The RX sucks for gas mileage and most of us expected 15 mpg and be fine with it but when you end up getting 11 to 12mpg that is absolute bullshit. Now to add insult to injury we then have Mazda telling us it is normal or it is our fault rather then stepping up to the plate to fixing an obvious problem.

There is a small percentage of us who get this horrific mileage and Mazda could care less about us. This is what pisses me off. Unless your getting this type of mileage don't even comment about living with it.

 

The RX-8's mileage isn't far off from many other cars out there. Sadly enough people have to relate size rather than fun to mileage to make it worth it. If you are driving around in an Excursion all day or an RX-8 all day and they both get the same mileage (the RX-8 will definitely do better but let's just pretend!), why was the RX-8's mileage suddenly so bad? I'm assuming that both are being driven purely as a form of transportation like many of the poeple here do with big vehicles they never use properly. Frame of reference here.

If people wanted gas mileage, they wouldn't have bought an RX-8. They'd have bought an econobox! It's that simple. There is no point in trying to compare it to other cars in it's "class", or any other engine. It is what it is. I don't understand why people are willing to pay more for some cars that get bad gas mileage while others are willing to drive big vehicles around that get bad gas mileage but when it comes to driving a very reasonably car that gets mediocre gas mileage it suddenly sucks. What part of that makes no sense? There are also cars that get better mileage that are cheaper and some are more expensive. Why do some people act like this car alone sucks at gas mileage? It isn't far off from a very large percentage of cars on the road. When it comes to transportation, mileage is mileage and a car is a car. When it comes to fun you'll need to decide what's worth it to you.

I can say from having owned several rotaries over the years that the difference between 14 mpg and 18 mpg city is not very much on the accelerator pedal. I guarantee I can get 18 mpg on ANYONE'S RX-8 in the city and I won't have to drive like a snail to do it. I just know how and it's easy. If your mileage sucks, change your technique. If it still sucks and makes you unhappy, change your car or your attitude towards it but don't try to keep both.

Rant over.

 

Keep in mind though that you're paying that $8,000 up front with the car, and just $1,000 per year for 8 years if you did the gas difference.

So it would take a lot longer to pay off then you'd think at first.

 

So far, although there are small things here and there, I have had more enjoyment from my RX-8 than from any of my past Honda's and Acura's. The handling is just unbeatable compared to any sedans.

 

and that 8k has interest. So 8k over the standard 50 months is an extra 1279$ @ a low 6%. At 8% it goes up to 1700$

 

wow, with so many so quick to jump my argument im surprised no one has said most 8's can be had for lower than 30 grand new also.

There will still be interest on the loan of the 8 so that 1279 to 1700 has to be recalculated against the interest from the interest you would accrue on that loan. For simplicitys sake why cant we just pretent its 30K out the door for the 8 and 38k out the door for 'X' car.

$8,000 difference period end of story.

In my current car I will hit 100,000 way quicker than 8 years(5 1/2 - 6 years) as many commuters with a single car would do unless you live insanely close to work/school/recreation. I would have covered the same milage in an 8, had I owned one from the same day. So all things being equal in roughly the time it took me to pay off either car I would have broken even on an 8,000$ more expensive car off the lot.

I wouldnt say it takes all that much dedication to hit 100,000 miles. Just a need to get around. No matter what car or how many different cars I had over those 5-6 years I would probabyl have totaled very close to the same milage. Cost per year/mile/total cost of ownership over 100K miles is what i was driving at.

That being said I would like to reference what rotarygod said a few posts up and say I am not complaining about the milage of the 8, hell, I don't even own one. He is right and you have to factor in how exactly you want to be spending your money and how satisfied with your car or the way your money is being spent that you are. If all someone cares about is their bottom line I doubt they would have gotten an 8 knowing it consumes oil and gets a rated 22?? mpg/highway, they would have gotten a civic, prius, etc.

To the comment about "those of us getting 11MPG". You brought up a very interesting point...it is only a small fraction of you. Do you not believe for this reason that it could not possibly be due to driving habits? If it were such a great problem as you say, wouldnt it happen to the vast majority of 8's regardless of driving habts?

 

Dude................................
Your gonna get 15 mpg with a Mustang.. look at the rating.

You can't have a sports cars with good milage.

15mpg is much better than the average person as those idiots drive the frick'n SUV's.

So wat da ja complaing about?

There plenty of Civic's out there.. They would love to have some one like you Rice it out.

Damn another cry baby on this forum.

 

18/22 on the sticker is only an EPA estimate. Looks like YOU didn't do enough research before purchasing this car, which the MPG has already been discussed to death.

 

I am sure a lot of people on this forum would be interested in your driving technique that gets 18 mpg in the city. Mind elaborating? Thanks!

 

There's no point in telling him that he should've researched the car before he bought it. For all you know, he was one of the first person to buy it and therefore no data to research on. Let's not start flaming someone by assuming.

 

although I love my RX8 i feel your pain!! I bought the car being fully aware of the fuel consumption issue. But knowing is one thing, actually paying for it is another. When I got my 8 during the summer and driving on road trip it wasnt too bad ( still Bad! consider it eats like 20% more gas than my RX330, 40% more than my WRX.. yes.. the RX family). But I just started school and have to drive in rush hour everyday and holy ****, I've never seen any gas needle move so fast in my life!! almost to the point of double the gas consumption of the WRX. But thats okay, everytime a good looking girl turn around to look at my car ( and me.... i hope) all is forgiven!! you certainly dont get that kind of attention in the WRX ( but torque is nice..)

RX8 FTW

 

I've about had it with the MPG threads.

Especially in light of gas dropping down to sub-$2 range...this really shouldn't be a huge deal. Sorry you don't like the "surprise" fuel economy. Most of us hate that as well, but if it's all you see in the car, it clearly isn't for you. Take your loss and buy a 4-banger.

P.S. - buying another sports car would repulsively redundant. Not exactly forward motion...

 

Really, the price of premium topped at $3.25 here and is down to $2.50 now. I'm saving $10 a tank over the high point. I can't find a sports car that gets 30 mpg though unless it's a two seater.

If you hate the mileage, get a Saturn Sky redline. 30 mpg highway. Of course you have no trunk and no rear seats. Ditto the 350z.

Charger, mustang, etc. all suck down the gas when you put your foot to the floor.

I cringe when I see the mazda6 or mazda3 mpg ratings. But neither car drives like the 8 or looks like the 8. My last car was a infiniti g20T(sentra). Sure it got 30 mpg but I bought it to commute 3 hours a day. Now I commute 12 miles each way

Did you ever think about a car payment? $600 a month on a $30k car is

$20 a day That's a lot of gas!

 

You must be the FIRST person I have ever seen to say that the WRX or the STi or the EVO get better mileage than the RX8

Mileage in the RX8 is of course not among the best out there, but it is quite decent. You do mainly cruising, you will feel like you're driving a "thirsty" Honda. You put your foot down, you pay the price

 

I'm just surprised no-one has commented on your expected selling price. If you think anyone's going to look at an 04 RX8 for $20k, think again buddy. "New" o5s were going for low 20s, and new 06's can be had for 25. I'd say about $16-17k tops for an 04, maybe 19 if its a GT with low miles.

Averaging 21mpg here with mixed driving and 3k miles on the clock, running 89. Considering we fill up less than once a week, its really not that bad. I feel for you guys commuting in the RX8 and filing up with gas 2-3 times a week though !

 

I owned a 2002 WRX for around 3 years and got ~25 mpg. In two years of ownership of an RX8, I get around 21 mpg. 40% is a stretch.

 

If you are bitching about gas mileage, I think you seriously need to read this thread; https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/just-did-interesting-calculation-gas-usage-99040/

It discusses how much money in gas you would save per month / year driving a car that got 28 mpg versus an RX-8 that got 20. Even if you get less, the difference would be pretty negligable. I strongly suggest you read it.

 

Yeah, that would be even better. It took him 3 years to find this forum so he can **** about poor gas mileage.

 

I'm amazed that so many people here feel the need to give this guy a hard time because he's decided to sell his car. It's not like he kicked your mother in the stomach. Who the **** are you to tell him what he should or shouldn't buy & sell? It's his god damn money.

 

I don't think anyone is saying he can't sell his car, rather that his logic is flawed if he thinks he's going to save money by selling this car and buying one with better gas milage.

The point is, he'll likely never make that money back (taking the hit on the RX8, paying for the new car etc.). So if that's his only reason to sell, he shouldn't be selling.

 

Interesting that most of you focused on the $$$ side of this. Actually, I'm less concerned about the money than I am about the frequent stops at the pump! I'd like to put a thousand bucks into a gas tank just so I dont have to stop for gas for a few months if you know what I mean. Well, thanks for all responses anyway. Dan

 

Why dont you just put a 2nd gas tank in the trunk? That would solve the issue.

 

Is everybody aware of where the EPA numbers come from? That they're almost guaranteed to be higher than real life, and that EPA was very unhappy about publishing those in the first place?

They are a byproduct of the dynomometer emissions driving cycle. The urban test replicates a recorded drive around Ypsilanti, Michigan - a drive that approximated a high-emissions route in the LA area. The actual measured accelerations are capped to some moderate value (I forget exactly what - IIRC 0.2g, but it might be 0.15 or 0.25) to conform to limits of the chassis dyno they first used it on. Throttle changes are programmed, and the whole execution is smoother than anyone would drive on the street.

In the fuel crisis of the early 70s, the same lawmakers who gave us the double nickle (whose supposed benefit was based on cooked-up data) found that fuel used was recorded in the emissions test, and made EPA publish those numbers.

Ken

 

Just chiming in to give perspective on Mustang GT fuel economy vs RX8. I had my RX8 for 1 year and averaged 18mpg in mixed driving. I drive very fast so that fuel economy is not the best the car could have gotten. I've had my Mustang GT for 2 1/2 weeks and average 20mpg with the same commute and the same fast driving. Personally, I think the difference in fuel economy is that at 85mph (slow for the highway portion of my commute) I was revving at 4500rpm in the RX8....in the Mustang GT I'm at 2500rpm for the same speed.

Also, it takes far less pedal to get to the speed of traffic in the Mustang.

 

2mpg difference: Lets see here.

@ $2.50 per gallon, the difference between a 250mile driving week would be $3.47, or a savings of $180 per year.

12mpg difference (18city vs 30city):
@ $2.50 per gallon, the difference betweek a 250mile drive week would be $13.88, or a savings of $722 per year.

@50mpg difference
@ $2.50 per gallon, the difference betweek a 250mile drive week would be $22.20, or a savings of $1154 per year.