I have owned my RX8 for just over 1 month and 2000 miles. I too couldn't believe how much talk there is about mpg. But then again, some people feel better when they complain. I have no problem with that. I, on the other hand, feel better now that I have the car fully broken in Racing Beat style and can run the car to redline while doing my daily commute.
OPEC still sux though!

 

OK, I bought the car not caring what the MPG is because I could for the first time in my life buy a car without worrying about those things. Here is a little something I found in the Car and Driver 2004 Ultimate Comparisons:

On a 1000 mile trip:
Evo - 14 Mpg
WRX STi - 13 Mpg

On a 600 mile trip:
350Z - 20 Mpg

They are sports cars people not Fiestas or Corrollas.

Zoom Zoom!

 

My first car was a Fiesta.

I think the beef that most people have, is that sticker on the window that says 18 city, 24 hwy. They really should change that. Lets face it, 90 percent of people who buy the RX-8 don't come to this forum first, so all they have to go by is the numbers stated on the window sticker.

I think the car is great, but why do they have to lie to the unsuspecting consumer.

 

gah!!! try blaming the EPA, since those are THEIR numbers. Will this discussion every die?????

 

What I find hilarious is the fact that this threads title is "I've only been here 3 weeks and I'm already tired of the MPG talk".

So, what happens? We already of two pages worth of posts, 30 responses, and people still talking about the 8's gas mileage!

 

I can't blame the EPA. Since the M- Flash I get about 20 MPG in my normal routine. The thing about the MPG that bothers me is that I have to fill-up two times a week! Couldn’t Mazda have put in at least a 20-gallon fuel tank? My other vehicle is a 1995 F-150 that gets about 12 MPG but holds 40 gallons, the 450 mile range gives me time to forget about the crappy MPG. Anybody think about adding a small fuel cell in the trunk for extra capacity?

 

That does suck.

My Protege5 will give me at least 400 miles per tank. It will be hard getting use to filling up so often with the 8.

 

Sorry, must be pilot error.

I never get less than 19 mpg
I get 24+ to 26+ on the road

The epa stiker is really accurate!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You are right. Everyone else here who gets less MPG than that are simply wrong, or driving like maniacs 100% of the time.

 

Well, another factor is "oxygenated" fuel - here in Chicago, you can only buy gasohol (10% Ethanol Blend Gasoline) in all grades, because the alcohol raises the oxygen content of the gas, lowering hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions.

The "cost" of that, is that the car gets about 10-15% lower mileage on this gas, no matter how you drive.

I typically get between 200 and 225 miles per tankful in a mix of city and highway driving, and in an all-highway run, I get about 260 miles out before the fuel light blinks on - that's on Chicago fuel. In town, that's 17 mpg, and on the highway, 20 mpg.

On non-oxygenated gas, on a recent drive back from Detroit, I went 318 miles before tanking up with 13.5 gallons of gas - 23.5 MPG.

Any and all, is fine. It's a fun car.

 

Why would you want to add the extra weight?

With the M-Flash this is a non issue, I drove a new RX-8 to 410KMs when I got the light. Next door to my work a guy has a black one, he told me he gets 250 KMs per tank. I told him to get it flashed, he's had his since it first came out.

Like many have said, if fuel mileage is a concern your in the wrong car.

 

Driving range is the concern, not the MPG. I drive 400 (643 km) a week just going back and forth to work. Add to that pleasure use and I am at the gas station at least every 3-4 days. A 10 gallon fuel cell would be under 100 pounds (45 kg) in added weight and I hardly ever have a passanger so it would not hurt much.

 

Yes, I'd much rather pay US gas prices and give up the headlight wipers... but if our prices soar to what Europeans pay, I'm going to want to damned wipers...

 

I think the people new to the Rotary Revalution are the one complaining about MPG numbers. If you complain about gas milage you are complaining about an Engine you dont understand. My 8's numbers are much better then my 1979 RX7 (12A) and my 1988 Convertable RX7 (13b). And will be even better then my soon to be Purchased 1987 Limited Edition Turbo II street ported RX7
My Fleet may increased by 1 :D