The mazda rx8 will win the 2003 Australian car of the year award .
To all that have preordered the rx8 , you are already winners .

 

second that :D

 

I'm in - make that three.

 

Car of the Year 2003 it is! Go the RX8!

 

That would just be the icing on the cake! This is a great car

 

Given that at least two of the judges ordered an rx-8 this year you'd have to say that it would be a shoe in BUT, remember that for a car to win all variants of that model have to up to scratch. In other words, they have to like the auto/low power version as well (for what it is). The manual can't win on it's own. I can't remember any specific examples, but I know that has sunk some cars' chances in the past. Has anyone local reviewed the auto yet?

-pete

 

Pete
IMHO mazda i believe made a mistake bringing a automatic rx8 , it will only create a few new sales for them but also loose street creed for the rotary , id suggest that most people who buy the automatic dont even know **** about the engine. or anything else .

 

L&L

What a strong comment MAN!

You are provoking the automatic owner to commit suicide. I don't want them to come to my hospital to create extra work for me... :D

I have to admit though the engine is just very sub-par. I thought only my golf swing is **** :D

4 AT tiptronic is not stimulating but in fact boring - long gear with the undermined torque AND the increased price tag made it the biggest lemon or the biggest pretender of all.

I think it will be the BCOTY downfall for the 8 SAD

 

lol @ L&L

I sort of agree takahashi here, it could have been a good things if they did it right. A proper auto version might have got more people interested - lets face it 90% of 50k+ sporty seem to auto these days. BUT rehashing an average 'box with 4 long ratios suggests to me that something fell through at the last minute so they slapped in something from the parts bin.

Then again the whole thing might just be a cynical exercise like when they put the utility auto into the FD rx-7

-pete

 

Yeh, to me the auto was probably first conceived on a marketing brochure.

If they offered a paddle shift six speed with the hot donk I'd probably have considered it - at least for a fleeting moment anyway...

 

At least Mazda were smart enough to not decide to ship automatic only (I'm thinking Lexus IS300 here).

I'd agree with Kev... if it was 6 speed paddle... I'd have at least thought about it for a second too. 4 speed AT... never in a million years.

Given the huge range of revs and the flat torque curve and no concern for fuel economy, you can do most driving in 3rd in the MT anyway... who needs a gear change anyway. Or in city driving <= 60km/h there's no need to leave first :p

 

IF you get to bussy treating for suicide or depreesion let them drive the 6 speed manual as a cure , the automatic buyers will commit resale suicide when they try and sell their rx8 in the future.

 

Not to be pedantic (well, actually, being pedantic) but there is no single Australian COTY award. There is (off the top of my head):[list=1][*]Wheels COTY[*] Motor PCOTY (performance COTY)[*] the RAC{Q, V}/NRMA one[/list=1]

In My Opinion, the RAC*/NRMA one is not really representative of the 'best' car (not least because the Excel/Accent has won a few times) and PCOTY is to narrowly focussed, leaving us with Wheels. I'm a big fan of Wheels as a magazine and the award is never not controversial

The criteria for COTY: Found here... would seem to favour the '8 in all but one area - efficiency.

All in all, this could be the '8s year.

Really? Who?

 

Bob Hall and John Carey. Also judges for internation engine of the year... but I digress

I think everyone is talking about the Wheels award. Everything else is a knock off. The RACx/NRMA being particularly bad because the manufacturers dont even let them borrow some the cars

As for efficiency, I think you'll find it's efficiency of purpose. So what it loses in fuel it more than makes up for in efficiency of space.

-pete

 

Bob Hall and John Carey? Nice!

Re the efficiency criteria:
I take your point that it's not (all) about fuel efficiency but a wide range of things that could fall under the heading "efficiency", however that's what I meant. I would put the '8s innovative structure into the "function" category and the 'new' 13b/RENESIS in the "technology" category. I just think that the '8 is weakest in the "efficiency" category. That said, it's still relatively strong overall.

Wheels have already said that the '8 is a strong contender for COTY. Perhaps the advantage of usable passenger space and 4 doors will tip it into the winners circle. Let's hope so.

 

Absolutely agree the 8 is very efficient for its purpose. If efficiency really reigned as a criteria in Australian motoring, we'd be seeing those hot Euro diesels on our roads (which ain't half bad -- borrowed a Golf GTI diesel last year in Germany -- 180bhp, 6sp and more torque than John Laws -- covered 420k in 3hrs on the autobahns, using just 26 litres of diesel)

But I digress, too. Wheels is the only real COTY and the 8 WILL win!

Timbo

 

The Wheels efficiency category also takes into account environmental impact - which the '8 should do well in, given that the engine already meets the 2005 EURO 4 emission requirements. Go the RX-8!

 

OK, I'm convinced! RX-8 for COTY!

 

There is no chance the RX-8 will get the 2003 American car of the year.

According to their whacko logic, their 2003 model RX-8's are not 2003 models.

Since I was born in 69, I best not confuse an American Mazda dealer.....? Safer to say I am a 1970 model kid. He's sure to understand then......

 

Oh goody - I hope so. Then I would have owned 2 Wheels COTY.

The P76 in 1973 and the RX-8 30 years later! Lets hope!

It should definatley win the sub 57,000 sports category (maybe that is just a RACx thing?)

Cheers,
Hymee.