HeelnToe

Like many of you, as a car enthusiast, I can quote from memory the 1/4 mile and 0-60 times of most recent cars.

And yet oddly, I knew nothing of the RX-8 when I first drove it.

But driving it was enough to convince me that I wanted it. I had no idea if it was "faster" than other cars, but none of that mattered. All that mattered was the stupid grin that wouldn't go away, although it faded a bit when I had to hand back the keys.

If you constantly worry that the car alongside you at the stoplight can beat you, the 8 may not be the best choice. There are many less expensive cars which are much quicker than an 8. And yes, their owners may laugh and point at you for "wasting your money on such a slow car."

Let them laugh.

Driving pleasure isn't measured by 1/4 miles times, but rather by the knowing, satisfied smile on your face when you're the only car on a twisty, hilly country road on a warm, spring night... moonroof open.. windows down... engine singing from corner to corner...

... and your car becomes your dance partner. Graceful, fluid, smooth...

P.S. I leave to sign the papers for my 8 in one hour. How the heck am I going to stay sane until I get the car???

911SC

I'm kind of late reading this thread but one remark by Jailbreak caught my attention. "The RX8 out corners the 911". Hardly.
RX8:Skidpad=0.88g Slalom=65.4 mph
911:Skidpad=0.91g Slalom=67.6mph
That's the base 911, not any of the GT's.
I know you love your cars, but lets not get carried away!

Rotarian_SC

C&D has .91g for RX8 :p

911SC

I got my info from R&T. Maybe a wus test drove, still, lets not jump to conclusions here.

cortc

I have driven many 911s my last car was a 996; the 8 is a better handling car... Much better in other aspects as well... With the MS suspension and my new wheels and tires I recorded 1.1g last week...

2QT2bSTR8

It may "feel" better to you, but its not a better handling car. The 8 is in B stock, the 911 is in Super Stock for a reason.

The average driver in an rx-8 May be able to outhandle the average driver in a 911, but with two pro or two very good drivers its not a contest.

The rx-8 is a very deceptive car. mazda really knows how to connect the car and the driver...with the rx-8 and even to some extent the miata feel like much better performance than the numbers/reality shows.

VikingDJ

OK, enough already. The truth is whenever a new car comes out people need to find something to criticize about it. Yes, the rx8 is underpowered to it's looks, compared to other sports cars, and to what was expected. Naturally the speed guys will find the rx8 disappointing, which is why they need to keep quiet and buy something else. One thing I wonder though. When Mazda adds serious power to this rx8, and it simply becomes a better vehicle then the ones we own, we we all jump ship, or settle for the lack of power? Me personally, I love my car, but I admit when a better and faster one comes out, I'm jumping ship and trading it in. I was gonna wait and buy an rx8 when it was upgraded, but I couldn't stop myself, and I certainly am glad I got it. For a first year car, the rx8 is simply amazing, and it's only going to get better.

93rdcurrent

I will just upgrade my current vehicle. If the MS turbo doesn't hit the market by next summer then I am going aftermarket. I want between 350-400 hp. Then I will be satisfied with my 8. Well maybe.

911SC

Don't get me wrong I'm not knocking the 8. I think it's a great deal. But some of you need to get a grip on reality. It's not the fastest or best handling car out there, for it's price I think they did a fine job, but come on down to earth.
BTY, C&D also somehow got 18mpg in city driving, and we know how many of you have even come close to that. (Smiley face here).
And Cortc, we're talking stock, changing suspension, tires and wheels will make just about any car handle better.

Reeko

About the 18mpg. I regularly redline my car through 1st and 2nd driving backroads with lots of stop and go. I typically get around 16 and 17 (seems like the mpg goes up somewhat with warmer ave temps for me). That is driving hard, where I never shift below 5K, normally around 7-8K, and only run at 3KRPMs once I have reached my cruising speed. I can easily see them getting 18 if they keep shifts below 4K, but what fun is that

AMRAAM4

Sorry to jump in late as well, but Celica GT-S/Type R/RSX Type S are fast cars??? Not quite.

And I call BS on that 14.8 Celica.

kcruboy

The Evo and STI are not "economy cars" ... unlike the rx-8, they are high - performance monsters capable of doing exactly what they were designed to do: haul azz, handle, and brake like much more expensive sports cars. All this while also being pretty practical and having 4 doors.

Sure the rx-8 may have a more comfortable, luxurious interior, but the car was designed this way as part of its overall theme of comfort and sportiness. The Evo and STI are no holds barred, ultimate performance for around $30k. Juss like sumone mentioned about the rx-8 and its lack of power, if you don't want to make sum sacrifices in terms of comfort to get one of these bad boys, then buy sumthin more comfortable like a bmw 3 series.

Seriously, I can't stand when sumone tries to dog on one of these sweeet cars out of envy b/c their own car is slow.

2QT2bSTR8

They are based on economy cars. Just like the dodge neon SRT. Let me guess, the SRT 4 is not an economy car either.

LOL funny. Why would I "ENVY" an evo or sti when I could have bought one? I said from the beginning the performance is exceptional. With the STI or EVO you are paying for the power and performance, but you get a cheap looking, boring looking, cheaply built car.

Im stating a fact and it has nothing to do with the rx-8 being "slow".

Todd Green

all of this bull crap is just preference... one guy likes the EVO, one like the 8... big deal... but lemme say this... i would bet 1000 dollars that if you asked 50 girls age 18-30 which one they would like better ........ the 8!!! ill do my 15 second 1/4 mile with 3 honeys right there with me ... ZOOM ZOOM!!!

Ike

The Impreza has never really been considered an economy car, it's never gotten great gas mileage and it's never been that economical, and I don't know of many other AWD economy cars.
Yes, you guessed it, the SRT-4 isn't an economy car either it's a sport compact and is very capable on a track or at the strip and has little in common with the Neon other than the shell, and the same goes for the EVO. They may resemble their lower priced counterparts but that's about as far as the similarities go. The have more in common with the rally cars they were inspired by than the base models you seem to think they were inspired by. The whole reason those cars exist in their current form is because of the rules set forth by the FIAA.

The only fact you state in your entire argument is that you could have bought one, you didn't because in your opinion the 8 was a better car. There are plenty of people out there that like the looks and build quality of the EVO and STi, and I think the STi interior is quite nice and well layed out. The EVO's interior isn't anything special to look at but I'll take a nice set of Recaro's and a well laid out interior feel over a bunch of pretty ***** and cheesy rotary accents any day.

klegg

Wow, we finally disagree on something again! The neon is an economy car, not matter what engine you stuff in it....there is really not a lot of room to argue that point.

And I like my cheesy rotary symbols...

2QT2bSTR8

Again,

You are missing the point. The EVO, STI and SRT at the MINIMUM are BASED on economy cars. Its a fact. If you want to say they are a souped up version of the economy car, so be it.

and one more time, I'm not bashing the EVO or the STI. If you read into what I was saying, my point is you get what you pay for. The STI and EVO cost about the same as the rx-8, you give up the quality/uniqueness, build quality and sporty feel. You gain serious performance and power.

chief8

Celica the best handling front wheel drive car? Your kidding right? I owned a 2000 Celica GTS and have owned many front wheel drive cars and believe me, the Celica is not the best.

Outlaws eXtreme

Besides, how many girls would say... "OHhh look at that guy drive that great Celica." hahahhaa

AMRAAM4

To stray off on another path..what kills me is that Toyota actually keeps the POS Celica around!! Why?? Why?? Bring back the Supra and get rid of that gheyblade 2 door joke. Not that I am a big Toyota supporter but here's a memo for them

Dear Toyota,

You have NO performance car in your lineup. No, the Celica is not a performance car. You need to bring the Supra back....like as of last year. You must like selling Camry's and weak pickups.

Ike

I don't think Toyota is all that upset about their position in the autoworld... I think they do like selling "Camry's and weak pickups" which may be a better option than being a susidiary of Ford, GM, or some other automotive giant.

Ike

Uniqueness? There are about tops 5,000 of the STi and EVO produced for the US each year, while Mazda wants to see 30k RX-8s hit the streets per year. So an EVO or STi doesn't have a sporty feel now, yet they are far faster and are some of the best handling cars on the road. Also, last I checked Subaru has better reliability ratings as a company than Mazda in just about every major publication year after year, yet they're not quality compared to the RX-8?

By the way, you're reeling, not long ago you stated that they were economy cars, so now they're just based on Economy cars?







Chief8, it may not be the best but it's certainly one of. The only FWD cars that could give it a run for it's money is an ITR or a Mini.

Ike

Then maybe we have different definitions of economy cars. Seems that first and foremost an economy car should be economical which usually means a car is very inexpensive to own (I.E. good gas mileage), at least that makes sense to me for some strange reason. Car mags don't consider them economy cars, insurance companies don't, the EPA doesn't, but yeah, you're right, there's no room for me to argue...

WRX8Titan

I have a video featuring the creator/designer of the current model Impreza when it first debuted. According to him, the WRX STi is not a souped up base Impreza. The STi version was developed before the lesser Impreza models. The standard WRX and other non-turbo models are detuned versions of the STi.

The Lancer Evo on the other hand IS a modified Lancer chassis with different parts.

Finally, the STi and Evo do not lack a sporty feel ... at all.