BlueEyes

those times were run on different days, in different weather, different surface conditions, maybe by different drivers, etc etc etc

arghx7

good point

playdoh43

even if its not, thats just one of the seldom times when the rx8 clock the same time. genreally I know the Z have no chance against a M3. and Z owners dont go around telling people the Z is just as fast as the M3 on the race track, if they do theyd get laughed at.

JeRKy 8 Owner

The Z feels stiff under hard cornering, but the track model can still plow through turns. It just takes more work than it does with an RX-8. Most reviewers managed equal slaloms with the Z if not better than the 8 as well. I'd say the RX-8's handling is more flexible and easy, but it doesn't stomp the Z hands down in handling like you people make it sound like it does. Just because the RX-8 has a more comfortable suspension and nimbler feel to it doesn't mean it handles incredibly better.

Ike

I'd say the RX-8 is more comfortable at the limit than a Z. But the Z is more comfortable at the limit than many 911s, does than mean the Z handles better than a 911, hell no.

RX4life

meh.

the RX-8s not even a real sports car.. its a car for cheapos like us who cant afford real sports cars and sedans to comfort our needs.. and lucky for us Mazda came out with a hybrid. simple!.. notice how it wasnt called the RX-7 a true sports car!

the reason most of us argue about these stupid threads is because one half of owners bought this car as their sports car.. and the other half as their daily driver "4dr with comfort fit for a cadillac" .

there is a reason why the Z has a stiff suspension..id rather have stiffness than the boat- like feeling of the 8.. but then again im on the half that bought this car as more of a sports car, and since i couldnt afford the extra $10-20K CAD for the Z.

personally for me the 8 was the best bang for the buck in terms of sportiness, luxury and features.

anyways i agree with playdoh43 on this.

my goal in the future is to buy a real sports car the FD ( unless mazda comes out with a new RX-7, or Toyota with a new Supra).

Scrapula

My husband considered a Jaguar XK8 (certified pre-owned) this summer, but bought a Navigator instead. He said that I should buy the Jag. I was leaning towards the Mercedes SLK 350, but fell in love with the RX-8. I never considered the Nissan. I thought it was ugly. Some of us chose the 8 because its the car we wanted, regardless of price or any other cars out there.

Feras

iTrader: (1)

not to burst anyones bubble but:
the Z is not that terribly heavy its only like 200lbs more than the 8
the Z is not a muscle car it actually handles almost as well as the 8 and since its got the power as well for the straight line it beats the 8, but it doesnt hold a candle to real muscle car performance.

RotoRocket

iTrader: (1)

What are you talking about?

Any car that hangs with a 911 on the skidpad, and trumps a BMW M3, whether it costs less or not, has genuine sports car roadability.

As far as horsepower, sure the 8 could stand to gain some horsepower. But the fact that it can hold its own on the track with cars that you would consider real sports cars, and incidentally may cost more, proves that it a sports car.

How many cars can turn in a genuine 0.91g on the skidpad, bone stock? A select few.

cas2themoe

Don't even try, you'll never convince them. Our "little HP Car" will never get recognition it deserves from certain people. Even when our 8's hang(in most cases) with other cars that have higher specs.

RedSheDevil

ok 2 items that weren't mentioned:

if you are short, sitting in the Z will make you feel like an ooompa loompa. the window sills are so tall (and look great from the outside) but make you feel as if you are a child riding in a wagon.

and

you cannot program/modify the nav in the Z without stopping and putting it in park.

those 2 things may not make a difference to most of you, but they are little known things that i found to be interesting.

MTLbroker

Have had experience with both cars. Swapped cars with my sister in law a while back. Z around town is no fun - especially in MTL which is pothole central! During the summer when we had construction on our major downtown blvd, driving the Z to work was not fun. You tend to feel every crack in the road. The suspension feels very harsh. You hear road rumble and it's amplified by the fact that the Z is a hatchback. I noticed a surprising amount of thump and bump sounds over rough roads. Every time you hit a pothole, it sounds like the suspension bottomed out. Putzing around in everyday driving, you quickly get tired of the drive. The sound system is typically Nissan/Bose that you find in any Maxima (boomy, muddy, bass) - had to swap out the CD changer once at the dealer. This car is absolutely useless in the winter - even with snow/ice tires. One time, we couldn't get the car out of the driveway which was inclined by less than 5%.
Fuel economy is about right for a sportscar. But had to replace summer tires after one year due to premature wear.
Engine sound and acceleration is addictive though. When driving around, you look for reasons to leave the pothole ridden, congested roadways and head for the highway for a quick blast through the gears under full throttle acceleration - even if it takes you out of your way. Then you get back to the real world of everyday driving and you realize that you need two cars when you have a Z. The Z is at its best on a flat road surface under hard acceleration.
Then you get into the 8. The first thing you notice is that all the engine power is gone. You end up having to overcompensate by wringing its little neck to 5-6000 rpm just to get a decent launch that you would with the Z at 2000 rpm and a little throttle. But then again, there is no booming exhaust note to make a 5000 rpm launch an ordeal - people aren't hiding their daughters - it's all very civilized with the 8. It's just pleasant - bringing the rpms to 6000-7000 rpm in 2nd or 3rd gear is a reward in itself and will make you grin ear to ear. Getting on the power with a quick downshift at the apex of a curve is not a white knuckle experience - the chassis is very well behaved. When the chassis is about to let go the information is practically telegraphed to you. In the Z there is not the same sort of transition at the limits. In a curve your have to pick your lines carefully as the chassis is not condusive to quick transitions or course adjustments.
On the road, the 8 has a sort of precision to it that if you want to change lines in a corner to avoid a pothole to to take the smoothest part of the road, you can do so really easily in the 8. The Z resists quick transitions. You have to really pick your lines well.
The 8 is quieter, calmer driving environment. The sound system is on par with the Nissan Bose. I think bass is a little tighter with the 8 and the reception is phenomenal - the tuner will pull in MTL station for almost the entire drive up to MontTremblant (about 145 km north of the city).
After a quick 1 1/2 hour blast up to the mountain, you get out of the 8 and you're ready to drive more. The same route, you get out of the 8 and you say "we're here finally".
After being behind the wheel of the 8 for a while, getting into the Z is a treat. You immediately want to go look for a road to play with the engine.
After being behind the wheel of the Z for a while, getting into the 8 is a treat. You immediately want to go look for a road to play with the chassis.
Never tried either car on the track so I have no comments about drifting or autocrossing. And this is all subjective of course and the samples are limited to my sister in law's Z and my 8.
I think that the 8 looks better from the front. The Z looks better from the back. From the side, I don't like the mini suicide doors on the 8, but I don't like the way the Z roofline seems too compressed giving the leading edge a bit of a hump - like someone with an abnormally large forehead - hard to describe.
No clear winner here. But being able to afford a sports car AND another pretty decent 2dn car for everyday commuting, shopping, carpooling, I still give the nod to the 8 over the Z.
As for specs, I don't like to compare specs. It's like asking someone their IQ before deciding whether or not to engage them in a conversation. Or asking for the number of calories in a steak before diving in...... ultimately, WHO CARES? The neat thing about buying a car is that if it's not for you, you can trade it in a couple of years later.

RedSheDevil

what a great idea!

NomisR

For me, I found the Rx8 to be a better street car than the 350Z/G35C twins. Overall, the Rx8 feels nimbler and more responsive with better communication than the Nissans. However I do find the engine of the VQ to be really fun to play with, it's really fast for sure but just not my cup of tea.

playdoh43

i find the g coupe to be a better street car than the rx8

Hotsauce

Let me just chime back in this thread since I was the one that started it. I didn't want to start another "Rx8 vs 350z" thread. What I wanted was someone to repsond who had some driver seat time in both cars, as MTLbroker has below. Good write-up MTLbroker.

I am a very happy owner of a 2004 VR Rx-8 GT, the main reason I choose the 8 over the 350z was the extra seats (I have 3 kids) and the cost. At the time a 350z Enthusiast(cloth seats and not much more) model was around 28-30k sticker. I purchased the 8 for 25k with the GT package(leather and NAV). I also looked at the G35, way too expensive 32k +. Its a nice car but its a luxury car that wants to be a sports car, it carries that luxury brand name. I don't care about brand names!

Detrich

Not to play devil's advocate here... But, how do we know whether the results are only because majority of the contestants were driving 8's and very few contestants were driving Z's? In all fairness, stats like that are somewhat useless unless we know what the makeup of the contestants were. For example, in a contest of nine 8's and one Z, if the top 3 winners are all 8's that is a completely meaningless comparison.

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DARKMAZ8

I don't.

Even though the g35 is a much softer ride then the 350z, it still is a pig on the road. The difference is night and day when it comes to handling. I think you should drive the g35 and 350z more. They are both good wide open driving cars but when quick moneuvers come into play, the 8 shines and you realize that the finesse of the 8 makes for a much better everyday car. Although the z does handle well, it does it with lots of driver abuse.

Kind of like watching in car cams of 2 racecars/drivers, while they appear to be making equally fast laps. One is silking smooth in the corners while the other is fighting for his life.

playdoh43

lol pig on the road, you wish. maybe you should drive the g35 more instead of asking me since I own one lol. Its far from a pig, it has better skid pad and slalom numbers than both the rx8 and 350Z. I feel like it handles a little better than my dads E46 M3. You obviously havent driven neither based on what you said. You fit perfectly into the profile of one of those insecure people that feels the need to put down other cars to reinforce your own purchase. RX8 is definetly the best handling car between the 3, but the other 2 arnt "pigs" and the difference is not night and day.

A street car goes well beyond just handling and acceleration. And as far as everyday drivability is concerned, acceleration is just as important as handling. Your everyday manuvers consist of changing lanes, making simple turns, which all cars can do. The torque in the G35 really helps it a lot compared to the rx8 for street driving.

On top of that, theres issues such as room, and comfort and practicality. G35 has the same head room in the back, but way more leg room. In the front the RX8 has a sporty low cockpit feel while G35 feels more spacious. The rear seats can fold down to expand trunk space. way more standard features and options for comfort. Everything is powered, theres more compartments to store things. Its overall more practical than the RX8.

IMO theres no doubt that the RX8 is more fun to drive than the G35 and theres going to be people that are perfectly willing to sacrafice some practicality for fun. but I still think G35 is a better street car overall. but thats just my oppinion from my experiences.

btw I actually find your insecurity and how you rationalize to be entertaining, haters can be funny sometimes.

DARKMAZ8

Trust me I'm not hating your dads g35. I really wish I could have one.........NOT!!!!!!LOL

I'm just having some fun. Don't take everything I say to heart.

playdoh43

hehe, i pay for my own car. and im not taking what you say to heart. im more entertained by you than anything.

DARKMAZ8

I'll admit that your short story posts are very entertaining as well....

RedSheDevil

playdoh43

Z's cockpit actually make me feel claustrophobic than feeling like a midget hehe. It feels like such a cramped cockpit to me.

im under the impression that all Navs wont let you program unless your car is stopped. my friends RX8 dosnt have Nav, so ive never seen the rx8 nav in action, but I have a feeling it would work the same way.

RedSheDevil

nav works while driving ... totally programmable while in motion ... but dont tell anyone!!