Episode 3: Mazda RX-7 RZ "Cherry Blossom"

Greetings, dear Reader, once again to the blog. It's Monday, and we've got another "new" car in World: the Mazda RX-7 RZ "Cherry Blossom". Let's take this thing apart, and let's see if you should spend on it or not. Probably the latter.

First things first, theme of the car: the Cherry Blossom festival. Now, this is not actually a Japanese thing. Well, partly, maybe. Here's what Wikipedia says about it:

"The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a spring celebration in Washington, D.C.,

commemorating the March 27, 1912, gift of Japanese cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of

Tokyo City to the city of Washington. Mayor Ozaki donated the trees in an effort to enhance the

growing friendship between the United States and Japan and also celebrate the continued close

relationship between the two nations." 

The more you know! Anyway, you're probably here because of the car, and not because you want to learn. Let's tear this machine to pieces then!

1. The Price
4,100 SpeedBoost. Now, the price of the (now retired) Red edition is 2,900. That's an 1,200 SpeedBoost difference. Considering that the Juggernaut and Cop editions usually cost 500 more than the stock editions, this just screams overpriced. So, here's the usual question: What do I get for that price? Let's have a look:

• A unique livery

And a not bad one this time! In fact, it looks quite awesome. Yes, it is pink, but it fits the theme perfectly. The white on the side and the back, and the black on the top goes well with it. The cherry blossom is more of a stylistic creation, and manufacturer vinyls always sit perfectly good on a JDM.

• Aftermarket parts

A Verge wide bodykit, a Glint hood, Work Style D 19" rims, pink neon, purple window tint, the obligatory level 3 lowering kit, and a unique "CHERRY" plate.

• Performance parts

Mixed 2-star tuned parts, G-G-G-R-R-Y combo. Is that good?

• Skill mods

The usual SB car set, 14-14% Super Shot, 19-19% Extended NOS, and a 9% Socialite.

• The car itself and the slot

2. The performance
For the sake of fresh experience, I rolled my similarly tuned RZ out for a quick drive. The acceleration of it is subpar, the top speed is below average for its class, the handling suffers from a bit of understeer, and the nitrous is... well, it's there.

3. Why shouldn't you get it?
Same thing as with the tC and the LFA: it's an IGC car. If you have the car slot for it, 850,000 cash ready to be blown away, and want an RZ, just get the Grey one for free!
But what about the looks?
I'll be honest with you, this is a valid point this time. But then again, my love for Japan might be clouding my judgment. However, if we take a closer look, this is a pretty simple paintjob; a transition from white to pink, a black top, a simple cherry blossom tree branch, and some manufacturer and bumper sticker vinyls.

 It looks pretty damn good though

As for replicating it - I'm sure it can be done, with some compromises, although I haven't tried to do it myself.

But what about the skill mods?

It's the basic layout, and it's mostly focused on the NOS, which is, quite frankly, just for show, because it's so weak.

But what about the AM parts?

Since this is the first special edition of the RZ, I can't do comparisons. Let's do the usual breakdown instead:

A Verge wide bodykit - 870 SB.

A Glint hood - 290 SB.

Work Style D "19 rims - 460 SB, and I'm pretty sure these can't be won from lucky draw.

Pink neon - 800 SB, but also drops from lucky draw.

Purple tint - 400 SB, also drops from lucky draw.

Stage 3 lowering kit - 800 SB, but drops heavily from lucky draw.

The unique plate - well, this one is unique, not much to say about it.

So, considering the prices of the non-winnable parts, it's not a horribly bad deal - but only if you care about the AM stuff.

But what about the performance parts?

Honestly, I don't think the car actually benefits from them, so it's the same problem that we've seen with the LFA and the tC - it's more competitive in class C, rather than class B, where the performance parts put it. Also, these are once again, only 2-star parts, which drop like crazy from Treasure Hunt.

Now, let's summarize this: a neat paintjob, some reasonable AM parts, useless skill mods, and very unnecessary performance parts - for 4,100 SpeedBoost, which costs 1,200 more than the stock SB version. Worth it? No. Why not? Because it's available for IGC. Despite its flashy looks, and the parts, it still costs more than the sale price of a Nismo Red Juggernaut. Want a JDM that's actually competitive, for a reasonable price? Get that instead. Want an RX-7 RZ? Buy it for cash, get it for free.

Edit: This edition also comes with a female driver. Take that into consideration.

-BF out.