zoom44

according to everything i have read it's a very safe car. it passes or surpasses all of the current crash standards and from the recent shots you can find elsewhere on the forum the integrity of the passenger area is well maintained in front, rear and side impacts plus you get lots of airbags.

you are going to be surprised by the ride comfort of this car if you ever get a chance. all the safety features are there, name one that isn't. it even has the newly mandated attachments for the child seats. shakes too much? this car is smoooootthhh, no shakes at all. don't speak for the baby!! i spent the first 7 years of my life riding around in the back of my dad's 1964 1/2 mustang and i had a blast! i bet this baby( and mine) will have a blast in the RX-8!

pelucidor

Thanks for your response. I completely agree that if the RX-8 was my only vehicle it would be very unsuitable to carry my baby (or even the wife). However for 95% of the time the baby will be in my wife's Acura MDX Touring, which was purchased with two priorities:
1. Safety - in 2002 the MDX was jointly (with BMW X5) the safest SUV in the USA according to every crash test result (and I checked all of them) even though it doesn't have curtain airbags. The Volvo XC90 (and maybe the VW Toureg) now beats it of course - that is life.
2. Space - need to have 5 seats and also be able to carry two very large (95lb) dogs and the MDX seats 5 with 49.6 cu ft behind compared to the X5's 16cu ft.

However I also wanted decent fuel economy and 'greenness' (20mpg, ULEV) which negates all Toyotas, Fords, Chevys, Cadillacs, Lincolns etc that are big enough etc, and performance is not an undesireable trait (0-60 in 7.8 is not bad for a bus). The FX45 I considered (saw pictures last August) but couldn't wait for wouldn't have had the space the MDX provides, but I admit it is damn fast for a big heavy vehicle and I love the styling.

Anyway the kid will spend less time in my RX-8 than in a stroller (Graco MetroLite Air - lightweight at 17lbs - with inflatable 8" wheels but no airbags or crash test results) as the RX-8 is my daily driver and my wife is a stay-at-home-mom-to-be who will do almost all of the baby chauffering. There is another thread with crash test pics of the RX-8 that show the virtual B-pillar is very impressive - as good as a real B-piller at least for front and rear collisions - and the passenger compartment holds up well, so the RX-8 may be safer than you think.

Finally having driven manuals exclusively for about 12 years and autos for the last 6 I will say that there are some very good auto gearboxes and some pretty poor manuals. However from experience with Miatas and S2000s I can say that it is possible to shift incredibly smoothly with a decent manual.

jonalan

Welcome to the forum Skyline Maniac (Skyline2, I presume)!

Pelucidor, why do you want/need to get rid of the IS300? Is it a lease thing, or do you just want something different/new (which is usually my reason - and is in this case).

Skyline Maniac

:D Keep it down~ I am not this 'Skyline2' character you mentioned. 'Otherwise' people on this board will eat me alive and split me out into the mud pit. :D I come in peace, I'll try to discuss the RX8 as a genuine sport car, NOT as a Mazda. I am really open to new technology, the design of the RX8 and rear seat suicide doors intrigue me. Not to mention, I'm a sucker for beautiful looking cars~ #1 reason for me to purchase a car is Service/Quality/Reliability; #2 is looks.

pelucidor

It's a lease thing - the main benefit of a lease is a new car every three years. Plus I like to try new things if they look good.

Hercules

Which is why I'm leasing.

If Mazda turbos either the RX-7/8 in their next lineup, I won't buy. If it looks like the Mazdaspeed concept, I won't buy.

I'd much rather have a car that looks elegant and does what I need it to do instead of having any excess (and I don't mean only weight!)

jonalan

Fair enough. My "welcome" was genuine.

Maximus

SUVs generally have poor safety ratings, they have high center of gravity so more prone to roll. Bigger vehicle doesn't mean its safer.

I would consider RX-8 safer as compared to any SUV as every article in every magazine has proved that the handling and control is excellent/crisp. And dont forget the braking as it will stop sooner than most of the SUVs and other cars.

Given these facts RX-8 should be easier to maneuver in an emergency situation and with all the other safety features inside the car I would definately consider it safer than a SUV.

pelucidor

With all the furore over rollover for SUVs one would think they can barely take a corner at 5 mph without flipping over. I defy anyone to push over a stationary 4000lb SUV with their bare hands. Rollover acidents happen when the DRIVER goes well beyond the vehicles limits (even sports cars can roll over if driven well beyond their limits). By driving well within those limits SUV drivers won't roll over - and under those conditions they are very safe vehicles. Sorry for the beligerent tone but it's just COMMON SENSE to drive as conditions and vehicle/driver capabilites dictate.

chenpin

Something many people lack

lol, I just noticed this is the G35 thread and we're talking about SUVs! makes me wonder about the G35.....:D j/k

Maximus

I agree. An SUV's capability would allow less maneuverability compared to an RX-8 (or any other sports car) keeping the conditions constant. At a given speed and lateral g-force while making a left or right turn an SUV would definately be more prone to roll over due to high center of gravity. I know SUVs dont roll over all the time but if it does roll over at a given speed and lateral force, an RX-8 wouldn't.

DonG35Miata

I have had a G35 sedan for almost a year and am absolutely delighted with it.

The G35 and the RX-8 may compete but they are very different driving experiences. Both are sporting but take a different approach. The RX-8 is about true sport and nimbleness, the G35 is about comfort and effortless speed. With all that power and torque available through the rev range, you can pretty much dial up any speed you want with little effort, just push and go. The RX-8 requires more driver involvement. That's probably why I am probably getting an RX-8. (Looking more like it every day!) When I want to drive a roadster, I can drive my Miata. When I want something I can rev and wind out, as well as having the pride of owning a very unique machine, there's the RX-8. When I want performance with little effort, true comfort for four, and the usual daily driving duties done well, I can drive the G35.

The RX-8 beat the G35c in the C&D test, but remember, the cars were judged on sportiness. Had it been a luxury coupe test with the 330i, G35c and the RX-8, the 8 would have finished last, most likely. It's all in the approach.

You don't want to hear thi, but honestly, but based on what you say the car that meets your needs bestis the G35 sedan with the 6-speed. A little under $30k with leather, sport suspension, and the 6 speed, less than a comparable RX-8 coupe! You may want to at least test drive it before you plunk down your money. Test drives are free, and you never know...

Hercules

Fully loaded RX-8 is pretty luxurious... at least as per features. The RX-8 offers everything the G35 does (I think?).

Only thing that would be determining factor is build quality and the way the mags judge the interiors... and both of those we can't tell yet. I think it'd be a closer call than ya think

DonG35Miata

Hercules said:
No argument on the features, Herc, but there is more to luxury than a feature set. Part of my train of thought is luxury vs. sport in terms of driving experience. Many people associate luxury with little effort on the part of the driver, and power and torque has a lot to do with that. A G35, auto or manual, is going to accelerate more briskly off the line, with less throttle, than an RX-8 unless you execute a very high RPM clutch drop, which again is not exactly associated with a luxury experience. Effortless speed. That's what most performance luxury car buyers, even in a high performance coupe, tend to want. Even BMW M motors with high rpm capabilities produce a ton of torque down low.

I just don't see cars with low torque motors that really need revved to go fast as a luxury driving experience. Sports driving experience, yes, for sure! But not luxury. If my G35 had the performance characteristics of an RX-8, honestly, I think it would be less of the car that it is for it. The inverse is true for the RX-8, though of course a LITTLE more torque would not hurt... :D

pelucidor

That's is true of any 'safety' related measurements for any two different vehicles - common sense would dictate that a Toyota Corolla or a Lincoln Town Car would brake and handle worse than a sports car, and people allow for this. They don't say the Corolla is a dangerous vehicle because it doesn't brake as well as some other cars, or the Town Car is dangerous because it doesn't handle as well as some other cars. Yet for some reason many people think SUVs are dangerous because they cannot do something they were not designed to do (due to high CG). Many old cars on lousy tires will do worse than most SUVs on slalom and roadholding, but no one picks on those vehicles...

My MDX does not brake as well as my IS300 (60-0 in 139 feet versus 113 feet according to some tests) - I allow for this when I drive. It handles worse and rolls more than the IS300 too - I allow for this as well - it's not hard to do as it's just common sense. The benefits are it can carry 5 people and two 95lb dogs in luxury and safety and make around 20mpg while doing so (ULEV too), which suits me fine.

pelucidor

You make good points - and I did test-drive and seriously consider the G35 sedan (to the point of haggling over the lease price for a whole day and getting the car prepped for pickup last August before changing my mind) - well before I even heard of the RX-8. My problem is the G35 always felt very big and heavy and fast (because it is). The big and heavy bit I was not too keen on. And also the styling to me was good in most areas but bad in some (unlike the coupe which I think is just great everywhere) and sadly looks are important to me.

Back in August none of these issues mattered because the G35 sedan auto (leather+premium+nav+aero) would be for my wife for her job as a realtor (great for ferrying clients around - loads of space and comfort) - and she loved every bit of the styling and size and weight (to her it meant solidity) and comfort. But in September we found we were having a baby, so she quit work and got the new Acura MDX for the herself and the baby and I eventually get the new 'car' for commuting - my vehicle choice now takes precedence. I want a great manual gearbox (before I forget how to drive one), I want nimble, I want a sky-high revving engine (love the S2000), I want 4 real seats in a small body (IS300 size), I have been told I want 4 doors...

However in the very unlikely event that I absolutely hate the RX-8 during my test drives, my only real backup options will be the G35 Sedan 6MT (I hear rumours that the 2004 model will increase in price but also improve the interior) or a BMW 330i (before Bangle ruins the styling - almost reasonable lease rates on these now thanks to competition from the G, or so I hear).

Skyline Maniac

Watch it there, DonG35Miata, I reall don't think Hercules wants to hear any more mention of the "T" word.

btw: The RX-8 is as luxurious as the G35 because it comes with the same options? I hardly think that's what 'luxury' is based on. The RX-8 is nimble and lightweight, but I wouldn't bet money on the luxury part.

DonG35Miata

This would make the G35 hard to beat! If another $3,500 MSRP would give it Lexus GS300 quality interior, it will still be under $35k well equipped. What a package...

It sounds like the RX-8 is going to be your car!

Hercules

No see Don can do it with class... something you are without.

That's why I can have a conversation with him and not be upset. You however, come trolling from other forums and if you actually read your posts... maybe you'd understand why a good portion of the board feels you have nothing to contribute.

As per the luxury part... nobody really knows yet. I think that we'll all have to sit in one and see how we like it. Luxury also has to do with cabin refinement and driver's oriented controls and such as well as convienience features and build quality.

All plays a part... I don't know how much each will matter though. When a 'luxury sedan' test comes along though, it'll likely be the 330 taking home the prize as usual. But who knows.. it's always a tossup

Skyline Maniac

If throwing around the word 'Troll' makes you feel better, then go ahead. (The last time I checked, you got owned severely at both 350Z forums and G35 forums all over. Now that's what I call trolling) The reason why you get angry with people's posts is because you cannot substain your biased and prejudice arguments, immaturity and inability control your temper. On top of that, your prejudice opinions base on what people drive is absolutely ridiculous. " got nothing to contribute?" I am offering my experience with a vehicle I currently own. I am not the one shouting out magazine quotes and numbers all day long without ever driving the car. Don't speak for the board, majority of RX-8 enthusiasts are not as narrow minded as yourself. So direct your anger and negativity towards someone who cares. Now chill~

As far as luxury goes, the preproduction RX8 had an impressive interior, but the recent photos showed cheapened looks. I wouldn't comment on luxury quality as 'facts' since I havn't sat in a production RX-8, but if you want to quote ANY auto magazine, you'd know the interior of the RX-8 is not something to brag about.

pelucidor

We will know the quality of a production US-bound interior soon. Perhaps we can arrange to get a spy to check out the first US cars inside Hiroshima in the next week or two...

But you are right - luxury and content are not always synonymous. In an overtly sporty car (350Z, RX-8) I doubt there can be too much luxury (e.g. minimal NVH), but perhaps there can exist a lot of content (e.g. RX-8 with GT package). A loaded G35/ BMW 330/Audi A4/Lexus ES300 etc has both luxury and content IMO. I think from what I've seen so far (all pre-production I admit) the RX-8 has sufficient luxury for its stated purpose and more than sufficent content (if optioned accordingly).

ZoomZoom

Pelucidor, I hear what you are saying and I am not disagreeing but I think the safety perception with SUVs is that too many roll over when making sudden directional changes when trying to avoid a hazard/accident.

I've seen some film footage showing SUVs rolling over at surprising low speeds; it was truly frightening to watch.

FamilyGuy

The original point Skyline made which brought on the SUV debate was that a car that will transport the family often should have a high safety rating.

Whether SUVs are safe or not is beside the point. The point is that a family should have a safe vehicle, and I agree.

I'd research a car that's reliable, with decent breaking, and top notch crash test scores. Try National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration or Insurance Institute Offset crash ratings for a pretty good list of what's safe.

I'm not saying the RX-8 won't fall into that category. I really, really hope it does. But if it doesn't, I would seriously consider something else.

Hercules

It's gotten 4 star Euro crash test ratings, as well as a plethora of airbags in the car (standard). I think this is in part due to the fact that people might be scared having no b pillar...

But as far as I recall, the Euro standards for crash tests are higher than the US's... so we are in good hands that way.

bwayout

Great!

... but here's a question about where's the safest place to put your hands on a Mazda steering wheel so the airbag does less damage to your wrists ... ?

Is it the 3 & 9 position? Or somewhere between the 4 & 5 and 7 & 8 position (which I find uncomfortable) that AAA now is recomending?

On my Wife's Passat, VW recomends 3 and 9.