Rotary Nut? How many miles do you have on your car now? I'm curious as if there is a significant correlation between miles driven and gas milage.

 

869 miles and still lovin' it!

 

We have two RX-8s. Both are base model 6MT... no frills. I have 5100 miles on mine and my wife has 3450. I get 275 to 300 per tank and normally pump in 14 to 14.5 gallons. My wife gets slightly lower mileage. I have noticed that she stays in 2nd, and 3rd longer than I do.

Both of us drive 60/40 highway/city... highway speeds are 80+ 6th gear at 80mph is just over 4k.

 

Agreed. The advertised numbers are not even close to the real world numbers. Is this common among manufacturers?

 

Lower than advertised HP, lower than advertised MPG... geez I think I'll sell my 350Z and pick up one of these mean machines.

 

Always good to hear from the Z mafia....

Everyone wants to compare these cars and they are built for completely different demographics groups. Interesting how I do not see many BMW 325 owners bad mouthing the 8.

If we have to continue to listen to Z-whining can you all just let me know when you figure out
- where your two missing passengers are going to sit
- why you have to pay for upgraded brakes and wheels
- why you have a smaller less usable trunk
- why you have to pay extra for a limited slip rear end
- why you have to pay extra for front side air bags
- why you have to pay extra for Side Head Curtain Airbags
- why your basic warranty is less
- why your 0.86 skidpad grip is worse
- why your 163-foot 60-0 stopping is worse
- why Car and Driver picked the RX-8 over the 350Z

And finally, why your car is just not as cool?


:D

 

jeez, is that all you got? More expensive options and stopping distance? Bigger trunk? Are you serious?

None of those things were even on the radar when I picked out my Z. I wanted a bitching sports car, not a series of lame compromises.

 

Just let me know when you and three friend get back from taking your bitching sports car down a nice winding road. Gonna be damn cramped and hard to shift... but maybe you are one of those wannbe Z drivers with an automatic...

and I don't see better stopping and better as a compromise... I just see it as better.

 

Don't feed the trolls!

 

Sooorrry.... sometimes ya just want to toss them crumbs....

I promise not to tap on the glass.

 

Ok...just was chatting with an older gent(about 60ish) while i was getting gas. Conversation went like this......"I bet your having fun in that car" I said yes I am. He said, ah, the rotary engine, great car! I said yes but it's a gas guzzler. He said yea, it's all about performance. And then he said "well, it will get better...the engine has to break in a bit....it may take as much as 12,000 miles before it breaks in." I said, well I will have the car for longer than that! He went on to explain to me why it is getting poor gas mileage right now and how the gas is lost through this and that and through the exhaust system, etc. And so as he admired the car I felt a lot better about it all. He seemed to know a lot about the rotary engine....thinking he must have had one or read up on one in his past. He was driving an old Olds Toronado. Ok...just thought I'd share the story for all who are worried about the mpg!

 

Good for you 8er4lunch!! Man, I hope to get that kind of mileage soon!

 

wow, nissan quality, harsh ride, room for 2. geez, I think I'll sell my 8 and pick up one of these.

honestly, you're a tool. :D

 

As far as I know: The 'advertised' mpg numbers were determined by EPA, not by Mazda!

18-23 right? 23 would be under ideal conditions, downhill with the wind pushing you :-)

Just kidding, I'd think that there is a definition of what is normal. That definition would include air temparature, wind (absence of..), and probably even altitude.


That said.. my previous car was a 2000 Firebird. Advertised with 19/29 and I usually got 26 or 27. My gf had no problem getting the advertised 29 and even more, simply by following the speed limit. The automatic transmission in that car allows going 65 mph at a smooth 2000 rpm.

--> EPAs numbers can be achieved in real life.

--> Mazda definitely is not to blame. It's our driving style.

-Peter

 

*click* <---- sound of my mouse blocking a user

 

I routinely get 21-22 mpg, driving 80 miles daily, with 80% Highway. Interstate driving I get the 24 mpg that EPA estimated for the RX-8.

Octane between 93 to 89 offers negligible difference in mileage. 87 octane seems to give a little better mileage (+1 mpg), but prefer to use higher octane to reduce knock potential, since I regulary load the RENESIS with quick starts & high revs.

 

I routinely get 12-13mpg and don't give a flaming crap. 90% of my driving is local, short commutes.

In a WRX, I get 13-15mpg.. in my STi V, I get 11. My friends who drive new STi's in the same conditions? 14-15mpg.

However, once you get the car on the highway? I can easily pull 20mpg.

 

Claude-

gald you got your car. BTW that was your silver with tinted windows I saw parked on 74th street, a week ago?


ANyway I am convinced that NYC area driving is unlike many other areas, and that the car just gets bad milage with short trips, ideling, stop and go , etc. I am still in the process of getting my 8 fixed up and sent back to Mazda. I am thinking using my Probe GT for the winter months and getting a new 8 in march. WHo knows, maybe by that time they're will be some new factory issues they improve upon. If not, I guess I'll have to focus on making more money to pay for gas and the smiles the 8 brings- even though she is one thirsty beast!

 

All-

Sorry for being the bearer of bad news, but I have never averaged more than 14 mog, have nearly 6,000 on the car and ahve complained to Mazda 8 times. Yes, 8 times.

Got a response yesterday after sending a certified letter to Mazda NA. They said - sue us under the Lemon Law becuase we will not reconsider.

I should have taken the buyback. I feel like I have been totally screwed.

 

Hi emailists,

No my car is Titanium with no tint. I have nauticcal code flags on the rear quarter panel with my initials.

I love this car and only hope the MPG improves.

This car seems so right in SO MANY WAYS!

Who knows, maybe Mazda will release an ECU upgrade soon that will correct, amongst other things, the MPG issue.

Any rumors you hear to this fact?

Claude H.

 

Mazda gave you your out. Too bad you are unhappy with the path you chose.

 

Highway 20 possible. No highway, you' get 14-16. That isn't close to what was advertised and I think there needs to be a recall.

 

Ya know this just never stops. I do not know why some folks are getting lousy mileage. Whether it is their driving style, the type of route taken (city/stop and go...), the gas sold in a particular area, or maybe the ECU and gas mapping out of adjustment.... obviously there is something wrong. Having read several responses, there are a lot of folks that do not drive their cars the same way it would be driven in a mileage test. I also note that a lot of the mileage problems are in California and the northeast. Both these areas sell reformulated gas and corn gas.

Whatever the root problem, I think Mazda should be more open and work with the customer. But until you can show a design flaw that can cause some to have a problem and others to function perfectly well. There is no basis for a recall.

Lastly with two 8s, we do a lot of comparison and if memory serves me, the mileage advertised was 18/24 well that would average to 21mpg with a wimpy driver. I drive more aggressively than most of my friends and getting 20.5 to 22 on most tanks. There are times when I screw up and sit in 5th at 85 and this will knock the mileage down. My wife drives in 3rd and 4th more than I do and here mileage is slightly worse. With this said, there is no way I could justify a recall.