As i eagerly await my velocity red grand touring...has any one driven the automatic??? I test drove the six speed,,,but im in the city a lot and an automatic is a must..Help me guys..make me feel good about this..

 

I drove an AT on Friday - my dealer let me test drive one for 20 min (said I could come back anytime if I wanted). I'm gonna go back this Sat to drive it again.

All I gots to say is that I absolutely loved it! Seemed way faster off the start than my ol' 2k Celica GT-S. Even surprised me that I was going faster than I thought. And then, I had fun reving it once I remember to switch the the manual mode.

I know that I will be very, very happy once my damn car gets here.

note: since I have never driven a MT, I have no way to compare.

 

Thanks for the info, OmegaBob!

That's great to hear that the AT is still a lot of fun. Can you give us some more details on what the shifting is like?

The tiptronic on VW's, for example, is very slow, and there's an unpleasant delay from the moment you flick the stick to when the shift begins.
The Mazda6, on the other hand, is very quick - the shift takes place almost immediately.

How was the rx8's delay?

Also, when in manu-shift mode, did the system let you rev it as high as you wanted, or drop the revs as low as you want, or did the system abruptly take over at some point if you tried to take it too far? I hate the fact that many tiptronic systems have their own opinion about when you can shift.

Unfortunately, all the dealers around me (northern cali) are being major ****** and don't allow any test drives.

Thanks again!

 

Lex: I PM'd you about it after my test drive! lol

Unfortunately, I completely forgot about actual shifting until I was well on my way back from to the dealer. Next Sat, I'll take another 8 out for a longer spin and I'll drive it exclusively in the M mode.

Some brief impressions:
1 - There is a digital readout of the gear you are currently in located in the third (far right) guage.
2 - I prefered shifting with the paddles. The bottom ones are actual levers, the upper ones are almost like buttons.
3 - B/c the engine is so quiet in the lower rpms, I almost forgot to shift (maybe this was also b/c I was nervous driving a 8 for the first time and all the crap in the windows was blocking my view, making me even more nervous lol)
4 - I didn't notice the warning buzzer but this might have been b/c I didn't get close to redlining (if memory serves). Not even sure if this is offered in the Sport AT.
5 - I was easily doing 50+ only in second gear

 

I'm sorry but I didn't pay close enough attention to the delay on my first outing (again, I had it in AT mode for most of the test drive).

From the brief time I had it in M mode, it seemed on par with my old Celica's (RIP).

On a side note, my Celi's would NEVER take over for me when I reved high (which I did often to hear the VTTL-i). The only time it did was when I came to a stop and I didn't downshift to 1 (which was fine by me).

Don't worry, I'll check all these things out for ya next Saturday.

btw - that sux that the dealers out by you won't allow test drives! What's the big deal anyway? I thought that all the dealers were getting at least one car for this purpose.

 

Hi -
I test drove an Auto GT this afternoon. I have a 6MT GT on order but wanted to try the auto out.

I'd owned manuals for 30 years. From '81 to '90, I drove an RX7, from '90-2k I drove a Miata - both manuals. Then in 2000, I got so sick of the leg ache from clutching in and out of first while sitting on 101 here in Silicon Valley, that I decided to swap to an auto and bought a new E46 BMW 328 sedan - with the steptronic tranny - I thought it would be the best of both worlds… 3 1/2 years later, I'm rather unhappy with the BMW. One primary reason is the auto tranny "feel". When the BMW is in manual mode it takes a good 1/2 sec from my "shift now" input at the stick to the actual shift - drives me nuts.

This is my primary motivation for wanting to go back to a stick. But... My wise wife asks if that is really a good idea - as I still get stuck in traffic daily - this is my dilemma. So I decided to try the RX-8 auto…

It is very hard to get dealers to give test drives in my area - this was the first I'd wrangled and I only got it because they are already holding my depo for the 6MT on order. So be aware that my impressions are mixed in with those due to it being my first drive of the RX8…

Overall impression of the car: "big silly grin" - these things are fun. Felt like my Miata's handling with my RX-7’s remembered smoothness.

I must say that I am very impressed with the rx-8 auto.

In manual mode, the RX-8 auto felt faster for acceleration than my BMW - this surprised me. (I actually don't know it is faster - as I could not read the dang digital speedo! whenever I glanced down, I saw the tach where the BMW has trained me to look for the speedo - during the entire test drive, I really had no idea of my actual speed - just my relative speed to other cars.).

The RX-8 did not show any of the manual mode shift hesitation of the BMW. The wheel paddles are very nice - I quickly got used to them (first time ever driving a shift paddle). I disliked shifting manually with the stick in the RX-8 – mostly because Mazda swapped up/down from what I expect. In the RX-8, pushing the stick forward causes a down shift, pushing it rearward causes an up shift - this is reversed from the BMW. I don't know if my negative reaction is just due to it being different from what I am used to, or is more because intuitively, it seems to me that the BMW pattern is the natural one. It became moot as the paddles are intuitive to me, and I quickly stopped using the stick except to go in and out of manual/full auto mode. When I say "quickly" re getting used to the paddles, realize that the entire drive was 5 miles, some surface, one ramp down the freeway, off, loop around back one freeway ramp and some more surface streets back to the dealer.

The RX-8 in full auto mode felt more sluggish than my 328. At one point I was stopped, waiting to turn right (full auto mode) and I floored it to get into traffic - not a good idea! The car was very slow off the line until about 3500 RPM, then it started to pick up - but in those instants I was very uneasy, and wondering if I was going to get run over in a demo ride - it felt as my 328 does when the damn DSC kicks in. I'm pushing on the pedal, but the car ain't responding.

In contrast, the personality totally changes when you put the car in manual mode. In first, the pickup from dead stop is noticeably better - enough that it would not be an issue for me. I also suspect that the RX-8 may be programmed like my 328 - in full auto the 328 always starts with 2nd, you only start with 1st if you select 1st in manual mode. The feeling of the RX-8 in full auto was very similar.

Does anyone know for a fact if the RX-8 auto in auto mode skips first?

In manual mode the RX-8 auto is a blast. Better than my 328, much better handling, way better braking, much better seat driver support. Of course the RX-8 has much more road feedback than my 328 - expected as they are different cars. If I use a scale of my '81 RX-7 at one end (let’s call that 1) and m' ’90 miata at the other (we'll call that 10), I'd describe what the RX-8 transmits to my rear end re road feel as 8 - don't know if that will make any sense to anyone but me - it's the best description I could think of. Acceleration performance of the Auto (in manual mode) is above the manual '90 Miata.

I put the RX-8 in full auto mode, started slowly down an empty street and waited until it up shifted three times (3rd if it starts in 1st, or 4th if is starts in 2nd) - then I floored it - yech. Essentially nothing happened- in fact I didn't even get the down shift I expected - it just sloooowly started to accelerate. I let of the throttle quickly as I was trying to stay nice to the engine that had all of 4 miles on it. Did not repeat this pattern - so all I can do is pass this along.

Overall, I would not like the Rx-8 Auto in full auto mode (unless I was in stop/go traffic then I'd be thankful). I would probably always drive it in manual mode - which is what I tend to do in the BMW. In manual mode, it is very good for what I tried.

A question: in manual mode the does the auto RX-8 down shift to first when stopping (the BMW down shifts two 2nd). What does the RX-8 auto do when you hit readline? Does it stay in the gear (as our Volvo V700 does) or does it upshift (as my BMW does)? The only way I knew to test this was to hit readline - something I won't do to a brand new engine.

Frankly, I think the HP differences between the auto and MT versions are not going to be noticed 95%+ of the time. Realize that the extra HP is only in the upper RPM ranges - in the RPM ranges where the auto tranny engine operates, the two engines curves are very close. The auto tranny engine makes a tad more torque - fine, but I'd guess that is quickly absorbed by the extra loses of the auto tranny. I believe the auto RX-8 is not as "fast" as the manual - but if you're driving in a way where you could demonstrate the difference, I suspect one would be pretty well past any local speed limits in either version. Of course if you are making an auto/manual decision and your ego and/or self image is involved, then pick what makes ya happy and to hell with the rational approach.

For me the trade off is car feedback/control vs. hassle in traffic. The Auto RX-8 is really good enough that I'm now honestly not sure I shouldn't go for an Auto RX-8 as the best match for my real world driving patterns.

Final caveat, I have not yet driven a manual RX-8 ( my dealer only had two autos in stock, no MTs) - so I can't tell you if the 6MT experience is noticeably different, or if that experience will change my feeling again - that experiment will have to wait until I can finagle another test drive in a MT.

 

Hey,

I am new to the boards here and was hoping to purchase an RX8 soon, however, after seeing some photographs of the interior of the car, I began to question if there is a techtronic sport transmission in the car at all. I know of the paddle shifters, but can you COMPLETELY drive the "techtronic" way with the stick shifter? For example, I hit 3000 rpm, and want to shift into second, can I actually move the gear stick shifter into the second gear, or does the sport mode only apply to the paddle shifters on the wheel?

I would also like to know if you guys think that because I am getting an automatic, if I can request to have the aluminum racing pedals in my RX8. I saw on the website that the racing pedals are only available on the standard, which was a great disappointment.

These two factors; the techtronic stick shifter, and the racing pedals have prevented me from making the order for the Winning Blue RX8 that I have wanted for quite sometime.

By the way, the only other car I am considering is a Toyota Celica, but I will have to wait for the 2004 model (any suggestions for date?)

Thanks in advance.

Vandal10

 

They won't swap them for free, but the aluminum pedals for the auto trans pedal set are listed in the accessories catalog - you can buy them and have the dealer install them.

Regards,
Gordon

 

And yes, you can shift with the stick, as well as the paddles.

 

Great, thanks for all the confirmations.

I will go take an RX8 for a test drive and hopefully put the order through.

Thanks again.

 

MVC....thanks for the auto review...i have one on order & don't think i'll be disappointed at all since I like to drive in the manual mode in my wife's 01 eclipse....I'm really looking forward to getting my car.
I test drove a 6sp yesterday & today and was worried the fun factor just wouldn't be there with the AT....however I never took either one over 6k let alone 7.5k (the point where 6 speed tertiary port opens up) and I had a blast!

norats

 

I just took a velocity red Auto Sport for a test drive today. I've test driven the 6spd MT three times now, and wanted to try the auto as my wife really would prefer an auto.

I was expecting the auto to feel like a lame duck in comparison to the 6spd, but I came away quite pleased. No question, the auto is slower off the line. Even with the pedal to the metal, it seems like it takes forever to rev to about 3k, but once past 3k the power kicks in. Between 3k and 7k rpms it feels just like the 6spd to me, with near identical performance as far as I could tell. I found myself down shifting into 1st, to really get the power down during slow right hand turns. The handling is exactly the same as the 6spd, which is to say very sweeeet!!!!

It took me a little while to get use to the paddle shifters, but once comfortable, I found it to be a very nice setup. I never did try it an full auto mode, I put it in manual mode and did all the shifting via the paddle shifters. Driving the auto in the manual-ish mode is quite fun. And as long as you keep it above 3k rpms the power seems just fine. Like others have said, the car is just so smooth that the speed just sneaks up on you. I was driving on city roads (25-35 mph limits), but during one run acceleration run, I glanced at the speedo and noticed it read 58 mph! It felt more like 40 mph, I was very surprised!

Overall, I had almost as much FUN with this car as I did during my 6spd test drives. I came away thinking that the general experience was pure RX-8. Basically, I think people who generally prefer automatics will be very happy. But for those who like to clutch and shift, there is only one choice, the 6pd. :D

 

Hey, just got word today that my car is in. It is a Sunlit Silver Automatic with GT options. I'll be picking it up on Thursday July 24 because that is the only time I have off. I have to get my loans ready by then. I'll let you know how the drive is later this week.

 

I drove the auto today, I also have one on order. It was an absolute pleasure to drive. Maybe not the adrenaline rush of the 6 speed, but still a lot of fun. My last two cars were a BMW and an Audi. Both were 5 speeds and I was ready for the change to the sport auto. The shift response is very quick and the downshift to 1st is available at fairly high rev's. Other cars I have driven, did not allow the downshift to first until almost a complete stop.

 

I have an auto with 1,350 miles on it now. The shift paddles are perfectly placed for shifting in manual mode. The car is pretty slow up to 3,000 rpm as another owner mentioned and after that it is a lot of fun. The only disappointment is that this is a 4 speed with a torque converter. While overall I am happy with the set-up a 5 speed with give exactly the right ratios. Nevertheless the current set-up works great. Also, on the freeway going 75 your are taching about 3,000 rpm and a change to 3rd gear just blows everyone away.....very fast and next thing you know you are doing 95 mph. Between 3,000 to 6,000 it is a lot of fun, with a little hiccup around 6,200 rpm (very minor at least on my car) and then effortessly to redline around 7,200 rpm. Great feeling!!!!!

 

driving the SMG on the street is a nightmare, I like the RX8 Auto better the old technology. But the auto is a lot slower then the MT6. It's not really about the HP, but more of the gearing ratio that makes the MT so much faster then the AT.

 

This thread is older than my car!

In Before Manny-Tranny Flame War.

 

What SMG?
The 8 doesn't have SMG.

 

I drive an auto 8. Its still a fun car to drive, but nothing near the power of the manual. After my Brother got his manual g35 and I drove around with him in that (after it was broken in) and leanrt to drive manual on it I can honestly say I wish I had gotten a Manual 8. No I have to search =[

 

yes, yes you can. you can do it with either the paddles or stick. or both if you really wanted to.


Woahh..... I didn't realize how old this thread was..... why bump a 2 year old thread?

 

I just ordered a surge chip for my 2007 auto rx8 anyone know anything about this

 

Where did you order this unknown piece of technology? Off ebay?

 

Holy thread resurrection, batman!

 

yea, I did not believe it ether - I'm trying to find out what this new piece of tech is supposed to do.

 

http://www.yourhotcar.com/product/li...formance_Chips its the last one take a look and let me know