2016 Mazda RX-7: 6 Things You Should Expect

If there’s one vehicle — other than the Supra — that we’re excited to a see a revival of, it’s the Mazda RX-7. Mazda hasn’t really officially said it’s happening (yet), but there are plenty of rumors to coincide with the idea of a revival sometime in the next two years.

So we thought it only right to dig a little deeper and find out exactly how this revival could happen, and how a new RX-7 would even perform in the market. Spoiler alert: It’s probably going to be awesome. Here’s all you need to know.

PHOTOS: See More of the 2016 Mazda RX-7 Concept

Kodo Styling

It shouldn’t shock anyone to imagine a new RX-7 with Mazda’s signature design language. Seen in the rendering here, the RX-7 will keep Mazda’s Kodo design language, but add some sharp cues along the way. You’ll even notice the rear fog lamp is a nifty homage to the rotary engine.

Skyactiv Rotary Hybrid Engine
That’s a lot of words to describe one engine, but all of those words put together could make some magic. Mazda is admittedly already working on a hybrid version of its Skyactiv engine, but keeping the rotary tradition alive in the RX-7, they’ll somehow find a way to make those two things work together.
PHOTOS: See More of the 1999 Mazda RX-7

Manual Gearbox (Hopefully)
One thing we can credit Mazda for is keeping purists mostly happy. With the MX-5 and even the RX-8, Mazda still offered the old three-pedal layout. We don’t doubt they’ll do the same with a new RX-7. Of course, an automatic will be probably be available too.
Rear-Wheel Drive
Is there any other way?
PHOTOS: See More of the 2006 Mazda Kabura Concept

300-350 Horsepower
The idea here is that, unlike Toyota, Mazda won’t be building a 500 horsepower supercar. Rather, the RX-7 will likely fit more in the range of the Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro, Hyundai Genesis, and other competing sports coupes. Unlike the FR-S/BRZ, it isn’t going to skimp on power for lightness; but don’t expect it to weigh too much, either. And that leads into my next point…
Lightweight and Nimble
With the FR-S weighing in at only 2,784 lbs, and the Hyundai Genesis coupe at about 3,495 lbs, we should see the new RX-7 splitting those two down the middle. Expect somewhere near 3,000 lbs, if not less, from Mazda’s newest rotary-powered beast, which would be a perfect weight ratio for those looking for both power and handling.

So what says you, would you want to see this rotary sportscar on the streets? LINK