RomanoM
07-25-2003, 04:32 PM
Just got back from a 30-minute test drive, that I was promised before making a final order. Glad I did, but not for the obvious reasons. The car was Red and it's gorgeous, changed to Red from Titanium.
Anyway, I'll post a more detailed review this weekend, but let me some it up:
- I'm still grinning!
- I read somewhere that the BMW 3 series was a benchmark vehicle. BMW needs to go buy a RX-8 and benchmark it; it's better than the 3 series.
- A slogan used by another company fits the RX-8 like a glove:
For the "Joy of Driving"
The one thing that stood out the most, the steering! The car tracks perfectly straight like a BMW or M-B but the steering feel on center is great. The BMW 3 series steering is completely numb on-center and just off-center. Nice job Mazda.
Added on 7/26, the detailed review:
First the not so important aspects:
Interior:
Given the price of the car the interior is better than average in this price range. For quality and it's right there with the BMW 3 and better than the G35. It's not full of gadgets but then again most of the interiors that are come in more expensive or less capable cars. If you compare the RX-8 interior to say a $31,000 base 325i I think you'll find the RX-8 a nicer place to spend your time. There are a few cheap parts, like the rings surrounding the air vents, but no more so than all other cars. The cloth seat material is first class IMO, better than BMW "leatherette" (glorified vinyl) we get as the base covering in the USA.
The switchgear is not quite Camry or Accord, but it works well and feels good. It's a lighter touch than the BMW, where sometimes I had to pound on a button for it to work or hold it for a second.
The front seat room is very good. The shoulder room is less than the BMW 3, but not too bad. Rear seat room is very good to very bad depending on where the front seats are positioned. Headroom back there is great, but legroom can become a premium. Four 6' should be OK, but that's about the limit. And I don't think any of them will want to go on a 4-hour drive. By the way, the BMW sedan is better, but there also the rear seat gets tight with tall people upfront.
For the exterior size of the car, the interior is amazingly spacious. It's better than a G35 coupe since the G35C has no rear headroom.
Overall rating: 8.0/10 - Price adjusted: 9.0/10
Seating Position-Support/Ergonomics:
Seats are very comfortable and supportive. Not quite racing seats but very, very good. At first the ergonomics seamed a bit off but it was surprisingly easy to find things. Only long term exposure will tell for sure, but my first impression is that the seats will not give you a sore back nor will you have to spend 30 seconds looking for dash buttons.
Rating: 9/10
Exterior:
Since looks are subjective I'll just say than from where the B-pillar should be to the bumper the car is sweeeeeeeeeet. From the B-pillar back the car is handsome.
The quality of the paint and the fit of the panels is first class, right up there with the best. The car does exude a high level of quality. Even the sound the doors make is stouter than I expected, at least the front, the rear sound just the way you would expect light Al doors to sound.
Rating 9/10 - Price adjusted: 9.9/10
Comfort - Ride and Noise
First the ride, if you're used to German performance sedans then you'll find the RX-8 familiar. The ride is firm and tied down while never being harsh. To use a common description you hear the pothole more than feel it. It's no Toyota Avalon, but it's no 350Z either. The ride is never choppy; the body control is first rate so the car never gets floaty. The ride is very Euro in that sense.
Noise on the other hand is a bit more than the BMW. Some more wind noise and tire noise get through (I do not consider the engine noise bad, more later), but you'll only notice it if you're coming from a more expensive luxury car. And remember sound-deadening material is not lightweight!
Rating: 8.5/10
Now the important things;)
Drivetrain:
Engine: I drove a 1994(maybe 1995) RX-7 for an hour of so after a friend bought one new. That is only experience I have ever had with rotaries. The RX-8 engine is something very different than what I'm used to. It does have very smooth power delivery and from about 3000 RPM up an amazingly flat torque curve. The engine is not what you may call a powerhouse, but the power it does make (which is still substantial) just comes on like smooth cream butter on toast. Even below 3000 RPM where the engine is somewhat gutless the thing is still smooth. Throttle response is awesome. From 3K up the engine IMO is superior to the BMW straight 6, but it does lack the low torque. That doesn't bother me as much here because the engine is smooth, revs quickly and the throttle response is right now quick. You can easily work through the low end without ever feeling caught out. Only if you insist on short shifting all the time will you be disappointed, and if you do short shift your depriving yourself of something sweet.
The sound this engine makes is very unique and utterly addicting. It's hard for me to describe, just trust me when I say its grin inducing in the extreme. Go hear one. Also, the low end is still adequate for daily driving.
Rating: 10.5/10 :)
Transmission, Shifter, Clutch:
Shifter and Clutch: The shifter is great! The car I drove had 95 miles on it so I would have expected the shifter to be a bit stiff and it was tight. But, finding and engaging gears was almost instinctive and the shifter went home without protest. I guess given all the raving about the Miata shifter I expected shorter throws, so I found the throw a bit long. However, compared to the BMW 3 it's actually shorter and just as precise and smooth with a nice mechanical feel when you push the shifter into gear. It's leagues above the G35 and 350Z IMO. Clutch travel and take up is also very good and easy to tell where the clutch engages.
Rating: 9/10
Braking:
Pedal feel is absolutely first class. Take it from some one who used do design and develop brakes for a living, the pedal feel and modulation in this car is about as good as you'll get short of a Porsche GT car. It is superior to the BMW 3. And after taking a look underhood I know why. The RX-8 has a tie-rod booster and "plunger" type master cylinder. The tie-rod is very expensive, but its design effectively is the same as mounting the master cylinder directly to the engine side dash (firewall is no longer an acceptable term). Obviously Mazda knows where to spend the money. If you can't smoothly brake with this car, then you are in need of extensive training and practice:)
The stopping power is prodigious. Very strong brakes, very strong. Now I could not test fade resistance, but I did do one little experiment that will tell you if the brakes will fade early. Drove up to 70 MPH and slammed on the brakes until I dropped to about 30MPH, sped up again to 70 and stopped more gradually to 45 MPH (There's a Parkway near the dealer). If the brakes where going to fade early the pedal feel would have been long and mushy on the second stop. It didn't. Doesn't mean they won't fade, just that the pads won't go marshmallow right away.
Rating: 10/10
Handling:
This car handles exactly the way it should! Near perfect suspension geometry and calibration for a street oriented sportscar.
What do I mean by that? While there is body roll, do not mistake this for poor balance or low grip. The car's handling is neutral and grip seems very, very high. Even with the RE040, which I am not the biggest fan of to be honest. But the suspension is capable of keeping the best tire contact patch possible. The car never got upset, and I tried to by hitting bumps and potholes mid-corner. In this way it's just like a BMW, it's going far faster than you think around a corner and always holds its line.
There is one major difference between the BMW 3 and the RX-8, steering feel! While both cars are able to use the maximum grip of the tires and eat up mid-corner bumps with ease the RX-8 lets you know exactly what's going on through the steering wheel. There is very (if any) isolation from the tires.
The RX-8 also has better turn-in and a more stable rear. The chassis of the RX-8 is truly a revelation of how good a sportscar an everyday driver can be.
Rating: 12/10 :)
One Line Summary: The perfect streetable (is that a real word:confused: ), everyday sportscar!
And what a bloody bargain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek:
Anyway, I'll post a more detailed review this weekend, but let me some it up:
- I'm still grinning!
- I read somewhere that the BMW 3 series was a benchmark vehicle. BMW needs to go buy a RX-8 and benchmark it; it's better than the 3 series.
- A slogan used by another company fits the RX-8 like a glove:
For the "Joy of Driving"
The one thing that stood out the most, the steering! The car tracks perfectly straight like a BMW or M-B but the steering feel on center is great. The BMW 3 series steering is completely numb on-center and just off-center. Nice job Mazda.
Added on 7/26, the detailed review:
First the not so important aspects:
Interior:
Given the price of the car the interior is better than average in this price range. For quality and it's right there with the BMW 3 and better than the G35. It's not full of gadgets but then again most of the interiors that are come in more expensive or less capable cars. If you compare the RX-8 interior to say a $31,000 base 325i I think you'll find the RX-8 a nicer place to spend your time. There are a few cheap parts, like the rings surrounding the air vents, but no more so than all other cars. The cloth seat material is first class IMO, better than BMW "leatherette" (glorified vinyl) we get as the base covering in the USA.
The switchgear is not quite Camry or Accord, but it works well and feels good. It's a lighter touch than the BMW, where sometimes I had to pound on a button for it to work or hold it for a second.
The front seat room is very good. The shoulder room is less than the BMW 3, but not too bad. Rear seat room is very good to very bad depending on where the front seats are positioned. Headroom back there is great, but legroom can become a premium. Four 6' should be OK, but that's about the limit. And I don't think any of them will want to go on a 4-hour drive. By the way, the BMW sedan is better, but there also the rear seat gets tight with tall people upfront.
For the exterior size of the car, the interior is amazingly spacious. It's better than a G35 coupe since the G35C has no rear headroom.
Overall rating: 8.0/10 - Price adjusted: 9.0/10
Seating Position-Support/Ergonomics:
Seats are very comfortable and supportive. Not quite racing seats but very, very good. At first the ergonomics seamed a bit off but it was surprisingly easy to find things. Only long term exposure will tell for sure, but my first impression is that the seats will not give you a sore back nor will you have to spend 30 seconds looking for dash buttons.
Rating: 9/10
Exterior:
Since looks are subjective I'll just say than from where the B-pillar should be to the bumper the car is sweeeeeeeeeet. From the B-pillar back the car is handsome.
The quality of the paint and the fit of the panels is first class, right up there with the best. The car does exude a high level of quality. Even the sound the doors make is stouter than I expected, at least the front, the rear sound just the way you would expect light Al doors to sound.
Rating 9/10 - Price adjusted: 9.9/10
Comfort - Ride and Noise
First the ride, if you're used to German performance sedans then you'll find the RX-8 familiar. The ride is firm and tied down while never being harsh. To use a common description you hear the pothole more than feel it. It's no Toyota Avalon, but it's no 350Z either. The ride is never choppy; the body control is first rate so the car never gets floaty. The ride is very Euro in that sense.
Noise on the other hand is a bit more than the BMW. Some more wind noise and tire noise get through (I do not consider the engine noise bad, more later), but you'll only notice it if you're coming from a more expensive luxury car. And remember sound-deadening material is not lightweight!
Rating: 8.5/10
Now the important things;)
Drivetrain:
Engine: I drove a 1994(maybe 1995) RX-7 for an hour of so after a friend bought one new. That is only experience I have ever had with rotaries. The RX-8 engine is something very different than what I'm used to. It does have very smooth power delivery and from about 3000 RPM up an amazingly flat torque curve. The engine is not what you may call a powerhouse, but the power it does make (which is still substantial) just comes on like smooth cream butter on toast. Even below 3000 RPM where the engine is somewhat gutless the thing is still smooth. Throttle response is awesome. From 3K up the engine IMO is superior to the BMW straight 6, but it does lack the low torque. That doesn't bother me as much here because the engine is smooth, revs quickly and the throttle response is right now quick. You can easily work through the low end without ever feeling caught out. Only if you insist on short shifting all the time will you be disappointed, and if you do short shift your depriving yourself of something sweet.
The sound this engine makes is very unique and utterly addicting. It's hard for me to describe, just trust me when I say its grin inducing in the extreme. Go hear one. Also, the low end is still adequate for daily driving.
Rating: 10.5/10 :)
Transmission, Shifter, Clutch:
Shifter and Clutch: The shifter is great! The car I drove had 95 miles on it so I would have expected the shifter to be a bit stiff and it was tight. But, finding and engaging gears was almost instinctive and the shifter went home without protest. I guess given all the raving about the Miata shifter I expected shorter throws, so I found the throw a bit long. However, compared to the BMW 3 it's actually shorter and just as precise and smooth with a nice mechanical feel when you push the shifter into gear. It's leagues above the G35 and 350Z IMO. Clutch travel and take up is also very good and easy to tell where the clutch engages.
Rating: 9/10
Braking:
Pedal feel is absolutely first class. Take it from some one who used do design and develop brakes for a living, the pedal feel and modulation in this car is about as good as you'll get short of a Porsche GT car. It is superior to the BMW 3. And after taking a look underhood I know why. The RX-8 has a tie-rod booster and "plunger" type master cylinder. The tie-rod is very expensive, but its design effectively is the same as mounting the master cylinder directly to the engine side dash (firewall is no longer an acceptable term). Obviously Mazda knows where to spend the money. If you can't smoothly brake with this car, then you are in need of extensive training and practice:)
The stopping power is prodigious. Very strong brakes, very strong. Now I could not test fade resistance, but I did do one little experiment that will tell you if the brakes will fade early. Drove up to 70 MPH and slammed on the brakes until I dropped to about 30MPH, sped up again to 70 and stopped more gradually to 45 MPH (There's a Parkway near the dealer). If the brakes where going to fade early the pedal feel would have been long and mushy on the second stop. It didn't. Doesn't mean they won't fade, just that the pads won't go marshmallow right away.
Rating: 10/10
Handling:
This car handles exactly the way it should! Near perfect suspension geometry and calibration for a street oriented sportscar.
What do I mean by that? While there is body roll, do not mistake this for poor balance or low grip. The car's handling is neutral and grip seems very, very high. Even with the RE040, which I am not the biggest fan of to be honest. But the suspension is capable of keeping the best tire contact patch possible. The car never got upset, and I tried to by hitting bumps and potholes mid-corner. In this way it's just like a BMW, it's going far faster than you think around a corner and always holds its line.
There is one major difference between the BMW 3 and the RX-8, steering feel! While both cars are able to use the maximum grip of the tires and eat up mid-corner bumps with ease the RX-8 lets you know exactly what's going on through the steering wheel. There is very (if any) isolation from the tires.
The RX-8 also has better turn-in and a more stable rear. The chassis of the RX-8 is truly a revelation of how good a sportscar an everyday driver can be.
Rating: 12/10 :)
One Line Summary: The perfect streetable (is that a real word:confused: ), everyday sportscar!
And what a bloody bargain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek: