Just a brief report from tonights Preview Event in Bristol.

Apologies if some of this is repeating what others have posted

The car was the Blue Pre-production Model that has been seen previously at other events. The battery was disconnected so it could not be started or even the lights switched on.

There was also a display case with some of the accessories and their prices. I have picked up an accessories brochure which I will scan in tomorrow (at the office with a better connection). I will post another message with the prices I managed to get.

There was also a couple of boards with samples of the paint work and the seat materials (to see if you chose the right colour......)

Some of the information gleened from the Mazda staff their (two from Mazda UK and another 2 from my dealer, who didn't know much really):

The UK cars will come with Fog lights as standard
The back and rear windows will not be tinted
The UK car will sit approximately 1 inch lower than the Blue car
The standard tyres will be Bridgestone Potenza S03 (225/45/18R)
The cars without Sat Nav will have a storage bin in place of the screen.

Now for the bad news, I spoke to one of the guys from Mazda UK about delivery dates and he said that they would be starting in late October. As I had originally ordered mine for delivery in September I asked if there would be an additional 6 weeks wait for me, he said not but then asked for my order number, 255, he said I would probably not get my car until November.......

He then said that they were aiming to deliver 2000 cars this year, which bu my maths equates to 666.67 cars per month if you include all of October ( I couldn't figure this out)

I then spoke to one of the guys from my dealer and he said that the cars would be made in batches, so I assume that pre-order customers won't get their cars in number order. He also mentioned to someone else that the most popular colour was Tit. Grey followed by Red (so I expect these will be the first cars produced.


Some of my personal observations.

The car is much more impressive in the flesh than any pictures I have seen.

The back seats feel fairly confined (even though the actual head and leg room is more than adequate) this I think is due to the small windows in the rear.

The inside of the car was generally well put together, however, some of the storage compartments felt a bit naff, in particular the pass through (I put this down to the number of people that have opened and closed this pre prod version)

All of the shut lines were tight and the doors and boot made a satisfying thunk when closed.
I noticed that when closing the front doors there was some movement of the rear door, rather than it being solid.

Even though the steering wheel adjusts for height only it is not difficult to get comfortable.

What will ultimately be the foot rest tends to get in the way of your left foot, although I am sure I will get used to this.

The boot appature is fairly tight (I am getting worried that my new child's equipment wont fit)

For those that have opted for Cloth seats they felt very good.

Getting to the headlights to change bulbs etc may prove very difficult, as there appeared to be very little space under the bonnet for tinkering.

I think that is all I can remember for now, If I think of anything else I will post it tomorrow.

I managed to take some digital video so I will transfer this at the weekend and find somewhere to host it.

I hope this helps, all in all it was a very positive experience, despite the indictation that we may be waiting a week or two longer.

Sorry about the length of the post.

Chris

UK accessories (and prices where I have them)

The pictures will come tomorrow

1 Sport Exhaust
2 Tyre Deflectors, front
3 Tyre Deflectors, rear
4 Rotary Crest, polished aluminium - also available in brushed aluminium finish (£89.95)
5 Rear under deflector
6 Fuel filler lid, polished aluminium - also available in brushed aluminium finish (£199.95)
7 Air outlet fins, polished aluminium - also available in brushed aluminium finish (£174.95)
8 Exhaust trim (£199.95)
9 Alloy wheel 18", polished aluminium
10 Front air dam skirt
11 Side air dam skirt
12 B-pillar trim (£129.95)
13 Pedal set and foot rest, aluminium (Foot rest only £59.95)
14 Passenger foot rest, aluminium
15 Scuff plate, aluminium (£224.95)
16 Two tone steering wheel, red (£249.95)
17 Gear knob, with illumination, red or black (£119.95)
18 Handbrake lever grip, red or black
19 Centre console lid front, red or black (£114.95)
20 Centre console lid rear, red or black (£114.95)
21 Floor mats tailored, black
22 Floor mats luxury, red or black
23 Electic window switch trim, aluminium
24 Air vent bezel, aluminium (£69.95)
25 Centre panel trim, piano black
26 Reversing aid
27 Tow Bar, detachable ????????????????????
28 Mud flaps, front
29 Mud flaps, rear
30 Bonnet dampers
31 Indoor car cover
32 Boot liner
33 Spare tyre and carrier kit
34 Modular audio system
35 Exclusive RX-8 Key (£64.95)
36 Exclusive RX-8 Key case


I don't thin that many of these options represent great value for money but that is just my opinion.

Chris

Originally posted by c170673


I don't thin that many of these options represent great value for money but that is just my opinion.

Chris

A car key for 65 quid. Bargain methinks :eek:

Let's hope we get a nice discount for our patience

Cheers
Oilman

What on the Key?

:D

Chris,

I was also there tonight (blue shirt and tie) did see a man with a video camera and wondered if it might be a fellow Forum member but didn't like to ask for fear of looking like a fool (had you said what forum!)

Anyway to add a few of my own observations firstly on the event - I perhaps shouldn't say this but I turned up on the off chance as I live in Bristol and knew where the event was.Having spoken to Mazda in Bristol and them telling me it was exclusive invites only then speaking to mazda who were equally unhelpful about where my invite was i decided I couldn't be bothered with their inefficiencies and decided to take a chance on the day so to speak. I turned up told the security gaurd that I was here for the event, he waved me through to a very friendly and helpful (not bad looking either:D ) mazda event co-ordinator who said it didn't matter if I didn't have an invite (to be fair i did explain i had a car on order) and took me through to the car, the accessory counter and the Champagne:)
So the point here is even if you don't have an invite it's probably worth popping into an event if there is one local to you, i don't think they will turn people away as long as you do not arrive on mass and seem genuinely interested in the car.

Anyway onto the car and Chris has made most of the observations but i will add a few of my own.

Boot - one of my concerns as i need to get my dad's wheelchair in if i can and i have to say that is going to prove very difficult due to the way the boot narrows in the middle, it is an odd shaped boot with a number of wide and small parts to it as well as a sort of deep tray in the middle?

Appearence - externally i could not fault the car all the lines look nice i especially like the roof line and the bonnet indent, the back of the car did seriously remind me of the old mx3 although it didn't look out of place. Not sure if it was the shape of the room the car was in but it did look very "long" with a lot out front ahead of the driver but quite compact behind? As i said it didn't detract at all from the look in fact it distinguised it more from the short stubby TT type look.
I have to say i loved the blue colour as well, I have ordered the red but all the pics do not look anythink like the paint swatch which was there which does concearn me a little along with the comment that the majority of pre orders are either tit or Red and i think it would be nice to be different. In fact the mazda territory manager(as they are called) said i could easily change colours to one of the second phase (blue, yellow :cool: or green) with very little impact on my delivery date (he said i should check but he said I wouldn't be looking at getting my car until around November if i was lucky (I ordered back in may) and since the phase 2 colours would be coming in some qty in December it wouldn't prove much different. This has made me rethink the whole colour thing - maybe i will go for the yellow after all:D

Inside - Firstly I was very impressed with the seats - comfortable, good shape and seemed well put together, the driving position was good and visability I was particulary impressed with ( having had use of a TT on a no. of occasions i always get the feeling I am peeping through a letter box when looking out in front or to either side)
The plastics were poor and I thought the ICE looked a bit like one of those fake TV's you get in Ikea to make a room look more lifelike:eek: Enough though has been said on the plastics and we all know they are not final. I was impressed with the double drinks holder (something absent on my BM which has cost me an annoying spillage on a no. of occasions) and the other various cubby holes. I thought the switch on off for the DSC was in an odd place - far right hand side of the lower part of the dash right by the door, perhaps this is to stop you switching it on and off on country lanes :)

Few bits of other info I picked up on the night:
1.Deliverys likely to be more like November /December for people like me who have ordered in the last 6 weeks or so.
2.As said before it seems changing spec on colour and trim will not effect the delivery as these cars are still some way off production.
3.There are definately other UK spec cars in the country, mazda only have a very ltd no. which have been produced in Japan as a ltd run of just a few in order to give to Motoring journalists for reviews, they are still classed as pre production as they are only complete in terms of the engine power, ride height, fog lights, etc it was less than clear whether they were the finished internal build quality as they were although i see no reason why they wouldn't be. The guy from mazda said it was unclear whether any of them would make it to any of the other roadshows as they were a bit paranoid of them getting damaged, there also seemed to be the impression that once the motoring press got hold of a car they would get wrecked or written off (which apparently is what happened to a few in the US) I guess those on the roadshows later in the month or August will have a better chance to see one of these. Apperently there is a red one at the dealer (or dealers workshop/compound) in Dartford, worth checking out if you live in the area.

That's about it for the time being i think.

Cheers,

Ed

The cars without Sat Nav will have a storage bin in place of the screen.

this would seem to be a mis-information on this person's ( the mazda rep not chris') part as everywhere else we have heard from has said there will not be a storage bin there without the nav and every piv i have seen(even of production models from japan) has shown solid non-opening dash.

I think I only spoke to two other people, out of about 15 people there, that had actually ordered the car, the rest seemed to be prospective customers.

There also seemed to be a good number of people who had brought partners or friends, dispite my dealer telling me only one person could attend.

Chris

The accessory prices do seem fairly extortionate, but its only what I was expecting. All manufacturers seem to be the same when it comes to accessories.

I was thinking about putting £500 aside for accessories but it wont buy me much!

Ouch !

I gotta have me those side-vent-fins thing , but £175 seems a little steep... Also , why two finishes ? Which do I want ? Which matches the wheels ? :confused:

No start button :(

Still - exciting to think it may be in the studio on Sunday ! Better still had they let the Stig give it some :)

What is a"B-Pillar Trim". It doesnt have them!

I will e-mail my friend who works on Top Gear and see if she has any news.

Chris

Edo - Sadly , I know the answer to that. Do you wanna know or were you joking ? :)

M.

Edo,

I am trying to scan the brochure in today, but the B pillar trim sits at the rear of the front doors, covering what is just black trim on the standard cars.

Chris

I think that they have priced most of the accesories out of the market.The mazda rep said that there was probably room for some negotiation on the accesories as part of negotiation at the time of buying the car but not much.
I asked about the two tone steering wheel as I thought it would look nice with the two tone interior but at £250 I thought it was a complete waste of money considering it was identical to the wheel i would be getting with the only difference being the leather on part of it was dyed red.
Things like the exhaust finishers again I could see would look nice but they consisted of nothing more that a piece of shaped aluminium sheet?

Ed

These things will be thief magnets too I should think !
At £175 for the side vents , I would imagine that they would be pretty easy to forcibly remove from the vehicle , and would easily sell for £50 in the 'freeads'....

If you managed to 'detrim' an RX8 in some car park , you could knock up £500 worth of trim items easily !

At these prices , I wont be having much - but I will still have the side vents - just look so goooooood....

Originally posted by copperband
I asked about the two tone steering wheel as I thought it would look nice with the two tone interior but at £250 I thought it was a complete waste of money considering it was identical to the wheel i would be getting with the only difference being the leather on part of it was dyed red.
Ed

I believe that the 2-tone steering wheel comes as standard if you have ordered the 2-tone red/black interior. That is certainly what has been shown in all the brochures so far.

I think therefore that this is an option if you didn't order the 2-tone interior. They are now offering 2-tone steering wheels as a £250 option on the Mazda 6, so same price.

I believe that the 2-tone steering wheel comes as standard if you have ordered the 2-tone red/black interior. That is certainly what has been shown in all the brochures so far.

I too believed this to be the case but speaking to the mazda guy he said not. What you get with the two tone trim is the Seats and the side door panels in red and black.The steering wheel, gear knob, handbrake and center console in the front and rear are all extra to have in red leather.This is clear on pages 8 and 9 of the accesories brochure. i too feel slightly misled on this:(

Ed

Apologies for the poor quality (photo not a scan)

Here is the page from the Accesories catalogue that i talked about in the post above.


http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploads/interior rx8.jpg

Shall be having a moan on another front tonight.

I thought that RED/BLACK leather combo included a RED/BLACK steering wheel. I've seen nothing different on any of the hundreds of pictures I have including official press pics, brochures etc.. etc...

Surely this is someone talking out of their ar$e.

Cheers
Oilman

:eek: @ the prices of extras! What a ripoff.:mad:

I'd be gobsmaked if they wanted to charge you extra for the Red steering wheel - all red interior pics included that wheel - I'd be livid if they wanted to charge for it (glad I ordered black if thats the case.;) )

Seems like I'll be waiting till December for mine then :( it seems so far away....

Ironically, I didnt go for the red/black interior because I dont like the red/black wheel.

I would say Mazda are in a world of trouble if the wheel is not red/black, because the brochure shows it, and so does the website....

For further clarification i have just called Mazda, they said after asking around that they weren't sure and would need to check with Marketing:(
I streesed the point that if the interior didn't come as i had been shown in pictures then it was a case of miss selling a product. They have assured me i will get a call this afternoon to confirm one way or the other.

Ed

Have to say , even tho I dont like the 2 tone red interior (ordered cloth) I was 100% convinced the steering wheel came 2 tone.

Never thought about the gearstick.

The steering wheel is already leather, so your just getting 2 colours instead of one, cant charge you 250notes just for this surely?

Why not? Nowhere in any of the Mazda material, web site and dealer pre order site included, does it describe the £1200 option as Leather Interior, it's always refered to as Leather Seats.

Mazda6 for example is £1000 for power leather SEATS, with coloured steering wheels as a £299 option. Curently Mazda 323 Sport has a free Leather SEAT option.

If you are trying to say Mazda miss sold the product based on this then you could also ask about early brochures showing cruise control or yellow cars featuring polished wheels, but its not going to happen. Time to bite the bullet!

EDIT.......

Might have got this wrong to be fair, just checked news update archive on the RX-8 website. Looking at the article refering to Red leather now avalible on Black car it is described as INTERIOR. Still don't think yoou'll get steering wheel though.

EDIT........

have actually got this completely wrong, it's describes as leather INTERIOR everywhere. Thats what you get for been a smart arse!
Still think you'll be lucky though.

Further to my post yesterday I have just had my call returned from Mazda reference the steering wheel two tone issue.
The have confirmed that the price i have paid for leather does include the whole interior in two tone, ie steering wheel, gear knob, cubby holes as well as the seats and the side panels.
This obviously contradicts what the rep told me at the event in Bristol but to be fair I guess that although they should know the car details inside out there maybe a few details not clear.
As a point of interest I asked the girl at mazda who would spend £250 on the two tone steering wheel if the rest of the interior was black or cloth, she told me that extra's such as this had been very popular on the Mazda 6.She said that as a more mass market car with lots of company car drivers they often have a little spare money left in the budget to put towards individualising their car from their colleagues.Look out for the mad rep driving a white mazda 6 with a yellow and black leather steering wheel and matching Knob:p

Ed

spot the knob in a Mazda 6 more like !!!!

glad to see you got the joke:)

Went to see the blue pre-prod at Bristol last night and got home at 1.30am but couldn't sleep after seeing the 8 in the flesh.

Those of you who've seen it will know what I mean when I say that pictures don't do this car justice!!!

It is fabulous! Well done Mazda, it's a "bobby-dazzler"!

The cars stance is SO MUCH BETTER in the flesh, I really can't describe why photos don't do it justice but it just has such poise and presence. It is gonna turn heads!! (it did mine in).

I grinned like a cheshire cat for 90minutes and took dozens of photos. Will post any ones that give a different angle tonight.

My Impressions: (probably been said before but bear me out)

Exterior - Like no other sub 50k car on the road today. Simply stunning from every angle including the rear which is much lower and more squat than I imagined.

The roof and bonnet details and small lines forward of the mirrors are superb and very subtle.
The lights are great, front and rear.
Shut lines are good and doors are easy to open, shutting with a quality thud.

Note: Ride height on this car was approx 1.5inches too high so it will look even more mean in production guise.

Interior - I'm 6'1" and I set the front seat to my driving position then climbed in the back. My knees DIDN'T touch the seat in front, I was stunned, how did they do that??

The front seating was nice with a sporty feel and controls within good reach. You feel very low to the ground due to the high sides with the windows just above shoulder height.

The rear is cosy, I wouldn't want to travel for more than a couple of hours in it as it was claustrophobic due to the central tunnel and high windows. The rear quarter windows were also tinted adding to the dark rear.

Materials were good quality apart from the central console and around the switches in the doors. Mazda confirmed this was not the finished item and that the production cars would have a more premium feel.

The patches for the red and black leather were on display. For those ordering the red is MUCH DARKER than the photos (relief!)

Boot space, good size but odd shape and narrow access. No way 2 sets of golf clubs unless they're the folding ones supplied free with the car!;)

Mentioned to a young man called PAUL that I was part of the forum, he seemed to know (these guys are wiseing up).
THEY READ THE FORUM DAILY!! OFFICIAL...

PAUL was very helpful and tried to answer all my questions as best he could. Most of which were based around the delays, power outputs etc. I got many many apologies. Thanks! Still want my RX8 ASAP though if you're reading!
Cars will be delivered in EP number so RAEL you lucky bu$$er you'll have yours before me! Best estimate for mine EP365 is early November.

Well I've gone on too long already but, this was my first viewing and you all know what you felt about it.

YES I WANT IT, YES I'LL WAIT, STILL PI$$ED OFF WITH THE WAIT!

You were right LENSMAN, I'm here to stay and you should have stuck with that blue, a great colour!

A happy but frustrated OILMAN:D

Oilman,

Glad to hear that you are please with the car. :)

Did you ask if the Red/Black wheel is standard like we have beleived all along?

Cars will be delivered in EP number so RAEL you lucky bu$$er you'll have yours before me! Best estimate for mine EP365 is early November.

With regard to delivery, even if it is EP/Internet order, I would have thought a container will bring several hindred at a time so people will get them all around the same time, depending upon what sccessories you have fitted and how quick the dealer is with the PDI for the car etc.

Cheers
Mark

Oilman -

Right with you friend.
Now you know why I had so little reaction to the delays -
Yeah , it is a shame but when the car looks like this... oh man.

I know what you mean about 'In the flesh'. This car is just stunning and in lower UK guise will turn heads like you wont believe.

At the MotorExpo event the blue car had more attention than the rest of the exhibition area combined. The public love it.

Glad you loved it , glad you are firmly on the positive side and hopefully we can get the mood of this forum back on track !

Morgan.

YES, sorry forgot.

Asked about the wheel, still stating that it was an accessory BUT,
Paul wasn't sure and would let someone on the Forum know once he had final confirmation.

I pointed out that I'd not seen a picture of a RED/BLACK combo without the wheel!

Cheers
Oilman

It would help if Mazda UK could post to counter rumour and spin!

I wavered slightly:(

Now back on course:D

Trying to keep:cool:

Cheers
Oilman

Originally posted by oilman
Interior - I'm 6'1" and I set the front seat to my driving position then climbed in the back. My knees DIDN'T touch the seat in front, I was stunned, how did they do that??


I'm 6" and with the drivers seat in ideal position I found my knees were up against the back of the seat so you must sit a lot closer to the steering wheel than I do. It'll be fine for a passenger seat with someone behind the passenger combination though.


Originally posted by oilman
The patches for the red and black leather were on display. For those ordering the red is MUCH DARKER than the photos (relief!)


So the red leather is darker than the pictures look eh? If we get confirmation that the red leather includes all of the red interior options then I may change my order to Velocity Red with Red / Black interior - I've been wavering over the Titanium / Black combo for a while now.:cool::)

Originally posted by AndyPearce

So the red leather is darker than the pictures look eh? If we get confirmation that the red leather includes all of the red interior options then I may change my order to Velocity Red with Red / Black interior - I've been wavering over the Titanium / Black combo for a while now.:cool::)

Andy,
You are finally seeing sense as to the best colour combination :D, however I dont think you should change as we dont want the Vel Reds to become as common as the Tits!

With regard to the red steering wheel, we should find out in the next couple of weeks what they get in the US. Perhaps we could also ask they guys on the Asia forum. As far as I am concerned the car has always come with the Red/Black interior including the wheel.

Cheers
Mark

Andy.

It may come down to leg lengths. I only wear 31" trousers! Therefore must have a longer torso.

My 10 and 8 year olds will have no problems with the rear, I'll be up front of course!!

Cheers
Oilman

Originally posted by oilman
It may come down to leg lengths. I only wear 31" trousers! Therefore must have a longer torso.


OMG, I'm 5'8" and have short legs at 30"

Did you ask if the Red/Black wheel is standard like we have beleived all along?

Asked about the wheel, still stating that it was an accessory BUT,

It would help if Mazda UK could post to counter rumour and spin!

So the red leather is darker than the pictures look eh? If we get confirmation that the red leather includes all of the red interior options then I may change my order to Velocity Red with Red / Black interior

With regard to the red steering wheel, we should find out in the next couple of weeks what they get in the US. Perhaps we could also ask they guys on the Asia forum. As far as I am concerned the car has always come with the Red/Black interior including the wheel.


Is the information I posted not seen as credible by you guys:confused:



Further to my post yesterday I have just had my call returned from Mazda reference the steering wheel two tone issue.They have confirmed that the price I have paid for leather does include the whole interior in two tone, ie steering wheel, gear knob, cubby holes as well as the seats and the side panels.[/

Oilman, I get the impression you were pleased with the car and I think nearly everybody who has seen the car has had a similar reaction.

Good news all round.

rael

Rael,

Not talking to you, EP021!!;)

Cheers
Oilman

Originally posted by oilman
You were right LENSMAN, I'm here to stay and you should have stuck with that blue, a great colour!

Nah, it's too light. Did you see it in daylight? Titanium is the correct choice.

if they are going to order as per the EP numbers then i think i might be in the first batch...




<H> SMUG MODE </H>

Originally posted by copperband




Is the information I posted not seen as credible by you guys:confused:





Copperband - it's not that we don't believe you - it's that we don't believe Mazda UK truly know what's going on. I'm just waiting for an official confirmation that can be verified through my dealer before I believe anything 100%. If I do change to the red / balck interior then I'll want written confirmation that it includes all the red trim.

Nothing personal mate!:)

Problem is knowing where to stop. Best to have a budget and keep to it. But I do expect Mazda to give a little hand though.

rael

I received an invite to Hatfield Heath in Essex on the 19th. I probably won't go as it's the same car I've seen twice. I'd rather spend the morning with my girlfriend. Nice to be asked though and a quality bit of perspex (or whatever).

Originally posted by copperband

Is the information I posted not seen as credible by you guys:confused:


Copperband,

No offence meant at all m8, I think I missed your post.

As Andy said, we just dont always believe what we are told by representatives of Mazda UK, so the more times we ask a question and get consistent answers the more likely we are to find the truth.

Im still pi$$ed about the steering wheel though.......

I ahve just wathed my video again from Monday in Bristol and I can hear copperband asking the Mazda rep about the steering wheel.

No really that interesting really.

Chris

Well, as we're apparently going by EPs then I'm quite happy.
hopefully end of October.......


Stu C

StuC,

I don't want to dissapoint youbut at the preview I want to on Monday they Mazda Rep there indicated that it would be November for me, based on my order number of 255.

But then again the cut off may be between 248 and 255, who knows.

Chris

Have to agree with StuC.

Mazda guy told me that the cars will arrive end of October and probably reach Customers early November.

Unless they are shipping all 1000 pre-orders at once, I would guess this may slip.

I'm working on mid November now and will be pleasantly surprised if it turns up any earlier.

Cheers
Oilman

I think it will make a nice Christmas present!!

rael