RX5



Think of it as Mazda's Thunderbird and you won't be far from wrong. The Mazda Cosmo (known to the Japanese market as Cosmo RX-5, which distinguished it from the earlier Cosmo Sport; the Toyo Kogyo in house model designation was X208A) was a luxury coupe with two doors, four seats, and better-than-average performance and styling in-tended to be distinctive. It clearly missed its mark in the US market, however. Sales were disappointing, and the model run lasted only from 1976-78.

Like Ford's T-bird, the luxury Cosmo coupe was based on more ordinary underpinnings. For the Cosmo, this meant sharing bits large and small with the RX-4. Examination of the specifications reveals identical wheelbase and track, with styling accounting for the Cosmo's lower, longer, wider proportions. But although the chassis were similar overall, they varied in significant detail. Suspension in the RX-5 was notably changed. Though overall it was still strut / live axle, the front suspen sion on the Cosmo had a lower A-arm instead of a simple lateral arm, the latter of which was more susceptible to shimmy At the rear, four trailing links, a Panhard rod, and coil springs replaced the leaf springs of the RX-4. The engine, however, was identical to the RX 4, year to year. That means the same power and torque and, more or less, the same fuel consumption.

Styling, however, was a love-it or hate-it type of thing. Road & Track called the Cosmo "anything but dazzling. We find the styling antiquated and unappealing It's as though the top people at Toyo Kogyo.. are trying to design a car they think Americans will like rather than just building a car they like and selling it in America. Or maybe they like it."

The Cosmo did show signs of being designed around federal bumper laws, in that bumpers didn't look as obvious as they had on the RX-4, but tile profile looked dated, somewhat Vega-like. The vertical slats in the grille had an electric-razor appearance, while the rear end, with its turned-up taillamp cluster lust seemed somehow overdone.

If the comments about the exterior were negative, the magazine burned the interior--or thought it should be burned. Though complimenting fit and finish, most Road & Track staffers found "the use of velour like upholstery, imitation wood paneling on the dash, and the rest of the interior finish somehow reminiscent of a house of ill repute." (No mention on how comparative research was carried out, however) Even the real wood on the steering wheel, shift knob, and hand brake handle, the magazine said, had been "made to look fake."


The Mazda Cosmo was introduced to a reluctant American market in 1976. Note the standard steel rims on this Cosmo Mazda

The side center windows actually rolled down, which the Japanese probably loved, since it was mentioned in the Casino ad, but Road & Track called it a gimmick.

Road & Track's disdain for the Cosmo was surprising. The ride, handling, and quietness exceeded that of any Mazda before, and steering feel was "relatively direct and precise." Fuel economy was improved. Drivability was better. A five speed transmission (the old four speed plus overdrive) was standard equipment (a three-speed automatic optional). Discs brakes all around, ventilated in front, were standard. The enthusiast press had overlooked the overwrought styling efforts from Mazda before. What was different with this one?

Well, for one thing, despite the specifications, braking per formance was worse, at least on Road & Track's test car, And performance was always the "yes-but" for critiques of Mazda styling, as in "It's ugly. Yes, but..." With the Cosmo, which was heavier, more smog-controlled, and economized than ever, performance wasn't, in the relative sense, what it had been.


Owner Greg Mazur modified his 1976 by painting the front with the body color and removing overrides; alloy rims are original equipment from Mazda

The engine, the 13B, was rated at 110bhp, just as the RX-4 had been, and torque was up to 120lb-ft (from 1171b-ft). But the performance, per Road & Track tests, was down. Sprinting from 0-60mph had taken 9.7sec with the RX-4; the Cosmo took 11.2sec. The RX-4 ran the quarter mile in 17.4sec at 82mph, 
and the Cosmo took 18.1sec and was doing 76mph through the traps. The magazine stated that some of the difference could be attributed to the extra 175lb the Cosmo had to carry, but not all of it. In fact, performance of the later models would actually get worse. When the magazine tested the however, as their luxury orientation tended to preclude hard use and their higher original purchase price meant they were usually better cared for. And very, very few went racing.


Toyo Kogyo located the charcoal cannister for evaporative recovery emissions control where It made sense, the carburetor

Given a choice of equal cars, the earlier is probably the better. Despite horsepower ratings, the later cars tested slower, thanks to tightening smog regulations and diminishing port size. The choice probably won't be between two cars however, as finding two together with both for sale will be rare. More than likely the Cosmo will and you and you will have to decide whether to buy it, whether that's based on (a) if you want it, and (b) if the particular car is worth your involvement.

Of course, old cars are old cars, and mechanical ly and cosmetically all the usual suspects should be examined. Salt belt cars will probably have suffeted rust damage in all the usual places. Take your magnet to check for bondo and poke around underneath On the other hand, the model seems to have few specific problem areas. Most of the reliability bugs were worked out of the rotary engine, and the drivetrain is typically stout. Few Cosmos are to be found in salvage yards, though Mazda dealers may have Cosmo-specific parts gathering dust in the nether reaches of the parts department. Gather what ye will while ye may.

The scarcity of the Cosmo makes it a sure collectible, a sort of Japanese Edsel with a rotary engine. Even a good one, if one can be found, shouldn't bo too expensive and is a guaranteed conversation piece wherever car nuts gather. Whether you like what they have to say is another matter entirely.


Race Cosmos were rare, but in 1976, Z&W Mazda dealership owner Ray Walle drove a new Cosmo from Prince ton, New Jersey, and ran for 24 hours at Daytona, finishing 18th overall and first in class. Unfortunately, Walle was killed in a traffic accident before Sebring, where co-drivers Tom Reddy and Tom Davey finished 25th out of 75 cars entered. Bill Oursler 
'75 MAZDA COSMO AP 

ENGINES 
CHASSY NUMBER ( ???? ) 
13B 135ps@6000 - 19kg-m@4000 
L - W - H 4545 - 1685 - 1325 
Wheel base 2510 
Weight 1220 
Passangers 5 
Price 1,810,000