Sports cars. They’re just the ultimate driving experience, aren’t they? Nothing beats driving along long country miles with a beast of a car underneath you, and a beast of a driving partner next to you. But if you happen have a party of more than two people, most sports cars would leave you disappointed – not to mention cramped. And let’s face it, it’s terrible etiquette to ask your guest to squeeze through a gap that Karen Carpenter would take issue with, then force them to sit chin to knee for what is meant to be a pleasurable driving experience. If this sounds all too familiar, then you need to get familiar with the Mazda RX-8.

The RX-8 manages to be an outstanding coupe sports car without compromising on space, thanks to its innovative ‘barn door’ style entry. The rear door opens from the opposite hinge as usual, and only when the front door is open - meaning there’s no support column to squeeze past. Plus now you can now do the grand exit by having two valets open the doors at the same time, as you and your passenger gracefully depart from the vehicle to envious stares.

However, why you’d ever want to depart the RX-8 is beyond me. The interior is remarkable – very sleek design, matched with red and black leather seats, and a central console that stretches to cover both the front and rear seats. This does limit you to a total of four people in the car, but they say three’s a crowd – so five is just ridiculous then.

No matter what you fill the RX-8 with, its award winning Renesis twin rotary engine will propel forward with no problem. There are two different engines available – a 192ps (141kW)@7000rpm with a 7500rpm limit; and a 231ps (170kW)@8200rpm with a 9000rpm limit - so neither is not short of horsepower. Of course, horsepower is worth nothing if the handling isn’t up to scratch – and thanks to the small design of the engine, its able to be placed centrally. This combines with the centrally placed fuel tank in the rear to create a near perfect weight distribution, allowing you to glide through tight corners with ease.

With the 192ps and the 231ps models priced at £20,000 and £22,000 respectively, its one of the most reasonably priced sports cars on the market. Its an expensive way to accessorise your Burberry leather driving gloves, however you’d be hard pressed to find a better investment in driving pleasure.