RX-8 a "Little" Car?
 

At least four or five times now, friends and acquaintances have checked out my hard 8 and remarked, "What a [insert positive adjective] little car." I always reply, "Thanks!" Then I have to add, "but it doesn't seem little to me."

Maybe it's just that compared to my Miata, it seems big. Certainly, next to a big SUV it's relatively small, but compared to most normal passenger cars I hardly think it's small. I like to point out that it's the same size as a Porsche Carrera, but then people often reply that the Carerra is also small. (It's also longer and taller than a C5 Corvette, with a longer wheelbase; and it's almost as wide.)

I haven't been anal enough to go through and compare the RX-8 dimensions to other cars (except the Porsche and C5), and I know there is a subjective component to what one considers large or small, but ...

Does the RX-8 seem small to you? The Carrera? The Corvette? Just curious. They all seem quite substantial to me.

(Not that there's anything wrong with being small. I'm not trying to overcompensate or anything. :D)

It doesn't seem like a small car to me, but my spouse tells me it's small when she's driving behind me in our other car.

i have a z3 now that is a small car...the 8 seems much bigger until you see it against other cars on the road then it looks kind of small. I think one of the reasons is that it sit rather low.

If my memory is correct, the wheelbase of the 8 is the same as the wheelbase of a Toyota Camry. At least that's what I tell people that think the 8 is too small.

I think it looks smaller than it is because of the rounded, flowing lines and the fact that's very "short" (as in not tall -- not short like "short wheelbase").

Coming from an Aztek, this car is positively miniscule, but I was surprised to notice that when I park in my garage, the RX-8 is actually not that much narrower than the Aztek -- though it definitely still seems much shorter (this time I mean versus "long" :) ) than the 'tek.

And being 6'4", having to squat down into the car rather than just "hopping in" to the Aztek is definitely a change I'll need to get used to. :)

...Paul

Sports cars are supposed to be small so they can be nimble. RX8 is about the same size as a Porsche 911. It is just slightly smaller than the new Corvette.

Americans are the fattest people on earth so most of us tend to like bigger cars. Never mind that bigger cars such as SUVs often have less head room/leg room up front than a compact such as a Civic.

The styling definitely portrays an optical illusion! :)
For it to be so large, it _looks_ small!

Go park your RX-8 next to any generation RX-7 sometime and see how small it looks then. It's amazing it is only a couple of hundred pounds heavier and much stiffer.

Man, that has annoyed me from day one! "Have you seen Tommy's little car?" or "Thats a neat little car!" I may be smilin, but inside I wondering what the f they are thinking. Little my arse.

I was following an 8 today, and it does look small compared to the other cars that were on the road. But part of that is an illusion because of the tapering lines of the car.

I remember the famous Italian car designer Georgetto Guigiaro remarking that most American cars always have peaked fenders- this is so they look bigger than they really are in a 3/4 view.

Take a look at most US cars designed in the 60's and 70's, and you'll see exactly what he meant.

Actually, I've seen it parket next to 3rd gens and it looks HUGE!!

Re: RX-8 a "Little" Car?
 

It's just because of the vast numbers of gargantuan SUVs on the road; people are used to larger vehicles. Just tell them it's small on the outside, spacious on the inside!

Why with all the seats in place you can seat at least seven.

The 8's not "little", it's just not obese.

it looks really small, but once you get in, it magically grows more leg room and gets a little longer. Seriously the back seats can be decieving. they look so small but very comfy when you get in. next time someone says your car is little, tell em to get in the back and they'll see its not that little as it appears to be.

I have never had a car with as many comments (all positive) as the RX-8, but little has never been used. The comments come about every other day.

1st Road Trip (girl)

"Wow, nice car"

At the ATM (girl)

"Nice looking car"

At the Gas Station (guy)

"That's the new RX-8, isn't it?

At the Post Office (construction worker dude)

"I dunno what kind of car that is, but it sure looks nice" (I was afraid his next comment might be..."and you sure do have a pretty mouth...")

At the convenience store just this evening (2 guys in a Yukon do a slow drive by)

"Thats the new RX-8, right? "

Next thing I know they are parking the Yukon, getting out and coming over for a closer look, checking out the suicide doors, interior, reminicing about the RX-7...

All this in less than two weeks. It sure does attract a lot of attention, but little is a word I have yet to hear...

I think color plays a part, I dont know about you guys but the darker colors like Black and dark Blue always makes the RX looks small. But Yellow RX just look real big and fat. Maybe because its such a contrast with the surroundings.

What color is yours?

When I hear "little" I say "but size doesn't matter, right?"
:)

"Live large, drive small"
-Car Talk

The 8 is only small compared to all the Excursions and crap that clog the roads today. I think the size is just right for a coupe.

I don't understand why it would bother you if someone said your 8 is small. It's not a large car. It also has no relation to the size of something else you have. :D

im still not seeing what the problem is with the RX8 being a small car. let's see most sports cars are two seaters or 2+2s with small trunks and the only thing with size is the engine compartment and the wheels, why would you want to be big when you want to go fast.

btw im enjoying the smallness, makes tight lane changes a cinch, no fat trunk to make it dangerous. i'm happy that im driving a car with a tight little ass.

Park it next to a Chrysler 300 or a Hummer H2 and tell me it's not little.

My TT may weigh as much as my wife's Outback Wagon but it's still "little".

-Eric

Actually, it's the same length as The E46 BMW. I came from one of these, and its just as hard to get the RX8 into the garage next to the F150 as the BMW was.. But due to its much faster response. it feels a LOT smaller on the road.

Not everyone knows E46 means the current 3-series. This is not the BMW forum. :)

Wow; thanks for all the responses. Mine is red (see my signature), to answer one question.

And to answer two others, it doesn't bother me to have it be "little" (if that's what it is, which I still dispute); I'm just curious whether other people here think it is, indeed, little.