damn greg you actually want to get the torqueless wonder? couldn't imagine it based on all the constant torque bashing i get from the mazda6 contingent, lol

 

The torqueless wonder is also living it up with the lightness. Plus you guys can fit 275's in the fender wells without even trying... Handling super machine! (MPS 6 has standard 6 wheel wells...max width is 8, with 245's )

My mazda friends keep trying to get me to test drive the MPS 6, but I'm trying to delay it because I'd probably walk out with one.

For those keeping score...the legacy GT just beat it in an aussie review.

The GT had faster laptimes, and faster saloom. (Basically the same). There was a 200 kg weight difference between the two cars, and the MPS 6 got heavily heatsoaked and lost a good chunk of power in the 40C heat.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/m6gr8/mpsvsgt1.pdf
http://members.optusnet.com.au/m6gr8/mpsvsgt2.pdf

Its a good review, the first I've seen that isn't a cut and paste.
Referring thread.
http://forum.mazda6club.com/index.ph...=0#entry574174

 

Not to say that Car and Driver is the authority, but in the January 2006 Issue they actually call the Mazda Speed 6 "The double-caffeinated flagship." I know a lot of you were concerned about Mazda eclipsing the 8, as you considered it the flagship, well looks like some people are declaring it a done deed.

The release of this car, considering the state of the 8, absolutely baffles me!

 

you do realize it's *ok* to NOT be the 'flagship' for the time being right

besides, what does being 'flagship' bring you anyway, bah on flagship :p

 

Who gives a ****? Just be happy Mazda produced the 8 and that they are doing good period. It's not like every single person on this board will go out and buy the next 8 that comes out with a new feature or specs you bitched to get. Honestly, it's like little kids crying about a car they won't even buy.

 

Its more about the priorities of Mazda. Just makes you believe this is the end of the rotary engine. Honestly I don't really care either way.

 

I don't, just stating something I saw today.

 

how the **** do you come to this conclusion based on a meaningless observation in a magazine.....

 

First off, watch your language, there is no reason to drop the f bomb. Drawn from a couple of cues in the story, the title, and my personal observations over the last year. Not definitive by any means, just my opinion.

Do you really believe that the RX-8 has been a success? Compared to its closest rival, the 350z, the 8 just isn't selling well. I've been to at least one Mazda dealership in the last 2 weeks that still had 2004's on the lot.

Than, before Mazda upgrades its "TRUE" sports car, it turbo charges it's family Sedan? With all the new concepts moving into the production stage, some being sports cars, not one has a rotary engine in it, just feels like they are fed up with the engine.

Don’t get me wrong the 8 is phenomenal, but I just don’t think Mazda sees utility in improving it, as they don’t believe the sales will follow. In the face of the entire automotive world screaming, “give me more horsepower” they refuse to upgrade the 8. Something just doesn’t feel right.

 

dude cool your heels. The Mazdaspeed division has stated clearly that they have plans for the 8, but their development only allows one mazdaspeed vehicle yearly. 2003 MS Protege, 2004-2005 MS Miata, 2006 MS 6, so hopefully 2007 or 2008 we'll see the MS RX-8. Which is fine with me, my lease will be coming to termination. Have you guys forgotten the white SC 8 that was running around So Cal?

The only thing I hate about it is that Mazda has this terrible habit of releasing the MS models when a vehicle is reaching the end of its market life. It's almost as if it's the last hurrah for that particular car before it gets redesigned. The upside I suppose is that it's at its pinnacle in that all the little kinks and whatnot have been worked out.

In the case of the MS miata I'm pretty disappointed. I mean, what's the point? You have a 2004/2005 MS miata with factory boost at a level getting you 180 hp, and then they release the 2006 miata with 180 hp N/A and with a refreshed look that makes me think twice about an S2K...

Oh well...

 

I believed the RX8 was produced at a lower volume than the 350Z, so how can the sales of the 8 be fairly compared to the Z? Just because your dealer has 2 04's doesn't prove anything. It's all about location, I can go out and find more Z's on the lots than 8's.

It's also only fitting Mazda would release performance models of their top selling cars first. Also, family cars would take more precident over sports cars and they should for auto companies. That is where they make the most money. The sports car is mainly there to draw them in and buy a Mazda 6 or 3. And I seriously doubt Mazda would have spent the time and money into researching and developing the Renesis engine to be fed up with it.

I apologize that they do not display all their vehicle plans for present and future in complete detail.

 

Well from what I understand the Renesis was developed by a few die hard engineers at Mazda who did it on their off time because rotary development wasn't authorized by Ford...

could just be a myth though...

 

Ford only owns something like 30%, while that is a nice chunk, they don't have the major say in what goes on at Mazda.

 

Uh Ford owns Mazda according Japan law (lets not get into that discussion), and the 8 was given the green.

 

shaolin thye are doing the 3 next because they do them in order

 

dont worry so much, there were 2 versions of the fd and I think 3 miatas , we can count on seeing a few mazdaspeed rx-8

 

Pskull...

I dont think any of us ole enthusiasts want to hear it but a rotary powered vehicle will never do well for the Income Statement.....people just arent having it.

Rotaries are only for enthusiasts for the most part.... we're the only ones that are willing to put up with its "quirks". The little bit of extra care that it needs is simply too much to ask for from the "regular consumer"

 

Ford most certainly does have a say in Mazda's decisions.

Zoom, what do you mean in order, the Mazda 3 came out after the RX-8...

 

its not in order, the last trend is to make the mazdaspeed the year before a remake, the rx-8 life cicle is going to be very long in comparison to the rest of the line up

 

^i concur, i have a feeling that the 8 will get a 'mid generation' refresh (ie cosmetic changes) and let it run for a few more years before the real next generation will be ready. that's when talks of a MS version will be more realistic

 

shhh seriously the 3 is next-

 

That is actually what I've heard too. I believe that there was a special on TV the other day about it... I'll let you know if I get a copy of it from a friend.

 

^^^sounds good...I'd like to know if that's really true...I hope it is, that's kind of a cool thing about this unique car...

 

I never doubted that the Mazda 3 is next, I just fail to see how Mazda is doing them in order... I do however have doubts that there will ever be a Mazdaspeed 8, at least not one with much in the way of HP gains.

 

It's not a myth... initial RENESIS development was already underway when Ford decided to kill the rotary in 1995 (as part of its plan to return Mazda to profitability). A handful of die-hard rotary engineers continued its development on their own time with a small budget that they snuck past management (by allocating almost everything under miscellaneous). Eventually, a couple racing enthusiast Ford managers - who recognized that without the rotary, Mazda would lose its identity - went to bat for the project. This book covers RX8 and rotary history in detail.