Xyntax

It is about almost the same size as the carrera or 911 for which I park next too everyday. I don't choose to park there, but everytime I come in for work, that spot is always available and is closest to the elevator.

Seenitall

Biimer5-right

jtimbck2

I knew -- I used to own a 2000 328i I didn't know the E46 and the RX-8 were the same length though!

Caecil

The RX-8 is smaller than my previous car, MX-6, but it looks much larger than a lot of European cars over here. I guess you Americans are used to bigger cars.

guy321

Size doesn't Matter!! Almost all the women on the "So you want to be a pornstar" pay perview special said so..

Seriously it's pretty big actually, it's jsut that automakers have been making vehicles "obese" (as someone put it).

Racer X-8

Really? I know my MX-6 roof line is not as high as the RX-8. As for the length & width, hmmm... I'll have to compare again to be sure... darn close going by memory... (Not that it really matters all that much though, you just got me wondering...)

Xystas

Most definately sir....
I wish all the cars here in the U.S. were small, sleek and compact... I hate SUV's, full size trucks, minivans and big cars... When I lived in Europe for 5 years, it was great how most vehicles, vans and trucks were small... I love the size of the RX8... just wish I shared the road with more of them...

Seenitall

jtimbck2-do you regret going toRX8 ? I almost bought a new 330i before I got my 8. I am happy with my choice. How about you?

rx8miami

My firend just bought an 03' M3 convertible. You wanna see small check his out. The back seats are non-existant and the front two are barely comparable to the 8's in comfort.

WinningBlue

Ever notice that the 8 appears "smaller" from the rear view? Just don't call it "Cute"! I hate that!

RX-8Dad

interior wise its smaller than the last car I owned. But its an 8, so... I love it when people ask me what kind of car I drive, The look on there faces doesn't usually say "isn't that kind of small?"

mikeb

no one has called my rx8 little
most of the time they don't even know what it is or what a rotary is

SpacerX

The references to the dimensions of the 911 are interesting. IIRC, Mazda's design objective for the RX8 was to fit within the 911's "envelope" and see how efficiently they could use the volume.

I know of very few other cars, in general, and NO sportscars, specifically, which make a better use of interior volume. Mazda certainly raised the bar for "integration" of design elements in one product. Small overall packaging coupled with a long wheelbase is just the start...

kbull

It's SMALL!! When I go to work, I fold it up and put it in my pocket! So small I can actually pull that move off where I drive under bigrigs! Parking is never a problem!

No, not really. In fact, I've never heard of anyone commenting on it's size, or lack thereof, either. Think of it this way- would you park it in a spot labelled "compact"?

BIMMER5&RX8

Those parking spots are also known as the door ding zone. Hey come to think of it, there is something good about every else buying the big a*s SUVs. A lot of places, such as my local Costco, now have those parking spaces big enough to accomadate the big SUVs. I can always use those for the 8 to avoid door dings.

kbull

Exactly.

maxwell72764

When someone says my Miata is 'little', I just tell them that I don't have to compensate for anything.

bluesunlion

I'm also coming from a Miata, so the 8 feels huge. I wouldn't be offended if someone called my car little. It's small enough to handle, and big enough to fit my needs.

6speed8

At 174 inches in length the RX-8 is small compared to say a Camry which is 186 inches. My 2000 Celica was 170 inches, but an adult could not sit in the backseat comfortably. My 99 protege was 174 inches, and that car is considered a compact. A BMW 325 is 176 inches, A Porsche 911 is 174.5 inches, so the RX-8 is in great company - size wise - Oh yeah, the new C6 Corvette will be 174.6 inches.

Brandon

I think it's blessedly little. It has a sort of "pudgy" look to it if you are looking at it from any back angle, but they managed to minimize that by rounding all the corners. Overall, it doesn't look big to me at all and it feels quite small while driving it. I bought it as a sports car and sports cars are supposed to be small. The fact that it has a decent back seat is an added bonus but I would've been disappointed if the extra interior room had to come at the expense of weight and length. As it is, it's about perfect.

northern-8

Luckily up here in Montreal, people on average drive smaller car than in the US, maybe it's a french/european kind of thing.

So my 8 isn't compared to Nimitz Class SUV's very often.

Personally, it think the size of the 8 is perfect. It is slightly larger than the old 91' Integra that it replaced, but has much more passenger room.

And if someone ever calls it little, well they can just get in their Expedition and lumber away and hope they don't need to change lanes or panic stop. I'll just pass then upside-down in a ditch somewhere!

Yanje

luv the size of the 8, one world to describe the size.... perfect
hehe, a few older ppl complained about the lack of room at the back.... but i guess they never been in a sports coupe b4. coz its one of the roomiest (is that a word?) coupe i know of.

BigWorm

have to agree with that one...the 8 is just the right size..not too small and not too big...just perfect!

Titanium190

It's because US cars are so damn big! Nothing more, nothing less. If you were to come over to Scotland (or anywhere else in Europe for that matter) then you'd see the RX-8 as a longish, low sports coupe, rather than an Audi TT, which is a small car.

Put it this way - in the UK a focus sedan (saloon here) is considered to be a reasonably sized sedan (if you ever see one... they don't sell many by the looks of things) - in the US it's a compact. It's essentially all about context.