I went for my test drive of the automatic RX8 tonight. I was really looking forward to it and brought my 12 yr old so I could see how much room he'd have for those times he had to ride in the back. Unfortunately, I left rather underwhelmed. I've narrowed my search to the RX8 and Cooper S, both with autos, but I hadn't driven either. The RX8 was the first of the two I've taken for a test drive.



First, having nothing to do with the car, the salesman knew NOTHING about the car. I asked him if the increased output in the '06 was due to changes to the engine or a result of the new hp measurements. His response, "they changed how the engine puts the power down to the rear". What the HECK does that mean? Of course, when we first met, he greeted me with a, "Sup?"



I was happy to feel the pep the car had with 3 full sized people in the car (my son is 5'11") and the a/c on. My old 12A RX7 was decidedly slow with 2 people and a/c on. The suspension felt nice and taut and the steering weighting felt good. I didn't find the brakes grabby at all despite posts I've read on that. I was surprised by the lack of headroom for me even with the seat lowered all the way down and I'm only 5'11". It was tight. The car had a sunroof so I'm sure that takes room away, but I didn't think it should be that tight. The transmisison is what really left me disappointed. That was my fear. I can't drive manual due to my knee and I was hoping this new generation of autos with some driver input would be a good development.



Here's what I experienced and my question to auto owners out there: What I expected from the tranny was actually very little. All I expected was that it would respond to MY inputs without question unless doing so would harm the engine, like if I asked it to downshift if it would cause overrevving. Once fully warmed, I drove at 40 mph. I was in 4th and changed to 3rd and then 2nd. It was fine. I then went back up to 4th. Fine again. Then, while still at 40 mph in 4th, I quickly shifted 2nd. The car said NO! The digital display quickly showed 3rd and then 2nd, but the transmission stayed in 3rd and the display went from 2nd to 3rd. I shifted to 4th and tried again. Nope. Did it a third time and this time it DID go to 2nd. Tried it again and it stayed in 3rd. I turned to the salesman and asked what was going on. He said he didn't know. He watched the dash display go down to 2nd but then go back to 3rd since the tranny only shifted down to 3rd. Now, I never pressed on the accelerator at all. I kept the pedal in the same spot doing 40 mph. Is this normal? It shifted fine if I went down with 2nd with maybe 2 seconds between shifts, but if I asked for a quick pop down to 2nd, it refused 3 out of 4 times? I only test drove this one car so maybe it's peculiar to this one? Perhaps a software glitch? I was just really ticked because I like the car (as much as you can before driving it)and my only concern was the auto trans. I was so disgusted that it wouldn't do what it was asked to, we just drove back to the dealership and I left. Maybe overreacting a bit, but I'm really disappointed. For a car that lists at almost 30k and claims to be so sporty, I'm very surprised. Once I drive the Cooper, I'll have to drive the RX8 one more time.



So, auto owners, can you duplicate my issue? I'm hoping that it was just a weird thing to this car and not a common "problem".



Thanks for any reply,



Ron Brooks

where did you test drive a 2006 rx8. as far as i know there not ready for delivery. the dealer i wrench for has some on order but no word of when they will be shipped. second the 2005 and 2004 auto trans cars are a bit under hp and only 4 speeds. the 06 will be a 6 speed and the increesed hp is coming from ecu tuning . what the engeners found was a lack of compression in higher rpm ranges due to lack of oiling so they say from the omp.



as far as the shifting , there is an adaptive tranny in that car. it takes some time for the car to learn your driving style. the car you drove was probly only granny lot drivin. the customer auto trans cars i drive almost daily are very precice and crisp for a auto. down to split second shifts on some of them. and the down shift issue you had can be related to the adaptiveness not being used to you yet. though i am not there i did not drive the car i can only say what i learn from the cars i deal with on a daily basis.



on a side note, we had ower first faitlity with a rx-8 at my shop,,,,,,,,, NO noone was hurt only pride but the rx8 will be on its way to the scrap yard. stupid sales man thought he was ernhart or something and went off into some mud lost control slid across the road on a downhill tight switch back set of turns right into and almost off a bridge. the car is a loss. the last i heard there was 2/3rds value of the vehicals worth in the unfinished estemate. sucks too cause that was a nice ass car, one of the quicker ones i have worked on as of yet.

I should have made it clear that it was an '05 that I test drove. I thought saying it was a 4 spd auto made it clear, but I should have said at the top it was an '05.



The tranny may be adaptive to some degree, but shouldn't it also do what it's asked to in manual mode? As long as what it's asked to do is safe, of course.

some times yes. depends on what rpm the car is at and mainly what mph. i found that i rarely can get a auto in manual mode to go to first above 15mph on a down shift. but i have never had any issue with a car down shifting to second from third or third from fourth. the only thing i did notice that i could confuze the tcm if i shifted too quickly with the stick,,,,,,,,, not the paddles. if i down or up shifted very fast the car would not react.



where you using the paddles or the stick when shifting?

Paddles. I'll need to drive another one to see if this was peculiar to this one car or not.

the auto rx7 has less hp because it is a 4 port design instead of a 6 port for higher rpm hp,





most automatic tranys like to xplod above 8000 rpm so they had to make the car unable to rev as high, which is why it redlines at a much lower rpm.

unless you have one leg,



get a manual car!

File this one under “feature”. Downshifts of one step are very quick. Downshifts of more than one step are possible, but you have to be slow about it, as you found out. The digital display often reacts faster than the transmission, even in the automatic mode. I just floor it and let the CPU select the shift points, in most cases.



The AT has its place. It is a good choice if you have to navigate lots of bumper-to-bumper traffic on a daily basis. It is also a good choice for long distance cruising (it is the best interstate mile eater I have ever driven). It also has less mechanical complexity, for the DIY mechanics.



On the downside – Less HP https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/BURNOUT.gif

omcwankel, just curious - why do you feel the AT is a better choice for long distance cruising? Does it cruise at lower RPM than the MT, and thus get better mileage? It seems to me after you are in top gear, what ever that is for the MT or AT, you just cruise!! https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683329.gif https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683329.gif



Zoom, Zoom! https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683473.gif

The transmission gearing on the AT is numerically lower, resulting in lower RPM's for a given speed. The automatic also provides fluid coupling reducing driveline feedback shock.



When I bought the RX8, I did not expect it to be so good at freway cruising. It is the most soothing car I have ever driven long distance. 18 hrs was no problem, and I am getting old (over 50) https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...DIR#>/ohmy.png