dezau

iTrader: (3)

http://www.caranddriver.com/features.../coupes_page_7


-Odd looking?
I get praises everywhere I go and people still think I paid 30k for my 04.

-The rotary emits just a gentle breeze of torque at low revs, and it takes concentration not to stall it at every stoplight.
Gentle breeze? ok. More like a Chihuahua's push lol. And does this guy really know how to drive a manual?


"True, we haven’t met many who think the 1-series is handsome. The ride is firm, the back seat penny ante. The 328i coupe would lease for not many more bucks a month. This BMW may be small, but driving it is a bona fide occasion. It’s our pick. What else do you need to know?"

and by the sound of it the 8 lost by a mile
:'( cry more.

HiFlite999

iTrader: (2)

In spite of better fuel economy, the BMW is saddled with greater ego emissions.

paimon.soror

iTrader: (15)

that whole issue is on crack.... i think near the end they did the long term road test on the MS3, and they gave it so much crap about having rough suspension, ugly looks, crap turbos etc etc.

MariesRX8

"Noise, fragility, and uncertain build quality have been millstones around the RX-8’s neck..."

Exactly why I feel tempted to get a new car, at least while sitting in my office, obsessing about all the "what if's" that I'll have to pay for next. How nice it'd be to have a quiet, reliable commuter...

Then at 5pm I actually drive it, taking all the back roads home, and... greatest car ever, never gonna sell it...

Repeat cycle the next day

RotaryMachineRx

iTrader: (1)

^ I agree, I'm sick of all the negative, nay sayers about the Rx8.... it puts me down when I hear the same old thing time after time..... then I drive mine and realize that most of that **** is pulled from the *** of some guy I don't give a flying F*** about

monchie

What can we say, bimmers still beats us.

Flashwing

The problem is the RX8 has never been and will never be a stats car. Unfortunately the vast majority of car owners get off on numbers. I laugh sometimes at Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear when he obsesses over horsepower figures even when simply poking fun at Mays or Hammond. We have, as a culture, such obsession with 0-60 times and horsepower figures that no one actually tries to evaluate a car based on how it feels to drive it.

The reason being? Because people don't want to feel ANYTHING other than the rush of their body pressing into their seat getting onto the highway. Otherwise many drivers want to have no road communication what so ever.

I, frankly, love rough suspension. I love being able to feel road conditions and grip. I love the tire communication through the steering wheel and the ability to connect directly with the car simply by sitting in it. I recently drove a Nissan Sedan that was totally numb to the road and it drove me nuts.

The RX8 has always been an experience driven car. The 1 series might perform better on paper but how do you feel when you drive it? Sadly that is a highly subjective viewpoint that cannot be quantified into stats in a magazine.

Along those same lines I just took delivery of a Mazda2 on Wednesday and it's a fun little car! It's slow as **** on paper but I'm sure I will have a lot more fun in it than I would in a Fit, Versa or Fiesta which are all better cars on paper.

Experience > stats any day.

RMXG8

iTrader: (1)

its them damn 19's......

The_Beast

I gave up on C&D a long time ago. It seems like anything that's not American (or European to a somewhat lesser extent) is crap, and not worth the time to do a decent review.

HiFlite999

iTrader: (2)

Too noisy? $250 of Second Skin Damplifier. Too rough-riding? Tokiko D-Spec shocks dialed to "6". Were the RX perfect, there would be nothing to fiddle with, which is part of the fun.

paimon.soror

iTrader: (15)

I get into this argument everyday with my buddies at work. One of my friends at work drives a 335xi, but that is after owning cars like a honda civic and scooby. My other friend OBSESSES over american muscle and always talks about how japanese cars have tiny engines and are worthless against cars like the ZR1

The funny thing is, I am an engineer, as well as the other 2 ... you would suspect that as engineers we would all agree that bigger isn't always better.

Case and point, the 2012 GT-R not only beat the ZR1 (which mind you has roughly +100hp rated down to the wheels) at NBR, but did it on damp roads. But wait ... the GT-R is only a V6 ... how oh how could that beat the almightly LS V8.

Irritates the living **** out of me ...

I once heard a quote that really made sense to me .... "The difference between foreign and domestic car companies is that, the general foreign car enthusiasts understand that there will always be a faster car, so they focus on engineering, while domestics feel that the bigger the engine, the fastest the car on the market"

Shinka_MJR

taking a moment to car what someone else thinks.....


....


...


..


.


ok done.

pking1122

Exactly! It's like battered wife syndrome. I just got my 8 back from the dealer, and gave them **** about the cost. When I got in the car and drove it, I knew exactly where the money went, and why I'm keeping it. Maybe I'll get a grocery getter to cut down on DD milage, but I'm keeping my 8. It's a drivers car.

TALAN7

The 8 is underpowered let's just acknowledge that and go on from there. Sure it has a great chassis and is more fun to drive than many more faster cars, but on the street, in America, it's all about muscle. I mean how many pure sports cars do we make in America. Even the corvette is seen as more muscle than sports, (although it's been moving more in the direction of pure sports since the 90s).

Just as many american cars lean to heavily towards muscle as opposed to having a great chassis, the 8 swings in the opposite direction, all chassis, NO ENGINE. This makes for a difference that some enjoy while others scratch their heads as to the lack of power/grunt. Me personally, I had a 2000 Buick Regal GS (supercharged) before I test drove my 8. It was fast in a straight line but couldn't handle for anything. For me it was so frustrating having speed but no handling. I surprised many folks on the road when I left them in my dust. It's this feeling that we love here in America, leaving someone in our dust. When I test drove the 8 the contrast was striking, especially since I was craving good handling.

As much as I'm frustrated with the 8s foibles I don't think I can give up the handling/feel if I was looking at a new car for myself. This is why Porsches are so revered even though I think most are ugly. They give you the great chassis, AND they give you the engine. I wonder how the older rotary enthusiasts feel regarding the 8 particularly compared with the last turbocharged 7 and the better performance it had. Do they wish they had at least the same performance in their 8s or are they of a mind that thinks, oh well the chassis is great. I think it's the former and that is why I think the 8 ultimately failed. If you're going to be a performance car, you have to bring at least a certain level of RESPECTED performance. Performance I don't think one can get out of the current naturally aspirated rotary.

HiFlite999

iTrader: (2)

If one looks at the progression of Porsche hp from the 1950's 90, to the 1960/70's 200, to the 90's 300 to the 400 hp of today, can one say that the fun factor has increased proportionally? Nope, and I'd argue the opposite. My fave: 1967 911S with a "pitiful" 200.

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

And when you own and drive one ( 911 variant) you might be surprised how it handles

Wouldn't be my first choice for a car that is easy and fun to drive at the limit

TALAN7

No, but Porsche would never create a 200 hp car today. Their power rose with the times. The fun factor is always there and is qualitative. Don't forget there's the quantitative also. That's what we see on paper. I think the best cars get both right.

RXeligion

My 8 doesn't feel underpowered when I drive it... Anyone else?

23109VC

I am not an rx owner, but am considering buying one.

I recently sold my boxster and am back in the market for a fun car. I can attest that power and fun do not always go had in hand.

I test drove plenty of fast cars, and the rx8 ad boxster were two of the most fun cars I have ever driven my boxster was a wimpy 215 hp model....a relative has a 300 hp 911... And my boxster was 10x more fun to drive....

If you like your car, who cares what the mags think...they are just ****** for the car companies anyway

MariesRX8

1987 CRX Si. Second most fun to drive car I've ever owned.

91 hp.

TALAN7

I don't think underpowered is a feeling. I think is a quantitative measurement (what we would say is specs on paper), borne out in track times where the 8 (a car that's supposed to be one of the best handlers) is repeatedly beaten by cars that most of us believe have lesser chassis not because they are better handlers, but because they have more grunt to go with the handling they have.

Many here, when comparing the 8 with other sporty cars always mention how if there where curves the 8 would blow said car away but that's just not the case. All I'm saying is that the 8 needs the power commensurate with it's handling. One thing about the 7 was it was always faster around the track.

arghx7

The problem with the '8 is that it's old. It hasn't been redesigned really. Now, the chassis doesn't really need many changes, but the engine has had basically nothing done to it except a reliability redesign (new oil system). Since 2003 BMW has had an entire new generation of engines.

You'll just have to wait for the next rotary

The_Beast

Mazda should have had a turbo version. A factory turbo Mazdaspeed RX8 with 300-330 hp would have been a legendary car. We all know Mazda wanted to take the 8 in a different direction from the 7 with emissions and mileage, but if they had made even just a few special edition turbo models I seriously believe the 8 would have a much better reputation today. The magazines would have all gone with the Mazdaspeed version, and it would have destroyed the 350Z/370Z and even the 135i. If Mazda had just addressed the ONLY problem I ever hear about with the 8 (the engine power) I'm sure it would have done much much better in the market.

azzuro

I have the same problem. I have a similar issue with exhaust noise. A quiet car is a dead car in my opinion. When I put my foot down, I want some indication that something's actually happening!

ANZ

These BMW inline sixes are great engines, very smooth and with satisfying torque. A few years ago I test drove a 325 and I really liked the engine. Then I was happy to get back into my RX8. Everything else besides the engine I liked better in the RX8: handling, steering response, clutch, shifter. It felt more precise and more engaging to drive. Interior space in the 325 was about as limited as in the rx8 despite the luxury thing.

I would characterize the 1 and 3 series as commodity cars with great engines while rx8 are unique, very fun to drive and inexpensive. Of course, everybody has their own preferences.