In the first 22 hours of ownership, the car has 190 miles logged on it. Since I left the Jeep at the dealership located 45 miles from the homestead, I went home after work & picked up the family for a trip to get the Jeep.

One of the main reasons for choosing the RX-8 was the ability for it to pull double-duty as our family car, while still giving me the utmost in driving pleasure. So the following is my family's review of the RX-8 --

My wife got behind the wheel & I was in the passenger seat. The teenagers (17y.o. & 6'4", and 15y.o. & 5'4") loved the exterior looks (and the Winning Blue color), and thought the freestyle doors were 'cool'. During our hike to the dealer, the teenagers were impressed with the quality & durability of the interior, and the room they had. They both felt comfortable in the back seats, and actually enjoyed being back there.

My better half liked the feel in the driver's position, but did not like having to pay so much attention to keeping the revs down (break-in). We took some windy back roads to give her the opportunity to check out the handling and suspension. I can see now she will want to drive this on family excersions because it is so much fun.

This was, for me, the ultimate test of the RX-8. Would it make my family happy? I already knew it was going to make me happy. Thank goodness the answer was a resounding "YES" !

pics pics pics!!!

good to hear the fam's enjoying the 8 as much as you are!

Really - show us a pic with the whole fam damily in your 8!

My wife and I are expecting our first child in December. What do you think of getting a car-seat in and out of the 8? Planning on getting one of the stay-in base models....

pics pics pics pics pics

Got mine as well, the Winning Blue is looking great! And the free style suicide doors are perfect for getting in and out of the back seats.

Yea ... pics pics pics !!!

So your 17yr old fits alrite in the back ? cuz at 6,4 he's a pretty big kid.

Thanks for the review. I too am quite interested in how family members fit into the back seats. I have a 15 year old son who is 6'1" so if your 6'4" son can fit then mine can, assuming he stops growing. Funny, he seems more interested in the front, i.e. driver, seat now that he has a learners permint. Dream on!

How was the space for their feet? From other reviews I've read, that seems to be the biggest issue, spacewise.

In any case, the RX-8 should be a much more family oriented car than my RX-7. I can't wait to test drive one.

From what I've read, the RX8 is one of the few cars out there that had generous room under the front seats so that passengers in the rear may stretch out with their feet under the front seats. Those of you who have one, check it out!

One of these days, my MX6 will go to my son and I'll be the proud owner of an RX8.

RX-8er, did you have to pull the seat up for your son to fit in back? I'm 6'4" and my wife and I are hoping we can use the RX-8 as a sedan-replacement when family visits. My father and brother are about my height, so I'd like at least one of them to fit in back reasonably comfortably.

I know I'm probably out of luck; I can't fit comfortably in the backseat of most 4-door sedans (Accord, Taurus, etc..)

Thanks,
Sam

I'm only 6'1", but when I set the front seat where I like it (not just where I can still drive it cramped forward) I was still comfortable with space in front of my knees in the back seat. Making adjustments to help people in the back was still possible. Don't like the back of the cloth seats because your knees actually hit fabric, just not seat. There's going to be lots of wear on that cloth if there's people in the back. The plastic on the back of the leather seats is way better.

By the way I have a 38" sitting height and my head was in the headliner when seated in the back. Not enough to prevent me comfortably sitting, just enough to have it be there and not wanting to hit any bumps.

Checkout the movies at Mazda Japan's site - in particular, readers of this thread will enjoy the 9:30 mark of mms://sswmt1.smartstream.ne.jp/mazda/rx-8/shouhin300k.wmv

This is a 12 minute movie (in Japanese) that shows off most interesting details of the 8. Around the 9:30 mark they show the features of the cabin for family use - including car seat in the back. Enjoy.

Cool video!

RX-8er, did you have to pull the seat up for your son to fit in back?

He sat behind my wife, which is 5' 2". If he was to sit behind me then I would have had to move my seat up. He did have to crouch a little as his head touched the headliner.

That did not bother him at all -- the thrill of us having such a cool looking car (to a teenager) was worth that little inconvenience to him.