AJC

I read in some car mag yesterday - they said the RX-8 would not offer an auto trans until 2005 or later. That's bull!

RotaryJay

A performance car shouldn't have an auto transmission.... it defeats the purpose!

Grimace

Which magazine was it?

I prefer to row my own gears myself, but for those who don't they might like to pick up a copy.

zoom44

and as has been stated before, there are some people with injuries or dissabilities that can't use the manual.

RotaryJay

Sorry... didn't mean to be insensitive.

In my experience people usually want an auto transmission because they find it too hard to drive and eat their McDonalds when having to shift gears (or something as idiotic as that).

Either that, or they're too lazy to learn.

boowana

Not true. Tehre will be an automatic version but maybe not the kind some people prefer, that is with paddles on the wheel.

zoom44

boowanna sory to be dense but do you mean there will be paddles on the wheel or won't be?

rotarynews.com

I'd heard that the renesis was blowing up the torque converter in the test cars, so they had to de-tune it to something like 230, on autos only...

I hadn't really paid any attention to any rumors for the auto, since I've never cared for them.

Now, about people with dissabilities, there are a few alternatives out there.

I spent a day at the track with Juan and All Hands Racing ... For parapelegic sports car owners who want real performance, this is a fairly good answer.

red_base 95

I remember when the Miata was first released, a 5 speed was the only tranny available. Also, only 3 exterior colors (red, white and blue) and 1 interior color (black).

I believe the 2nd year saw the first auto trans and a new color (silver).

Regardless, those individuals who refuse to learn to drive a modern manual transmission are fools. They are very easy to drive, and you could still stall it; but they require you to pay more attention to what you're doing versus driving an automatic. For those who choose automatic because of heavy stop & go traffic, a manual is not that much more work, and should yield better mileage. Or even better, find a new way to work, with twisties.

TheLaw

There are people with such severe disabilities that they can't drive cars at all. Should we make cars for them? Should we make cars for blind people? A sports car is not for everyone. There are other cars in the market for people who MUST have an automatic transmission. They don't have to have the RX-8. We are WAY too PC a society to change our entire way of living to help a few invalids get the sports car of their dreams. Life sucks, let's not make it suck for all of us.

Grimace

Whoa there big guy.

Just because the RX-8 will have an auto tranny option, doesn't mean anyone is taking away the manual transmission for the rest of us...

Sputnik

I would stop short of calling someone a fool if they don't want to learn to drive a stick. Too timid, too lazy? Maybe. With certain people. But just because I'd prefer a stick to an automatic in certain car doesn't mean that I'm going to become a "snob" about it. Just like I'm not going to be a snob about the fact that I have a turbo Miata, yet others prefer an SC or even normally aspirated. Each has their good points (yes, even an NA), and who are we to say that someone is a fool because they prefer something different? There are plenty of people out there who consider us "fools" because they don't consider a four-seater a true sports car, and they don't consider a rotary engine a practical or viable power plant.

Quote:

...For those who choose automatic because of heavy stop & go traffic, a manual is not that much more work...

That's a judgement call. For some people, a stiff suspension is not much less uncomfortable for the amount of performance it provides, while it is a deal-breaker for others. For some people, they'd rather put up with some work in traffic, so that they'd have more fun in the twisties. While others would rather have a car where they can sit back and cruise, without having to row a boat. I wouldn't call it lazy, I'd call it a choice. I mean, do you use remote controls for your TV/stereo, or do you get up an walk to your TV and change the channels? Is it because you're lazy, or because it's just easier?

Personally, there are cars that I'd rather have an automatic on. My Pontiac Grand Prix was purchased as a city/freeway car. It was a cushy-cushy car with leather, heated seats, power everything, remote start with the alarm, stereo with steering wheel controls, HUD (very usefull, actually), you name it. I would have chosen an automatic with it if it was even available with a stick, because it was meant as the "sit back and relax" car.

BACK ON SUBJECT: I would be surprised if Mazda couldn't put together an automatic for this engine (it is not a torque-monster for heaven's sake, and it is torque that trannies live and die by) in two years. Sure, it took Lexus another six months to get the manual for their IS300, and I wouldn't be too surprised if Mazda took another year before releasing the automatic. I wonder if the magazine may have been referring to a "tiptronic" version of an automatic, or even a true SMT. I would look back to a recent example: the Toyota MR2 Spyder, where they initially intended to offer the SMT with the initial offering of the Spyder, but had to develop it further, some 18 mos if I'm not mistaken, before offering it.

---jps

zoom44

to thelaw
there isn't a person on this forum that has to have the rx-8. you don't have to have it. making an automatic available to people who want it or need it doesn't change anything about the car that you choose to purchase. nor will it change your entire way of living. its your attitude that sucks and is making this conversation suck.

natev

That b/c his (Law's) attitude is that of a complete and utter teenage idiot. He makes me and few others here absolutely want to vomit.

fasdude

On behalf of the physically challenged everywhere, Thanks Zoom for the consideration you've shown us by acknowledging that we exist, and might want to buy a sports car too.

Good Link Rotarynews. I used to only drive a stick because I loved the control and the increased acceleration. I miss those days and never thought I would ever get them back. I will email that guy about the hand controls for manual transmissions. If it actually works without being cumbersome, I may just buy a set. I've done 217km/h(135mph) in my stock Acura Integra on flat strait-a-ways but find it hard to challenge myself on a set of twisties because I can only have one hand on the steering wheel and have very little balance (a seperate issue which seems to have been addressed with the "wraparound seats" of the RX8).

PatrickB

Someone else posted to these forums a while back that the RX-8 would be great for him, because the suicide doors would make it much easier for him to get his wheelchair into the backseat than in a normal 4-door car. Of course, he needed an auto tranny so that he could use his other hand for brake/accel.
Personally, I think that's *cool*.

-Patrick

Toadman

Last we heard there will be an automatic. It was to be de-tuned to about 190hp, because it's difficult to find a transmission and torque converter that can handle 9,000rpm.

TheLaw

Actually making an auto transmission WILL hurt manual sales. It costs MILLIONS of dollars to make a specific transmission for a car. So when new auto-manual transmissions are put in cars, for people who REFUSE to learn to use manuals, then a company makes a monetary decision and cuts out manuals for the rest of us. That's my point. Honda to this day refuses to make seat belt tensioners for enormously fat people, because it would cost them millions, and arguably an enormously fat person driving is in an unsafe position no matter what in a crash. Car companies take into consideration what the public wants. If the public wants safe cars for everyone because everyone is a PC fairy, then we might as well all ride bubble cars with chairlifts for public transportation. The point of a sports car is for no compromises.

As to natev, after trying to grasp his confusing diatribe because of his lack of grammar skills, I think you meant to put the word "a" before the word "few". Otherwise your sentence means that only you and very few people cannot stand me.

Quick_lude

Here is my 2 cents on this.. Every car or product out there has a market. Imo it's up to the manufacturer of the product to choose if they want to make their product accessible/usable to a minority market, in this case people with disabilities. I don't think any company should be forced to make such products just to be pc. If they choose to do so taking into consideration the extra costs and design, great. As long as the extra costs are transferred to the buyer of such specially designed vehicle and not to me.

Same reasoning should be applied to automatics.. and usually is because automatic transmissions cost more than manual vehicles.

Rich

Do you really think that Mazda will "cut out manuals" in the RX-8? Even the 626 gets a manual transmission with all trim levels! I don't think this is even a remote possibility.


That's why the RX-8 seats 4 adults, has A/C, a CD player, etc.
I've seriously thought about getting an Elise when they finally show up in the U.S. because I agree that the fewer compromises a sports car has, the better. However, the RX-8 isn't built to compete with the Elise, or any other no-compromises sports car. There are plenty of other compromises in the RX-8, and I don't see an auto as that much worse than wasting valuable weight on back seats.

Didn't you already get warned in a different thread about insulting people? Please, both of you, keep it civil. If you think someone's an idiot, just let it slide. If they are, everyone else already knows it. If they're not, you'll just make people think you're the idiot.

As for the automatic option, I think it's good they're going to offer an auto. I would never buy one, I even hate automatics in traffic jams. Both of my other Mazdas are 5-speeds. However, the RX-8 needs to succeed (i.e. sell well) to keep the rotary alive, and there are plenty of people that don't know how to/don't want to/can't drive a car with a clutch. If an automatic helps sales, fantastic! If the auto isn't available for the first year, I have no problem with that. Often the manual transmission is the toughest to get in a car like this, so people who like manuals are already used to waiting months to get one. Those who want an automatic can wait this time.

Hercules

Well, assuming they make it a manual-only transmission, they should also make it more SPORTY. Nobody is going to buy an everyday car in stick, if they don't intend to have some fun with the bloody thing.

So give it a stiffer suspension, I don't mind the ride... and let the handling improve. Hell, if it's stick.. everybody that buys it will appreciate it.

Rich

Not true. My everyday Miata is a manual, and my even more mundane V6 626 is a manual also.

I don't think there's any chance that it won't be sporty.

zoom44

actually my wife's truck is a stick and so was the handa accord i got rid of recently. both of those are everyday cars that we don'tr race or autox. we just drive them

Hercules

Yes but again.... we are talking about a 250hp car versus a ... 130?

Stickshift in cheaper cars (like my dad has an old Nissan Sentra and a BMW 325, both stick). His Sentra is his commuter car, gives him almost 40MPG since it's stick

Quick_lude

So once again we are talking about how this car will be marketed and whom will it be aimed at. Seeing as it has 4 usable seats and an average sized trunk this car can/should be marketed to multiple end users. Of course Mazda would have to make different versions of the car, maybe an R version which is more sporty with a manual tranny and a more luxrurious, "softer" version with auto option for others.