09 370Z: 4 stars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/rev...9-nissan-270z/
09 RX-8 R3: 5 stars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/cat...reviews/mazda/

Same author. Screw the 370Z.

 

It's amazing how Nissan and Mazda marketed the Z and 8 to the same demographic, came up with such dramatically different cars in almost every respect, and received radically different receptions depending on country.

On that last point, people are generally extremely fond of the 8 in the U.K., Australia/Mew Zealand, Canada and other parts across the pond.

 

Probably because those countries have less long boring expressways like the interstates here?

 

I'm thinking we can put down reliability problems with the 8 much to 2004 starting factory line fuckups and the rest as service done by monkeys that have no ******* clue what a rotary engine is. And the rest after that is actual faults. People with problems scream louder.

 

My cars on its second engine and tranny. But I got one of the wretched 2004's..

 

my 03 build is just fine at 72K


I am on my second trans however :/

 

Idk know what happened to the first trans and first engine but when I bought the car I had to replace it.. We just all need a nice upgraded transmission so we dont have to worry about it.

 

After owning an RX8 for 4 years I wanted more power so I went out and bought myself another car. It took 3 months and test driving 6 different cars to find one that felt good to me. A real PITA!

You guys know what it's like to drive an 8...you get pretty damn spoiled with the handling if you drive one for long enough...but then one day want more power to go along with it. It's a natural progression...at least it was for me. I would have loved for there to have been another rotary engine available with better performance numbers, but unfortunately there wasn't. It just kind of is what it is right now.

All of you guys make great points from your own perspective...in the end you all love your 8s and want the best for the rotor's future. Those guys at Mazda who get to work on such a special project as the rotary engine love it every bit as much as we do and want to see it succeed just as much too. We need to trust that they will somehow get it done...and I believe they will.

The 8 is a kick *** car fellas. It is an amazing piece of automotive engineering. You guys know this and that's all that matters! Screw the competitors. I look forward to the day I can walk back into a Mazda dealership and buy myself another RX...but for now the best we can do is get out there spread the word.

Long live the Rotor!

 

forced induction ftw...

 

Hanging on to my 2004 and will wait for what Mazda is going to come up with. I am very happy with my 2004 and will keep it maintained no matter what. I experience nothing but joy with it's excellent handling.
Nissan, Pissan mean nothing to me in comparison.
I have not been this happy since I got my first 26" Columbia Bike and my 8 is the same color, Dark Green.........

 

I whipped into the local Nissan delaership tonight to get a lool at the new 370z... . I had almost tried to convince myself from pictures and commercials that I liked the look.

NO. Way to much of a bubble for me, and the interior just felt so small without our sedan like back seats. . I'm sure it's a great performer, but for me, it's a no go--just like the 350 was/is.

Just my personal opinion.

 

Hey------------------------------------------------ I test drove this car. Quik review ready. I was impressed with its speed. Not impressed with its very littel visability. car was very stable at 100mph. But for some reason I still felt safer in my rx8 at high speed then in the 370. but hey its been a while since I felt some good torque lol. oh and the interior is very nice. Oh and handling is very good, but still not a rx8.

 

If you wanna go fast you wanna go EVO. 300s 350s 370s suck

 

Ooohhh... I love the Z4 M Coupe! It's one of the cars that I saw fit to replace the RX-8. That plus the R8.
The 370z will be well received here where hp is king exacerbated by long boring hwy. If it handles better than the 350z, then its final weakness would've been addressed since from pix, the interior seems to be upgraded to the 21st century.

 

Mine is............And have beaten G35, G37, and M3. The RX8 out handled the two infinities. The straights killed the RX8's, so I fixed that problem.

 

Hey, check this... when I saw the 370 Z test track vidz i nearly nutted myself, but just to throw out an opposing opinon... ever since the fall of the FD nissan has absolutely DOMINATED the japanese performance market. <---- period...
Silvia
Skyline
240sx <----- potential not stock
350Z <--------straight line unless you build the suspension then thats a whole new story
370Z<-------- no need for any excuses

Honestly, I'd dump my 8 in a heartbeat for a 6 speed 370... hell, I'd do it for a 350.
Nissan Pwns... Mazda... well, its just a fun car to drive. no offense to anyone but its really sad that we haven't reliably broken the 400 hp range in a SINGLE instance of the renesis engine... Hell my 07 Hyundai Accent had a block that could handle 600... I have respect for ALL vehicles, and Im not a fanboi of any one company...

but nissan never fails to impress me.

 

What in the hell are Germans doing designing Japanese cars! Lol

 

I really do wonder what Mazda is going to do. They'll need a lot of R&D to get the 16X running smoothly for everyday driving.

IF Mazda force feeds the 16X, I would be seriously interested. If not...1.6L is a nice upgrade, but its still tiny. A naturally aspirated 1.6L still won't respond well to mods. Doesn't have to be a ridiculous twin turbo set up like on the FD's, but is 300 bhp out of the box that much to ask for? Again, depends how Mazda does it. If they ring out an amazing number of horses from a tiny naturally aspirated engine, they probably won't hook me. If they have a force fed engine thats not even lifting a finger to produce decent power, hmmm....

 

Well we did get picked as the #4 BEST HANDLING car in the states.

I can live with that.

 

I honestly believe the only reason it didn't bump places with the M3 is that it was under-powered.

IMHO a fair comparison would be to the Z4M...which I own (duh!) and can speak with confidence...it has the power of the E46 M3 with handling attributes very similar to the RX8. A kick *** combination!

Which is precisely the reason why I bought one.

 

I think the fact that it takes over 100HP to gain only a second on the 8 is fair proof that the Z is a fundamentally flawed design for good handling. They've changed the diff, the suspension setup, the tires, the engine over the years, and this is the best they can do?

The Z is a Japanese mustang, and that's all it will ever be. If that's your style, rock on. I prefer finesse and control personally.

 

The faster the 0-60 time the less you get in return for any added hp. A 1 second difference in the 0-60 time is actually pretty big and is a fair speed gain for a 100 hp increase.


I generally agree with that...I am not a fan of the Z's handling either, but i hear it is much improved in this incarnation. I will never know that first hand though as I don't intend on buying a 370z...a japanese "muscle car" is not my style either...

 

eh,

RX8 vs 370Z = 370Z wins.

It is what it is, all the RX8 has over the Z is better 'handling feel' and practicality. THATS IT.

All the Z's numbers are better. However, the RX8 is a niche car where the Z is a jap mustang as Socket said. The RX8 will ALWAYS be more unique and flat out cooler than the Z IMHO.

Despite its 100 horsepower disadvantage.