Clutch was soft and slipped alot, tires didnt seem to stick very well, did a small burnout and experienced what almost seemed like wheelhop (traction control turned off). Seemed to exhibit alot of body roll, and took longer to reach 110 than my FC did before I tore it down on a very familiar stretch of road. I found this quite disappointing considering it's new, rated at higher output, has a much higher redline, and a 6 speed transmission. There was never any point where it felt like it was accelerating quickly throughout the rev range, the power was very linear and smooth, but too low. I suspect the dyno results people are getting are accurate because this did not feel like a 247HP vehicle at all. The best thing about the car was it being new. The car I looked at in the showroom had the spare tire included (nearly a $400 option) and it takes up a large amount of the already hurting trunk space, there is no recess for it to hide away into, it is literally in the trunk covered with some vinyl jacket.



Not worth the ~$30 price if you ask me.

 

They called me out to the dealer. My friend asked if I wanted to give it a spin. I wouldn't be suprised if they let me take it home like they did with the MS protege. I'm just not sure if it is worth the trip. They are nice cars to look at though!

 

the paint wasnt even that nice they had a yellow one in the showroom that had orange peel all over, and when I popped the hood and trunk the paint on the engine bay and underside of the trunk / jamb of trunk is all a different shade of yellow vs. the exterior color, like it has no clear on it or something. It looked kindof ghetto in this respect, similar result as if I had repainted my car in my garage the original color, without trying to get it in the jambs and firewall/engine bay etc.



The placement of the car battery and windshield washer fluid bottle was wierd to me also, the washer bottle was by the firewall and the battery further forward in the car, in front of the front axle line.. why wouldnt yo u swap these two when designing a car that is supposedly so well balanced and great handling? Then theres the steel jack... the car is confused IMO.

 

I didn't like that either!! It made me feel like Mazda was saying "stay the hell away from this **** cause your just gonna make things worse"



The plastic cover over the engine was the worst thing I have ever seen. It was made from the same plastic as my rubbermaid trashcan

 

wow..... i am confused how did the magazine tests get such good times if everyone says they are slow!

 

I also test drove it and was disappointed. WAY underpowered. And also overpriced. $31k is just too much. It is a nice car, the ride was nice and smooth, the engine and wind were quiet, but if it was a smooth, quiet ride I was after, there are many better cars for that out there. This was billed as a sports car, and it just doesn't feel like one, and has almost no punch until you get to like 6000 rpms. Disappointing for a $31k car. If the Rx-8 was loaded at $21k, then I'd be singing its praises...

 

Well maybe the way to go ona RX-8 is to by a base model and rip out the rensis and drop in a 20b or a 13b-rew.

Then gets some coilovers and such..

 

The car is quick on turning and overall you just have to keep it reving high...

I test drove one yesterday and learned that for my self...i was very impreased with the way it entered corners..

 

I wonder if I can drop that 6 speed in my TII?

 

I drove my fiends 8 with the gt package, I wouldnt say the car was slow, it actually felt pretty quick if you ask me, remember the car isnt turbocharged, and the whole issue about waiting for 6000 rpm, what do you expect thats how rotarys are.