I have a chance to drive this RX-8 prototype which is not yet released in the US.
I was abit disappointed with the performance, not very much torque and low rpm which make driving around town difficult. I basically have to keep the car at 5000rpm to really utilize the power, the engine sounded quite nice though.
The handling was very similar to older RX-7, RX-8 is very light-weight and easily oversteer at hairpin corners. At high speed, the car is more stable then the RX-7, but nothing to compare with Porsche of course.
In the $30K Japanese sport car market, I think Mazda will have a tough time competing with Subaru STi and Mitubishi Evolution 8 in term of performance. The 'sucide door' in my opinon is the most attractive point of the car. Exterior design wise, it is by far the best looking japanese sport car around that price.
Thanks RC for posting the pictures