Black plate (9,1)
Rear seat .............................................................................................................. page 2-8
Front seats ............................................................................................................ page 2-2
Seat belt ............................................................................................................. page 2-10
Air bags ............................................................................................................. page 2-29
Power door lock switch ....................................................................................... page 3-9
Power window lock switch ................................................................................ page 3-18
Power window switches .................................................................................... page 3-17
Hood release handle .......................................................................................... page 3-21
Trunk release button .......................................................................................... page 3-13
Tilt wheel release lever ...................................................................................... page 3-29
Outside mirror switch ........................................................................................ page 3-29
Rearview mirror ................................................................................................. page 3-30
Ignition switch ..................................................................................................... page 5-2
Parking brake ....................................................................................................... page 5-5
MT shift lever ...................................................................................................... page 5-8
AT shift lever (Sport AT) ................................................................................... page 5-10
Instrument cluster .............................................................................................. page 5-30
Lighting control/Turn signals ............................................................................ page 5-49
Fog light switch ................................................................................................. page 5-51
Wiper and washer lever ..................................................................................... page 5-52
Hazard warning flasher switch .......................................................................... page 5-56
Climate control system ........................................................................................ page 6-2
Audio system ..................................................................................................... page 6-10
Audio control switch ......................................................................................... page 6-36
Interior light ....................................................................................................... page 6-39
Map light ........................................................................................................... page 6-40
Glove box .......................................................................................................... page 6-47
Center console ................................................................................................... page 6-48
Sunvisor ............................................................................................................. page 6-39
Vanity mirror ...................................................................................................... page 6-39
Lighter ............................................................................................................... page 6-44
Ashtray ............................................................................................................... page 6-45
Cup holder ......................................................................................................... page 6-46
Information display ............................................................................................ page 6-42
Your Vehicle at a Glance
Dashboard and Interior Overview
1-3
RX-8_8T69-EA-04G_Edition1 Page9
Wednesday, June 9 2004 2:10 PM
Form No.8T69-EA-04G
Black plate (127,1)
qSpeedometer
The speedometer indicates the speed of
the vehicle.
qSpeed Unit Selector
In some countries, you may have to
change the speed units between km/h and
mph.
Press the speed unit selector for 2 second
or more.
The speed units for the speedometer will
change between km/h and mph.
Speedometer
Speed unit selector
NOTE
Odometer and trip meter distance units
will change between kilometers and
miles in accordance with the speed unit.
qOdometer, Trip Meter and Trip
Meter Selector
The display mode can be changed
between trip meter A and trip meter B by
pressing the selector while one of them is
displayed. The selected mode will be
displayed.
Trip meter
Trip meter selector
Odometer
Odometer
OdometerTrip meter A
Press the selector
Press the selector Trip meter B
Driving Your Mazda
Instrument Cluster and Indicators
5-31
RX-8_8T69-EA-04G_Edition1 Page127
Wednesday, June 9 2004 2:11 PM
Form No.8T69-EA-04G
Black plate (128,1)
NOTE
When the ignition switch is in the ACC
or LOCK position, the odometer or trip
meters cannot be displayed, however,
pressing the selector button can
inadvertently switch the trip meters or
reset them during an approximate ten-
minute period in the following cases:
lAfter the ignition switch is turned to
the ACC or LOCK position from the
ON position.
lAfter any door is opened.
Odometer
The odometer records the total distance
the vehicle has been driven.
Trip meter
The trip meter can record the total
distance of two trips. One is recorded in
trip meter A, and the other is recorded in
trip meter B.
For instance, trip meter A can record the
distance from the point of origin, and trip
meter B can record the distance from
where the fuel tank is filled.
When trip meter A is selected, pressing
the selector again within one second will
change to trip meter B mode.
When trip meter A is selected, TRIP A
will be displayed. When trip meter B is
selected, TRIP B will be displayed.The trip meter records the total distance
the vehicle is driven until the meter is
again reset. Return it to“0.0”by holding
the selector depressed for more than 1
second. Use this meter to measure trip
distances and to compute fuel
consumption.
NOTE
lOnly the trip meters record tenths of
kilometers (miles).
lThe trip record will be erased when:
lThe power supply is interrupted
(blown fuse or the battery is
disconnected).
lThe vehicle is driven over 999.9
km (mile).
qTachometer
The tachometer shows engine speed in
thousands of revolutions per minute
(rpm).
Automatic transmission
Red zone Striped zone
5-32
Driving Your Mazda
Instrument Cluster and Indicators
RX-8_8T69-EA-04G_Edition1 Page128
Wednesday, June 9 2004 2:11 PM
Form No.8T69-EA-04G
Black plate (131,1)
qDashboard Illumination
Rotate the thumb wheel to adjust the
brightness of the instrument cluster and
other illuminations in the dashboard.
NOTE
lThe brightness of dashboard
illuminations (except instrument
cluster) can be adjusted when the
headlight switch is in the
or
position.
lThe brightness of the instrument
cluster illumination can be adjusted
when the headlight switch is in any
position.
Bright
Dim
Canceling the illumination dimmer
When the headlight switch is in the
or
position, the illumination of the
instrument cluster and the information
display dims (the instrument cluster
illumination color turns to red).When driving on snowy or foggy roads,
or in other situations when the instrument
cluster or information display's visibility
is reduced due to glare from surrounding
brightness, cancel the illumination
dimmer and increase the illumination
intensity.
To cancel the illumination dimmer, rotate
the thumb wheel upward fully. You may
hear a click sound and the illumination
dimmer will be canceled (instrument
cluster illumination color turns to white).
NOTE
If the dashboard illumination switch is
kept at the illumination dimmer cancel
position, the instrument cluster and the
information display will not dim when
the headlight switch is turned to the
orposition again.
Driving Your Mazda
Instrument Cluster and Indicators
5-35
RX-8_8T69-EA-04G_Edition1 Page131
Wednesday, June 9 2004 2:11 PM
Form No.8T69-EA-04G
Black plate (157,1)
6Interior Comfort
Use of various features for drive comfort, including air-conditioning and audio
system.
Climate Control System ............................................................... 6-2
Operating Tips ........................................................................... 6-2
Vent Operation .......................................................................... 6-3
Control Panel ............................................................................ 6-5
Audio System ............................................................................... 6-10
Antenna ................................................................................... 6-10
Operating Tips for Audio System ........................................... 6-10
Audio Set ................................................................................ 6-17
Audio Control Switch Operation ............................................ 6-36
Safety Certification ................................................................. 6-38
Interior Equipment ..................................................................... 6-39
Sunvisors ................................................................................. 6-39
Interior Lights ......................................................................... 6-39
Information Display ................................................................ 6-42
Lighter ..................................................................................... 6-44
Ashtray .................................................................................... 6-45
Cup Holder .............................................................................. 6-46
Storage Compartments ............................................................ 6-47
Accessory Socket .................................................................... 6-50
6-1
RX-8_8T69-EA-04G_Edition1 Page157
Wednesday, June 9 2004 2:12 PM
Form No.8T69-EA-04G
Black plate (161,1)
Control Panel
Climate control information is displayed on the information display.
Temperature control dial Fan control dial
Mode selector switch Air intake selectorA/C SwitchRear window defroster switch
Windshield defroster switch
qControl Switches
Temperature control dial
Hot Cold
This dial controls temperature. Turn it
clockwise for hot and counterclockwise
for cold.
Fan control dial
This dial allows variable fan speeds.
0―Fan off
1―Low speed
2―Medium low speed
3―Medium high speed
4―High speed
Interior Comfort
Climate Control System
6-5
RX-8_8T69-EA-04G_Edition1 Page161
Wednesday, June 9 2004 2:12 PM
Form No.8T69-EA-04G
Black plate (175,1)
*
* BOSE Sound
System-
equipped model
* Depending on the mode selected, the
indication changes.
2. Turn the audio control dial to adjust the
selected functions as follows:
Standard audio-equipped model
Indication Turn Left Turn Right
Select mode
Decrease
bassIncrease
bass
Decrease
mid-rangeIncrease
mid-range
Decrease
trebleIncrease
treble
Shift the
sound to the
frontShift the
sound to the
rear
Shift the
sound to the
leftShift the
sound to the
right
OFF ON
BOSE Sound System-equipped model
Indication Turn Left Turn Right
OFF ON
Decrease
bassIncrease
bass
Decrease
trebleIncrease
treble
Shift the
sound to the
frontShift the
sound to the
rear
Shift the
sound to the
leftShift the
sound to the
right
OFF ON
NOTE
About 5 seconds after selecting any
mode, the volume function will be
automatically selected. To reset bass,
mid-range, treble, fade, and balance,
press the audio control dial for 2
seconds. The unit will beep and
“CLEAR”will be displayed.
Automatic Level Control (ALC)
(Standard audio-equipped model)
The automatic level control is a feature
that automatically adjusts audio volume
and sound quality according to the vehicle
speed.
The volume increases in accordance with
the increase in vehicle speed, and
decreases as vehicle speed decreases.
Interior Comfort
Audio System
6-19
RX-8_8T69-EA-04G_Edition1 Page175
Wednesday, June 9 2004 2:12 PM
Form No.8T69-EA-04G
Black plate (179,1)
Radio ON
(Type A)
Press a band selector button (
)to
turn the radio on.
(Type B)
Press a band selector button (
,)
to turn the radio on.
Band selection
(Type A)
Successively pressing the band selector
button (
) switches the bands as
follows: FM1→FM2→AM.
(Type B)
Choose AM by pressing the AM button
(
) and FM by pressing the FM1/2
button (
).
The selected mode will be indicated. If
FM stereo is being received,“ST”will be
displayed.
NOTE
If the FM broadcast signal becomes
weak, reception automatically changes
from STEREO to MONO for reduced
noise, and the“ST”indicator will go
out.
Tuning
The radio has the following tuning
methods: Manual, Seek, Scan, Preset
channel, and Auto memory tuning. The
easiest way to tune stations is to set them
on preset channels.
NOTE
If the power supply is interrupted (fuse
blows or the battery is disconnected),
the preset channels will be canceled.
Manual tuning
Turning the manual tuning dial will
change the frequency higher or lower.
Seek tuning
Pressing the seek tuning button (
,)
will cause the tuner to seek a higher or
lower frequency automatically.
NOTE
If you continue to press and hold the
button, the frequency will continue
changing without stopping.
Scan tuning
Press the scan button (
,)to
automatically sample strong stations.
Scanning stops at each station for about 5
seconds. To hold a station, press the scan
button (
,) again during this interval.
Preset channel tuning
The 6 preset channels can be used to store
6 AM and 12 FM stations.
1. To set a channel first select AM, FM1,
or FM2. Tune to the desired station.
2. Depress a channel preset button for
about 2 seconds until a beep is heard.
The preset channel number and station
frequency will be displayed. The
station is now held in the memory.
Interior Comfort
Audio System
6-23
RX-8_8T69-EA-04G_Edition1 Page179
Wednesday, June 9 2004 2:12 PM
Form No.8T69-EA-04G