test drove an RX8
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test drove an RX8
test drove an rx8 at the dealer a couple days ago. here are some comments if you guys were curious. i originally posted it on a 350z board... forgive the cross-contamination cut and paste but i'm lazy and i haven't been fortunate enough to test drive an evo.
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took the 247hp version for a short test drive. my conclusion is that it's not worth 30 thousand, at least from my financial and practical point of view. my friend's miata is more fun to drive.
the rx lacks torque. Not like the VQ engine where you stomp and it goes, or a mach 1 or E46 needless to say. there's a torque deadband in on-center steering (not extremely bad, but my friend's miata didn't have that), i didn't like the idle sound quality but it's my first time in a rotary, the rear view mirror is in the way when making a right hand turn, i got first gear synchro grind going about 5-7 mph after shifting out of 2nd or 3rd and not double clutching (can't blame the tranny that much i guess but i remember reading it has triple cone), i like the miata's 50/50 balance better, the AC blower "burped" when I started the car (blows a gush of air for half a second on high fan setting then goes down), and as mentioned on rx8forum, people are getting 13-20 mpg in the real world.
some good things: it had a good ride (not too stiff on broken pavement) though i didn't get to evaluate the damping, stiff body and no after shake, crazy redline but i only got to 6 or 7 thousand since it was a new car, fairly flat cornering, short shifter throws, good pedal placement, great rear seats for the car's size, decent trunk, nice steering except for on-center dam n it.
comparing it to a 350, the rx seems to be more nimble in the turns (but hard to really evaluate since I was on surface streets the entire time), the suspension over bumps rides a lot better but i couldn't evaluate the high speed trade off. there's good torque build up at the steering wheel with increasing lateral g's, and overall efforts are lighter than the Z which I think are a tad too heavy anyway. oh yeah, and 'torque deadband' means that there's a window about + - 10 or 15 degrees where there's low torque, and then you feel it build up like a bump. at least on the rx it's symmetric. on my sister's 350 i felt a torque bump just to the right of on-center, but her on-center was fine... kind of strange. brakes were a little grabby on initial apply (nothing you couldn't get used to), but had good modulation.
very well-rounded car. the lack of torque isn't that bad since it's like riding my 4 cylinder motorcycle. i just don't see myself paying 30k for ANY new car... but i haven't test driven an evo yet, and the dealers around here aren't giving test drives.
i'm looking at used miata's now. a co worker's selling a 95 supercharged model, with roll bar installed... hehe imagine the foolish laughter coming from me in that thing.
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took the 247hp version for a short test drive. my conclusion is that it's not worth 30 thousand, at least from my financial and practical point of view. my friend's miata is more fun to drive.
the rx lacks torque. Not like the VQ engine where you stomp and it goes, or a mach 1 or E46 needless to say. there's a torque deadband in on-center steering (not extremely bad, but my friend's miata didn't have that), i didn't like the idle sound quality but it's my first time in a rotary, the rear view mirror is in the way when making a right hand turn, i got first gear synchro grind going about 5-7 mph after shifting out of 2nd or 3rd and not double clutching (can't blame the tranny that much i guess but i remember reading it has triple cone), i like the miata's 50/50 balance better, the AC blower "burped" when I started the car (blows a gush of air for half a second on high fan setting then goes down), and as mentioned on rx8forum, people are getting 13-20 mpg in the real world.
some good things: it had a good ride (not too stiff on broken pavement) though i didn't get to evaluate the damping, stiff body and no after shake, crazy redline but i only got to 6 or 7 thousand since it was a new car, fairly flat cornering, short shifter throws, good pedal placement, great rear seats for the car's size, decent trunk, nice steering except for on-center dam n it.
comparing it to a 350, the rx seems to be more nimble in the turns (but hard to really evaluate since I was on surface streets the entire time), the suspension over bumps rides a lot better but i couldn't evaluate the high speed trade off. there's good torque build up at the steering wheel with increasing lateral g's, and overall efforts are lighter than the Z which I think are a tad too heavy anyway. oh yeah, and 'torque deadband' means that there's a window about + - 10 or 15 degrees where there's low torque, and then you feel it build up like a bump. at least on the rx it's symmetric. on my sister's 350 i felt a torque bump just to the right of on-center, but her on-center was fine... kind of strange. brakes were a little grabby on initial apply (nothing you couldn't get used to), but had good modulation.
very well-rounded car. the lack of torque isn't that bad since it's like riding my 4 cylinder motorcycle. i just don't see myself paying 30k for ANY new car... but i haven't test driven an evo yet, and the dealers around here aren't giving test drives.
i'm looking at used miata's now. a co worker's selling a 95 supercharged model, with roll bar installed... hehe imagine the foolish laughter coming from me in that thing.
With all the people ragging on the STI for not coming with a radio, I see at Mazda's website that the spare tire kit is optional on the RX-8. So is there no spare tire well, and the kit is a tire in a bag to throw in the trunk? Just thought that was kind of funny. Of course I shouldn't be talking, I removed the spare tire from my EVO for space for sound equipment 
Evolving Member
Joined: May 2003
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From: North Jersey
I Reviewed It Too!
I was actually following the RX8 for about 2 years and it was my original number one choice. Unfortnately, it dissappointed me and the EVO pleasantly surprised me. Hence, my Rally Red EVO 
Anyhow, here is my review on the rx8forum.com
My Test Drive of the RX8
I have been following the RX8 for about 2 years. In the summer of 2001, the news about the RX8 caused me to put off my purchase of the Acura RSX Type S. As the time passed and more information became available my enthusiasm decreased and my skepticism increased about this "practical sports car like no other". In a year with so many great sports/sporty cars being released my attention was spread in many directions.
As many of you may know, a few months back I "Jumped Ship" and ruled out the RX8. Last month, I ended up buying the EVO (with the S2000 a very close runner-up). So far, I have been thrilled with it, but I'll save that for another thread.
Yesterday, a local mazda dealer called me to see if I wanted to take a test-drive of the RX8 (they just got a bunch in from the second shipment into the port here in New Jersey). I had placed an internet inquiry on Edmunds a few months back so they must have had my number somewhere (and not a lot of buyers lined up for these cars).
I showed up about a half hour before sunset and a titanium, a couple of silvers and a black were right outside the entrance to the showroom. The Sunlight Silver looks great from the front and matches very well with the black tires and interior materials. I still have lukewarm feelings towards the profile as the indentation from the suicide doors is clearly evident and really interferes with the lines of the car. The extended wheelbase and roofline still look odd in person to me. The back was ok, but a little stubby with the short rear end. The black looked really good as the indentation is much less noticeable as is to a lesser extent the extended wheelbase and roofline (I think the black blends in a bit with the black tires).
I sat in the car for a few minutes while the salesman photocopied my drivers license. The car was a Sunlight Silver Touring model and the first thing I noticed were the seats. The cloth seats are excellent as they really reach an excellent balance between grippiness and comfort. I still prefer the Recaros in the EVO, but these are still some of the best seats I found in this class. The gauges are nice, but I've seen better (i.e. RSX Type S). Overall, I would say the interior is nice, but I don't see it as being as luxourious as some have suggested (Maybe the Grand Touring model would be different). I don't think the visibility out of the rear window is quite as bad as some have said (though there are blindspots that require the use of the sideview mirrors). As for the backseats, the room back there is not huge and I'd even say its not much more than the typical 2X2 sporty coupes. I know they have some decent legroom numbers (perhaps by putting their feet under the front seats), but I just don't see it. I guess the headroom is good, but I didn't pay attention to it. I actually see the lack of room as a benefit as I think it makes the car seem more sporty.
Anyhow, the interior features and specifications didn't interest me much, it was the driving that did. Starting up the car, I could hear the rotary engine ok (a little quiet, but not inaudible as some have suggested). Going into first gear, throttle response was immediate and excellent. The gear shift is very good, but I thought it would be a bit better. The throws are certainly pretty short, but there is just a hint of of rubberiness and slopiness to it. The S2000 and RSX-S had better gearboxes in my humble opinion. I would say it is about the same as my EVO (but with different pluses and minuses). The RX8's is shorter and quicker shifting, but I like the riflle-bolt like precsion of the EVO's. I'm also not a huge fan of stubby gear shift nob of the RX8.
Pulling out onto the highway, it was apparent to me that the missing power issue is legitimate. I shifted to about 7,300 RPM and did not notice any power increase around 6,250 RPM. I'm well aware of the linear torque curve in this car, but the car lacked power at all rev ranges I drove through. In one word, I can describe it: Uninspiring. Now some may say, "well you just aren't used to a high reving powerplant." The fact is that this is my favorite type of engine, and I have driven many of these cars. In comparison, the S2000 was MUCH faster at all rev ranges. The Integra Type R and Celica GTS were also faster at higher revs. The best comparison is the RSX-Type S, which has a very similar torque curve on paper (albeit with less peak torque). The RSX Type S felt as fast through the lower revs and slightly faster at higher revs. These impressions are consistent with some of the drag-strip times we've seen, the Best Motoring video and dyno results.
The other things of note during acceleration was the gearing and the engine sound. With the radio off, I could hear the rotary pretty well (I drive a Ford Escort with a very low redline and no tachometer with the radio blasting so I've learned to listen closely to the engine!) and I liked the sound, but wish it was louder (perhaps removing that engine cover could help?). The gearing is WAY too tall as it seems like forever in each gear. The revs didn't go up as different (i.e. more smoothly and easily) than a piston engine as I had orginally expected.
The handling was not quite what I expected either. The ride quality was about the same as an RSX-S and Celica GTS (a good thing making it feel pretty sporty). The car felt balanced in that I could sense most of the weight being located between the four wheels, but I could feel it shift from side to side on sharp turns (i.e. body roll). The steering was nearly the worst I have experienced on my test-drives of sports/sporty cars. The steering lacked feedback and felt too numb. In additon, the steering was way too slow (due to the high steering ratio and long wheelbase?) and I was not confident taking sharp highway entrance and exit ramps. I did not test the brakes as I didn't feel it was neccessary since they have consistently been rated as excellent. It was a relatively short test-drive of 10 minutes, so I may take another one to confirm my impressions.
I did notice the Protege, Mazdaspeed Protege, Mazda 6 and Miata and was very impressed by the line-up of sporty cars cars Mazda has. In fact, I may go back to test-drive the Mazdaspeed Protege this week (very impressed by the features in this car at a $21K price).
My overall impression of the RX8 is that its not that good of a sports car. Perhaps it is more fun than an entry-level luxury sports sedan (haven't test-driven), but the power issue is serious and really brings this car down. Frankly, I don't see why an unbiased person would choose the RX8 over cars such as the RSX Type S, Celica GTS and even the Mazdaspeed Protege in the same lot? These cars are as fast (if not faster) in a straight-line than the current underachieving RX8. IMHO, they handle better and are more nimble. In the case of the RSX Type S, the interior is at least if not better than the RX8's. Furthermore, they get almost double the gas mileage and are likely to be more reliable (in the case of Toyota and Honda as their powerplants have been proven already). Finally, they are about $8K-$10K cheaper and probobly will depreciate less. Certainly, I can see a rotorhead and a person enamored by the looks of the car choosing it, but I think that's going to be a small niche.
I think if Mazda can get the horsepower issue worked out, then I think it could be more competitive (americans love power!!!). The handling and driving dynamics issues will hopefully be resolved by a Mazdaspeed version and/or a 4th generation RX7.
Anyhow, here is my review on the rx8forum.com
My Test Drive of the RX8
I have been following the RX8 for about 2 years. In the summer of 2001, the news about the RX8 caused me to put off my purchase of the Acura RSX Type S. As the time passed and more information became available my enthusiasm decreased and my skepticism increased about this "practical sports car like no other". In a year with so many great sports/sporty cars being released my attention was spread in many directions.
As many of you may know, a few months back I "Jumped Ship" and ruled out the RX8. Last month, I ended up buying the EVO (with the S2000 a very close runner-up). So far, I have been thrilled with it, but I'll save that for another thread.
Yesterday, a local mazda dealer called me to see if I wanted to take a test-drive of the RX8 (they just got a bunch in from the second shipment into the port here in New Jersey). I had placed an internet inquiry on Edmunds a few months back so they must have had my number somewhere (and not a lot of buyers lined up for these cars).
I showed up about a half hour before sunset and a titanium, a couple of silvers and a black were right outside the entrance to the showroom. The Sunlight Silver looks great from the front and matches very well with the black tires and interior materials. I still have lukewarm feelings towards the profile as the indentation from the suicide doors is clearly evident and really interferes with the lines of the car. The extended wheelbase and roofline still look odd in person to me. The back was ok, but a little stubby with the short rear end. The black looked really good as the indentation is much less noticeable as is to a lesser extent the extended wheelbase and roofline (I think the black blends in a bit with the black tires).
I sat in the car for a few minutes while the salesman photocopied my drivers license. The car was a Sunlight Silver Touring model and the first thing I noticed were the seats. The cloth seats are excellent as they really reach an excellent balance between grippiness and comfort. I still prefer the Recaros in the EVO, but these are still some of the best seats I found in this class. The gauges are nice, but I've seen better (i.e. RSX Type S). Overall, I would say the interior is nice, but I don't see it as being as luxourious as some have suggested (Maybe the Grand Touring model would be different). I don't think the visibility out of the rear window is quite as bad as some have said (though there are blindspots that require the use of the sideview mirrors). As for the backseats, the room back there is not huge and I'd even say its not much more than the typical 2X2 sporty coupes. I know they have some decent legroom numbers (perhaps by putting their feet under the front seats), but I just don't see it. I guess the headroom is good, but I didn't pay attention to it. I actually see the lack of room as a benefit as I think it makes the car seem more sporty.
Anyhow, the interior features and specifications didn't interest me much, it was the driving that did. Starting up the car, I could hear the rotary engine ok (a little quiet, but not inaudible as some have suggested). Going into first gear, throttle response was immediate and excellent. The gear shift is very good, but I thought it would be a bit better. The throws are certainly pretty short, but there is just a hint of of rubberiness and slopiness to it. The S2000 and RSX-S had better gearboxes in my humble opinion. I would say it is about the same as my EVO (but with different pluses and minuses). The RX8's is shorter and quicker shifting, but I like the riflle-bolt like precsion of the EVO's. I'm also not a huge fan of stubby gear shift nob of the RX8.
Pulling out onto the highway, it was apparent to me that the missing power issue is legitimate. I shifted to about 7,300 RPM and did not notice any power increase around 6,250 RPM. I'm well aware of the linear torque curve in this car, but the car lacked power at all rev ranges I drove through. In one word, I can describe it: Uninspiring. Now some may say, "well you just aren't used to a high reving powerplant." The fact is that this is my favorite type of engine, and I have driven many of these cars. In comparison, the S2000 was MUCH faster at all rev ranges. The Integra Type R and Celica GTS were also faster at higher revs. The best comparison is the RSX-Type S, which has a very similar torque curve on paper (albeit with less peak torque). The RSX Type S felt as fast through the lower revs and slightly faster at higher revs. These impressions are consistent with some of the drag-strip times we've seen, the Best Motoring video and dyno results.
The other things of note during acceleration was the gearing and the engine sound. With the radio off, I could hear the rotary pretty well (I drive a Ford Escort with a very low redline and no tachometer with the radio blasting so I've learned to listen closely to the engine!) and I liked the sound, but wish it was louder (perhaps removing that engine cover could help?). The gearing is WAY too tall as it seems like forever in each gear. The revs didn't go up as different (i.e. more smoothly and easily) than a piston engine as I had orginally expected.
The handling was not quite what I expected either. The ride quality was about the same as an RSX-S and Celica GTS (a good thing making it feel pretty sporty). The car felt balanced in that I could sense most of the weight being located between the four wheels, but I could feel it shift from side to side on sharp turns (i.e. body roll). The steering was nearly the worst I have experienced on my test-drives of sports/sporty cars. The steering lacked feedback and felt too numb. In additon, the steering was way too slow (due to the high steering ratio and long wheelbase?) and I was not confident taking sharp highway entrance and exit ramps. I did not test the brakes as I didn't feel it was neccessary since they have consistently been rated as excellent. It was a relatively short test-drive of 10 minutes, so I may take another one to confirm my impressions.
I did notice the Protege, Mazdaspeed Protege, Mazda 6 and Miata and was very impressed by the line-up of sporty cars cars Mazda has. In fact, I may go back to test-drive the Mazdaspeed Protege this week (very impressed by the features in this car at a $21K price).
My overall impression of the RX8 is that its not that good of a sports car. Perhaps it is more fun than an entry-level luxury sports sedan (haven't test-driven), but the power issue is serious and really brings this car down. Frankly, I don't see why an unbiased person would choose the RX8 over cars such as the RSX Type S, Celica GTS and even the Mazdaspeed Protege in the same lot? These cars are as fast (if not faster) in a straight-line than the current underachieving RX8. IMHO, they handle better and are more nimble. In the case of the RSX Type S, the interior is at least if not better than the RX8's. Furthermore, they get almost double the gas mileage and are likely to be more reliable (in the case of Toyota and Honda as their powerplants have been proven already). Finally, they are about $8K-$10K cheaper and probobly will depreciate less. Certainly, I can see a rotorhead and a person enamored by the looks of the car choosing it, but I think that's going to be a small niche.
I think if Mazda can get the horsepower issue worked out, then I think it could be more competitive (americans love power!!!). The handling and driving dynamics issues will hopefully be resolved by a Mazdaspeed version and/or a 4th generation RX7.
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