so be sure to check back often to see if new information has been posted for your favorite car. Enjoy the wide-ranging car facts in our buyers guide and when you’ve narrowed down your decision, take a couple minutes to get a free new car price quote. There is no pressure to buy but you can see what kind of deals may be offered in your area.

Zoom zoom’s at it again with the smooth-handling, high-performance 2010 Mazda RX-8 four-passenger sports coupe.

The rear-wheel-drive 2010 Mazda RX-8 is offered in Sport, Grand Touring and R3 trim levels and is powered by a 212-horsepower, 1.3-liter rotary engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. Opting for the six-speed manual version bumps output up to 232 horses. The 2010 Mazda RX-8 boasts a standard sport-tuned suspension and EPA estimated fuel economy ratings are 16 mpg in the city and 22-23 on the highway.

Competing with Mitsubishi Eclipse and Nissan 370Z, the 2010 Mazda RX-8 sits on standard 18-inch wheels and features rear-hinged doors to allow easier access to the back seat. A chrome-laden dual tailpipe and LED taillights are standard equipment, while you can opt for the R3 sport package, which includes a rear spoiler, sport suspension and 19-inch wheels with high-performance tires.

Inside, the 2010 Mazda RX-8’s list of standard features includes bucket seats in the front and back split by a full-length center console, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, air conditioning and MP3 capability. The Grand Touring trim adds a limited-slip rear differential, automatic xenon headlights, foglights, heated side mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, a sunroof, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and eight-way power driver seat with memory. The R3 sport package adds the convenience of a Bose sound system, Bluetooth connectivity, front bucket seats and keyless start. Optional luxury features include leather upholstery, heated seats and navigation system with touch screen and voice recognition software.

Standard safety equipment includes antilock brakes, front-seat side-impact airbags, side curtain airbags and an optional electronic stability system. In government crash testing, the 2010 Mazda RX-8 received four out five stars for driver protection in frontal impacts, five stars for the front passenger and four stars for side-impact.

The 2010 Mazda RX-8 sports coupe is geared toward the car enthusiast, especially the high-performance R3, which is dressed in 19-inch wheels with high-performance tires, a sport-tuned suspension and rear spoiler.

Kia Forte Koup 2010

The brand-new Kia Forte Koup is Kia's first two-door coupe and a sibling to the new Forte sedan, which is Kia's replacement for its sad-sack Spectra and its answer to cars like the Honda Civic, the Toyota Corolla, and the Mazda3. The "Koup" moniker is a melding of the "K" from "Kia" and the "oup" from "coupe." The Forte Koup will be at Kia dealers by August or September.

Kia's fresh new family look

The Kia Forte Koup's fresh, modern styling is definitely a strong point. Along with the Forte sedan, it represents a new design direction for Kia, which is making a big effort to distinguish its products visually from corporate parent Hyundai's. The Koup's mesh grille and air intake are part of a new Kia signature family look that you'll see on more cars in the future. A strong shoulder line running the length of the car and standard 16-inch or optional 17-inch alloy wheels give the Koup a sharp street stance.

Cabin: A Big Step Up from the Spectra's

We drove two examples of the upper trim level, the SX; one with a manual transmission and black cloth upholstery, the other with an automatic and black leather. Both had sporty front seats with some bolstering and red stitching. The overall cabin design is pleasing, and the build quality is very good. The interior plastics are a little hard to the touch but largely inoffensive. The driver's door armrest needs more padding. The center stack is particularly well-designed and finished with a glossy black material. Stereo and HVAC controls are logical, and a superb six-speaker CD stereo with iPod/MP3 connectivity is standard. The SX's substantial dead pedal (on the far left of the driver's footwell, for resting your left foot when it's not on the clutch) is finished in polished metal like the other pedals.
Rear-seat room is not bad; a five-foot, ten-and-a-half-inch adult can sit in the rear with his head clearing the ceiling, although the rear window comes up over his head.

Choose between two four-cylinder engines, four transmissions

The base EX Koup is equipped with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 156 hp and 144 lb-ft of torque, while the SX gets a bigger, 2.4-liter four that bumps up hp to 173 and torque to 168 lb-ft. The smaller engine is mated to a standard five-speed manual transmission or an optional four-speed automatic, while the 2.4-liter SX gets a six-speed manual as standard and an optional five-speed automatic. These powertrains mirror those of the Forte sedan; both Forte models are front-wheel-drive vehicles. Both EX models are rated at 25/34 city/highway EPA fuel economy. The more powerful SX is rated at 22/32 with the manual, 23/31 with the automatic.

The clutch pedal movement is smooth and progressive, and the six-speed manual is pleasant enough to use, but it's a bit notchy and nowhere near as refined as, say, the manual in the Honda Civic. When you're shifting into reverse gear, it feels loose and imprecise.

The five-speed automatic is quick to downshift from fifth to second gear when you mash the accelerator, but doing so at 60 mph brings forth an unpleasant thrashing sound from the 2.4-liter four as it revs toward the 6500-rpm limiter. Hyundai and Kia have come a long way in their powertrains, but this four is not quite as refined as a Toyota or Honda engine of similar displacement.

A retrograde suspension setup

The Forte Koup has a strut-type front suspension with coil springs, typical in this class of car, but it makes do with a beam-axle rear suspension, a technical detail that definitely falls short of cars like the Honda Civic and Mazda 3, which have independent rear suspensions. Over smooth road surfaces, you'll never notice or care, but when the going gets rough, stiff springs and the beam axle conspire to send the rear end skittering sideways. Front and rear anti-roll bars are standard.

Driving: This Kia is in the game

Overall, the Forte Koup meets the driving standards of this class of car. Body roll is reasonably well-contained, the steering has some feel to it, if it's a little dead on-center, and there's a distinct lack of the sponginess in chassis and suspension that characterized previous Kia models like the Spectra. Our limited drive in Seoul, South Korea, from Kia's headquarters up to the DMZ was entirely during a major rainstorm, so we have had no opportunity to drive the car on dry pavement. It's fairly clear, though, that although the Kia Forte Koup is no sports car, it's got enough spirit to keep most drivers happy. That assessment applies only to the SZ model; we suspect that the 2.0-liter EX model, especially when equipped with the retrograde four-speed automatic, will provide far less joy.

Good impressions

We are left with two major impressions of the Kia Forte Koup: it looks good, and it's well-equipped. Six air bags, stability and traction control, anti-lock brakes with emergency assist, a good stereo with iPod connectivity, cruise control, air conditioning, keyless entry, power windows, and Bluetooth are all standard on both models. A sunroof and leather are among the few options.

The Kia Forte Koup's obvious competitors are the Honda Civic coupe, the Scion tC, and the Ford Focus coupe. Unlike so many of Kia's efforts in the past, the Koup is not automatically relegated to second-tier status among its peers and is well worth considering for anyone shopping in this segment

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