Hi all,

Last month I ordered an RX8 Titanium Black/Chaparral 6MT GT for an Oct/Nov. delivery in Long Island.

Yesterday I got to take my 1st test drive of a red GT 6MT and all I have to say is

WOW!

I am not a speed racer freak and this will be my first "sports car" which is only possible for me as it accomodates 4 people. Me, the better half and my 8 1/2 year old twin boys.

I have never driven a rotary before. The engine sounded like nothing I have ever heard before. From the inside it kinda had that turbine sound. Real nice. Outside not so different than other cars.

I took a 15 minute round about on the back roads here in L.I. NY and the car had plenty of pep (I never went over 4.5 or 5K on the tach as the car had under 8 miles on it). It seemed plenty fast off the mark. The clutch grabbed early but I adjusted quickly. I didn't get the sense that I would win any jack rabbit starts from a red light, BUT I did feel that the car had plenty of power at relatively low revs. I was worried that I would have to rev the engine to a high number before engaging the clutch in order to get decent off the mark response. DId not seem to be the case at all.

I could see that the car did not LEAP out from under you when you applied the gas but it was deceptively fast as I did occasionally look down and saw that I was always going faster than I thought.

The car felt real tight, I did not do any hair brained stunts and probably drove it rather sedately for most you but it felt real planted and I can only hope that it stays just as solid feeling after the car is properly broken in.

I am imporessed and pleased with my decision to buy this car.

Claude H.

You will also be pleased to find that if you slip the clutch a little at higher revs off the line, the car WILL leap forward and take off. You have to get it just right, though. And it doesn't take an 8K clutch dump either - slip at more like 3K (roughly speaking) before engaging completely - you'll enjoy it. :)

Hey cool!!

I have one coming in November also, AND I have twin boys.

I'v had 3 test drives and was impressed with all 3. It does gain speed deceptively fast. You and I should have a great November and Christmas. It's awfully hard waiting though.

hey claude, where did you test drive that red rx8? did you go to country mazda in huntington? I have been dying to test drive one before my delivery at the end of august, which is quickly approaching.

Hey RX8lover,

Go see Bruce at COuntry and tell hime you wanna give the RX8 A REAL test drive and not pussy foot with it like "Claude" did.

He will get a laugh and then tell him I said hello via this forum.

You probably bought from him, no?

Claude H.

yeah, i have been dealing with bruce since day 1...really nice guy. I guess they have one now that I can test drive, thank god...as long as it wasn't sold yet.

So after you say hello from me and give the 8 a real test drive you will perhaps give us your impressions????

Claude H.

Might be of interest to know that in a recent Wheels Magazine (the Australian "bible") comparison of the RX8 and Nissan 350, the reviewer dropped the clutch at 6000 rpm to take off - the article states that he did this on advice from a Mazda Australia engineer.

No-one would suggest that you do this every day (I don't think), but this resulted in it being exactly line ball with the 350 to 100 kmh (6.2 seconds I think) despite the power differential.

As you would expect, the Nissan lept ahead for the rest of the comparison, being around 1.5 secs faster to 160kmh (100 mph).

The final verdict of the article was that if you want an "all grunt and attitide" supercar, at a real world price, go for the Nissan, but that if you want to engage all of your five senses in driving joy, it was the RX8 hands down.