I just returned from a trip. Avis provided the distinct displeasure of spending a week with a Chevy Malibu Classic. Not the new Malibu built on the same chassis with the new Saab, the "classic" which shares its chassis with the Cavalier.

Aside from the dreadful ergonomics and performance, how do people drive those things as their daily drivers? The steering is ponderous and the brakes are weak. Driving over 65mph was downright scary.

Glad to be home and behind the wheel of the 8 again.

 

Oh definately!

I was at the Mercedes Love Tour and got to drive everything from the E320 to the SL500. After driving those cars in all types of conditions from wet to straight line acceleration in all types of corners, all I could think to myself is, this POS costs this much? Such some of the stuff is pretty nice but for the "performance" cars, (supposedly coupes and all), they don't feel sporty at all. In the Rx8, I could make the same corner going faster with more confidence and not worrying about suddenly having my rear end breaking free. And braking's on those heavy things aren't even close. They're definately not worth the money cept for the brand name.

 

I recently spent a week vacation driving a rental Grand-Am, it made me really appreciate my 8 when I got back in it. The handling in the Grand-Am was awful, it felt like the front tires were hydroplaning at 60 MPH on dry pavement, hardly any road feel at all. The seat was terrible, no lower back support at all, I could barely stand up after a 190 mile trip. The acceleration was so/so when I got back in my 8 when we returned from vacation it felt like it was rocket boosted

 

Those cars are for people that just want something to get to work and home,not for people that enjoy driving like us!....i drive my girlfriends 2001 civic lx sedan a lot and today i was doing about 40 and decided to do some agressive driving,just to test its limits.At 40,i switched lanes fast and sudden and almost lost control.The body roll had me all over the place ,makes you appreciate the 8 a little more.

 

Mazda gave me a Taurus rental car for my recent warranty work, and at the first left turn I almost pushed the right front into the curb! I am so used to having the back end get around and push my nose where it should be. Hideous car; the horror...the horror. Oh, except the A/C was very good.

 

I was babysitting my niece the other night and she let me drive her playschool
trycicle. Man, the steering was slushy, not to mention the brakes - THERE ARE
NO BRAKES! I flipped it twice!

 

My mustang has **** for brakes. The tires skid because there is no ABS, and the car has so much body roll you'd think I was on an amusement park ride. There is no air bags, and the seat belts barely work. Add to it that the car is a convertable with no roll bar, and I definately feel safer in my RX-8.

 

So, why do you keep the 'stang?

 

I use it for grocery shopping, and doing stuff like transporting tile and bricks for the house.

Plus it gives my wife something to drive, since she doesn't drive stick. I'd get her a Mazda3 or something, but we're looking at a house right now.

 

I have a problem in that my wife keeps taking the 8 and leaving me here BMW. She says it's more fun to drive and it really stands out.

....I hate beeing stuck with the beemer.

 

Wonder how the RX-8 squares up to the RX-7, STI and Lancer.

 

I agree, towards the end of my ownership of a Mustang convertible, I hadn't realized just how loose that car was. I had always maintained it, and never abused it and it was never accidented. But after rx8 test drive and jumping back into the car, the difference was night and day.
Our winter car is a 2002 Maxima SE. The car has about 22,000 km and even that car feels vague and floaty compared to 8.
The car's surefootedness rivals some of the best cars out there.

 

How was the low torque?

 

For the last 6 weeks I was stuck driving a Toyota Prius while my car was being repaired. It was impossible to hit 40 MPH on a interstate on-ramp because the front pushed so bad. I loathed driving that thing because it drove like an appliance.

 

Once thing I'm most worried about with my Rx8 is that it spoils me so much that I won't know what car to get.. right now there's basically no other good options out there that fits what I want. Although the Lotus Elise may be a good option.

 

For me, it's the transitions either way (RX-8 -> renta-boat, renta-boat -> RX-8) that are the worst. Hitting the bakes in a renta-boat and seeing the back of the car in front approaching waaaay too fast is a scary thing as is getting back in the RX-8 and standing it on it's nose the first time you stop. The RX-8 has such responsive handling, braking, steering that it makes almost anything else feel like a blob of jello.

My RX-8 and I are coming up on our first year anniversary and I still can't wait to go out and drive it! Red line, red line!

 

Well, replacing my 1.3 Liter Rotary niece with a 6.0 Liter V8 (me) --- there was actually too much torque. I kept spinning the tire :D

 

I think its real sports cars and not only the RX-8 that makes other cars feel un-safe. I felt the same way in my s2k after driving rentals, and even more so than my 8.... Imagine driving a 911 coming from a rental.....

 

I had this terrible Mitsubishi renta-boat once and I started to wonder why any manufacturer could build something that performed so badly. Surely it's possible to build a small, cheap car that handles and performs safely? The depressing conclusion was that they optimize for low cost not driver satisfaction. In a market where cost is everything, there's incentive to economize on brakes and shock absorbers and noise insulation at the expense of an engaging driving experience. So it's not that a cheap car can't perform safely and engagingly, it's that there's little incentive to do so. My first car, a 1967 Mini was cheap, heavy, slow and you were lucky to hit 80mph, but it was an absolute blast to drive because of how it handled. Way more handling than power. Cheap and good are possible combinations. It's just a shame that for the most part car manufacturers, particularly in the U.S., aren't focused on the attributes that people, who enjoy driving for the sake of it, care about.

I've read reviews of some high end sports cars where the reviewers have talked of "white knuckle" driving experiences because the cars are optimized for track use and don't perform well in the real world of uneven road surfaces. I think there's a fine balance between power and handling that few cars get just right. My Integra was almost perfect, it didn't have enough power to embarrass the handling and you could drive it at 9/10ths and enjoy knowing that you were right at the edge of the performance envelope. The RX-8 is so much more capable than that car, but it also is in the sweet spot. I remember driving a friend's race prepped 911. Spun it going into the first street corner at speeds that a Ford Focus would happily handle. Of course, the fault was mine, I backed off the gas as things started to go sideways. I learned a big lesson but I can't say, despite the shattering performance that I enjoyed the drive.

 

I had to drive a Grand Am when my 8 was getting it's 10k service- never again. I'll just hitchhike to work next time. Imprecise steering, no road feedback, crappy brakes, and bad seats. Yuck.

I've been driving my husband's 325i today- and as much as I like the car, it now feels like a big heavy, german car. Great once you get it going, but heavy and ponderous until you're moving, and it kinda throws you around the driver's seat in the curves. Not to mention the clutch is hideously short, and the shift **** now feels about 3 ft too long. I feel like I'm getting a workout every time I drive it. Can't wait to get home to my baby. Was trying to give her a break for a few days because the BMW gets better mileage, but I don't think I can stand this much longer.

 

Even my girlfriend laughs at me when I drive my lil' accord. Was trying to get on ramp and a car was next to me, I go and try to gun it. All I felt was the car struggling and the rev taking minutes to get past 2500 rpm. By the time I reached "warp" speed, the outback already passed me by like 5 car lengths. Yay! And to make it fun, steering wheel wobbling like a washing machine.....mmmmm, front wheel drive power!

Al

 

I had the displeasure of driving a Dodge stratus when my 8 was in for the recalls... It was only one day, but omg, it was like driving a couch.

My old protege was 10 times the drive that thing is. Yeah I loved getting back to my 8, I felt much much safer and in control.

 

I don't think one can compare a sport car to a daily car. Used to have an old Firebird, so not much power and weak brakes. The handling was so-so. But, it was stable (wide body) and predictable (rear drive) in curves at least (not like the RX-8, don't worry :o)) The time I rented a Dodge Stratus and drove it in the twisties of VT, the rear went faster than the front and I totaled it in a guard rail. Sure I shold have gone slower, I just forgot for a moment that I was not in a sport car any more. Now I treat the two types of cars VERY different, to say the least. Especially front wheel drive cars.
RX-8 rules, even with AT

 

i have a lancer evolution and that car can out turn the 8 and it cost the same almost

 

My 993 (convertable) can out perform my 8 in almost everything, but it has no side curtain airbags or feel remotely as safe.

You don't seem to get the point of this thread