So, i was looking around and saw some old dead threads comparing the rx8 to the miata. A lot of ppl were saying the miata handles better then the 8 and "go kart" like (that part is very true). But, i have to say, i firmly believe my stock 04 140k mile (soon to be rew swapped) 8 handles better than my 99 123k mile 99 miata. The miata is a blast to drive, but i've never encountered as much oversteer/understeer in the 8 as the miata even at higher speeds. In fact, on one closed off stretch of road, i've beat a 16 mustang ecoboost, 350, challenger (not surprising), and whatever other random people wanted to do a timed race up it in the 8 w/ multiple people telling me (when riding passenger) thats the fastest they've ever been up the hill. Keep in mind this hill is all extremely tight turns and 2 sections maybe a quarter mile at the top and very bottom. Anyone else have similar experience?

 

I beat much "faster" cars at the track all the time with my 8. Nothing I have ever driven corners quite like it.

My 2003 Miata is a blast to drive, too. It is definitely more in the visceral go kart realm compared to the refined handling of the 8.

They are both really fun cars.

 

i would have to agree with that!

 

I have two 1st gen Miatas, both with suspension mods and good tires, but I was still really impressed by the RX the one and only time I autocrossed it. I'm going to autocross again tomorrow, and hope to get to know the car better. One advantage I'd say it has over the Miatas is it's a bit more stable due to its longer wheelbase. I thought it might feel overly large, but even though I don't forget it's about 20% bigger than the Miata, it still handles like a small car, very nimble and agile. The first time I did a U-turn in it, when I'd owned it for about a day, I was really impressed by how tightly it could turn, even though its wheelbase is 17" longer than an NA Miata's.

One reason I bought the car were a couple of reviews I saw of it on Youtube. In one the guy said, "The handling of this car is... (and here he struggled to find the right word) ...stunning." The other was Clarkson calling the car "sensational" and going on and on about how easy it was to drive fast. On top of that, he loved the car in general, and said it was the best car he'd tested that year.

 

At each autox event, I like to make a game out of figuring out what is the most expensive car I beat with my 8. I don't keep track of vipers and corvettes and S2000s anymore, too many.. Instead, I believe my record was beating a 2016 Porsche 911 Turbo S. Those START at $215K.

 

Autocrossed my RX yesterday, only my second event with this car. What a great car, the more I drive it the more I like it.

It has two personalities. Just cruising, it's like a somewhat sporty sedan, fun to drive but a bit Civic like, but when it's driven ten tenths, it's a freaking race car. It's amazingly precise, it's like driving a laser beam, and the engine is so much livelier and powerful at high revs than highway revs.

What a fun car.

 

I just got my 2005 Rx8 and have raced my brothers 1992 Miata and did the same racing in his Miata agaisnt my own Rx8 and I can totally agree with you that the Rx8 handling, and clearly power wise beats the Miata hands down. I am in Love with this car!

 

I love my 1999 10AE Miata and 2002SE Miata, and already am infatuated with my RX-8 R3. I've only had the R3 for weeks, but it is an incredible vehicle. I'd say with the RX-8 I am riding in an extraordinary car with incredible capability. With the Miata's, I'd say I am at one with them. Not having pushed the RX-8 too much during getting familiar with it, I'd say it is probably the more capable of the two. But this takes nothing away from the Miata. Different experiences, both extraordinary.