santino
11-10-2003, 11:00 PM
I just wanted to post my experience with the 8 on a trip to Vegas/ Henderson NV this weekend.
I had my GF and 2 of my friends with me going there. obviously I was doing the driving, and I have no complaints. The clutch was so light and easy, that i had no complaints when the inevitable traffic would get heavy. I would be cursing at anyone and everyone if I was stuck in traffic with the FD. As for the center console getting hot, I did not notice it. the AC did its job, but I only had it on a few times during the trip since the weather was nice and cold already.
More importantly, the car still drove well when fully loaded with occupants and luggage. When i mean fully loaded, I mean that the rear was sitting low enough--with everyone/ everything in it--that the rear seemed as if it was lowered an a good inch at least. I felt a little uneasy with that sight, but fortunately the car behaved well during curves. The car never bottomed out when bumps appeared, which was a concern of mine after seeing the height decrease. You can feel the weight difference though. Once I had dropped everyone home, and I drove back with just me and my bag in the car, the car seemed to fly around the corners once again. It makes me wonder what the 8 would feel like if another 200 lbs were hacked off. The gas mileage was pretty surprising. I believe my average for the trip--fully loaded and average speed of 85MPH, 100 was my max with passengers--was 23 MPG. Not too bad.
As for the occupants, they had little to complain about. My two buddies--both close to 6 feet tall--did not mind sitting in the back...at least until the traffic came to a crawl. But when we were cruising, my friend said the back was pretty comfy.
Overall I was quite impressed with the car. It accelerated quickly--even when completely full--it was comfortable enough that my clutch leg did not get sore, passengers had little to complain about, and the stares you get from the other cars!:D
I normally hate the drive to Vegas...but with the 8, I was actually looking forward to it. Maybe the next long trip will be to the Bay Area. I think my sister needs a little checking up! :)
take care, and thanks for reading. And sorry, I cannot give you back those minutes that you lost reading this.
Santino
I had my GF and 2 of my friends with me going there. obviously I was doing the driving, and I have no complaints. The clutch was so light and easy, that i had no complaints when the inevitable traffic would get heavy. I would be cursing at anyone and everyone if I was stuck in traffic with the FD. As for the center console getting hot, I did not notice it. the AC did its job, but I only had it on a few times during the trip since the weather was nice and cold already.
More importantly, the car still drove well when fully loaded with occupants and luggage. When i mean fully loaded, I mean that the rear was sitting low enough--with everyone/ everything in it--that the rear seemed as if it was lowered an a good inch at least. I felt a little uneasy with that sight, but fortunately the car behaved well during curves. The car never bottomed out when bumps appeared, which was a concern of mine after seeing the height decrease. You can feel the weight difference though. Once I had dropped everyone home, and I drove back with just me and my bag in the car, the car seemed to fly around the corners once again. It makes me wonder what the 8 would feel like if another 200 lbs were hacked off. The gas mileage was pretty surprising. I believe my average for the trip--fully loaded and average speed of 85MPH, 100 was my max with passengers--was 23 MPG. Not too bad.
As for the occupants, they had little to complain about. My two buddies--both close to 6 feet tall--did not mind sitting in the back...at least until the traffic came to a crawl. But when we were cruising, my friend said the back was pretty comfy.
Overall I was quite impressed with the car. It accelerated quickly--even when completely full--it was comfortable enough that my clutch leg did not get sore, passengers had little to complain about, and the stares you get from the other cars!:D
I normally hate the drive to Vegas...but with the 8, I was actually looking forward to it. Maybe the next long trip will be to the Bay Area. I think my sister needs a little checking up! :)
take care, and thanks for reading. And sorry, I cannot give you back those minutes that you lost reading this.
Santino