dunny1
07-16-2003, 12:20 AM
I have been following the board for a long time -- I never posted before because I never had anything to say -- until now. (I thank you all for the scads of valuable information you have been posting all along, though.) So, now I have something to say -- because I actually own an RX-8! It seems so surreal that I just took possession of my RX-8 2 days ago! We got lucky on the West coast having ours come in first. I know I am one of the first owners in the USA -- it is a strange and wonderful feeling.
So, the following are my impressions of the car (keeping in mind that I've only put about 130 miles on it so far.)
Exterior: It is a stunning car. As many people have said, it's even more beautiful in person. Mine is titanium gray with the black/chaparal interior -- a striking combination. I am very, very happy with my choice. Incidentally there was a black one at the dealer as well, waiting for another pre-order fellow to pick it up. It looked great as well, of course, but the black does not show off the lines as well as the titanium. But I am biased.
The drive: So much controversy and criticism over the acceleration (or lack thereof.) Well, you know what -- I can see what the critics are saying. It does lack initial punch. But yes, it does pick up a lot -- A LOT -- in higher revs. It was hard for me to imagine this before I drove it, but now it makes perfect sense. It's killing me, but I'm trying to be a good boy and not rev too high until I've put 600 miles on it. So it's difficult to get a sense for how it drives exactly, because I know eventually I will be revving it much higher than 4.5 RPM's! For an example of how the car picks up in higher RPM's, though, I'm cruising along at 60mph in 5th gear, and stomp on the gas pedal to test the response, and the car flies to 75 before you know what happened. Excellent! The brakes are very, very responsive. The car handles excellently -- as you all expect. And the turning radius is superb. I've heard some people say on the board that they aren't impressed with the specs for the turning radius -- I don't know what those people expect. Try driving my old Mitsubishi 3000GT. Another note about acceleration -- the RX-8 maybe doesn't seem to accelerate exceptionally quickly -- I mean it doesn't FEEL fast -- and yet you shift through the gears so quickly, and watch the speedometer jump so fast that you realize that you ARE accelerating quickly. It's faster than it feels. It's that smooth, linear acceleration.
The interior -- design-wise it is perfection. Stunning!! I would have liked another inch or even half-inch of headroom, though. I am 6'2" and I just barely fit. But it's okay. It's a snug interior -- in a snug, cozy kind of way. Great job with the aluminum accents. And the gauges look AWESOME. You can't get a sense of how cool they look by the photographs. Just wait until you see them in person! The digital speedometer does not bother me like I was afraid it would. It's actually quite nice, embedded in the tachometer like that. I don't really miss having an analog speedometer. Nice, straightforward climate controls. Easy to use. Not like these darn automated systems that many cars come with now that do not work very well. The Bose stereo sounds great. I don't think people should have any complaints. For a stock system it is damn good. I was a bit worried. But I am very pleased.
Overall impression: i am thrilled. The RX-8 is f'in awesome!. And yes, it is a head-turner. I already had some kid -- probably around 21 years old -- practically swerving off the road he was gawking so much at my car. The RX-8 seems perfect for me and my situation. I love to drive, love to drive fast -- within reason -- no racing. I'm not looking to beat every kid off the line. I am 33 years old, I hope to have children soon. This car is perfect for those two situations -- the practicality of having room for kids, but still having the sheer unpracticality of driving excitement and fun. Incidentally the backseats are plenty roomy, and easy to get in and out of. Although, as someone on the board stated, it is quite difficult to get your feet in! That is the only real drawback. But there is no real need to move the front seat up when climbing in the back. The freestyle door operates marvelously. I don't know why more cars do not employ these.
My wife described the car as 'sexy', and she's right. And I'd only hold that adjective to cars like the Viper and the Ferrari Modena. Yet the RX-8 fits, too. You'll see!
Okay, this is way lengthy enough. Let me know if you have any specific questions -- keeping in mind that I am not a technical guy. I don't know a lot about cars -- I just love to drive them.
So, the following are my impressions of the car (keeping in mind that I've only put about 130 miles on it so far.)
Exterior: It is a stunning car. As many people have said, it's even more beautiful in person. Mine is titanium gray with the black/chaparal interior -- a striking combination. I am very, very happy with my choice. Incidentally there was a black one at the dealer as well, waiting for another pre-order fellow to pick it up. It looked great as well, of course, but the black does not show off the lines as well as the titanium. But I am biased.
The drive: So much controversy and criticism over the acceleration (or lack thereof.) Well, you know what -- I can see what the critics are saying. It does lack initial punch. But yes, it does pick up a lot -- A LOT -- in higher revs. It was hard for me to imagine this before I drove it, but now it makes perfect sense. It's killing me, but I'm trying to be a good boy and not rev too high until I've put 600 miles on it. So it's difficult to get a sense for how it drives exactly, because I know eventually I will be revving it much higher than 4.5 RPM's! For an example of how the car picks up in higher RPM's, though, I'm cruising along at 60mph in 5th gear, and stomp on the gas pedal to test the response, and the car flies to 75 before you know what happened. Excellent! The brakes are very, very responsive. The car handles excellently -- as you all expect. And the turning radius is superb. I've heard some people say on the board that they aren't impressed with the specs for the turning radius -- I don't know what those people expect. Try driving my old Mitsubishi 3000GT. Another note about acceleration -- the RX-8 maybe doesn't seem to accelerate exceptionally quickly -- I mean it doesn't FEEL fast -- and yet you shift through the gears so quickly, and watch the speedometer jump so fast that you realize that you ARE accelerating quickly. It's faster than it feels. It's that smooth, linear acceleration.
The interior -- design-wise it is perfection. Stunning!! I would have liked another inch or even half-inch of headroom, though. I am 6'2" and I just barely fit. But it's okay. It's a snug interior -- in a snug, cozy kind of way. Great job with the aluminum accents. And the gauges look AWESOME. You can't get a sense of how cool they look by the photographs. Just wait until you see them in person! The digital speedometer does not bother me like I was afraid it would. It's actually quite nice, embedded in the tachometer like that. I don't really miss having an analog speedometer. Nice, straightforward climate controls. Easy to use. Not like these darn automated systems that many cars come with now that do not work very well. The Bose stereo sounds great. I don't think people should have any complaints. For a stock system it is damn good. I was a bit worried. But I am very pleased.
Overall impression: i am thrilled. The RX-8 is f'in awesome!. And yes, it is a head-turner. I already had some kid -- probably around 21 years old -- practically swerving off the road he was gawking so much at my car. The RX-8 seems perfect for me and my situation. I love to drive, love to drive fast -- within reason -- no racing. I'm not looking to beat every kid off the line. I am 33 years old, I hope to have children soon. This car is perfect for those two situations -- the practicality of having room for kids, but still having the sheer unpracticality of driving excitement and fun. Incidentally the backseats are plenty roomy, and easy to get in and out of. Although, as someone on the board stated, it is quite difficult to get your feet in! That is the only real drawback. But there is no real need to move the front seat up when climbing in the back. The freestyle door operates marvelously. I don't know why more cars do not employ these.
My wife described the car as 'sexy', and she's right. And I'd only hold that adjective to cars like the Viper and the Ferrari Modena. Yet the RX-8 fits, too. You'll see!
Okay, this is way lengthy enough. Let me know if you have any specific questions -- keeping in mind that I am not a technical guy. I don't know a lot about cars -- I just love to drive them.