AvusBluR
11-28-2004, 11:55 PM
Went to the Mazda dealer 5/8/2004, planning on looking at the Mazdaspeed Miata. So me and the salesman get to talking, and before I know it he's offering to let me drive an RX8. How can I refuse? He pulls out a silver RX8, black leather with the grand touring package (leather, moonroof, Bose audio system, xenons, keyless entry/alarm, Homelink, power heated seats, LSD, foglights, etc.) 6-speed manual. 13 miles on it. First impression- this car looks SO much better in person. I hated the styling when I first saw it, but pictures truly don't do it justice. I ended up liking the styling more than I expected to...and it turns out that's not the only thing I ended up being that way.
Around town, the RX8 is very smooth. Plug around at 2500-3000 rpm and it's barely audible. I found myself shifting at 3800 rpm (like I do in my car) and the tach needle was pointed almost straight down. I guess I'm just not used to driving a car that redlines at 9000 :D So I decide to give it some gas, and I swear this thing revs forever!! SO smooth, SO effortless. No harshness or vibration at all. It's just smooth linear thrust all the way up to redline. There's a buzzer that sounds when you get up to redline that reminds you to shift. It's so easy to get lost in this car's powerband. It just keeps revving and revving, and its so smooth that you lose track of when you need to shift. And that engine note!! I swear, it is a COMPLETELY different experience. I've heard some nice-sounding cars, but that rotary is just so sexy-sounding. It sounds like a turbine or elecric motor winding up. Just off idle there's this slight whirring sound as you get going. Simply glorious. The shifter is short and sweet, no notchiness and very light effort. Rotor-shaped shift knob fits into the hand very nicely, as well.
One thing I did notice though, and depending on how you look at it it's either really good or really bad: it feels like it's geared really short. 7000 rpm in 1st gear is good for 30 mph or so. Look at it one way, and it means you have to do a lot of shifting to keep it in the upper part of the rev band, because this thing has almost no torque. Look at it another way, though, and you can rev this sucker to 9000 in the first two gears from every stoplight and only be doing like 70 mph. I mean, you get to enjoy that stratospheric redline everywhere around town. I tend to look at it that way :D
Enough about the engine though, on to the handling. Ride is firm, but not kidney-shattering over bumps and potholes. Steering effort is light (like the rest of the car) and has quick response. Not as quick as an Evo, but still quick. On the few twisties that I tried out, handling was almost neutral. I didn't really push it that hard though, so take that as you will.
The interior is very comfortable, and I was surprised at how roomy that backseat is. With the driver's seat adjusted for myself, I could fit very comfortably into the rear seat. Plenty of leg and head room. One thing I didn't like was that the windows were mounted very high in the rear, and you have to elevate yourself if you want to look out. From the driver's seat, the hood is wide and low, and gives a good sense of the corners of the car. The beltline is high, with the window beginning up by your shoulder. The view out the back is a little constricted, but then again it's probably as bad as my car. All the controls fall readily to hand, and the gas pedal has a nice extension for blipping/heel-toe. Clutch effort is light, and it engages very firmly, but it only takes a second to get used to it. All in all a vary comfortable interior.
Bottom line- This car competes head-to head with the likes of the Evo, the STi, and the 350Z. I've driven them all, and I must say that the RX8 feels decidedly slow in this crowd. After driving the RX8 though, I'm beginning to think that this doesn't really matter all that much. It's a very comfortable, practical car: 4 adult sized seats, nice interior, and a useable trunk- all things that none of it's competition can boast. This is more of a sports GT than a hardcore sports car. Light, fun-to-drive, INCREDIBLE engine, and gearing that lets you enjoy every bit of it's rev range. Add to that styling that gets you noticed, and I can see why Mazda positioned this car the way they did. The Evo handles better, the Z has more grunt, but the RX8 is a happy medium between comfort and sport. An everyday sprts car, if you will. I'm impressed. Much more than I expected to be. VERY impressed.
Around town, the RX8 is very smooth. Plug around at 2500-3000 rpm and it's barely audible. I found myself shifting at 3800 rpm (like I do in my car) and the tach needle was pointed almost straight down. I guess I'm just not used to driving a car that redlines at 9000 :D So I decide to give it some gas, and I swear this thing revs forever!! SO smooth, SO effortless. No harshness or vibration at all. It's just smooth linear thrust all the way up to redline. There's a buzzer that sounds when you get up to redline that reminds you to shift. It's so easy to get lost in this car's powerband. It just keeps revving and revving, and its so smooth that you lose track of when you need to shift. And that engine note!! I swear, it is a COMPLETELY different experience. I've heard some nice-sounding cars, but that rotary is just so sexy-sounding. It sounds like a turbine or elecric motor winding up. Just off idle there's this slight whirring sound as you get going. Simply glorious. The shifter is short and sweet, no notchiness and very light effort. Rotor-shaped shift knob fits into the hand very nicely, as well.
One thing I did notice though, and depending on how you look at it it's either really good or really bad: it feels like it's geared really short. 7000 rpm in 1st gear is good for 30 mph or so. Look at it one way, and it means you have to do a lot of shifting to keep it in the upper part of the rev band, because this thing has almost no torque. Look at it another way, though, and you can rev this sucker to 9000 in the first two gears from every stoplight and only be doing like 70 mph. I mean, you get to enjoy that stratospheric redline everywhere around town. I tend to look at it that way :D
Enough about the engine though, on to the handling. Ride is firm, but not kidney-shattering over bumps and potholes. Steering effort is light (like the rest of the car) and has quick response. Not as quick as an Evo, but still quick. On the few twisties that I tried out, handling was almost neutral. I didn't really push it that hard though, so take that as you will.
The interior is very comfortable, and I was surprised at how roomy that backseat is. With the driver's seat adjusted for myself, I could fit very comfortably into the rear seat. Plenty of leg and head room. One thing I didn't like was that the windows were mounted very high in the rear, and you have to elevate yourself if you want to look out. From the driver's seat, the hood is wide and low, and gives a good sense of the corners of the car. The beltline is high, with the window beginning up by your shoulder. The view out the back is a little constricted, but then again it's probably as bad as my car. All the controls fall readily to hand, and the gas pedal has a nice extension for blipping/heel-toe. Clutch effort is light, and it engages very firmly, but it only takes a second to get used to it. All in all a vary comfortable interior.
Bottom line- This car competes head-to head with the likes of the Evo, the STi, and the 350Z. I've driven them all, and I must say that the RX8 feels decidedly slow in this crowd. After driving the RX8 though, I'm beginning to think that this doesn't really matter all that much. It's a very comfortable, practical car: 4 adult sized seats, nice interior, and a useable trunk- all things that none of it's competition can boast. This is more of a sports GT than a hardcore sports car. Light, fun-to-drive, INCREDIBLE engine, and gearing that lets you enjoy every bit of it's rev range. Add to that styling that gets you noticed, and I can see why Mazda positioned this car the way they did. The Evo handles better, the Z has more grunt, but the RX8 is a happy medium between comfort and sport. An everyday sprts car, if you will. I'm impressed. Much more than I expected to be. VERY impressed.