Try turning on you xenon headlights in a quiet garage with the engine off and the windows down. It sounds like you just fired a laser gun!
Pretty cool!

 

So many good items here, I am hesitant to add any. But - I like the horn. My Miata's stock horn sounded a bit like the RoadRunner 'meep meep'. I ended up putting 'WickedLoud' horns in it. The 8's horn is very loud - appropriate for a fairly small car. I was almost cut off by an SUV yesterday, and the horn made a bit of an impression. And no, I don't honk for no reason.

 

The instructions say the noise in the headlights are actually the headlight leveling motors adjusting the headlight position!
How amazing is that!

 

R U for real man headlights that adjust themselves:
"The instructions say the noise in the headlights are actually the headlight leveling motors adjusting the headlight position!" (posted by cebat)

what more do you want...:D

Ya making me wanna go get the car, but i want to wait out and see if Mazda is gonna take care of some of the bugs... but ya tempting me, guess that resistance is diminishing per milisec here:D :D :D

regards

P

 

just last night i was looking at the moonroof controls and i wondered "what is this other switch right behind them? it says open and off" so i switched it from off to open and guess what?! go ahead guess!

when you open the door not only do the dome and door lights come on but the map lights come on now too. they also dim out like the others when you lock up/ start the car. pretty cool. and have you noticed that those lights in the door, when the door is open, show oncoming cars that it's open so they don't rip the door off? i love this car :D

 

handles in the roof so people in the back don't have to nail their finger to the sit to come out..
also power locks once you star moving. i hate to have to lock the doors when i am inside..


can we have a detail list so far of the "little things"

 

I totally agree with all the nuances that make this such a great car. What I noticed is that all instrumentation forms a straight horizontal line from the gas gauge to the ambiant temp gauge. No need to look up and down the center console for radio and HVAC settings and then back to the tach. This helps reduce driver fatigue and and allows you to pay more attention to the road and less time looking for what track is playing on the stereo.

Considering that in the past 20 years I have owned nothing but four door sedans to include an '85 and '95 Mazda 626 sedans and three VW Passats and an Audi A4 1.8 Quattro. My last car was a Passat W8 that was such a POS that I had it repurchased under the VA lemon law. This is the finest thing I have driven to date. more civilised than a Corvette, Better looking than the 350Z. The later VW's and Audi had a lot of cool features that make the car unique.

I had HID's on my last two cars so I was already used to the flat, even lighting. I love the responsivenes of the transmission when using the paddle shifters. It s just such a comfortable car to drive at the limit. :D

For me this is my answer to man's mid-life crisis. You can drive like Micheal Schumacher back and forth to work and still put the kids in to take them to soccor practice. But don't park it by the sidelines for very long as the beauty of this beast wiil cause many a distraction on the field! And yes I just love looking at the car as I drive past big plate glass windows. Profilin' baby!! :p

On the day I took possesion of the car We (the sales lady and I) were going to the gas station to get the complimentary tank of gas. We heard the thump..thump...thump of a truck load of kits with the stereo turned up loud and they were head banging to the music. Then you can here the driver yell out over the booming stereo "Cool freakin car dude" as he is banging to the music! It doesn't get any better than this.:D

For me it is the quintesential sports car for todays family man. Killer looks and performance but utilitarian in many ways. The rear seats are actually usable and accessible. The decent trunk space is a plus

I waitied a long time for this car and I am extremely happy with my purchase.

 

I think the hook under the driver's seat that holds the floor mat in place is cool.

 

The way the round air vents go click, click, click when you turn them. I find myself just turning them for the hell of it. Like many things in this car, it's the details that give it that feeling of quality engineering.

 

What sold me (besides the performance / look / value):

It can fit me, the wife, a toddler an infant, and all the "kiddie" things we need in the trunk. It's the perfect "sports" car for a family of 4. The rear doors make it even easier to load everyone up.....MUCH easier than, say, a G35......

Ya know, in a lot of ways, the RX8 is kind've like a Ferrari Mondial, which will probably be my next "sports" car purchase after the RX8.....

 

WHAT A THREAD---- GREAT!!!!!


I especially like the rear door opening for getting things out - suits my purpose for the rear.

The engine sound

The shifting is so effortless beautiful feel

design inside and out - fantastic

handling

great to drive everyday - in town and even on the highway.

finally, the response of others. Someone always lets me in right away in the traffic lane, people gawk, talk to me at the gas station, etc. Never realized the interest factor of others would be so high. That's why I KNOW THIS CAR IS GONNA WIN BEST AWARDS!!!!!!!!

 

Rotary Nut,
I especially liked these paragraphs from your post, and agree completely. I have had so many compliments on the car already from young people to older folks. Their response has been universally positive. The car appeals to people of all ages. Granted, part of it is its newness and the lack of many cars on the road. I've seen a total of 3 others in my area (Cincinnati/Mason OH). HOwever, I do believe that the styling of the car is unique and beautiful in its own right. I'm even willing to accept the low mileage for the fun factor. The car may not have great acceleration but it can run fast - real fast, and handles like a go-cart on the twisties.

Bravo Mazda!

 

Great posts all. One thing that wasn't mentioned that l like is the moonroof slide button if you hit it a second time it will halt the glass say if you don't want it slid all the way back. Hit it one more time and it resumes all the way to open. Cool.

And I really love the bright instrument panel. Super easy to read in daylight and super cool in night mode when you turn on the headlights. I know its not that big of a deal, but the thought that went into it to have it do that is so sweeeet!

And this is not a little thing but i thought it was pretty cool that the salesman couldn't read the speedo. When i told him we were going 110mph he didn't believe me. Leaned over "holy s&*t dude you better slow down--my boss won't be too happy".

Well his boss was happy cause i bought that sweet red 8. I have never been a car that could go THAT fast that smoothly.

Mid life crisis? you bet and lovin every minute in my 8--even if the kids are in the back seats.

 

Great thread. Learned a few things. Can't believe it was over a month running before someone mentioned that this is a sports car with room for the kids. That's what sold me on it as a former RX-7 owner.

 

I like the little hook on the petrol filler door to hang the cap when refuelling.

 

Say what? We didn't get any such hook here in the States; it was the subject of some dismay in earlier threads. All we got is a little plastic lanyard that the cap hangs down from, but doesn't keep it from dripping gas, er, petrol on the side of the car. See, it was worth waiting another six months for your cars to get that little hook.

 

Can you take a photo of that, please? We get no such thing here - I used some self-adhesive velcro to allow me to stick the cap to the door when refuelling.

 

I like the fact that the Homelink system stays powered-up even after shutting everything down. Makes closing the garage door as the last action before exiting the vehicle possible. My M-B C230k was not this way, and it bugged me.

BTW, a big thanks to all who have posted to this thread; I have learned a LOT about my RX8 from it!

 

This thread motivated me to take a test drive two nights ago. I had my heart set on the Acura TSX (I've owned a CL and a TL), but as nice as those cars are they are still sort of boring. I've never had passion for a car like you guys describe on this thread.

I now understand where you are all coming from because I signed on the dotted line for a beautiful new silver RX8 with the black/red leather interior. All I can think about is driving that car and I can't stop staring at it when I'm finished. It's a work of art and I don't care about its impracticalities (mileage, gas tank size, smallish trunk). I love the engine sound and the smooth acceleration. I love how shifting above 5,000 rpm results in the smoothest operation from a driveability perspective. I love the seats, the interior, the 18" wheels, the ride, the tight steering, the reasonable level of quietness during highway cruising. This is a car that insists on being flogged around.

Only strange thing I've had happen is that I thought I had a broken CD changer. Since the radio faceplate is the same for the changer/non-changer players, I assumed it was broken because nothing happened when I pushed the load button. Only by checking the Mazda web page and my own factory window sticker did I learn that I in fact did not have the CD changer.

I LOVE this car. I'm now afraid of leaving my keys laying around unguarded, and I don't trust airport valet parking with my car (my mom is taking me to the airport tonight and I am taking a taxi home). I've never felt that way about a car before.

Well done, Mazda!!!!!!!!!!

 

OMG!

Do we get sales commission? :D

Well, this has got to be the ultimate testimonial. Enjoy & welcome!

 

Maybe!!! You all did a better job selling me on the car than my "salesman." All he really needed to do was accompany me on the test drive and walk me over to the finance department. Don't know how much commission he nets on the deal but it was the easiest money he ever made. He didn't know half of what I've learned on this forum.

 

Actually, one of the first things I noticed when test driving.... this is the first new car I've ever had where the steering wheel lines up correctly. On every other new car I've bought, even when going straight on a flat road, the steering wheel never pointed straight. It would line up (while going straight) to one side or the other...never centered.

 

Hey, just found another 'little thing'. Approaching my 8 after work, I press UNLOCK from across the parking lot. The familliar two blinks tell me its open. As I get close, I see a single blink. The car decided I took too long and re-locked the doors!

 

We got it in the states. Look at the lower right side of the opening, there's a little plastic u-shaped thing. Turn the cap sideways and the lip (??, can't think of a better word) of the cap fits in the channel of the u-shaped thing. It's not real secure, I had the cap spring out once when the nozzle auto shut off with a thud. Looking at it (the u-shaped holder) you might think placing the cap there would impede placing the nozzle into the hole. It doesn't.

 

My gas cap mod.

That 'lanyard' had to go!

S