ggreen29

It's great looking in grey, blah blah blah. To the driving...

The engine is so quiet I almost started it twice! After a little experience my ear will become tuned to the sound, but its remarkably quiet. The exhaust is a little quiet, but maybe it'll open more at higher rpms. (or maybe it's not really a sports car after all?)

The gear shift and clutch are great. It makes me realize what a red-headed stepchild my 2nd gen RX has become (and I feel bad typing that). The clutch engages quickly and securely, and once I got a little more foot coordinated, the shifts were effortless. A little flick of two fingers and I was in the next gear.

I kept the revs below 5000 almost all of the time, which is quite a challenge because it revs SOOOOO easy. The engine wants to go to the top. I accidently took it to 7500 a few times without realizing it. The acceleration is very good even from around 3000. I never went WOT, but there seemed to be a long pendulum waiting to be released. On one small 25mph turn going from one 60mph road to another I just couldn't resist and punched it quickly around the bend and over a small rise, going from 3500 to about 5500rpm, and the car just sprung through the turn like a great cat. Only 500 miles of easy driving left!

The handling seems great. The steering is very responsive. Whilst traveling down a 65mph wide road with no one else nearby I decided to twist the wheel left and right quickly for a little slalom...the car turned eyes-widingly more than I expected, but still stayed quite securely fastened to the road. I haven't pushed it hard (for me) in a turn yet, and probably won't until the 600 mile mark, but this thing seems to have great potential. Only 500 miles to go!

The digi speedo is going to take some getting used to. Not bad just not trained for it yet. Maybe I'll drive by tach once I get a better feel for the car.

Miscellaneous:

At first I thought the lights were on because the dash lights are very vivid, and in a good way. Later as dusk fell, I used the lights on/red dash lights, and those aren't so good on first impression. While there's still light out they seemed too dark, so I turned the lights off a waited for the sky to get darker. They still didn't seem as clear and pleasant a viewing experience as the day lights.

I got the rotary accents for the front and rear lower grill work, and they look quite good from more than 5 feet away. Up close the front looks cheaply cut & a little plastic-like rather than finely forged rotarium, so I just won't get close. A worthy purchase.

The plastics bezels don't withstand nitpicky scrutiny, but when I wasn't thinking hard about them they looked good. I'd say aluminum bezels aren't a worthy purchase for me. Same for the door sill scuff plate. What's there looks good.

The base (not Bose) sound system is a BIG disappointment. The sound seems ordinary, muddy and flat. It's hard to believe there are many speakers surrounding me. The highs and lows weren't crisp or punchy. It could play loudly but not crisply. I played some Echo & the Bunnymen and The Stone Roses (She Bangs the Drum!--great cymbal tapping at the start, sounds crisp on a good system and takes your attention, then a conquering base line that says "HEY! Somethin's comin'..."--none of that on this car), and there just wasn't any punch, or "you are there" feeling. So I went to a newly purchased CD of The Kinks One for the Road, which I'm used to being fuzzy because my previous copy was a ten year old cassette tape! By the time I got to Lola (5th track) I was disappointed again. It didn't sound worse than the cassette, it just didn't sound that much better. Apparently my expectations are too high.

The ventilation is great. I didn't use the ac, but several times I checked to make sure it was off, because the air coming through the vents was cool, the same temp as the outside air. In many cars I've been in the vents seem to be too close to a heat source so the vented air is always several (ten?) degreesF warmer than the outside air. So kudos to those vent guys.

I thought the visibility was quite good. The side mirrors (if positioned properly) show a large area. I thought the rear view mirror could've been a little bigger, but maybe the seat backs are the real problem in pinching the view ever so slightly. Turning my head to face the passenger mirror gave a real good peripheral view of the back quarter of the car, and turning my head to face my mirror gave a good look on my side, though the side mirror covered it well anyway.

It's funny (to me anyway) seeing the wheel arch on my side of the car. Unlike any vehicle I've been in. For someone reason I found myself driving the car with the passenger side very close to the edge of the lane. Perhaps this car has more on the passenger side than I'm used to with my RX7.

It'll take some getting used to the red lights in the center console, as I'm used to red in the center meaning idiot lights. A few times I came out of a turn and the red lights caught the corner of my eye and my heart skipped a beat until I realized what they were.

I liked the cloth seats so much that I didn't even notice 'em. I think that's a good endorsement, innit?

I really like that stupid engine cover. Really. It's got a big silver Mazda logo on it that just seems so proud. When I first saw it I just admired it for about ten seconds. I think they really made a stupid piece of plastic look great.

It seems to be a gas guzzler. I've used almost half a tank and have gone less than a hundred miles. I'm hoping the tank is pyramid shaped and the bottom half is much bigger than the top half.

Its a head turner. I saw a collegiate type in a new good looking Protege5 do a Linda Blair as he drove by me. By that time I had only 25 miles under my belt and was too busy watching for obstacles to do more than grin like a fool. Later on an old couple in a van pulled up and the old guy asked if the car was the rotary one. He knew that the engine was small, but asked for the hp and if it was fuel injected. He said his son saw the History Channel ep and was interested in getting one. Than the wife started wailing "I want a car like that, I don't want an SUV anymore!" I smiled and spun away.

The Beginning of the Saga of the Happy Drivers.

BillK

Great review!

FWIW, most auto makers' car stereos are horrendous, and IMHO and the word "Bose" on anything should be taken as more of a warning label than anything else ("No highs, no lows, must be Bose." :D)

Take a listen to the $850 "HiFi" stereo in a Porsche Boxster if you want to hear some truly awful audio, so it sounds like the stock system in an RX-8 is just par for the automotive course.

As far as the gas tank goes, I'll never forget the first time I filled the tank on a Gen II RX-7 and wondered if the gas pump would ever stop!

Good Duck

Wow! Thanks for that great tongue-in-cheek reviews. And informative too!

Edo

BillK, his hi-fi is not Bose.

Gamera

LOL, ggreen29, great review, some refreshing insights! Pyramid-shaped tank, ha!

US automags should loosen up, and try to move away from the current barrage of stats and get some real opinions (and maybe a dose of humor) in some of their reviews, I only began realizing this after picking up copies of Evo, Car and other UK mags at Borders.

I agree, the orange night-mode gauge light is a little dimmer than I would like, esp at dusk. I switched it to the day mode (turn the dimmer wheel up till it clicks) and it helped. But once it was dark, the orange mode seemed fine. I'll probably get use to it eventually and just leave on the orange light.

Digisan

Anyone who buys a Bose stereo should be shot on sight...IMHO.





D-san

rael

D-san

No choice, either standard fit or BOSE specially made for the cabin. Takes a bit of getting used to but the one in my TTC I find very good. Outside the car I agree.

rael.

Donny Boy

Go Green . . . with envy. Great review. I'm eagerly waiting to see the RX-8 on the road with other cars as a comparo. Can't wait for mine. I will keep my 1995 Mercury villager with 200,000 miles for everyday runnings . . . but my "8" will be for sheer pleasure.

Midnight Flyer

Don't trust the gas gauge. In my miata I can go much further on the first half of the gauge then the second. When I get to half way, it is like someone punched a hole in the tank to drain it.

The heavy use may also be that your driving style is a bit different then you normally do. I know that some days I drive more enthusiastically then others and on those days the gauge really goes down fast.

Edo

As Rael says, Bose outside the car maybe not. Bose is standard on UK Rx's..

Personally I cant be arsed fekin about with aftermarket stuff, and people pulling the interior apart. I am confident the Bose will be sufficient for my needs.

chikai

Also, the car is not 100% broken in yet, I'm sure that could account for some of the inefficiency in fuel usage.

Awesome review. Makes me want it more and more...

just have to dig up the finances.

ggreen29

I'm hoping that as the seals get settled and a little bit of carbon builds up things may seal up a little better and the gas consumption will become normal. It is still the very first 100 miles, so I'm not alarmed yet.

RotoRooter

Does the RX-8 have a mini computer, gor mpg, personal/business trip, range etc. How about outside temp and compass?

Magnesium

Another great Bose quote: Bose, can buy better, can't pay more.

med_mx6

ggreen, thanks for your review! you've brought up some good points... i'll definitely "mind" them when I finally go see/sit in one.

does anyone do that mirror "trick" where you position the sideview mirror into your blind spot? it takes a bit of getting used to, but man it's a lifesaver (for us lazy types).
interesting observation... is the red similar to the red of a BMW? more like orange? any truth to "red light doesn't dilate your eyes?"
hahahaha! lol.
lol! i'll probably do that when i see my first RX-8 on the road...

Goldenhue22

Any light shined into the eyes will make the eyes CONSTRICT not dilate. Same goes for red. The purpose for red light at night is to improve night time vision, faster. The wavelength of red light is the optimal wavlength for the excitation of the rods in your eye (you've all heard about the rods and the cones?). Well the cones are the retinal receptors for daylight and the rods are the retinal receptors for nighttime. Anyhow, that specific wavelength allows the rods to get acclamated to night time vision faster than any other source of light. And a little history lesson for you...that is the reason WW2 pilots sat in a infrared (red light) room awaiting instructions over night. The captians (or whoever was in charge) never let the pilots sleep at night and they all sat in a dark red lit room, so when the assignment came in they were visually ready to go.

FWIW, I'm an eye doctor and speak from my $150,000 education. Still paying off the bast*rd of a loan.

P00Man

great review

god i cant wait till i get my car..hope it comes friday soooo bad lol
________
Lovely Wendie99

mantisflie

Yeah I use "the mirror trick". Not really a trick so much as efficient placing of the mirrors. I think we have all been taught by our parents or what have you to set the mirrors so that you can see the back corners of your car (which leaves blindspots for you to check with a head turn). This is fine for backing up, but since I spend 95% of my time driving forward, I don't need to see the back. I NEVER turn my head to see if there is someone in my blind spot because I have no blindspots. This I feel is slightly safer as I don't have to take my eyes off the road for more than a half sec to check my mirrors, and there isn't the risk of turning my wheel while I turn to check a blindspot. Disadvantage: not as safe when backing up. You need to turn around to make sure you don't hit a mailbox or something. :D

eccles

Me too - have done for years. For the life of me, I cannot see the point in adjusting the side mirrors so that you have three separate views of the car behind you!

RX-8 Zoomster

For those that are wondering about the "mirror trick". Here is a link for you all: Mirror Trick

mdmaclean

That is the way they istructed me to do on BMW driver training. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

BillK

Which of course is good as it means he didn't have to pay extra to get a poor-sounding stereo. :D

TJRX8

Sound is in the ear of the beholder.
Many have said it sounds fine.

Besides do you think hundreds of thousands of people buy Bose because of the name? Or do they actually like the sound and enjoy what they hear? Personally I don't like Bose home stereo stuff. I did however have Bose in two cars that I thought sounded fine. Not real LOUD but good to my ears. :D I hope this does too.

RX-8 Zoomster

That's true - "Sound is in the ear of the beholder".

I used to have a set of Bose 901's years back and thought they were fantastic. I now have sets of the Acoustimass and 10.2's for inside, & a set of Outdoor 251's connected to my two home stereos. I think all three sound great.

To me, I think Bose makes some of the most natural sounding speakers out there. Not overpowering highs or booming lows. It's what I like. I'm sure there are some that will disagree. I do think they are overpriced though.

In regards to the Bose in the RX-8. I've heard nothing but good things about the sound. They will be very sufficient for me - not worth ditching for an after-factory.

BillK

Wander down to your local high end audio salon and listen to something like a Wadia 861 CD player driving a pair of B&W Nautilus 800s via a pair of Mark Levinson 33Hs, and all will become clear (literally and figuratively...)

And all for about the price of an RX-8. :D