As I look more and more at the awesome 8, I am sooooo happy that Ford didn't cheapen the cabin of the car. Ford's bean counters and cost-cutting gurus are well known for taking the cheap way out. I drive a 1994 Probe GT, and the car is fantastic, but the interior is high maintenance as compared to my 12 yr. old RX-7's interior when I sold it in 1995, and also the Probe has some interior issues that were absent on my beloved 7. As I look at the 8's interior, it is a mixture of high quality textures and materials, and I'm pleased. I looks "Mazdaish" if that's a word. I especially love the 2-tone red interior when combined with the silver or red exterior, but the black exterior with red interior is also bumpin'. Sometimes, I still compare the interior of my brother's '87 GXL to my other brother's 2000 Trans Am, and it's rediculous as to the difference in fit/finish/weight of controls, etc. Maybe that's one reason why the Japanese cars have a higher value than the American ones. Oh God I won't talk about the Z's interior, what a dissappointment and suprise from Nissan. Just terrible. Well anyhoot, I plan to have my 8 by this time next year, when all the well deserved hype cools down. Congrats to Mazda by keeping their focus on aesthetics as well as athletics.