Just about everything you hear about the RX-8 is in reference to the manual. Because I'm a big sissy, I really want an automatic. I have a manumatic now and even though it's not a horsepower beast, having the paddles makes it SO much fun to drive (passing cars and doing stupid things on on/off ramps), without the hassle of always having to shift.

I've read tons about this car and know about the new improvements for 2006. I really love the idea of this car and am glad to see most, if not all, of the problems have been solved or have good solutions. Flooding isn't very prevalent especially with the rev trick and snow can be handled by getting some high performance all-seasons (yes, they really do make them). So, as always, it comes back to speed.

I don't live in the mountains were there are a ton of windy backroads (so the ultra handling isn't hugely important) and I don't make it a habit of racing people (so 0-60 times aren't vital). I do however, want to be excited by this car in 3 years and not get beat off the line by every soccer mom in a Windstar who's in a hurry. I have an Eclipse now and it was leaps and bounds above my old car (Saturn), and I loved it when I got it. Now, it's just so bulky to handle and doesn't ever thrill me. Maybe I'm asking for the impossible, but I'm still asking.

I really, really want to see a true MAZDASPEED edition of the RX-8. I would buy one today if they did. But again, I don't want to get a manual and all previous MAZDASPEEDs have been manual only. When I see cars like the Evo X that are going to potentially have automatic ONLY (w/ paddles) it drives me crazy that Mazda doesn't get it.

So, I need some advice. Should I wait and see if they come out with an MAZDASPEED RX-8 w/ AT in 2007 or 2008? Should I wait on the Supra or is that just a myth that it will be marketed around $30k? Do I (dare I say it) wait and consider the Evo X now that it might actually not look like a piece of crap? Or do I act now and get a RX-8 or 350z?

I know everyone is different and this post is getting long. But, I think a lot of people out there are like me and are right on the fence. I have wanted a Corvette since I was 5 and I love every single thing about the C6. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The RX-8 is the only car to even come close to that feeling and suits my life situation much better than a Vette. If it just had more power I would run to the dealer and get one. Should I just deal with the RX-8 and it's lack of power (remember, we're talking AT here)? Should I wait 1-2 years to see what new coupes are coming out (seems to be a huge resurgence)? Do I get a RX-8 and say to hell with the warranty and get a turbo?

Thanks for your indulgence. Comments and criticisms are welcome.

 

there probably wont be a MazdaSpeed rx-8. Everyone is going to tell you to just get a manual. It only takes like less than a week to learn it and drive it pretty decently... and a lot of people learn how to drive manual on their brand new rx8.
if ure so scared to drive manual then you can always just get the automatic and call it a day, no shame in that...

instead of asking people here what car to get why dont you just test drive, everyone have a different set of needs and critierias. btw EVOs dosnt come in automatic transmission.

 

First...where did you hear the Evo X is only going to have paddles?

Second, it seems you're contradicting yourself a little bit. You say 0-60 times aren't vital, but don't want to get beat, and you're looking at the uber-fast Evo. Also, it's your choice whether you want to wait 2 years or buy a car now. I can't answer that for you, but surely there will be great cars to choose from of all brands in '07 and '08. It's all about how much you want/need it.

Nobody knows whether the Mazdaspeed 8 will be produced. I wouldn't bet on it. Soon, there will be more aftermarket turbos and superchargers for the rx8 anyway (hopefully). That's what you can look for, if you choose to buy an 8.

The stock 8 is not about straight line performance, and in 3 years I imagine things are probably going to be a lot different when it comes to competing with other cars.

Btw, if you get an 8, go with the stick shift.

 

Mazdaspeed RX 8's are gonna be manual, only place they are produced are in Japan but they're still NA with engine and suspension reinforcements. Only place there is a turbo mazdaspeed rx8 is in australia i believe (i read an article about it) but its not going to be produced. And i agree with raptor about the stick shift thingy. I beleive if you where to get a sports car, get a stick shift (i learned manual on my 8).

 

Yea, you can basically buy all the Mazdaspeed parts (bodykit, suspension, intake, exhaust, etc). But the future Mazdaspeed 8 which everyone hopes for is a supercharged/turbo version of the Renesis (theortically), much like the Australian one you are talking about.

 

If I start a manual vs automatic battle with my comments then oops.

I owned an automatic 8 for two years and it bored the hell out of me. The first year was fun and all...but after that I just felt like I was driving in a nice looking but boring ride. The only redeeming factor was the cornering. After I ran through my first set of tires and decided to try a different brand that was supposed to have longer treadlife, I lost the enjoyable handling. So I was already growing tired of having a car that completely lacked in both the performance and gas mileage departments, and now it couldn't even handle turns the way I wanted it to.

Unlike the last car I owned which was a torque/hp monster (where you could probably get away with owning an automatic and not miss out on too much), I just don't think it's the same story here when it comes to this car. You're missing a whole other element to the RX-8... even with the tiptronic feature because it just isn't the same as dropping gears and matching revs. The computer just doesn't give you enough control to really have some fun. I just lost all the appreciation I once had for the automatic, so I swapped.

If you're definitely going for an automatic, then at least wait for the 2006 model which is 6 speed and has slightly more horsepower than the older automatic. I doubt it'll be as fun as the manual but at least you'll probably have half decent performance.

Currently I have the manual 8...and this car is just a blast to drive. For me it's just a hell of a lot more fun and involving when you can really control the revs of your high revving engine instead of having some restrictive computer tampering hindering your enjoyment. The performance is also a lot more acceptable for me than the automatic ever was thanks to the additional power. I don't know. I mean 35 more hp shouldn't seem like a whole big deal, but maybe it's just the delivery. Maybe it's just how much sweeter the engine feels on the manual when you get to 5500 RPM and start zooming to 9000 RPM instead of the brief 5000 to 7500 stint you take in the automatic.

There's also that awesome feeling you get when you're coming up on a turn and you drop gears and put the car RIGHT into the precise sweet spot and then blast right through the corner. I just couldn't experience the same sensation with the automatic. Hell I couldn't even do it with the 6spd Trans Am I had cause the thing would do a 180 if I tried. Plus, believe it or not, I usually get 1 - 2 better city mpg and 3 - 4 better highway mpg with the manual. I couldn't improve the automatic's mileage no matter how hard I tried...maybe it was just one of the "early extremely inefficient models" or something.

Anyway I'm coming up on almost a year of owning the manual now, and I'm telling you that the only way I'm giving up this car is if it's totalled in a wreck.

 

I absolutely love driving manual transmission cars, but purchased an Automatic RX-8 due to forces beyond my control. I think my biggest gripe about the auto, in all honesty, is that there are only four gears... as a result, 1st and 2nd are WAAAAAAAY too tall. I don't need to be able to go 75+ MPH in 2nd gear, Mazda! If only the gearing were better.

I think the new 6-speed auto will correct this. That means I'm going to be put in a tough situation when they come out. Do I take a big depreciation hit and trade up to a 6-speed auto? Or do I keep my eyes peeled for a used 6MT RX-8 (or clean 3rd-gen RX-7) and try to talk my wife into having TWO rotaries in the garage? (Unless I run into some big bucks soon, probably neither ).

 

are you sure its 4 gears and not 5? i find it real suprising theres only 4 gears on an engine that revs so high, i think even 5 is inedaquet. and im aware that the 06 have 6 speed AT.

 

Hey saturn...have you ever driven a manual? I'm guessing not.

Most people who want automatics don't know how to drive manuals and are afraid to learn.

Give it a try...it will probably change your (driving) life forever.

 

I tell you what, I test drove both the manual and automatic and I've NEVER felt as big a difference in any other car I've driven.

After driving the manual, I was ecstatic. Getting back in my VW Passat felt like getting into a freaking mini-van. I wanted to buy the car on the spot.

When I drove the automatic, it reminded me of driving my mom's 1984 Ford Escort. When I got back in my VW, I was relieved to have a car that could move a little bit.

It's honestly like two totally different automobiles, in my opinion.

I'd honestly rather drive a Jetta than the auto RX8. But there's nothing I want to drive more than the manual RX8. (Well, maybe a Porshe, but I can't afford it!)

My advice is either learn to drive a manual and buy an RX8 or buy a different car that has an auto version that's fun to drive.

 

get a manual, when I was 17 and got my first 5.0 mustang I bought a manual and had never driven one before. I messed up and stalled a few times but 3 days out I was decent and by a week times passed it was easy. Since then I have never even thought about buying another automatic. Im on my 3rd manual car now and its 10x more enjoyable to drive than any boring automatic. To think a 5 year old with a brick can drive the car as fast as you can. Get the manual, buck up, and you'll be thanking us in the future. Furthermore being that you lose 30 hp and 1500 RPM's should not even make it a viable decision.

Hell even my 50+ year old mother drives a 04 corvette 6-speed.

 

thats because the 4at has a DIFFERENT ENGINE.

the new 6AT has the same engien with a lower limit- it will feel much the same as the stick. the gearing ratios are kind of nice too with adifferent rear 4.3 instead of the 4.44s

 

Since you don't want all these soccer moms to pass you by and cut into your lane. Go learn to drive manual, it makes a drive so much more interesting. You'll feel like you're in more control of your car. And depending on what habits you end up with, you might even save a little more gas. Anyhow I drive a POS civic and only 1/3 of the soccor moms pass me by and my car is all stock.

But then again whenever I drive automatic I end up scaring my passengers. My left foot aches for a pedal and whenever I drive an automatic, it ends up on the brakes 1/2 the time.

 

That's true Zoom, I'm sure the new AT will feel more similar.

But don't you agree that it's a little odd that the same make and model of car would be that drastically different from MT to AT? I guess my question is why didn't Mazda do what it's doing with the 2006 AT in the original car?

 

the transmission was unavailable to them at the time. simply put- they ran out of money. with the time remaining until launch and feeling it neccessary to have an AT for US sales they simply didnt have the resources and had to go with a parts bin AT. the AT we have is the only one that would fit. that AT could not hold up to the streeses of the the 6port engine above 7500 rpm and would have taken too much Torque away from the car making it feel even worse. so it was decided to put the AT in the standard power 4 port engine (which has a5speed manual option in other markets) since they could take advantage of its higher Torque output. Doing this allowed them to use their budget and time to develop the 6AT offered this year.

 

Thanks for the info. It makes sense, I guess.

It just seems like you're risking a bit of bad word-of-mouth publicity for the sake of more initial sales.

But hey, they're the car selling experts!

 

Thanks for all the responses sans the flaming. I know a lot of this has been covered all over the place, but with the 2006's coming out I thought it was a good time to talk about it.

In reference to some of the replies:

First off, on the evo10.com forums it shows pictures of the Evo X concept. I believe this is to be produced in 2007 (maybe 2008). I've also read an online car magazine article (don't remember where) that talked about it having automatic w/ paddles (they didn't exclude the possibility of manual though). After thinking about it some more, I can't imagine that they would make an Evo without having a manual option. That would **** so many people off that they'd have to be insane to try it. But, the automatics may still be produced.

Second, I have never driven stick. I drive an automatic 3rd-generation Eclipse. My goal was to get as many people as possible to call me a chick. Haha, well, not really, but seems to be working just the same. I don't want to race boy racers (rice burners mainly), so that's why 0-60 times aren't vital.

I think my problem is the adult in me wants a reliable car with a great interior that can haul 4 people in a pinch. But, the kid in me wants to go into turns way too fast and pass people on the highway with authority because they cut me off. I guess I'm looking for the shredded wheat car.

Everyone and their mom will say manuals are better, but I really enjoy my manumatic. I can drop two gears going into a turn and blast through it. I can coast down to a red light in 1st gear so that when it turns green I can launch. I don't go nuts, but I use it whenever I pass or go into a turn that I want to take fast.

I think what I'll do is maybe wait a few months and see what people who test drive both the manual and automatic 2006 models think. With the new 6-speed auto with very comparable gearing, I think there's a good shot that it will be close to the manual. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I think the 238 hp rating on the manual comes in 6th gear (or is it 1st gear?) at 8500 rpms. My guess is the torque and horsepower curves look fairly similar between the 2006 MT and AT, but that's a complete guess.

In the end I want a car like the RX-8 in its interior and exterior styling, handling, and cool-factor with as much power and torque as possible. There are always trade-offs and maybe it's time that the 26hp difference is enough to convince me to get a stick. Decisions, decisions. Thanks again.

 

"I think my problem is the adult in me wants a reliable car with a great interior that can haul 4 people in a pinch. But, the kid in me wants to go into turns way too fast and pass people on the highway with authority because they cut me off. I guess I'm looking for the shredded wheat car."

The 8 fits that category. Honestly, you just can't regret learning manual and driving it. It adds so much to the driving experience; it only takes a few days or less to find out why.

 

you can do this in a manual you dont need a manumatic to drop gears.

 

I really recommend at least learning to drive a manual transmission before making up your mind.

My wife was a hold-out for a long time. "Why bother? What a pain in traffic? How can I put my lipstick on in the vanity mirror and shift? etc."

But once I taught her, she asked why she'd waited so long to learn.

I honestly can't think of one person who has learned how to drive a stick who hasn't said it's way more fun, especially in sports cars.

The attitude of long-time auto drivers to me would be similar to a virgin saying "I don't really want to have sex. I mean, you have to take people out to dinner, spend money on them, etc., I mean, I can stay home and **********."

Well, yeah, you can. But once you find out what you're missing you'll kick yourself for not doing it sooner!

I apologize for the politically incorrect analogy, but I truly think it's apt

 

Shifting itself isn't what makes the manual fun, shifting just becomes mindless and effordless act once you get a hang of it. What makes standard trannies so great is the fact that you're in gear all the time, you don't lose any power to the torque converter, you get great throttle response, you get instanteous downshift whenever you do so, and you don't have to wait for a lag which is still present in the manumatic..

Now if it was something like the F1 system or the SMG or even the DCS system, that wouldn't be a bad alternative to manual as they're using a real clutch to drive the systems and no significant weight increase of the conventional autos.

 

An auto rx8 will never ever be able to take a v6 minivan off the line ever.

If that bothers you, well then you know your answer.

 

Learning to drive stick was among the best things I've ever done in my life. It's a gift you give yourself for the rest of your life. Nevermind about performance or racing or macho or anything like that: manual transmission is simply more fun to drive. Since I've been driving manual, I have NEVER wanted to go back, with one sole exception: a giant rental truck with a clutch so heavy you just about needed both feet to press it down.

Learn to drive stick, and give yourself enough time to really master it. With an hour or two of practice, you'll be able to do it; after about 2 weeks of daily driving, you'll be able to do it without worrying about it too much; after about a year, it will be second nature.

 

Ah, so you like your manumatic because it lets you drive/pretend like you have a manual... so if that's what you like about it, why not just get the real thing????? That's exactly where a manual excels - it lets you pick the gear you want. You want to drop down two gears going into a turn? It's even easier with a real manual.

Honestly, don't be scared of it - look, in Europe, 90% of all cars have manual transmissions. Little old grannies drive manual trans. It isn't hard or tricky. It's very easy, and once you get the hang of it you have more control over your driving, and more involvement and satisfaction from driving. DO IT!

 

damn...I wish my GF would drive a manual (or even an auto "properly" for that matter)....

eitherway, the manual is the one to get for the RX-8 now...if no other choice, wait a few months and see how's the new Auto will be like...I, honestly, think the current gen Auto is a rip off of this awesome car....