Test Drive - Impressions
 

I'm looking to buy a car in the next couple of months. My requirements are:
1. Fun to drive
2. Should seat the family (wife and 11 year old); preferable 4dr.
3. Reasonable comfort on bumpy roads.

I just went out and test drove the RX-8 and the G35. Based on what I've read, the three possibilities were the RX-8, G35 and TL across the spectrum from Sports to Luxury. I started with the RX-8 and stopped at the G35 because it already felt as far removed from sports as I wanted to go. As a reference, I used to drive a Sentra SE-R, which was a blast to drive, and I currently own a Sonata (!!!) which is a very comfortable car on the highway, but a dog on windy roads.

I though the RX-8 was fantastic - great road grip, great brakes, and best of all that engine. It's a little difficult keeping track of the speed with the little digital speedo, and it was funny that I kept finding myself at 5k-6k rpm and not feeling what would be high revs for another car. Everything in the car felt tight and put together well. The G35 in comparison was somewhere between the RX-8 and the Sonata. There was a huge difference when I went from the RX-8 to the Sonata, but not such a big difference when I went from the G35 to the Sonata.

The only problem I had with the RX-8 was I bumped my head on the little metal loop that the door latches onto when getting into the back seat. The back seat is a little cramped, but should be enough.

One thing that I wonder now, but didn't check then: Has anyone here shut the front door and then the back? Is it possible to cause damage doing that? I'm thinking of the possibility of an absent-minded kid doing that!

By the way, I test drove it at John Hine Mazda in San Diego. The sales guy (Antonio) was courteous, knowledgable and not too pushy. He told me that the car should be warmed up. I asked him if that was because of flooding and he went, "Uh ... uh ... what do you mean?" So I asked him if it had to be warmed up to prevent it from flooding and he said he hadn't heard about that!

I loved what I read on this forum over the past couple of months. Now I'm hooked!

You caught the bug too, eh? Tell me though ,how is the Sonata like the G35?

As for the salesguy falsely pleading ignorance, I and others have faced the same nonsense before, even from the "nice" salespeople.

You cannot close the front door and then the back door. I did try accidentally a couple of times. No damge was done.

Yes, I sure did. I found myself checking inventory even though we decided I'd buy the car after a few months. After driving it today, I have to work on my sales pitch when I get home!

I didn't say they were similar. I said, "There was a huge difference when I went from the RX-8 to the Sonata, but not such a big difference when I went from the G35 to the Sonata." Everyone who tells me how bad the Sonata is hasn't driven it. But let's not discuss that here ...

Cool.. I did the same comparison before settling on the 8.. The G35 was fine, until I asked the salesman to find us some curvy roads.. And that was the end of that...

:)

Is the A4 too far out of bounds?

That was in a distant 2nd place for me.

It was in the running a while back, but I like the G35 more than the A4. It somehow didn't impress me when I drove it. And given VW/Audi's reliability or lack thereof ...

Hm... no problems with VW reliability. I had a Golf that did 140K miles (1.3 L engine) without ever breaking down or other engine problems and my wife's Passat was trouble-free in the last 6 years we had it.
Audis are great cars. the A4 is a fine piece of machinery, but IMO it's kinda expensive for what it is (I'm talking about the 3.0 L quattro - that's the one I test-drove).

If you don't like the G35 on windy roads I don't think you're going to like the A4 much. The 3.0 is a great car (and the 1.8T is also extremely reliable) but the stock suspension is a little soft for my tastes. You might want to take a 325i for a test drive though. It's tough to beat the feel of a straight six and even though the 2.5 only puts out 184 horses, the car is geared to feel much more powerful. If you can spend the extra on the 330i, I'd also look at that. BMW's 3.0 liter engine is a dream. Boths cars handle extremely well through tight curves even without the sports package.

For me the question is sedan vs. pseudo-coupe-trying-to-avoid-being-a-sedan-sedan. I'm definitely leaning towards the latter...but then again I always prefer unique over every day. :)

-Eric

The RX8 is a great family car.

So, how did it go?

I was kidding. The plan was to buy the new car in the next few months. I'm so hooked now, that'll probably be the next month or two ...

There is a Mazda dealer not far from where I work but absolutely will not test drive the RX-8 untill I have some of my bills paid off.

What about the TL?.....I'd check that and the Infiniti G35 sedan if I was going for a Sedan!

I drove the G35 sedan and liked the RX-8 more (see the first post in the thread). I initially considered the TL as well, but I've ruled it out since I drove the RX-8. I made the mistake that Slickvic is trying to avoid - and now I want the car NOW! I even know which dealers have cars with the options I want ... pragmatism is seriously intefering with my life!

haha rx8_or_ i found myself in the same situation..i planned on waiting about 6 months but when i went to the dealership i had to have in right then and there...unfortunately i needed a cosigner so im waiting until my pops is ready to do it.( by the end of the month) good luck.

LOL, smart man

Test drive the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Its 10X sportier than the 8.

Good for you dude!

Yes, faster, but stye-wise - an uninspired box.

Oh, that's right. I forgot styling is important for performance and/or practicality. Nevermind the kids being more comfortable and ease of getting in and out of the car. Nevermind the added safety of all-wheel-drive. Nevermind the extra passenger and cargo room.
Coming from an SE-R I would think the Evolution would be the next logical car.

Never mind the hideous running costs, short servicing intervals, nasty ride quality for normal driving.

AWD isnt actualy safer in 90% of situations either, its actuly less safe (add weigth and increases braking distance).

Looks like a pig struck with the ugly stick too.

The Lancer will outbrake the 8. I was referring to driving in the elements when I mentioned the all-wheel-drive. The Lancer probably has better crash test ratings. Looks are subjective.

Geez, if all you want is practicality, get a mini-van.
And I don't really think that you can compare the boring box of the Lancer to the sensuously sculpted lines of the RX. Yes, the Lancer is a very fast car; it was one I thought of getting along with the RX. But after driving the RX8, the Lancer was uninspired to me. Pure speed, but not beautiful.
I had an extremely close call on I-5, driving in the fast lane about 85, (not speeding, just keeping up with the rest of LA traffic) when some doofus next to me decided to change lanes into the side of my car. I immediately had to swerve hard over onto the shoulder of the road, felt the car slightly buck and then recover to drive straight ahead. I was able to get back on the road. The car behind me had almost stopped because I'm sure they were worried they were seeing disaster unfold before their eyes.
I have no doubt that had I been driving most any other vehicle, without the 50-50 weight distribution of the RX8, braking and steering of this car, I would have been toast. This was serious, and I was shaking.
Different strokes for different folks. If you like the EVO drive it. But it isn't as pretty as the RX8.

I have test driven the RX-8 twice now and I like it more and more as a replacement for my '02 E46 M3 Coupe. The RX-8 is definitely smaller than my M3, but the rear access, decent handling, and 1/2 the car payment are hard to pass !