Head to Head comparisons with the RX8
 

So I have been reading a lot of comparisons with the RX8 but has there ever been a comparison between the 2 Mazda's.. RX8 vs the Mazdaspeed3 at all?

This would be interesting as both are Mazda's and whats the better bang for buck etc.. let me know if there is one or this has been posted before

There's a couple MS3's that run at the track that have about 300FWHP and I can still beat them by 2-4 seconds on a course that has lap times of a little over a minute. They have a power to weight of just about 10.0lbs/hp with driver and I'm sitting at 16.5lbs/hp with driver. They murder me in the straights but on road course at least it's not really a fair comparison.

Numbers aren't going to give you the full story like that. Comparing a high-power FWD to nicely balanced RWD is pretty apples and oranges. Bang for the buck.. depends what you value in a car and what you plan to do with it.

You're comparing DiGiorno's frozen pizza to fresh from the local pizza parlor. They're both fun cars, but one's a FWD economy hatchback; the other is the real deal: a built-from-the-ground up, honest-to-god RWD sports car.

That said, some people prefer frozen pizza.

i have both actually, gf has a 07 ms3 and i got a 10 rx8 r3, the ms3 wins in speed, is a decent handler, but it is not the 8, if u want a car to handle and enjoy the 8, if u want an everyday car u can race a cobalt from a light once in a while the ms3

Nice analogy ;)

Nice replies and thanks, I think it will beat more than just cobalts tho lol. Nah, I like my 8 but might get a Speed3 in May just for the "economy" and due to an addition to the family. I tried to convince my girl to get it ;) but she is into her luxury honda accords, acura's etc

RX8 all the way!

lets just say this we both love cars andd she tries to drive mine every chance she can.

I just read an article like that recently. It included the MX5, RX8 and Mazdaspeed3. Here you go.

http://www.windingroad.com/articles/...11-mazda-rx-8/

I actually just moved into a 2012 MS3 from a 2004 Mazda rx8 that i bought in 2006. I loved the rx8 and miss it. The MS3 while it handles well, it handles well "for a FWD car" If you don't put the gas pedal down it handles just as well as the rx8, as soon as you hit the pedal everything goes all funky because of the FWD. The rx8 is a sports car the MS3 just is not.
Now don't get me wrong I love the MS3 because of the usability. I only have one car and you can't fit a dresser in a rx8 and it gets poor gas mileage. I now can get on average 22 mpg combined and about 30 mpg on the highway. So for those 2 facts alone, as a car you get better use everyday the ms3 wins hands down. On an unlimited gas budget and times when you don't need to haul anything the rx8 wins hands down. So it really comes down to what you want to use it for. I would never get a MS3 as a track or autocross car, it's terrible. But I can't fit a dresser in a rx8 and it's expensive.
If you have a truck or another car, don't get the MS3, get a gently used rx8 it's a better value. If you need a everyday car and you don't have a substitute, I wouldn't recommend the 8.

I use my 8 for almost all kinds of driving and love it. Since I like fast in the straights too, I have a different car for that. Make no mistake, even my 500hp laser is no match for the 8 when it comes to fun and driving in the curves. Only an 8 can handle to the point that you want to drive it for what it is. No other car can deliver the excitement an 8 can and, feel so easy doing it.

The MS3 can never compare to the RX-8. One is another hot hatchback on FWD which no one will remember after a few years fun as it was. Remember that Neon turbo or the Altima SER or chevy cobalt? They will be long forgotten.

The RX-8 I believe was touted as one of the greatest handling car of all time together with the Lotus Elise and Boxster Speedster. Pretty rarefied company I would say.

Also holding the title as the most unreliable car! :yelrotflm

maybe if we didnt have so many doofuses with 8's our reputation wouldnt be that bad. The proof is in the repetitive threads that we see daily....

"my coolant light went on, so i idled for a little bit and everything was fine, so i kept driving, this was 2 weeks ago, how come my car wont start?"

"what is a plug wire and coil change? (after owning the car for years)"

over and over and over and over and over....

My 8 has been just as reliable as any other car I have owned. I have owned 16 cars in the last 20 years. I have had accords, civics, camrys, and many other cars. My 8 has had the usual things done to it like plugs, wires, coils. I can say that it is about the same to own as it uses a little oil but, the cost is better than the 60k mile timing belt/chain replacement for the other cars.

Here lately, the 02 sensors are trying to go and will be replaced....Same I had to do on my laser and talon as well as cadillac, Olds, and my Tbird from decades ago.

For many who moan about oil usage, I want to remind them that if you are near 40 or older, you will remember that people used to put oil/coolant in their cars at regular intervals when they went to fill up at SERVICE/GAS stations....Remember those??? Isn't it funny how people now, think that using a little oil is a bad thing when ALL cars do so. Comparing the rotary to a piston engine is not even close.

Comparing the 8 to other cars is not even a comparo at all. The 8 is closer to a family car that can take corners better than a 350z, hang with most cars costing more than 10k more on a track, braking as good if not better than many cars, seat 4 decently (I have teenage kids and know this first hand), demand cheaper insurance....all while being overweight due to Gvt crap that has to be added to the car....Mazda knew this...

It would be great to be able to take the gearbox, motor, and today's suspension out of the 8 and put it into an Fb and lengthen 6th gear to about 2300 rpms @ 60 mph and get the weight down to around 2300 to 2500 lbs tops. This would be an excellent car (know some have modded Fbs to something similar with the older 13b but, todays suspension geometry and gearbox would be more suitable with a taller 5th and 6th and shorter 4th actually)

This would be a car to compare to just about any modern car. 10:1 hp/lb, excellent handling already, and mpg will be good due to less weight and taller gear.
It will never be made due to people making BS statements about oil, mpg, and reliability. The 8 can never be compared to another car as none are close to being so good at just about everything....so easily.

If only they could make it.

Focus
 

I drove a focus svt back to back. The car was good, but the 8 rode better and felt more predictable.

As for oil usage, I have two Northstar cars that get about .5 to 1K per quart. The 8 is better lol.

Nice info.

You got to come up with some better responses :P

The RX-8 is a drivers car and you will be seen as an adult driving one (generally people never know what mine is unless they are a car person). Only a kid will ever say "hey nice car" if you drive a Speed3. That said, the talk of the RX-8 being faster is just bullshit. The Speed 3 holds a faster record than the RX-8 at Leguna Seca by a good bit and would trounce the RX-8 in a drag race (assuming we are talking about equal drivers of course).

But the RX-8 just feels better to drive hard and it's more about the total package than just performance. But it's one of those cars, people either love it or hate it.

In 2008 I bought both a 2008 40th Anniversary RX8 and a 2008 Mazdaspeed3 GT. After a few months, I put Mazdaspeed CAI on both, But even before I added the CAI the Speed3 Gt was faster zero to sixty and faster top end than the RX8, Even though the Speed 3 is a heavier car, the Speed3's extra hp and torque helped it to be faster off the line, and its top speed was about 10 mph higher than the RX8. Now this refers to travel in a straight line. Even though the Speed3 handles better than almost any hot hatch, on a twisty course the RX8's superior handling helps equalize the speed difference. However when I added the Mazdaspeed CAI to both cars the difference was more pronounced. The Speed3 now had around 300hp at the crank and over 300fp of torque (these figures were confirmed in Car and Driver's similar modified Speed3). The RX8 gained a nominal 5-10 hp with the CAI. The main difference in the CAI's upgrade in the Speed3's favor was it's higher compression direct injected and turbo charged engine to begin with. As I have the luxury of having both great cars, it is never a choice of choosing the faster one to drive, it is the pleasant choice of what kind of drive i want. In the Speed3 it is the frenetic torque-steer adrenaline rush of power that is housed in a sleeper of a body, fooling many an unsuspecting opponent . In the RX8 it is the silky smooth, super handling sophisticated chassis dynamics and thrill of that high rev limit. The best of both worlds, each unique in their own character and both supremely satisfying to drive at all times. If you simply want to drag race the two, the Speed3 will win every time. If you want to road course the cars, and the course is twisty, it is a closer battle.

And yes for those Speed3 GT experts, that IS a power moonroof on my 2008 Speed3GT in the attached photo. . It was not a Mazda factory option on the 2008 Speed3 GT but I had my dealer install one anyway before delivery of the car , and Mazda still warrantied the car !

You forgot to mention that you've owned tons of rotary cars and have driven over a million miles in them.

New vehicles really haven't improved much either in that aspect. Just about every piston engine has blow-by in varying amounts. A lot of them will consume oil and manufacturers have backed this as a normal condition.
I think what has improved is the oiling systems currently provide adequate oil protection(as in not self-destructing) when most people drive they're vehicle unknowingly 1-2 quarts low on oil.
However these systems(variable cam actuators in particular) are very picky about vehicles not receiving routine oil changes.

+1 Nissan's VQ35DE is terrible, reason my mother got rid of her Nissan Murano.
And countless others, it's inevitable as we see more and more manufactures making high compression piston engines and incorporating direct injection to help balance fuel economy and power.

If people think it's bad now, look at how many more "grocery-getters" are getting FI applications.

It's just a shame the 16X won't see FI or DI anytime soon.


In regard to the OP, RX-8 wins hands down. The MS3 has it's own slew of issues to deter you as well but I suppose that even's out with the RX-8.
Fun turbo little hatch but still felt girly to me.