aperng

just got my issue yesterday and they had an article of the G35c 6mt vs RX-8 6mt.

great write up, the G35c won in acceleration (5.9 vs 6.1 to 60 and 14.4 at 100.6 vs 14.6 at 95.6 or so) and .92g on skidpad vs .89g. the RX-8 had better slalom 68.4 vs 66.7. the RX-8 had better stopping by a couple feet from 60 (110 vs our 112).

anyway, the RX-8 came in first because of the better gearbox and price and brakes, ride, handling. the g35c had better performance numbers and won in acceleration, fuel economy, exterior styling (lost on interior styling tho).

final score G - 573 points out of 600, RX-8 - 585.2 points out of 600.

enjoy.

-2003 G35 coupe 6MT, premium package, aero, navigation

tRiX8

{grinning}

MTLbroker

They are just confirming what we have known for a l..oo..oooo...ng time.

StphNieuw

_____________________________________

Yeah but it makes you happy to hear it again, again and again. :D

Hard 8

That was extremely cool of you to post, aperng. I love my red RX-8 but I still lust after the G35 Coupe. When I went to test-drive one, the Infiniti salesman was a real ***** about it.

He had only one manual transmission model and it was on the showroom floor. He kept telling me how great it was, in this weird, mocking tone. They didn't let me drive it, and they wanted like $36,000 for it, since it had all the options, including the sport package.

Only two things about it (besides the salesman and price) put me off: (1) the headroom in back was really bad, and (2) I wasn't crazy about the interior.

But, damn, that is one beautiful car, with a terrific engine. I absolutely love the exhaust note. I still have serious regrets about not having one, but it's just not the right car for me right now. (Too many gorgeous cars; too little time and money.)

RX-Hachi

That makes 3 out of 3 wins in the big 3 US auto mags:

Car & Driver: 1st RX-8, 2nd G35c, 3rd Mustang Cobra
Motor Trend: 1st RX-8, 2nd 350z, 3rd S2000
Road & Track : 1st RX-8, 2nd G35c

The RX-8 has also been very consistent with its 0-60 times:

- Car & Driver, R&T, and Motorweek all got 5.9 secs in '03 tests.
- Motor Trend got 6 secs in its '04 test
- R&T got 6.1 secs in its latest '04 test.

Times for the 1/4 mi. have also been very consistent in the mid 14.5 range for all mags. So all these ECU changes (K, L, M etc.) have had little effect on the performance numbers.

Hard 8

Thanks for that neat summary.

I suspect that in the real world, the G35 and 350Z would spank the RX-8 a lot harder on acceleration tests, than the 0-60 and 1/4 mile numbers would imply. Most people, including me, just aren't willing to dump the clutch at 6 or 7 grand on their cars, and that's what it seems to take in the RX-8 (or S2000). By contrast, the Nissans have a lot of grunt down low, so at a stoplight they're going to leave us in the dust. (Not that I suggest racing from stoplights or anything.)

Racer X-8

Yeah, way cool for you to post this, aperng. We like your car too.

superjcp

Very cool post. I was actually debating on buying a black fully loaded 6M G35 before I decided to get the RX-8. I still love the G-35....cause it looks are sleek....and decieving....cause that mother is fast...and the brembo brakes on the high end model are a nice addition.

But. I am VERY happy with my RX-8......I was able to get my 8 on the S-Plan.....and that helped lower the price.....there are no incentives or anything to get the G-35. So I could have gotten the G-35 I wanted....(fully loaded with Nav and manual tranny)...but it would have cost me 7000 dollars more after TT&L....over what I paid total for my 8. No regrets....I love both cars....its great that they are both "4 seaters"....cause it certainly helps out the insurance rates...which conversely kept me away from the 350Z, Crossfire, S2000, Z4, Audi TT Quattro, etc......

once again, great post! Go 8!!!

rx-7~rx-8

Just imagine what RX-8 would be if it had 30 more horsepower from the factory with was naturally aspirated... man RX-8 would really then OWN the road... eventhough its not extremely fast it stil does... :D

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

considering that the last NA rotary made only 160hp, i'd say a 78hp power increase WITHOUT BOOST (and WAY better emissions!) is a MAJOR improvement for this engine!!!!

it's only a matter of time before a NA 2 rotor 300hp motor shows up... gotta have faith!

boothguy

I don't have the article in front of me, but I was astounded at the way the guy who preferred the G35 glossed-over the rear seat headroom issue. This was a glaring problem for me and put the G35 into the "no way" column on my shopping list.

I re-visited the back seat in my 8 this morning for a refresher. I'm 6' tall, but with a long torso and short legs. My hair just brushes the headliner when seated in the back, and my legs and feet fit fine with the seat moved forward maybe an inch-and-a-half from the max rearward position.

My recollection of the G35 experience was that there was absolutely no way I could sit with my back against the rear seat, and that being forced to lean well forward, I had to also lean toward the middle of the car to avoid mushing my face into the headrest of the front seat.

Besides the fact the saleman who demoed the G35 to me was a jerk, I had no chance to drive the car on a road that would have really let its fun-to-dirve character shine. So I was shocked to see that the G35 beat the 8 in that category (even though it was with only two people voting).

I'm sure the G35 is a nice car, otherwise Infiniti woldn't be selling any. But for me, the difference was far greater than the narrow spread in the R&T article.

aperng

thanks guys for the nice words. unlike alot of people on the G35 boards, i actually like the RX-8 alot both in style and how the power is generated. people tend to become jerks because they think their car is the best and don't see the qualities other cars have to offer. there are 2 or 3 RX-8 at my company (qualcomm in san diego) and i always check them out (among tons of bmws and mercedes out here in cali).

i read recently that mazda is working on a turbo version of the RX-8 renesis engine for their future (RX-8 or posibly RX-7). there was some talk about the difficulty of it passing emissions and i'm not sure what the HP will be but i suspect even with the 2005 G35 coupe putting out 295 HP, it'll have another great challenger on its hands.

and for those who had difficulty w/ infiniti salesmen, i did too - big time A-holes who don't let you drive the coupe unless they think you are gonna buy. the bmw people let me rip their BMW 330Ci apart on the road with no questions. hopefully your mazda experience was better.

scorp76

I needed that laugh.

Good one R&T.

Hard 8

Amazing how subjective that is. I LOVE the G35 coupe's exterior styling.

BLUE PHI RX-8

Is the RX-8 being compard to G35 or the Nismo 350 S-Tune in the Road and Track August '04 issue?

RX-Hachi

You maybe confusing Road&Track with R&T's SPEED magazine. R&T's SPEED magazine did a story on the Mazdaspeed RX-8 and the Nismo 350Z s-tune, the result was a tie. (This was a while back in SPEED's spring issue.)

This comparo vs. the G35c is in the normal Road & Track magazine and I don't think it has hit the book stores yet. Only subscribers seem to have gotten it, can't wait to read it myself.

Skyline Maniac

1) G35C will have 295hp coming this winter...... but I doubt that's going to affect the handling. Steering and response is precise but abit heavy. Running through slaloms for prolong period of time would give you carpal tunnel.

2) The backseats in the G35C are very spacious..... for shorter people. If you are 5'7 or above, you'd be bumping your head on the glass window all the time.

3) Biggest difference between the RX-8 and G35C? 270lb.ft of torque vs 500lbs curb weight difference.

4) The R&T article didn't take into consideration the price difference INCLUDING discounts. G35C are still selling close to MSRP and the RX-8 are being sold for $3-4k off MSRP in most places. We are talking about near $8k price difference between the two.



Good article.

greyhound

Huh? I think the G35 exterior styling is WAY nicer then the RX-8.

I bought the 8 instead for 2 reasons:
1. Price.
2. I am only 5'9", and I can't sit in the back of the G35 without hitting my head!

Kwullen

I looked at and drove the G35 while I still had my '01 CL TypeS. No way I woulda traded my Acura in on one. I drove the RX8 for a whole 10 minutes before deciding to say Buh Bye to the CL. I thought the G35 felt even heavier than it is and the RX8? I don't need to tell anyone here!
I have to admit, I miss my CL on long trips. Man, that thing would just eat the road miles up. Great travelin ride. Don't tell anyone this, but it also got almost 32 MPG with the cruise on 80...........

shelleys_man_06

It's a good thing that these auto mags are giving the RX-8 the edge. At least they're not like enthusiast publications like Sport Compact Car, though they praised the RX-8 before it came out, shunned it after they realized there's not much of an aftermarket, yet. Other than the Tein demo car and the mini-feature of the MS RX-8, I haven't seen any other examples of our newest rotary-powered machine. Well, I have to digress. The RX-8 has only been out for about a year; it is going to take a while for the aftermarket to discover the secrets of the SE3P's powertrain, drivetrain and suspension. They pretty much have to start off on a clean slate. Even the Z33 that entered into the fray the year before took a while before the aftermarket figured it out. When the RX-8 reaches the status of its cousin, the FD, we're going to see a lot more examples, turbocharged, nitroused, supercharged, race cars etc. It's going to be a good decade . Enjoy your awards Mazda, for there will be more .

zoom44

i just read the article last night. the guy that did the g-35 part said the 8 didn't have a trunk pass thru. did he just miss it? or was it because they had the spare tire in the 8? also he mentioned that the G has more leg room but less head room for the rear passenger. i think it is noteworthy to point out that the rx8 is 6 inches shorter in wheelbas an 8 inches shorter over all but by there measurement is only 3 inches less leg room. plus the 8 is shorter in height by 2 inches but has more rear seat head room. those are amazing stats to me that dont ever get the press they deserve.

TownDrunk

My issue came in the mail a couple days ago. I thought the comparison was pretty fair. It pretty much confirmed what I thought when I was shopping for my car. Both cars are great. One is more of a drag racer (sort of), and the other is more of a road racer. Pick your poison. I love the styling of both. I think the G35C is one of the best looking affordable 2+2's out there. It's much more stately and classy looking than the '8 (IMO). However, the '8 is more fresh and edgy looking without going over the top.

Anyhow, not much more I can add that others haven't already.

downshift

Dang... July just started! Can't wait to read the article myself.

Nemesis8

iTrader: (3)

Where did you read this??