Hi guys, Drove the car yesterday at the track. I posted this on the MX-5 website hence the comparisons with the 5


Just got back from Eastern Creek where I drove the RX-8. A really enjoyable vehicle. Thought I'd write down my thoughts whilst they are still fresh in my mind.

Exterior
Colours at the track were red, yellow, blue, green. Unfortunately Titanium was not there but it is the same as the SE MX-5. All looked nice especially the blue....looks a little brighter than 10AE MX-5 blue. Door system works well and there is no chance of metal on metal contact if the doors are closed incorrectly (ie fronts first)
Roof line was higher than my 5....significantly so, but still sports car like.

Interior
Stunning. I am 6'2" and had plenty of leg room. Even brought seat forward one notch (Has to be fully back in my 5). Head room was fine. At least 3-4cm more than the MX-5. My hair brushes the soft top fairly severely....no probs in the RX-8. Passenger side footwell had alot more footroom. I have always thought the passenger footroom on the MX-5 was quite restricted but no probs with the 8. In the rear I sat in the back whilst a 5'4" lady had the front seat set comfortably forward for her. My knees still touched the back of the front seats. With the front in my normal driving position forget about someone my size fitting in behind. This is still only for kids or small adults. Anything more and trips need to be very short. Ease of entry and egress.....easy as a normal 4 door. Much better than any two door coupe. No need to tilt front seats. Sound system from the Bose....seemed OK. Only listened for 10secs. Road noise is minimal compared to the MX-5 but more than our CR-V. Quite acceptable. A guy there said he found it noisy compared to his Audi A6. Dials are easy to read. Honestly didn't look at it much...I was focused on my braking points.

Gearshift.
Very nice. Slightly less metallic feel than my 1998 5 speed....although I do use a Voodoo knob. Short throws...very easy to get used to. Clutch feel almost identical to the MX. Only used 1st through 4th.

Steering.
Excellent feel. Good level of assistance. As good as the 5.

Handling/ride.
Ride was difficult to say on a racetrack. Some minor body roll....more than the 5. Outright corner speeds slightly higher than the 5. All cars had DSC switched on so tendency was slight understeer at turn 2 and at the hairpin (turn 9?). Ability to change direction...excellent. Seemed as good as the 5 despite more weight.

Brakes.
Phenomenal. I drove the car first and was the only person to get a second turn so got to experience it before and after 1 hour of constant running. Vastly superior to my MX-5 brakes. Second time around had slightly more pedal travel but no sponginess at all. Very high threshold before the ABS kicks in. Slowed down from 150km/h without dramas (we were supposed to max at 110 but I had no-one but another buyer with me)

Engine.
Smoooooooooooooth. I had never driven a rotary and this is the least stressed engine I have ever heard. Easily touched the rev limiter (soft
limiter) at 9400rpm (not a misprint!!) It sounded like it could do this all day long. Even with DSC on it chirped in first send and third!!! Torque adequate but no thrust in back like a WRX just a nice linear response with little drivetrain shudder. Much more squirt than I am used to but because it is so smooth not a great feeling of rapid speed.

Bootspace.
Without the standard fitment spare tyre the bootspace is truly copious by MX-5 standards. 290 litres means thos used to packing light will have enough room. None of the cars had a spare fitted but this sits in the boot so it will compromise space. I would say this will be a significant compromise, but the car also comes standard with fix a flat goop and a compressor.

Overall a thoroughly impressive car. It does most things exceptionally well. Mazda have a real winner.

Thanks for listening, Ray.

Some very educated comments there Titanium RX-8.

I also attended the afternoon session at Eastern Creek. The first drive I had was the blue automatic. Having read several negative comments in various press articles over the months I was REALLY surprised at how much power this model of the car has. Despite the fact that the racetrack rarely allows you to get beyond third gear I found the auto pulled well at all times. If you have ordered an auto rather than a manual version do not worry about being disappointed with performance. Sure it's not as powerful as the 6spd manual car, but even so, it's great fun and a helluva lot more sporty a drive than any auto car I've ever driven before.

The 6spd manual. Well this was seriously impressive. The first thing you notice is that the car just pulls and pulls and pulls. And it doesn't matter what gear you're in when at low speed. Several times I found myself pulling away from a relatively slow speed in third gear without even a hint of labouring the engine. The gear shifts are very smooth and precise, especially the first three, and I never had any problems moving quickly between the ratios. Those triple-cone synchronisers really seem to work !

I was very impressed at the huge amount of grip from the big 18" wheels. I was giving as much as I dared through the corners and the car never once felt like it was loosing traction or even understeering. The brakes......well they are amazing. Hit the middle pedal and kapow....you're jolted forward as the car rapidly decelerates without losing any of it's composure on the tarmac.

Overall the RX-8 handles beautifully. I agree that there is more body roll than in a purebred sports car, but it is still nominal and the bucket seats provide ample lateral support. To be honest I only noticed the roll on the occasions when I rode as passenger. When you have the added stability of the steering wheel in your hands, it's hard to notice any roll of the car.

I am very happy with the interior. I have read comments from journos nocking the front air vents, the quality of the leather and the design of the centre console. Personally I think the Mazda design team have got everything working nicely in harmony. When you're driving along in this car it's hard to take your mind off how much fun it is. But when you do look around the cabin all the dials are clear and well positioned, the layout is clean and fuss free and the overall feeling you get is that of a well above average sports cockpit. It's not in the same class as the German car manufacturers' fit and finish, but then you're not paying twice the price for equivalent performance and style.

The RX-8 rocks !!

P.D.U