JSG

The sound - it's intoxicating! I just slow down and then accelerate to keep hearing it. Brilliant! Loud enough but a lot better with the sunroof on tilt and the windows open.

I feel I can tell the thing is drive-by-wire as the throttle feels slightly disconnected (not in a bad way). The engine is happy and quiet until you hit the gas at which point it goes all out and sings to you. It's different to an S2000 where even if you are not accelerating the engine is making the same noise. Hard to explain. One key difference I've noticed from other cars I've owned is you have to match the revs to downshift. Other cars I've been able to be lazy and let the clutch out to let the revs match but this engine doesn't like that at all. You need to blip the throttle and get it right - heal and toe would be better but I haven't mastered that.

Torque - you all want to hear it! NO PROBLEM!! I have been driving most of the weekend under 4000 revs. If you're under 2k there is not much there but this engine revs to 10k so you're simply way in the wrong gear! Power comes in stages. It gets lively around 3.5k and then goes ballistic around 6k, at which point I changed up as I was worried it was quickly going to go through the 7k limit. Can't wait to open it up! It feels so fast up to 6k that beyond there this must be one rocketship - and remember I've come from an S2000!

Handling - very good. Rock solid but not uncomfortable. No roll in any direction. But bear in mind I haven't seriously pushed it yet (although I did go quite a way!).

Brakes - disappointing. I have a feeling I need to bed them in. This is my first new car so I'm not sure. But they feel a bit dead and spongy - like you have to push a long way and hard to get any stopping. This doesn't tally with the figures which is why I think I probably need to scrub in the discs - they're beautifully shiny at the moment.

Instruments - fantasitc. The rev counter is to die for. It's so sporting the way it clocks around from facing directly down all the way to the 2 o'clock postion. Feels like a true race car. At night the red glow is really good. I thought it was a gimmick at first but it's really good. During the day the clarity of the instruments is stunning. The enclosure is really sexy too with the three curved hoods.

Red interior is nice - not glitzy which I was worried it might be.

Moon roof - good investment. Lightens up the whole interior and good for ventillation. Best bit is using it to channel the noise back in. Can't wait for 10k in a tunnel!

Rotary engine - my first. Awesome. It's as fun as VTEC but easier. The power seems to come more smoothly and in more stages (as the ports come in) rather than just on/off for VTEC. There is defintiely more torque available lower down than an S2000 off the lights.

Steering - more turns required that an S2000 but fine all the same. Sometimes get some strange knocking type of feedback from the road. Can't judge feedback yet as not enough experience with the system.

Summary: easy to drive, fun, powerful, luxurious, comfortable.

Disclaimer: it's my first day so everything is going to be great! So you can judge my experience and bias here are my details: 31 years old, married with 4 month old baby. Previous car was S2000 and before that an 1800i Miata/MX-5/Eunos. From the UK so exchange boot/trunk bonnet/hood etc!

BRx8

can you now compare the two cars since you're experienced in both? which has better acceleration, speed, comfort, fun to drive, and handling?

JSG

The RX8 is much easier to drive. The S2000 demands your absolute attention but rewards you with absolute "one-ness" with it and the road. The benefits of this are obvious. The downsides are that it's tricky. I spun twice in the dry on normal roads and saw my friend write his off in the wet. You're always nervous in the S, but excited too.

The 8 inspires confidence and you're willing to push much more. It gets going much quicker. The exhaust and sound is much better than I was expecting. I was really prepared to miss the sound and power surge of VTEC but I feel the 8 has similar characteristics. The brakes on the S were far more powerful (see previous bit about I think I need to bed the 8's brakes in) and the steering slightly more direct.

The S is ultimately more fun as it's a roadster and driving without a roof is the best way IMHO. But the 8 has come far closer to the S than I expected. I'll meet with my friends and have a head-to-head run around once I've done the 1000km.

The 8 for me though is ultimately more satisfying. The compromises I had to take in the S were finally too much: hopeless sound system, no room inside, no luxury features, no back seats. But if you are buying a car purely to drive it then take the S. If you want to spend time in the car and also enjoy it as transport then the 8. The S is the car you want to borrow from a friend and *give back*. The 8 is what I would drive home in.

If you're single without kids take the S and enjoy yourself! I did! But I'm in no way disappointed to be in an 8 now instead. Just pleased I've had the chance to own both.

rx8daniel

couple questions: You have the 6MT GT, which I presume has a 9K redline similar to the US spec model - but you mentioned 7K limit - did you mean during the break-in (run-in) period - 1st 1000K I assume.
Since you have the GT, it shoud have fog lights - can they be turned on independent of the headlights? Can you describe the switch used for them? Is it on the same stalk as the parking / headlights, or own switch? Thanks much - enjoy it!

JSG

The 7k limit is for the break-in period. I haven't gone beyond 6k yet but at 6k the thing really takes off. Had my best moment overtaking a bus and an MPV up a steep winding road and it really launches.

The headlight stalk for me is on the right. Up and down is the indicators. Rotate the end from off to side-lights to full headlights. Pull back to flash lights. The front fogs are controlled by a rotating switch half way along the stalk. Up/away from you for on/down for off.

When you choose side-lights the fogs come on too if you have set them to on. If you switch the lights off the fogs go off too even if the fog switch is on.

rx8daniel

thanks a lot. One final question: My XT-6(Subaru) is setup similar - sep fog light switch, lights on / off, it's whatever the fog light is set to. But one advantage it has (for me) is that though the headlights remain 'up' when the car is turned off, the headlamps turn off. I assume the RX-8 is like my other Mazdas - leave sidelamps or headlights on, turn off car, drains battery... ?

JSG

Didn't try it - always switch headlamps off when I park out of habit.

NikoN

How about some insight on how the nav. system works?

JSG

See the "First impressions" thread for my reply to Zoom Zoom. To be honest ... I think you're getting a different nav anyway.

M-ster

Hi JSG, now that you have compared the S2000 and the RX-8, could you do a RX-8 vs MX5 comparison?

I have a MX5 1.6 till recently which I lost in an accident. Anyway I love the way the mx5 handles, although mine was with power steering, it still have alot of feedbacks from the road through the wheels, and the gears, the way they click into the grooves of each slot. Does the 8 any close to these characteristic or better as compared to the 5?

Thanks

JSG

I would say the MX-5 has a better gear change - much more "clicky". The throw is slightly shorter but essentially the gate is more defined. There is ever so slightly a bit of space in the RX-8 gate. Still it's nothing to complain about.

The handling of an MX-5 is fantastic and a lot of fun. The RX-8 compares well (so far) but it's a much bigger car and so the feeling is different, plus I may not take it around bends at the same speed! It's only a few days old after all! Having a roof changes the feeling too. Essential characteristics of balance and lack of body roll are shared by both though. My MX-5 had the BBS suspension so was awesome on corners but too hard most of the time - haven't experienced the regular one. Comparing the RX-8 to roadsters, be it the MX-5 or S2000 is hard, as roadsters are so purely bred. I try my best to convey the fact that the driving and handling characteristics of an 8 are great but the excitement of a roadster with the top down will always remain a unique experience.

In power terms there is obviously no comparison. My 1.8i MX-5 was underpowered so the 1.6 must be tough to get going. The RX-8 feels really fast and in comparision to an MX-5 will be devastatingly fast.

I got rid of my MX-5 in 2001 so memory is a bit rusty. The memories I have though are all good ones.

gord boyd

When you say the 8 is a much bigger car, is that sensation from
road feel, visual sensuary info. (like rear-view mirror), or the toss and catch of corners?

I believe size not much different from my '85 911 Turbo.

Lensman

They will improve within 300 miles. I recently had the discs changed on my car and the braking was appalling (with exactly the same pedal characteristics you describe) for the first few hundred miles. Now I can stop on a dime and the pedal is solid(ish).

JSG

When I was saying the car is big I was comparing to an MX-5. Compared to an S2000 the car is almost the same size. However, it feels slightly bigger (to me) due to having a roof and so much more cabin space. In the S you sit basically in the back seat position of the 8 also!

BTW: I think I forgot to mention in other posts but the rear screen and rear door windows are all dark tinted. Excellent for keeping the sun off the rear passengers (like my baby). Very noticable in the rear-view mirror too.

BTW2: Another point is that there is lots of elbow room in the back. The sides are kind of hollowed out so it's really quite comfortable. Hard to get in but once you're there things are fine. I'm 185cm/70kg and could sit behind where I had my drivers seat.

ACRX8

JSG,

I also ordered the Titanium, is the color dark, does it have a tint of blue, what do you think of the color?

Does the car ride hard?

:D

Cihuuy

JSG: just wondering about the handling... I've driven an s2000 and i own an rx7 Efini... how about comparing the three? i like the handling of the rx7 than the s2000 but they are both nice all around car... is the handling better than the rx7??

I want to know this because im thinking of buying the 8... :D

rx8daniel

he may be asleep now (it's nearly midnight there) - if you read through all of his posts, I think you'll see the answers to your questions - he mentioned some blue can be seen in the sunlight - 'hard' ride is subjective, but he seems to liken it to a Miata in balance and doesn't seem to think it's harsh, yet the lower back tires after about 4 hours of driving - but he's still working with the many seating position adjustments...

bwayout

Thank you so much for sharing your driving experience with us! By reading your report, it slightly eases the heartache of not being able to drive around in my own RX-8



Whch raises a few questions ...

Did the dark window tint come standard or did you add it on as an aftermarket item? Also, how old is your baby (if you don't mind me asking - or are you referring to your new RX-8 and the Red and black leather interior), and how easy is it to put in and take out the child carseat (Does it use the LATCH system)?

One of the main reasons that I've been interested in the original RX-evolve concept and the RX-8 is the ability to be able to take my family (wife up front and a 5 year old and 2 year old in the back on the weekends or for little sightseeing road trips) and so far my only experience in sitting in an actual RX-8 was at the Dallas Motor Speadway's Mazda Rev It Up event in Dallas ....

Aixed feeling about the back seat for grow-ups (I had a hard time getting out of the back seat, my feet kept on getting caught under the bottom of the front seats [and un-doing the plastic molding] ... and I'm only 5' 8") - but my 5 year old daughter loves it and can't wait for me to bring one home. She loves all of the (hid-a-way cup holders, map/book and pass-through) storage compartments in the back!

I was expecting alittle more room in the cabin area - it's a little snug, and has more headroom than the G35 coupe, but I believe that the G35 offers more legroom and also has the ability to fold the back seats down for more cargo area ...

So I'm happy to hear about you real experience driving it around!

All in all, I can't wait to drive one myself!

BillK

Most car manufacturers state that it will take 100 - 200 miles for the brakes to fully "bed in" so you may want to treat them as needing break-in, like the engine...

G-man

Actually, I read that the RX-8 is almost the same dimensions as my 2000 Acura NSX which was almost as big as my 1998 BMW 740iS. So, the NSX is lower, flatter, but is HUGE! The RX-8 is likely noticably larger than the 911 Turbo, especially the smaller 1985 Turbo models.

JSG

For those of you with kids this is important:

I got the Mazda baby seat with the car but it doesn't really fit very well (my daughter is 4 months old). It's the type where she faces backwards and the seatbelt wraps around the back of the seat and through some fasteners on the side. The main thing is the bucket seats in the back slope backwards so your thighs are up not flat. The seat design relies on a flat surface. So when the baby sits in the seat her back is almost upright rather than 45 degrees. So when she sleeps her head lols forward looking bad for her neck.

So we've taken loads of towels and layered them to make the back seat horizontal. Doesn't look cool but she can sleep better now. So the advice for you guys if you need a baby seat is to check for one where you can change the angle of it. For example, a 30 degree angle when the seat is on the floor may equate to the required 45 in the car.

P.S. Tinted rear and rear-side windows are standard here.

tribal azn2

JSG can u plz post a pic of the navi

bwayout

Hi JSG, thanks for the child seat/safety warning and advice! Those of us with kids who need to ride in the back will be watching your posts with special interest!



I'm sure this is a question that you've already asked yourself and the people at Mazda (after all you just spent a lot of money on the RX-8 ... ), but can you return or exchange the Mazda carseat for something better? The universally accepted principle is that the safest carseat is one that fits your child, your vehicle and your budget. Sounds like it does'nt do the job correctly.

Lucky for me both of my children have outgrown the rear facing carseats ... Anyway, does haveing those extra half doors make it easy to get your baby in an out of the backseat? Have you tried it in a parking lot yet?



Good luck and safe driving adventures to you and your family

:D

JSG

Returning things here is really hard - the US has the best customer service in the world in these kinds of respects I think. I'll see what they say at the 1000km oil change though.

In a parking lot just make sure you're in a wide space! You can squeeze in and out yourself (breathing in) but holding the baby in the big seat too means you need more space. I plan on parking at the ends of rows or in the empty part of the lots where possible.