hey im finally gonna get a car within the next 2 months and RX-8 has been at the top of my list for the longest time until i read a thread about poor quality? How is the leather, the overall build, sound quality (premium package) etc? i remember i read that the center console feels incredibly cheap and the AC vents are fake? In comparison to cars like TSX or A4 does it fall short? Thanks for any responses.
oh yah i also read that the navigation sucks **** =\ T or F

 

Regarding nav... see the Interior/Audio section... there is even a sticky thread on it.

 

thx

 

personally, in my 8, i've found the build quality to be quite high. no rattles or squeaks at all. the plastic used for parts of the interior scratches easy, but it still is solid, and looks nice. don't have leather, so i can't comment. same with the bose, although a lot of people on the forum are less than impressed with the premium sound.

with the standard audio, its nice and clear, and the radio has good reception, but the low end was lacking. last weekend i installed a sub and since then i've been very happy with the radio. the sub filled out the frequency range nicely.

as for the center console, it doesn't feel cheap (IMO), but the tracks that the center console slides open on could stand a redesign. several people here have had to have theirs replaced because the tracks broke. mine hasn't broken, but it has gotten pushed off the tracks twice. the solution to this is simple, don't put all your weight on it, and if you do lean on it (i do about 90% of the time), just don't put any lateral pressure on it.

ac vents fake? umm....huh? some people have complained about the a/c no blowing cold enough. mine works superbly. i typically have to end up turning the a/c down because its gotten too cold. i think mazda has a redesigned a/c that they swap in for people that have a problem. who knows, the new a/c might even be used in the 06 model.

the only thing that i can think of that people think are fake are the vents on the outside, right behind the front wheels. and these vents are 100% completely functional. the are vents for the oil coolers. well, i guess i should qualify this in that both vents are function for the M/T 8. on the auto 8s, one one is functional, but it would look silly with only 1 vent.

 

The nav is ok..at times it lags. There is a new update nav tec cd out there without it the nav is about 90% effective. For example today, couldnt locate my friend's apt. Its a apartment bulit in late 2003 and i have the 03 nav software

 

I recommend that you read The Little Things thread. Enjoy and good luck.

 

thx for the responses

 

When it comes to overall quality, I think that the RX-8 is comparable to the TSX and the A4. As far as interior quality specifically, I think that Audi in general is hard to beat at this price range. In my opinion the TSX and the RX8 are tied in second place when it comes to interior quality, but I personally like the interior of the TSX the best out of these three.

When I was last shopping for a car, about 1.5 years ago, I was comparing the RX-8 with those two plus a few others. I test drove the 8 last, and I realized within a couple of blocks of driving it that it was a completely different beast. The decision for me then was based on whether I wanted a nice vehicle to drive to work everyday (TSX, A4) or a sports car (RX-8). At first I thought I wasn't ready for a sports car, but after I went back and drove the other two again, each felt to me as if I was driving a Toyota Avalon. After deliberating for a couple of weeks, I went with the RX-8.

My commute has recently doubled, and the amount of stop-and-go traffic that I have to deal with has increased as well. So I was thinking of getting something that was more fuel efficient and with a no-clutch-pedal manual transmission (DSG, SMG etc.). So I went and test drove the new Audi A3 with the "sports" package and DSG, because it has a lot of good reviews. The A3 is a fantastic car, but it doesn’t even come close to feeling as sporty as the RX-8 does. I kept asking the sales guy "does this have the spots suspension?", and he kept saying "yes." I didn’t even bother driving the heavier A4 this time around.

I'm saying all this, because for me, driving the RX-8 has been an experience that goes beyond build quality, leather etc. (factors that used to matter much more to me before buying the RX-8). I feel the car is extremely well built and it drives amazingly, but in my opinion, it’s not a car for every one.

 

thanx T-REX, im sort of in the perdicament that you were in 1.5 years ago i guess. TSX, TL, A4, RX-8, etc are all my choices (i would include g35 but my brother has one so thats out of the question). thanks for the responses, i guess i have to test drive it myself to see if its right for me.

 

other than a bum engine, the car has been great. Everything works well and nothing has broken. The replacement engine has been great with better mileage than the first one.

 

Actually I think the audio quality of the Bose system is quite impressive. I am not a big fan of the "huge" speaker systems some people put in their car.s The bose system has 9 speakers including a center speaker and pushes about 300 watts. It hurts my ears to turn it up past 25 so I see no need for an upgrade in the audio. The only problem I have actually run into was that the speakers are rattling the hell out of my door panels which is a bit annoying.

 

Other than a lack of headroom (I'm 6'3"), I'm very happy with my 8. I've had it for 5 months, and I always look forward to getting into it. Here are my thoughts on several things you asked about:

1) Leather: I like the leather. It doesn't look as good as leather in some other cars. However, it's comfortable and durable. At first I thought the seats pinched my hips a little, but now I'm used to it, and actually think the seats are better than most other cars. The seats cradle the driver very well.

2) Overall build quality: Very good. The seams are perfect, nothing has broken, and the car feels solid. I get some rattles on occasion, but they generally only occur at certain temperatures, and don't last for long.

3) Sound quality: I think the bose stereo is great. It's one of the best I've ever had. There is plenty of base, plenty of volume, and the highs are crisp.

4) Center console: I think the center console is just fine. I don't know why someone would say it was cheap.

5) AC vents: I love the AC vents. They are solid and work very well. I can't imagine why anyone would dislike them.

6) Navigation: It doesn't suck, but it's not the best either. I use it a lot, and it gets me to where I need to go. However, the maps are 2-3 years out of date. Navteq claims that new maps will be released this summer, but there is much doubt about that in this forum. Also, the maps don't contain a lot of businesses. For example, they don't contain "Circuit City", "Best Buy", or "Fry's Electronics". It seems like the maps just contain businesses for categories like restaurants, gas stations, banks, etc. This is disappointing. Otherwise the nav system is pretty good. It seems to be more accurate than the nav system in my Nissan.