Guys, take a look at this from Top Gear:

http://www.nashwan.org/topgear.wmv

This is why I bought an RX-8!

this is all I get. @gÉ™‰[üìÙ®!=r[ɸ¸˜`vÁÕ*Ù>«¬idjÎä©!=v^Ë"‹{ÂSÖ1/2á*ÓáAãÇüR_|Hr©£‚’ßT<caron>N<breve>®Ø™ would love to see the clip.
using a mac. Would that make a difference.

AWESOME CLIP ! THANKS FOR SHARING !

Looks like it uses Codec 9... Try to download Media Player 9.1 from Microsoft for Mac. You need the Mac OS X operating system to run it, otherwise only MP 7.1 will run on classic Mac OS.

Link to MP 9 from Microsoft:
Media Player 9 for Mac (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/software/Macintosh/osx/default.aspx)

Hope it will work... Really need to see it!!!:D

Great review - totally agree :-)

Seen it before but..... watched it again :)

I like the part where the driver says it feels like it's "running on double-cream" at 9Krpm.

makes you proud
or atleast makes me proud

there are much better versions posted on here somewhere...i suggest you search for them as this one is highly compressed...

btw, i dislike how brits say "coupe"...they say it like toupee...i also get somewhat annoyed by the "ed" they affix to the 350Z...what's a 350Zed?

You americans... :)

Coupé is the original form of coupe, and is pronounced koop'-ay. Yeah, you don't like it but how do you pronounce croissant?

Also, many countries (including Canada) pronounce Z as zed, not zee. Hence the Zed. I agree they shouldn't spell it Zed though.

You Canadians...:p

From my 2 years of taken French in high school I was taught that coupe ( don't remember how to put the ` above the e) was pronounced "coupe" in France, not "koop'-ay." So, it must be a British and Canadian thing :D .

Originally posted by s13lover
You Canadians...:p

From my 2 years of taken French in high school I was taught that coupe ( don't remember how to put the ` above the e) was pronounced "coupe" in France, not "koop'-ay." So, it must be a British and Canadian thing :D .

Sorry, but you've got the wrong accent.

Originally posted by Literatii
Sorry, but you've got the wrong accent.

my bad. accent circumflex? or something like that. :D

Yeah, it's hard to keep them straight but one points right (aigu) and one points left (grave). When it points right (aigu) it turns the "e" sound into an "ai" sound.

Most canucks pronounce it koop' as well.

Originally posted by BRx8
i also get somewhat annoyed by the "ed" they affix to the 350Z...what's a 350Zed?

Yup, "zed" is how the letter Z is pronounced in nearly every English speaking country (including Canada) outside the US. Noteworthy cars are the Datsun 240'zed', BMW 'zed'4 and 'zed'8, Camaro 'zed'28, and so on.

Oh, and if the 'e' at the end of coupé has the accent over it, then it is indeed "koo-pay" in French. Since every manufacturer of coupés spells it "coupé" in their advertising in the English auto magazines, then it is perfectly appropriate for the English people to pronounce it correctly (and they all do).

Regards,
Gordon

No no no we want a four door saloon!

Originally posted by swoozie
this is all I get. @gÉ™‰[üìÙ®!=r[ɸ¸˜`vÁÕ*Ù>«¬idjÎä©!=v^Ë"‹{ÂSÖ1/2á*ÓáAãÇüR_|Hr©£‚’ßT<caron>N<breve>®Ø™ would love to see the clip.
using a mac. Would that make a difference.

You need to download the latest version of Windows Media Player and install it. Works fine on mine. :cool: Hope that helps!!

Originally posted by Wave
You need to download the latest version of Windows Media Player and install it.

Not necessarily. I had two PCs that displayed the binary gibberish when I clicked on the link.

The solution on both was to first open Windows Media Player, then depending on your version of WMP

Either a
right mouse click->Open URL-> http://www.nashwan.org/topgear.wmv

or File->Open->http://www.nashwan.org/topgear.wmv

In neither case was there any downloading involved for me.

I enjoyed the clip - especially the accents!

rx8cited

That is one bas a$$ clip. I could watch that forever and not get tired of it.

Originally posted by Literatii
Seen it before but..... watched it again :)

I like the part where the driver says it feels like it's "running on double-cream" at 9Krpm.

for me this runs second to "it 'goes like stink'".

this review reminds of the RX-01 review that floated around a year or so ago... what great praise for mazda!

Did he say 228 brake horse power? So, is it less hp than US version?

Originally posted by Literatii
Seen it before but..... watched it again :)

I like the part where the driver says it feels like it's "running on double-cream" at 9Krpm.

hi Literatii,

Can you or anyone else please explain the "double-cream" expression? I've never heard it before :) .

thanks.
rx8cited

He means smoooooooooth!

Coupe or Coupé... to be, or not to be.

Actually in the US both British English and US English were taught in schools up through the 1960's. For a few reasons inclulding costs and spite, the educational system dropped the use of (inclusion of teaching) British English in the US or as they used to say "the Queen's English". You might say, "U fell out of favor." ;)

As for the video link... the browser is not interpreting the header correctly and is passing it on as a text file. One would have to copy the link to Windows Media Player or mouse button 2 click the link and save to the hard drive with the extension being "All Files". If not the file will have a double extension --> .wmv.txt. You would then have to delete the second extension via command prompt.

Easier to go HERE (http://www.thommino.com/mazdarx8.htm) to the link at the bottom of the page.

Peace
marcus

I've seen the clip more than a dozen times, easy. He's a terrific reviewer, it's great writing, and he presented it very well. The British accent is awsome (I agree, I love the "No No No, we want a four door saloon!"). On top of that, the photography and music make it exceptional. It's the best commericial for the RX-8 ever. To paraphrase: That's a very, very good review.

I was, however, disappointed to go to the Top Gear web page and find lots of advertising for the RX-8... they're even sponsoring a "Win-a-Day-at-the-Track" with the RX-8 contest. I'm sorry to say it, but I wonder how unbiased the review is. Many people went on and on about how great it was that Britney Spears chose the '8 for her latest video... only later to find out Mazda provided the car and paid a fee for its use.

Still, if you have any buyer's remorse, get the clip and figure out how to watch it. If you know someone with a 350 "Zed" who's bugging you, burn it to a CD and send it to him ;)

Originally posted by rx8cited
Not necessarily. I had two PCs that displayed the binary gibberish when I clicked on the link.

The solution on both was to first open Windows Media Player, then depending on your version of WMP

Either a
right mouse click->Open URL-> http://www.nashwan.org/topgear.wmv

or File->Open->http://www.nashwan.org/topgear.wmv

In neither case was there any downloading involved for me.

I enjoyed the clip - especially the accents!

rx8cited

You should not have to do all that on a Mac. I just installed the new player and it works great!! :cool:

MEGAREDS wrote:
I was, however, disappointed to go to the Top Gear web page and find lots of advertising for the RX-8... they're even sponsoring a "Win-a-Day-at-the-Track" with the RX-8 contest. I'm sorry to say it, but I wonder how unbiased the review is.Nothing to worry about there. Receiving advertising from a client doesn't itself guarantee a favorable/favourable review. What happens often is the review is finished in advance and separate of any acknowlegement and or knowledge of ad placement.

In addition, the cost of a website ad is far below the value of the review.

Peace
marcus

RX8'ers.........there's a hi-res DIVX version (67mb) too.......here it is

http://www.mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/forum-photos/rx-8_uk-topgear_nov2003/rx-8_topgear_231103.avi for direct download or the story thread is at

http://www.mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=3040&referrerid=1

Cheers

Doogy

i wonder how much those foolz get paid to test drive bad ass cars like that?

Originally posted by kidmarc
Nothing to worry about there. Receiving advertising from a client doesn't itself guarantee a favorable/favourable review. What happens often is the review is finished in advance and separate of any acknowlegement and or knowledge of ad placement.

In addition, the cost of a website ad is far below the value of the review.

In the UK, the reviews tend to be very honest, sometimes brutally honest. They are far more likely to highlight the flaws and shortcomings of a car than any of the US based magazines, where they seem to follow the mantra "if you can't say something nice... dance around it and say something else nice".

Jeremy Clarkson (btw, this RX-8 Top Gear video has been the subject of 2 or 3 other threads already) is famous for being bluntly honest - he caused a full-blown strike and shutdown of the Vauxhall factory once when he gave such a bad review of the then-new Vectra (~1995 or 1996). You can read more of his stuff in the Motoring section of the Sunday Times web site, www.timesonline.co.uk . Really funny stuff, occasionally relevant to cars ;), but always opinionated and blunt, good or bad. To get a rave review like that for the RX-8 is, in all honesty, worth huge business to Mazda in the UK, because Clarkson tells it like he sees it, and certainly can't be bought.

Regards,
Gordon

Originally posted by Gord96BRG
To get a rave review like that for the RX-8 is, in all honesty, worth huge business to Mazda in the UK, because Clarkson tells it like he sees it, and certainly can't be bought.



I loved the review... everyone, go get it! I completely agree that Mazda execs in the U.K. must be happy about it. Still...

Clarkson made no mention of the fuel economy issue, which was at least enough of a point to be mentioned prominantly in the other British TV review, done by Fifth Gear. (Also worth watching, BTW). In that review, the commentator pointed out that the TT gets 6 miles per gallon over the 8. That's a fair point to be made in an objective review. How could it not be mentioned by Clarkson?

I have my own criticisms of the FIfth Gear review... That review downplayed the significance of the rotary engine's size, which I thought was not particularly fair in light of the fact that its the size of the rotary that allows the car to have back seats (which both reviews made an appropriate fuss about).

I'm also a bit skeptical the track times posted in the Top Gear review, which happened to be exactly the same as the Z's time. Perhaps Top Gear has explained its testing procedures on other Top Gear shows, but the clip I saw did not explain how "the Stig" tested the car. For example, did the show test both cars the same number of pre-determined times and take the best time for both, or just stop testing the RX-8 when they got a time that matched one of the Z's times? It's much better television that way, and I have to think most American T.V. producers would push hard for that outcome if it were possible.

Of course, the Fifth Gear review has its own problems... they didn't even test the RX-8 on the track. What's with that? The idea that the RX-8 had "just been delivered" is cute, but I'm not buying it.

MegaReds,

Maybe you should check out the video again...Clarkson does mention the fuel economy as a negative. He just didn't dwell on it for very long...

Hmmm, just watch it again and you may be correct about him not pointing out the fuel economy. I swore I heard something about it the first time I watched it. I stand corrected...

Actually, I watched it (yet) again and you're right, Red8. He says that the engine is "not the most economical." I suppose that's enough -- just barely, but enough.

I did go to the link Gordon provided; big surprise... the man can write. That explains why his delivery is so good.

Since we're picking the Top Gear review apart, I have two questions...

1. He says that a committee gave the RX-8 a rear passenger window from a ... ? I can't understand what he's saying... a Ford ___?

2. The tail lights are busier than a what? A bishop's hat, perhaps?

I bet Gordon is happy about the tire comment at the end... it seems that eveyone agrees that the car's grip on a less-than-dry surface is "a bit twitchy."

Gordon,

I thank you for that personal insight (of Jeremy Clarkson) and for the link as well.

And now for a wee bit of British humour on the teley... [British House of Commons]

Peace
marcus

Originally posted by MEGAREDS
1. He says that a committee gave the RX-8 a rear passenger window from a ... ? I can't understand what he's saying... a Ford ___?

2. The tail lights are busier than a what? A bishop's hat, perhaps?

I bet Gordon is happy about the tire comment at the end... it seems that eveyone agrees that the car's grip on a less-than-dry surface is "a bit twitchy."

1. A Ford Anglia (http://www.fordanglia.com/) !

2. Yup, "a bishop's hat".

Actually, I disagree with him about the twitchy grip in the wet - I find the OEM tires to have terrific grip dry AND wet in temperatures above 32F, and even in wet weather I never felt the car was twitchy. :)

As for Clarkson's objectivity - he has none!;) His reviews are very subjective, don't count on him for a reasoned balance of pros and cons to decide if he likes one car more than another, for example. He's an entertainer as much as an auto journalist.

Regards,
Gordon

Originally posted by Gord96BRG
1. A Ford Anglia (http://www.fordanglia.com/) !

LOL! :p