Just in case someone at Mazda is listening...the #1 feature I'd like to see in the RX-8 is a head-up display (HUD) with speed and tach readouts, as in the C6 Corvette. The beep as you near the redline is the next best thing, but a HUD would make it possible to keep an eye constantly on engine speed even as you navigate a twisty road.

How many of you have even driven a car with a HUD? Before I did, I'd written it off as a useless gimmick. Although the numbers are projected onto the windshield, they appear to be floating somewhere over the nose of the car, so you don't need to refocus at all to look at the readings and at the road. Unfortunately, most of the ones out there don't include a tach, which I would want even more than a speedo.

I allow $325 in my price comparisons based on the lowest amount that has been charged for such systems (Buick Park Avenue). But these don't have a tach. BMW charges $1,000, but that's BMW's option pricing for you. My best guess is that a HUD with a tach would cost $350-500. Let's figure the high end, $500.

So, would anyone be willing to spend this?

 

what ever happened to just listening to the engine???

 

For me at least this doesn't work so well with the rotary. Too damn smooth. When I'm accelerating through a long uphill turn and the engine's over 8000, my ear cannot tell me if I'm at 8500 or 8800 or 9000. And I don't want to take my eyes off the road to check.

Now the rented 2004 V6 Mustang convertible I drove on the PCH last year--my ears told me I had to shift the slushbox by 3500 or it just might blow a gasket.

 

I'd spring for it. My previous car had it and like you I thought it was a useless gimmick. But driving without it, I now realize how much I had come to depend on it (most specifically, operating the sound system without having to look away).

 

What did you have? Pontiac of some sort? In that case no tach. I'd like a tach up there in just about anything I drive. Just more proof of GM's ability to fumble the ball on the five yard line. Once the HUD is there, it couldn't cost more than a few bucks to include the tach. Similarly, Lexus and then VW got everyone all excited with fancy instrument displays. GM might have countered by putting the HUD in more cars, as it renders the regular instruments somewhat obsolete, but did not.

Similarly, Honda put a lot of effort into the S2000's instruments. But a HUD would be a natural in that car. (Though my ear does work pretty well with the VTEC.)

I've never owned a car with a HUD, just test driven them. Hadn't thought about using it when changing radio stations, partly because I generally use my presets. But now that you mention it it makes perfect sense.

 

I'd spring for it... sounds like it could be useful. But it should have an OFF button just in case I don't want to see it for some reason.

 

All the ones I've seen have off buttons. Also usually a button to adjust the height, though I couldn't find one in the BMW 545i, and thus couldn't see the bottom half of the display.

 

Im dubious about the added value. It takes only a fraction of a second to glance at the instruments. But I rarely need to as I know the engine pitch and dont really even need a tach at all.

 

It would be usefull when firing missiles at opponents.

 

I had it on my Pontiac GTP. Loved it! Actually made me pay a bit more attention to the road as your eyes are always facing forward.......plus you can get your wife or g/f to lean over real close to you to see what you see!!!

 

A HUD would be cool... especially if I can get a feed from sCANalyser into it... so you can display what you want (e.g. AFR, fuel economy, open vs closed loop etc)

 

^^ I'd like that

 

I'd be all for it.

 

so you cant see it at an angle?

it makes me think they would save money by replacing the whole tach/speed panel by one projector with all the data .. which is coming free anyways as all cars have some sort of computer in them by now

 

I'd pay... for them to take it OUT. Before I bought my shinka, I test drove a corvette, which had the HUD, and I HATED it. I had it on for all of 5 minutes before I decided I hated it and turned it off. I found it distracting, I'd spend more time looking at the display than at the road. And I found it hard to read, no matter which format I put it in (although that could, I suppose, just be a misfeature of that *particular* HUD). And I agree with valpac, the fraction of a second to look at the dash is no great imposition.

 

Dupa, Yeah, you cannot see it unless you are almost ***** on straight up....You can see the radio stations, tach and speedo, plus if you have your hibeams on...

 

kinda like the voice on my nav system. she was cute for that long. more glitz than function.

 

I'd rather have the instrument cluster replaced with a color LCD screen, that was user configurable as to what type, locations, and styles of instruments were displayed.

 

My Corvette C6 has one. I find it entertaining. It has 3 modes - street and 2 track modes. In the street mode you have digital speedo, tach, one selectable guage, plus turn signals, and radio/CD status. In the track modes you have a G-meter. So far, my best is .91G on an on-ramp.

 

Yes I would be interested in buying it. Particularly if it was coupled with a FLIR (forward looking infrared) system to inhance night visibility.

 

I think it would be a great idea and if they can't do a tack, even a bar graph would be better than nothing, sort of like on some of the race car displays. Of course the Audi R8 LEDs would be pretty cool, once you see red, you shift, they could put that somewhere in the line of sight that would not be distracting.

 

Thanks, buys. As moderately expensive options go this is a high take rate. Then again, forum members might not be representative of the average RX-8 buyer, and people who aren't interested are also less likely to click on the link.

I should probably test this using my site. I could add "head-up display" to the list of features available on the car as an experiment, and see how many people request it.