tazzydnc

Hey,

After having driven an rx8 and G35 for about 6 months repectively I've decided to go ahead and post my thoughts on them both.

The Rx8 was a GT with 6 speed manual. The G35 coupe had a 5 speed auto with sport package and heated seats.

Aesthetically I liked the g35 a bit better than the rx8. Both are awesome looking cars but the G35 is just hard to beat. Inside though the rx8 wins hands down. I have yet to see a cooler looking interior in any car than the black and red leather and multi-color lit dash.

The ride in both is smooth and quiet. I thought the G35 would have an edge here but it really doesn't. After a few months of driving both have their share of buzzes and rattles. The G35 does win out in overall quality. The heated seats in my rx8 dropped out after a couple months and the latch on the center console broke as well. Both would have been covered under warranty so its not that big of a deal. The rx8 costs a lot less too so its kind of to be expected.

For passenger space, the G35 boasts more leg room with its longer wheel base but with its curvy shape comes the lack of any headroom. With only two doors its also much harder to get into. If you are planning on carrying 4 people the rx8 is MUCH more practical and comfortable. My only complaints about the 8 are of its small sunroof and the fact that it tends to get very hot. In winter I love it. In the summer I hate it. A black car with black and red leather and no tinting seems like a heat trap to me. The G35 was silver and had tinted windows going for it, so that made a slight difference.

Whew. Time to compare performance. At a glance the rx8 seems much too underpowered to hang with teh likes of a G35 but on most tracks it keeps up just fine. As much as I'd like to drive on a real track, I never have, so I'm simply going to talk about how it felt on real roads. Numbers wise, the G35 is faster overall and handles better. However, what I'm looking for most in a sports car is the fun factor. Somehow, some way the rx8 wins that in my mind without a question.

It's great fun to stomp on the G35 and feel all its torque, but something about revving to 9000 rpms and hearing that sweet rotary sound is just about as fun. The G35 may handle better, but the rx8 is certainly more fun around corners. It just zips and glides and feels light as a feather where the G35 grunts and plows through turns. Its just a very unimble car despite its .9 Gs on the skidpad and you have to muscle it around each turn while the rx8 is just so much easier to drive fast. I hate to sound redundant but I just cant quite figure out why the rx8 is so much more fun. It just is, granted thats just my opinion.

In the end I favor the rx8. Fuel economy is roughly the same and the price of the rx8 is much cheaper. I've driven a manual G35 as well as Zs so dont let the automatic trans. part of my experience get in the way. In the end its simply the "fun and easy to drive" quality of the rx8 that wins it for me.

dmorales

NIce right up. We've heard so many comparisons fo the two. But it is nice to hear your opinion too.
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The Legend Condominium Cosy Beach

9291150

Nice review, I wouldn't agree that the G35 handles better but thats your perception.

The G35 was a short list car for me, finished 2nd in my personal comparison test. It's a timeless design exterior wise, and Infinity service is something to consider, so it was a hard choice. Was 5 grand more expensive too. But it didn't get the juices flowing, and with two young boys the rear seat access is a pain in the ***.

My buddy here at work has an auto coupe (his wife an auto Z), with those base 17 inchers that look weak on the G. I get him off the line but we're about even once moving. I'm sure a well driven manual coupe would pull ahead on the straights.

In short, it just doen't have that flickable feel that I love with the 8. But never a bad choice, and better than a 330 coupe.

Skythe

G35 handle better? Sir, what you speak of is blasphemy. Everyone knows that teh RX8 is the supreme twisty king. Your words are offensive to me. I bid you farewell. Good day to you..bye.

NgoRX8

iTrader: (1)

lol... even people at the G35driver forum say the 8 handles a lot better than the G. what you been smokin'?

spork

The RX-8 should actually handle better or if not so, then it should be easier to handle. From what I've seen the reviews agree on a few things...
1) The RX-8 is underpowered compared to it's competitors (G35 being one of them) and lacks "umph"
2) The RX-8 is easier to handle compared to it's competitors (because of it's weight, layout, and suspension)
3) The RX-8 is cheaper
4) The RX-8 feels more connected to the driver

I don't think you can go wrong with either car, but I'll tell you right now that if you get the Infiniti, you get Infiniti dealership treatment (which is a good thing), rather than the Mazda dealer treatment (which is a crapshoot, but you're likely to get bad service).

yiksing

Ok, I'm waiting for Ike and sti_eric.... hehe

tekk's 8

Actually, I am pretty happy with the Mazda dealer treatment. I am sure all of them are not THAT bad. The one I go to is VERY good.

Hightshoe

Indeed the 8 handles better, maybe he's beeing fooled by the amount of body roll??

tekk's 8

Has anyone done a comparison on the RX-8 vs. 350Z?

marvin_rock

I just want to say that I LOVE the G35 rims. I caught myself just staring at some dudes G35 rims and got honked at. Don't know why I like them, nor do I think they will transfer over to the * very well, but gawd!

cleoent

No, this is an original idea.


My Mazda dealer (oak tree mazda in San Jose, Ca) is incredible. 2 thumbs up, 5 stars, they've always been good to me.

Raptor2k

Start a new thread. Do it.

cleoent

Doooooo eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet

tekk's 8

I would, but I have never driven the 350z.

alfy28

Not that my post matters to you guys. but i have driven a 350z, all i can say is it feel like you are driving a tank, and the interior looks very plastic and cheap. and also if you driven the rx 8 first then go test drive a 350z, you will notice how smooth the 8 shifts, how easy it turns . where the 350z jsut felt very clunky. y

ah the torque part of it was awesome, but as a car as a whole. i was not impressed with it. my wife really wanted a 2 seater car to replace the miata. but we ended up with the s2k, for her to drive.

so if you guys ever get a chance, i would say go test out the 350z, you will see how much the 8 handels compared to the 350z. and you will know what i mean about tank feel. and also i forgto to mention, i hated hearing the engine, it was very loud, and it felt like i was not going fast at all. and for the engine to be that loud i felt it was not worth it. any how this is just my opinon.

DailyDriver2k5

I agree with everything except feeling like a tank. Its heavier than the 8, but the 350Z can handle quite well. Its not razor sharp as the 8, but it can handle.

dmorales

the name Rx-8 sounds cooler than G35! :D
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Roll a joint

tazzydnc

well well it seems I'm getting flamed on the handling thing. I always though the 8 handled better just in my own experience (it sure felt like it) but I swear one of the car and drivers I read said overall the G had the edge. Maybe I'm thinking of the Z, or was just looking at skidpad numbers, or maybe I'm just on crack lol.

Anyways this is my 2 cents.

Hightshoe

You can definetely tell the 350Z is much heavier, althought the handling was ok. If you say the Z doesnt feel heavy, your fooling yourself. The engine is nice and punchy, but when you get towards 4k on the tach, it feels like you have to shift, the engine seems to be struggling. The feel inside isnt quite as nice, more plaine and a little cheaper feeling. The clutch and stick are absolutely just a pain to use. A much heavier and clunky feeling. If you replaced fly wheel, etc... it may help out alot. I dont really care for the stying though, except the exhaust pipes, those look better than the 8's. Oh, and the ride is much more stiff, you feel every crack and bump no matter how little. I wouldnt want it as my daily driver.

cleoent

The Z handles great, and to me doesn't feel heavy. But it accomplishes that with kidney crushing suspension that is uncomfortable.

tekk's 8

I think I am going to test drive the 350Z after work today just to be the judge of how it feels compared to our car. I am pretty sure I won't like it, but now you guys have me curious about it.

Dogpound48

We just got a G35 AWDx over the weekend and I found myself wanting to drive it over my Rx-8. It is just a very nice ride. I really think Nissan/Infiniti has a good thing going. We looked at BMW 3 series and other entry level luxury sedans and came away with the G35 and TL as our top two choices. I know it isn't the coupe but it is still a very fun car to drive.

Chasvhill

I drove a Z, an S2000, and an RX-8 before I ended up buying my 8.

I pretty much go along with what's being said about both the Z and the 8. The Z is very nice and very strong, but it just isn't as nimble as the 8. Plus - I began to hear about front end problems with the Z. That just reinforced the "heavy feeling" bias I had from the test drive.

Now the S2000 - what a fun car. Good power. A little noisy and kind of "buzzy" at high RPMs. And the shifter is great. My first shift I thought the transmission was broken because it only moved like a few inches. If I was buying a car that I could park in the garage six days a week and just drive on beautiful sunny days for fun, I'd buy the Honda.

But I'm tickled with the real world choice I finally made.

Hightshoe

You cant judge a car if you go in already not liking it.