unpocoloco

A rep. from Mazda called me up and asked if I would mind being part of a consumer evaluation of the RX-8. I said SURE! (er - no, I wouldn't mind).

Got this in my e-mail today:



Any suggestions on what to report? Here's something to get started with: name your single favorite thing about the '8 and your least favorite thing. I know there are polls abound about "are you satisfied", "the little things" - but I want just ONE thing of each, that you'd like to see reported to Mazda.

Or, something else you think is worth mentioning.

OR, your thoughts about the feedback survey itself. How many of you also received this invitation?

That should be enough to chew on for now.

ezrider55

Orange peel

Ellar

Favorite thing - They struck the perfect balance between luxury features and sportscar features...in the base model.

Least favorite- Having trouble thinking of something worth putting here. A lot of people broke the console lid immediately, so I guess I'll say "The flimsy console lid"? Mine isn't broken, but that's the only out-and-out flaw that I can think of.

Ooo! Ooo! - The unpredictability of the quality of dealer service from dealer to dealer! I know it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but that's produced the most stress for me as an 8 owner. I had a kid try three times, and still manage to eff up an oil change. Christ - I told everybody, "I'd complain, but then they'd want to touch my car again to try to make it right!"

rodmeister

Hate gas mileage, too little power, ugly rear end, lousy OEM tires, too many rattles and squeeks, dangerous lack of visibility. Love the smooth engine, beautiful front end.

Butch Brown

Least Favorite - 6 Spd GT seat heater switch behind shifter where it is easily switched on accidentally

Go48

Check out "The Little Things" Sticky for ideas.

missinmahseven

Don't change the styling just yet.

Nothign wrong with power or torque, imo. Could always use a li'l more, but it's not deficeint.

Don't change a *thing* in how it rides and drives.

Favorite: Balance of the entire package.

Least Favorite: Uh.. uh.. uh.. aww hell, just refine the PCM firmware to get us a li'l better mileage.. I think (and smell) it runs pig-rich when cold, and fairly rich at low rpm / low load..

Other than that.. don't change a g-damned thing

missinmahseven

Do you even know how to properly set up mirrors, or even how to properly run a hi-revving motor? Sheeesh. Lack of power? Pure bovine excrement. Wind 'er out! You bought 200+ horses, use 'em!

It's got decent visibility. No blind spots if and ONLY if you know how to setup your mirrors. Blind spots are *not* real. This goes for any car except maybe those old 20-foot long land yatchs Detroit used to make.

The fat C-pillar is a minor, minor thing when backing up. Anything fatter than a broomstick will be visible.

Ellar

I'll second not changing the styling. I hope they treat this like the Porsche 911 - it took Porsche almost thirty years to start making major styling changes that ruined the original feel. I'm still not sure if I'm going to do the final payment on my lease, or if I'm going to get an '06. I'd like the '06 to look nearly exactly like my '04 just in case I go that way.

Ellar

The visibility isn't as good as you make it out to be, but yeah, that guy doesn't know how to set up and use mirrors.

The passenger mirror on this car has to be set facing farther out to the right than most cars, I think. Had a couple of near misses until I got that sorted out.

Backing out of a spot in a supermarket parking lot, though, I always feel less aware of my surroundings than I did in my Fiero, which had big-*** "sail panels" right there behind your head on either side. With the 8, the trunk is higher in addition to the side pillars.

I didn't list any of this in my "worst feature" thing because they'd have to change the styling to improve any of it. I'd rather just take my time checking all of my mirrors AND TURNING MY HEAD before backing up.

unpocoloco

I have looked at "The little things" thread (and even mentioned it in my post), but screw the little things! I wanna hear what to report! No, you are right - that thread does have a lot of good ideas. But what specifically do you think Mazda should know about when redesigning the 8 is the question. There may also be things the car doesn't have that it should.

I'd like to see that sunglass holder thing (if that's what it is) near the rear-view mirror be big enough to actually hold my sunglasses. That'd be a nice touch. As it is now, I never use that space for anything. And if it's for trash - well, the very idea of putting trash in my 8!

Also, perhaps a different set of stock tires. Everyone seems to agree that the Potenzas suck for everything but the best of conditions, and even then there are much better tires out there. And having to spend $1,000+ every 15,000 miles on tires to replace 'em? Man, that's a little steep for me. I'm gonna have to sacrifice a little if it comes to that

I am a little intrigued by the convertible (see Multimedia section), but as RotaryGod pointed out I wonder how they are keeping the car safe.

And finally, for what it's worth, I was worried that adding a spoiler might hurt rear visibility, but it actually improved it in a way. Now it is very easy to tell exactly where the car ends :D

unpocoloco

OH yeah - and would it really be so hard to integrate a more accurate oil level sensor so you actually KNOW when you need to add more oil? They've got one for gas. That's an improvement they should make if possible.

MI_FamilyMan

unpocoloco, surely if you are privileged enough to provide Mazda with your feedback on the RX-8 you are going to come up with something better than improving the freakin' sunglass holder!!

My least favorite aspect of this car are the **** people who own them that complain about every little thing. Legitimate gripes I can handle, but a lot of it is just whining... sorry I guess I'm just in a weird mood tonight.

I just plain like the car because of its high "fun-to-drive" quotient. Nuff' said.

joseight

as mentioned earlier, i hate the orange peel. for $30K, i expect the paint to look even.

i dont like all of the plastic on the exterior of the car

i think they should improve the auto trim model (6spd, 238hp engine, etc)

better fuel economy

Ellar

<snip>


That's one of the areas where I'm happy Mazda leaned to the sportscar side rather than the luxury car side. If you want an Infinity G35, buy an Infinity G35...but it's going to be a little steep for you.

unpocoloco

okay, I agree, better to go sporty. I'll take that one back (although, I still think I remember reading about performance tires that are better and about the same price).
MI - yeah, I have to scrape the barrel to find things wrong!

unpocoloco

How's this - how about adding an extra gallon of capacity to the fuel tank, so we can make it an even 300 miles?
Sorry, I'll stop hogging the thread.

Vertigo-1

iTrader: (3)

Favorite single thing: So hard to just pick one, but I guess it would be the balanced package that RX-8 just is, and the way the RX-8 simply feels juuuuuuuuust right when I drive it. I just cannot get over it. If not that though, I just love this car dearly for its looks, balance, and ROTARY ENGINE.

Alot of people complain about torque. Personally, I don't know that I'd even want them to put in any FI to make the ride more agressive. The car just winds up so smoothly and unobtrusively that I miss the Renesis terribly everytime I jump into any other car. If they want to increase HP, at least with the RX-8, I would say jump to 20bs, and keep it NA. Save the FI for the RX-7.

I have absolutely zero complaints about visibility...in fact I think this car has exceptional visibility compared to many other similar sports cars/sports coupes out there, where you're just staring at the hood in a straight line and can't see the ground in front of you. Likewise, I have had no problems with the rear...I agree that you must have the mirrors adjusted properly. I love the wide center rear mirror, it makes seeing across lanes a breeze, followed by a quick check into my sides in case I miss blind spots. The right mirror needs to be adjusted pretty much till you can't see your own car's side.


I guess if I had to pick one major complaint, it'd be gas mileage. Given that the Renesis was touted as being a rotary that would have improved gas mileage, I would've liked to see mileage closer to 20 in the city. But honestly, I don't care that much about mileage any more...for the chance to drive a car powered by a NA rotary, I'll happily dole over $30 a week for gas.

I'm really at the height of loving the rotary, which I feel pretty happy about considering I didn't know beans about rotaries when I got the RX-8. But I definitely understand the sentiment of those that say "if it ain't a rotary, it ain't a proper engine!"

HeelnToe

Just two engineering/design mess-ups:

1) Console lid clip waaaay too fragile

2) Impossible to find the trunk release button by feel (needs some tactile clue)

griffj10

The best thing is definately the styling. While every other manufacturer seems to be using variations on the same design Mazda came out with a car that really gets in your face. It practically screams at you to drive it and drive it fast. Nissans and Beemers all look like a variation of every other model on the show room floor. You have to look twice to see if it was a G35 or an Altima or mayby a Z. Every 3 series BMW looks like every other one until you get close enough to see wheels and badging. You will not confuse the 8 for anything else on the road.

They could expand the Mazda Speed engine accessories and even make them options on new purchases. It would be nice to upgrade your intake or exhaust with Mazda's blessing and no warranty hassles. The Z comes in a variety of different performance levels, the 8 should too. Plus with the new Mustang getting all the press for it's newly found quality and perfomance Mazda will need to upgrade the HP to keep up. A track edition of the 8 would be really sweet. Especially if they could keep it NA while boosting the HP.

fray

iTrader: (1)

More headroom in the sunroof version (1 inch would be enough for me)
Center console clip.. WAY to fragile
Better tactile feel for the trunk release
Move the seat heater control somewhere where I won't "bump it" at much
auto window close (including sunroof) when you lock/arm the car

9G Redline

I like that idea! Very smart.

Go48

Suggested enhancements--not complaints. Upgrade the HVAC to a true climate control system. My 5-year-old 4Runner has it, I believe the European(?) RX-8's have it, so why not add it to the US cars? Also, auto down-and-up for both the drivers and passenger side windows would be nice. Again, my 5-year-old 4Runner has that feature and I find it very useful.

On the positive side, let them know that they have built a fantastic car! Sometimes I feel a bit guilty for having paid so little for so much. Almost anyway. :D :D

MX6_2_RX8

Best - It's just plain fun to drive. It turns heads. . . . .

Worst - 250 Miles between fill ups. I can take the gas mileage but I hate seeing the gague down 1/8 when I get 20 miles away from the station. I need to stop for gas more than any other vehicle I have owned.

patiwood

IMO-the best thing is the looks of the car. I agree with the less exterior plastic suggestion mentioned earlier. The feel and balance is superb! :D

The improvement I would appreciate most is a automatic memory driver seat. Since I am only 5'2" I have to put the seat forward to fully engage the clutch while shifting. I have the steering wheel at the lowest setting. So everytime I get out I have to move the seat back. Then I have to adjust the seat a few times after driving to get it back to my perfect position.

As far as the visibility topic mentioned earlier- since I am so short the mirrors are at my eye level. Especially when manuvering through parking lots, I have to sit up so I can see over them. The left one creates a blind spot for me. I wouldn't call this a complaint. I can live with that so I can drive such a great car!

Patti