Omicron

Great, great, GREAT thread. Here's some of mine...

-The comfort of the front seats. Some of the best I've ever had. Lumbar supports that actually work too!
-The seat heaters on a cold day. MMMMmmmmmm, that feels great!
-The comfort of the BACK seats too! A sports car with room for my son, or even full sized adults! WOW!
-The rear seat console
-The deep door pockets integrated and accessible through the door pull
-The digital speedo. Wasn't sure about it at first, but now I wonder how I ever lived without one
-The fact that the passenger seat occupant (wife) can't see the speedometer :D
-The tri-mode gauge lighting
-The beautiful layout of the undercarriage. A work of art!
-The brake lights - and the side "light tube" detail
-The parking garage ticket holder/gas card holder in the sun visors
-The perforated sun visors
-The Homelink system in the mirror, and the fact that the mirror is double hinged
-The ramp-up and down lighting
-The way the doors "thunk" solidly when closing them
-The freestyle doors
-The HID headlights
-The aluminum hood, with it's artfully formed rotary-shaped scuplting
-The rotary symbols in the headrests
-The feel of the shifter, and the rotary shape of the ****
-The 7-way window washer sprayer
-The fact that it has a REAL horn, not that stupid "neep neep" of most Japanese cars
-The way the keyless remote works, and the way the car light flash (or beep) status at you
-The one-touch opening of the sunroof
-The sound of my Borla exhaust :D
-The flying "M" Mazda symbol
-The quality of the interior materials and switches - everything just feels right!
-The lack of airflow turbulence when the windows and/or sunroof are open
-The fact that there's not much power loss when the AC is on
-The sounds, the sounds, the sounds of everything!
-The smooth, strong pull of the engine
-The powerful brakes
-The lightness of the steering at low speeds, building perfectly in weight as speeds increase
-The wonderfully nimble, predictable handling
T-he HVAC ducts under the seats for the back seat passengers
-The hook under the driver's seat that holds the floor mat in place
-The response of other people to the car - fabulous! The response has been universally positive, from all ages.

SOOOooooo true: When you walk away and then the car actually calls you back, literally, you just have to turn and look

Racer X-8

coming from a guy with ONE HECKOVA NICE RX-7!

maybRx8

OK, it is going to be very hard not to get this car after reading all of this. just about evrything mentioned here i have observed on my dads M3. How many other 30k cars have the same "little things" as a 60k car. I am going in for a test drive tomorrow and am very excited. So long as I continue making straight A's, this car will be mine come june. Thanks again. My image of this car was really waning on the collness factor until I read this. You guys may have made all the difference in my selection of a car!!

bobclevenger

Keep up those grades! Once you take the test drive it will seem like a LONG time 'til June!

Hey, Mazda ought to hire us!

Seriously, it's a great car. Yes, the seats are what made me deside for an RX8 over a G35. My Mercedes C230k had seats that made my back hurt!

Pete

The windows, and the option of making your front displays red or white.

Racer X-8

The overhead light for the front passenger is not distracting at all for the driver - it's like indirect lighting, the ligt bulb is recessed & doesn't wipe-out your peripheral vision. Very nice when you have a wife or significant other that seems to always want a light on.

maybRx8

I just got back from the test drive, and all I have to say is OH MY GOD. That was an amazing car. It was right about on the same level as the M3. almost. It's gonna be a long six or seven months.

Rotary Nut

I thought you could not change the lighting. If you can how do you do it?

8_wannabe

He's talking about the dash lighting, when your headlights are on you can make it dim or bright and it changes color.

Reeko

I love the detail of this car.
I Really love the red dashboard at night, feel like I'm in an airplane cockpit.

One of my favorite things is the fact that the passenger can't see the speedo. (Although my wife is getting better at judging when I am speeding over time).

eccles

Rotate the dash dimmer all the way up past the click, and the lighting changes to bright white. This is designed for folks who drive with their headlights on during the day, or in poor visibility - I find it too bright to use at night.

Speed-ER doc

The center separator that keeps the kids from fighting (as much) in the back seat.

The extra backseat legroom (no complaints or knees in my back).

The comfortable driving position without having to put my seat all the way back (a first for me).

The shoulder room (front and back).

The cool backseat windows.

Sexy nav voice.

Mazdaspeed spoiler (wish I had gotten one - still might replace mine.

Makes me think I'm in a Mercielago.

Speed-ER doc

Oh yeah. The anticipation you get the last hour of work knowing you are about to get to drive home (and looking forward to the drive as much as getting to go home).

I know, this is the first time for me to experience this little thing, but I know it is going to continue for a long time.

Only 37 minutes left!

Elara

Noticed something else last night- my spoiler does a nice job of blocking SUV and truck headlights that get up behind me. Some of those suckers are so bright even the autodim doesn't help. But the spoiler was quite good at it.

shift_zoom8

Finally something positive on the forum. I hope IkeWRX and RX7FD3 don't find this place.

I love how the settings (e.g., clock, radio, climate control, and ambient temperature) are all on the same horizontal strip high up on the center console where they can be easily checked with a glance.

I live in Los Angeles and I also really like, with regard to the climate controls, that the Air Flow selections (i.e., middle circle, round button with "mode" written) seem to work perfectly for me even while the Fan Control **** (circle on the left) is kept off to save energy and gas, whether the weather is cold or hot. When it's 90+ degrees Fahrenheit (as it was a few times in the past four weeks I've had my RX8), with the Temp Control **** (circle on the right) all the way to the left on the blue side, I like to have the Air Flow selector allowing passive air flow to the head only (I know I know but I drove an economy car for 10 years without AC). When it's not so hot in the late afternoon, I'll adjust the Air Flow to allow passive air flow to the feet and head, which seems to cut down on overall air flow. It recently got cold here and I was pleasantly surprised to find, with the Temp Control **** all the way to the right on the red side, that there's a passive setting that's comfortable for every level of cold weather I've had to face SO FAR. Again, when it's pretty cold at night (around 45 degrees), I like to have the Air Flow allow air to the head only. When it's just a little cold, I have the Air Flow direct air to the feet and head. I never seem to have to power up on the Fan Control ****, which I had to do often with my old Honda Civic to find the perfect setting. This might mean little to most people, but I think it's pretty darn neat.

PaddyUK

This has been a great read for someone counting down the weeks until the car arrives...

So a comment by someone who is yet to sit in his car; I really love the support around the world - by owner clubs, forums, enthusiasts and the press that helped me make my final decision and build the anticipation. Sometimes you all so annoy me though - you have your cars and I don't...!

I endeavour to return here soon and post some of the physical aspects of the car that I enjoy from personal experience!

RXATE

I like that the car is exciting to drive even slow. Feel like you're moving fast when slow and slow when moving fast. At 160kph you never feel that you can't react to everything.

Racer X-8

pg. 6-37 of the manual states...

"Illuminated Entry System
When the illuminated entry system operates, the overhead light (switch is in the DOOR position) and the courtesy lights turn on for:
• About 30 seconds after the driver’s door is unlocked and the ignition key is removed.
• About 15 seconds after all doors are closed.
• About 15 seconds after the key is removed from the ignition with all doors closed.
The light also turns off when:
• The ignition switch is turned to the ON position and all doors are closed.
• The driver’s door is locked.

NOTE
If any door is left opened, the light goes out after about 5 minutes. The light turns on again when the ignition switch is turned to the ON position, or when any door is opened after all doors have been closed."

I've found dead batteries after a weekend of interior lights being on, draining the battery due to a door not being completely closed. Twice recently, actually, with my MX-6. It won't happen with the 8 though...

BTW, this illuminated entry system rocks, just for the way the lights work anyway! I love the way the lights fade on & off!

rx8pilot

one thing I noticed that no one mentioned..(probably because none of you know this yet..) is that your rx-8 actually senses when you gun it a and AUTOMATICALLY turns off the a/c pully for a couple of seconds and then turns it back on to aid in full throttle acceleration.. this is why you haven't noticed a loss in power even with it on... rockin' it with the a/c...zoom zoom!

shaun

8_wannabe

How true. I thought of this decades ago, driving 4-bangers that could use the boost in power. I always envisioned "clutched a/c" would be a good thing, but now look at us gripe about cycling a/c. I think this is the root cause of it. Perhaps it is still a good idea and Mazda made it just a bit too sensitive.

8_wannabe

Here's another. I like how the settings for fan and temp are backlit around the ****, but on the **** itself the line pointing at the setting is backlit so you can easily see in the dark what the **** is pointing at. I've had crappy cars in the past where, in the dark, you can't see what setting you've selected. The only way to tell is by feel, like turn it all the way down, then back up, to guess how high you've set it. Truly a little thing, but very useful. I've had my car since July but only noticed this now 'cause in San Diego this week was the first time I've had to use the heater!

8_wannabe

Husker and Zoom44, on pages 8 and 9 of this thread, listed gobs of stuff they've been able to load into the '8. What a deal: A sports car and you can still carry lots of junk. Yesterday I loaded a 19" CRT -- very bulky -- into the back seat, and strapped it in with the seat belt. Can't do this on any other sports car I know of. Had a walker in there once when my wife had a broken leg. Speaking of broken legs, if you have a pax with a big leg cast, sit 'em in the rear seat and they can prop their leg up on the center console. It's very comfortable and medically correct, and won't interfere with your shifting if they're not beanpoles. I put a pillow there to cushion her leg.

So what else of significance have y'all been able to carry around in an '8?

Q121825

This thread has been an eye opener! I have a 100+ mile daily commute (round trip) and want something nice, fast and nimble (to get away from the SUVs & trucks). Anyone reading this putting that kind of mileage on an 8?

After two test drives and reading this, I'm settled on getting one (Blue or Ti) 6MT with the Sports Package (for the Xenon lamps if the BF ever wants to take it out at night). Now to get those financial ducks in a line and my hands on the SPlan PIN...

8_wannabe

ok, guys, let's not start bickering about that on this thread. take it outside. I've owned six different cars over 20 years and never noticed any of them cutting out a/c. rx8pilot, don't be too sensitive about how people come across on this forum. It helps them feel superior whether or not they're right; let 'em have their little victory and move on.

rx8pilot

you're right 8wannabe...i guess I should expect that some people can type faster than they can think. btw...i just put clear corners on and replaced all the interior bulbs (except the map lights) with blue bulbs...it really goes well with the backlit blue gauge cluster when you first get in and out....looks amazing..an easy and cheap mod that really does wonders for the interior..