AutoWeek Reviewer Picks 350 over RX8???
 

In the 7/18 issue, in todays mail - Driver's Log Section.

Reviewing a Jun 17 - Jul 1 stint in their fleet, 2005 Nisssan 350Z 35th Anniversary Edition 350Z, authored by "Wong":

As a rotary enthusiast, it sort of hurts to say I would take this over the Mazda RX-8. The 350Z gets better gas mileage, and you won't have to deal with the Renesis headaches we had with our long-term RX-8.

Damn - what's up with this???

he's just being honest, their long-term RX-8 did have some problems :(

Wong Idea I guess :)

He must not truly be a rotary enthusiast, if he could not figure out how to tune and train his Renesis into the car it was meant to be.

Didn’t they complain of the amount of oil they consumed? Sounds like they got an early VIN, then just abused it before it was properly broken in. If they were to drive my car today, it would put grins on their faces.

yeah i think they mentioned they consumed A CASE (that's 12 bottles) of oil within a very short period of time :eek:

Fuk him. It's just one goof's opinion.

I'm on the opposite of the scale; I wouldnt care if it got 40 mpg and never needed oil or any other kind of maintenance, I'd never ever never pick a z over the 8.

that's probably because everyone at the magazine that drives it just hops in and and floors it everywhere. you redline on everyshift, everytime you take it out, its going to consume oil faster than "normal".

one goof's opinion that is read by millions of impressionable subscribers :(

indeed. I used a full quart IN 2 DAYS over a weekend :eek:

granted I was doing track days that weekend, the car pretty much never goes below 6000rpm while on track, for 2 days! so yeah your point well taken :D

You have to floor the car to get its power, something you don't have to do in a Z. I believe Autoweek wrote in an earlier update that it's a performance car, expect it to be driven as one. Just goes to show, compared with the Z, to get the same performance out of the 8, you have to rev the hell out of it. The same people who complain that drivers don't know how to drive an 8 (you have to keep the revs up), now complain when a reviewer does just that and reveals one of the cars shortcomings.

yeah, but power wasn't one of the reasons given as to why the Z was prefered over the 8. its been a while since i read one of the earlier long term reviews, but i don't think that power output was one of their issues with the renesis.

Id be surprised if that birdcage-liner has millions of subscribers.

Not power per se, but oil consumption was one of their earlier gripes, and the amount of oil burned is directly related to how hard one drives the car. So maybe it's not power, but it's definitely how to get to that power that's come under fire, i.e., drive it like you stole it. The important thing to hope for is that, since Mazda made a performance car that must be reved hard to get to its power, they also made it reliable enough to be driven like that regularly. No one wants to find out that at 60 to 75 thousand miles that the Renesis starts going. I'm already reading about engine mounts going. That's another reason that torque beasts like the Mustang do well, they don't have to be dogged out to get their power, just a little tap. Autoweeks' driver prefferred the Z over the 8 because they drove the hell out of their 8 and it suffered for it. As much as people talk about the Zs lack of quality, let's wait and see which car, in the long run, has a better long term report, by that I mean 5 years 75+ thousand miles later.

Hmmm...I'd like to read where it 'suffered' since I just read the wrap up and there's no mention of it. If 'bad' gas mileage=suffering, then there are a lot of suffering cars out there.

We shall see. Judging by the number of owners that wrote in to autoweek about multiple replaced trannies, lemon law evokings, and 'I'll-never-buy-another-nissan' rants, it will likely be about the same as the 8. :rolleyes:

Does what he says make any difference to you on why you bought your car and how you feel about it now? Do other people's opinions matter that much to you? Maybe you should have bought a BMW 3 series for the same price. It would impress more people who get stuck on what other people think.

Triue, Shaolin, but, the AutoWeek reviewer adds some pause for thought (and credibility) to unknowing readers, by prefacing his negative remarks by claiming to be a "rotary enthusiast". Traitor.

Here is the whole review (short): Re the 350Z:

"This car rocks. Iwas lucky enough to get a good amount of time behind the wheel and I am impressed. As a rotary enthusiast, it sort of hurts to say I would take this over the Mazda RX-8. The 350 Z gets better gas mileage, and you won't have to deal with the Renesis headaches we had with our long-term RX8. This is a perfect cruiser for around town as well as freeway blasts. And how about those brakes? Brembos from the factory is a dream come true. I have also grown fond of the exterior styling that initially didn't really do it for me. Now, if Nissan would only come out with a slimmed-out version, I would be totally sold."

The as-tested price of this 350Z was $36,750

Looks like somebody's a little fuckin sensitive over there.

I know many people that prefer the 350z over the RX-8. Bet that'd piss you off even more eh?

Little boy, save that bullshit for somebody else. I was addressing the OP and saying he shouldn't care about one high-school-paper reject's opinion.

And no, sorry to let you down but saying you know people who want the little nissan doesn't mean shit to me, but it sounds like it tears you up. :rolleyes:

hmm I could be wrong but I believe you qualify for asshole status for your reply

Same problem
 

Ya, I do the same thing on track days, or racing. :) Man, I don't know. You mean it goes below 65K? :eek: Who knew. :confused: That extra $2.25 for that quart of oil may just break the bank. :rolleyes:

My car never seems to eat up oil... Its only the mileage problem. Here's my opinion

the Mazda RX-8 is magnificent. Such a comfortable drive and gets looks as well. :D Good enough for me.

Ah, shall be all cry the blues
 

The RX8 is a sports car, not a economy car want-a-be. As for power and high revs, try dividing the rev by 3 and that is the engine RPM. It seems that the revolutionary and unique that requires a modified perspective is beyond the ability of a few. :rolleyes:

That’s OK. That leaves only those who truly appreciate the rotary engine. For a so called slow car, it seems to be doing rather well in SCCA. The US import version may need a little help overcoming the detuning required by the US import police, but that is the fun of it all. ;)

So let the ignorant wine and cry about the mileage and the oil consumption. In the end the 8 will come out on top in the hands of the those who know and appreciate what they have.

The RX8 provides tuning and customizing possibilities few cars provide. Those who expect it to be done by the factory for import to the US for the sales price are in fantasy land. For the rest of us, the RX8 provides a world of possibilities. :cool:

the thing that i personally like about the 8, is it makes a great daily driver, and is a blast to drive. one of the gripes about the 350z is that the ride quality is so harse and stiff that it beats you up and wears you out to achieve its handling abilities. the 8 is able to replicate (if not beat) the same amount of handling in manner that is actually comfortable. it walks a thin line between comfort and handling, and it does it extremely well.

also, the z does make a good amount more horsepower and a ish ton more torque, but it isn't all that much faster than the 8. what do the car magazines rate the z at? 0-60 in 5.2? 5.4? not all that much faster for than the 5.8 put up by the magazines. and for real world driving where people don't abuse their cars to get the absolute fastest times, low 5s to 6 is what the z gets. not that much faster than the 8 and its low to mid 6s.

Yeah, but think about the fact that Z's can break 13s stock. Most of us are barely breaking 14s.

meh. if i wanted a 13 second car, i would have bought a ws6 firebird.

it's been said a million times before, i'll reapeat it now: the rx-8 is not a 2 door! there's been at least 2 comparos between the 8 and g35, and the 8 came out on top. no doubt 350z has more power. i test drove one before i got mine. personally, i like revving to 9000 rpm, it kind of acts as a panacea for all the doubts about the 8.

If you compare the 8 and the G35 for the same criteria that they did in this article the G35 would probably win there too. The fact of the matter has very little to do with performance, because all three cars are great in their own way. The reviewers had issues with the 8’s upkeep and maintenance, and quite frankly their right.

I have to be honest and say that my 8 was in the shop way to often for a brand new car. Some of the repairs were knit picky, and some were serious, but all of them were factory/design defects. If solid reliability is your goal, the 8 is not your car. It’s an entirely new design ground up, and with that is going to come some serious problems. The Z on the other hand has been around a little longer, and many of the cars components can be found in several of Nissan’s other cars. I wouldn’t see this as a kick in the face, but instead a shot of Mazda’s bow to improve the car.

As for the oil, I never much cared about changing it, but I would bet I’m in the minority on that topic. A lot of people like to start their cars and forget about them, you have to be a real enthusiast to want to keep up with the 8's demands. Again don’t take it as an insult, the issue actually exist, and some people are going to complain.

Also keep in mind that the 8 usually wins when the 3 cars are compared for performance alone.

for those that don't actually have read the article yourself, the Z they tested ain't the garden variety Z, it's the 30th Anniversary 350Z, with a 300hp engine and highly tuned suspension, and that fancy yellow paint :D

i have a feeling this thing can and have outhandled a stock 8 :D

It's too bad Autoweek got a bad '8'. My car has been a dream so far (almost 40,000 miles on it). [knock wood] I've had no problems and it does not consume much oil. I've averaged 22.70 mpg those 40,000 miles. And I love it.

The 350z is a great car, too. But it's ugly as sin, IMHO. ;)

I don't know why people are surprised. Whether or not you want a Z or an 8 really depends on your own preference. The 8 has won comparisons between the Z and the 8. But I've also seen the other way around where the Z has won a couple comparos to the 8.

The Z has more power, has arguably better limits for handling, less worries (no flooding and extra oil consumption), and reliability seems to be better than the 8. The 8 is more communicative, has 2 more seats, and handles quite a bit better for the average driver. Seems to me there's a trade off.

It's awfully silly to get worked up over one guy's preference. You might say "hey, they should have both point of views on there then!" But I've seen countless reviews that picked the 8 over other cars without a second opinion supporting the other car.

as long as the z has those god-awful door handles, the 8 will always own..nuf said :D

It's just as overrated as the garden variety z. In R&T's comparison, it was the slowest (5.6 to 60, slower than even the 225 hp Z4), the worst handling (19 inch wheels, and it slalomed slower than ALL, including the last 8 tested), and had the worst gas mileage (14.4 mpg) except for the 8 cylinder Vette and 10 cyl Viper. And they have the nerve to ask $38,7 for this? No thanks; two thumbs down.

You will love this car if it doesn't give you any headaches.. same goes for us members. It's too bad Autoweek got a bad 8. I'm pretty sure it was the first model year out compared to the 2nd year (?) Z car that they were comparing it to.

Wow, amazing this is one guys view, and everyone jumps up and screams he is a moron, idiot, jerk, etc... Get over it, this is the reason everyone does not drive the same car. Is this persons article gonna make you dislike your car more than yesterday?

Welcome to the wonderful world of internet forums. Here you can talk bad about anyone's momma but don't you dare say a thing about mine. You just have to sit back and shake you head a little.

werd

Mine has been a blast to drive, a dream to own, and mileage... well, I just consider that the "price of entry" -- well worth it. How crazy is this: I get 14 mpg for the short commutes I take during the week, but get it out for a long trip, and I'll pull 24mpg -- while averaging 85+ mph... It loves to run!

I did not like driving the Z. That doesn't mean others won't...

I think the car mags have to be politically correct. Don't forget, all these car companies do advertise. In general, they try to say nice things about all the cars they review. If I recall, when the 8 was first introduced, a lot of reviewers picked it over the 350z, g35, s2000, etc... It was only a matter of time before the 350 garnered some reviewer favor. Hopefully Mazda will upgrade the 8 in successive generations and the opinion will swing the other way.

"as a driving enthusaist....." blah blah blah

his reason for choosing the Z is gas mileage?

Most "Driving Enthusiasts" don't give two shits about gas mileage

Ya I with you there
 

For me when it comes to MPG if asked. My answer is, I don't know and I don't care. All I care about is ZOOM-ZOOM. :D

Well someone was going to give me a Viper, but it gets lousy gas mileage and has quirks. So, no thanks. Back to my job as editor at autoweek. :-)

My choices were the 8 or the Z-I chose the 8 'cause I can take my girlfriend, my amp,cab,and 2 guitars to a gig and rock my heart out(and earn a few bucks). This I can't do with the Z. My friend has a Z-excellent car and a great performance value-will never dis the Z...still prefer the 8 for its balance and communication, and the chicks love it...no regrets...and besides, I like adding oil-gives me a chance to fondle my 8 :D