We have heard it repeatedly for close to a year now, Mazda is working on a successor to the RX-7 and is working on a new rotary engine that is able to run on petrol or diesel. And now Autocar UK is reporting that Mazda is still working on the rotary unit for the car, and Mazda’s most important aim is to offer much improved fuel consumption compared to the recently discontinued RX-8.
The new two-stroke 16X engine will be designed to ‘rectify the shortcomings of Mazda’s most recent rotary powerplant, including its high oil consumption.’ The report by Autocar also says that the new unit has already achieved significant improvements in fuel efficiency.
But before you MazdaSpeed fans get all excited about this, you should know that the final go-ahead has not yet been received from the bosses. Apparently the engineers still need to attain the best combination of performance, economy and emissions. They are also working on rectifying the rotary unit’s lack of torque in the mid-range. In its current state the 16X is expected to give the RX-7 around 300bhp and enable it to reach 100km/h in under five seconds.
Also working with Mazda engineers are several external drivers and racers that have been invited to test RX-7 mules. Customer feedback has also been taken into consideration through Clinics organised by the Japanese firm.
The report also goes on to say that strong demand from America to revive the RX-7 is the most important element in the revival of the legendary 7, apparently a recent independent survey revealed that demand for an affordable rotary-powered sports car is still as strong as it’s ever been in the US.. If it weren’t for the demand from America, the project would probably never have got off.
