Driving impressions compared
 

Hi All!

Unfortunately the RX-8 isn't available in our country yet.
The first test cars will arrive somewhere in Dec, till than would you RX-8 drivers compare your impressions with otrher sports cars you have driven for a longer period of time?

I own a Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 which I like very much and have driven a lot in the last three years. I had some track experiences including burned, boild brakes :) Now I think I can (and willing to) drive this car to it's limits.

As I understand the straigth line acceleration _can_ be similar with the RX-8, but what about the handling? Doesn't the 4x4 drive give the VR4 a clear advantage in the corners as well?

Any experiances are welcome!

There is quite a bit of debate about this. My last car was a GSX, and I feel for an average driver that AWD is an advantage...BUT there are many who feel that RWD is key for true feel if you are experianced. I must say the 8 handles at least as well as my stock GSX, If not better. Never took them to the track, however.

Welcome to the forum, and may I say, your english is excellent!

Hey megauo... greetings from a fellow Hungarian :D

I don't know the 3000GT, but the RX-8 is awesome. Handling is really one of it's strongest assets. I was used to good handling already because I drove a '94 Ford Probe GT before the 8 which has really good handling too (it's good even on a road course in the hands of a skilled driver). However, I like better the way the RX-8 handles. It's really like on rails.
As for power... the 3000GT VR4 is a turbo engine, isn't it? I don't think the 8 quite matches that, but it's really fast and smooth. Me, I'm not a racer and don't drive like a maniac (however I like to drive in a "spirited" way) and the 8 perfectly fits that bill :)

The only thing you should be careful about is the fuel economy... knowing how much I pay for gas when I'm home makes me think twice whether I'd want to pay the fuel cost of the 8 in Hungary (or in Europe in general).

De azért: ha majd tudsz, vegyél egy RX-8-at, tényleg király gép! :D

Thanks,

the tuth is I've already preordered a Titanium HP which is due to Frebruary '04 ';) Now all I have to do is wait and read this forum all day:)

The 3000GT averaging 14 MPG so fuel economy is not of my main concern. On a track day at a local F1 track I got as bad as 8MPG for just 50 miles!
BTW I checked thru the Europe forums and was surprised their MPG-s being within spec easily. I have to assume that the european version is tuned differently then a US spec one.

I will keep both cars so around march I will give a follow up with all my findings.

megauo

Congrats man, I'm sure you'll enjoy the ride :D
Titanium gray rulez! ;)
If you are already used to the 14 mpg with the 3000GT, then the 8 isn't gonna cause you much of a bad surprise. In fact, the fuel economy is supposed to get better after break-in anyway.
As for keeping the spec with the European versions - the ECU must be tuned differently due to emissions requirements in the US. So if the European cars are mostly in spec, then that might be due to the ECU. One more reason why a factory-originated better fuel map would be so welcome here in the states.