for and 09.

It's really not that worth it. I have myself an 04 6mt gt with about 75k on it and had to go to the dealer to replace a lost lug nut key (damnit!). Unfortunately none of their copies fit my wheel. figured I may as well get something good out of the visit once I saw a spankin new white 09 gt in the showroom. There was another one out in the lot as well, aslo a white gt, which I got to take on a test drive.

I guess I'll start with the looks. The color itself is very nice, probably the same white used before. It seems to glow in the sunlight, very sleek. The headlights make the car look a lot more high end than it really is. They were really shiny, much more than any other new car I've seen lately. I still like the older gens design better though. The front just really makes the car seem completely different. The front end would be a lot nicer if it were stretched out a bit vertically, it seems all squished up somehow. The new fog light orientation is really tight too. And it seems as if clear corners will never be an option for us Americans. But at least the placement of the new blinkers makes the car look a lot more elegant taking away the cheapo rectangles on the sides, less chance of fitment issues for future body kits too. This gt had a trunk lip which looked nice, but the rest of the rear sucked. Nothing more needs to be said, except that I think the exhaust tips were bigger?

Taking it to the inside, it looks a lot more sporty and high end. Little tweaks really did affect the mood of this car, though it may not seem so in pictures. piano black everywhere! so nice (even the ashtray cover). And the navigation was great, touch screen, voice activated, has its own symbol for mcdonalds, just awesome. The same unit also controls the radio and cd changer. The monitor actually flips out revealing the cd slot behind. That was a surprise to me.

Now to the driving part. You guys know about all the technical stuff, probably more than I do, so no need to explain the numbers, just the feeeeling. The guages are cool, gives the car a total revamped look for 09. Also, at start up, the redline is limitied to 5k I believe it was, and it was cool watching it slowly disappear while the salesman was trying to sound like he knew what he was talking about. I didn't know the car got a power increase this year

Anyway I recall another post about someone thinking the clutch was "fly by wire" and I can see why. It's still hydraulic, but feels like damned butter. It's completely different somehow, theres almost no feedback at all, which can make driving weird at times. I'm too used to the resistance my 04 gives me. But then again, I've driven a buddy's 06 and the clutch felt similar, so it might just be a "new car" thing; i doubt anything was done to the clutch.

One of the biggest differences I felt while driving was the gear lever. Such short throws it was ridiculous! Has anyone here driven an 09 as well as an older model fitted with the short throw shifter? I would really love to see how this new stock throw compares to the an "upgraded" short throw shifter. I've never driven an 8 with the short throw shifter, but my instincts tell me that it could never be as short as the one in the 09. I'm surprised I was able to pull off a 6-4 down shift exiting the freeway as the throw is sooo precise and exact and so close to each other. All in all, I was definitely shifting way faster than in my 04.

Ah, now the most major difference, or more anticipated difference that is. The 4.77 final drive. More torque at low rpms? I guess so, nothing spectacular. Nothing that any of our cars couldn't do by just adding more gas. Yes, the new car felt more solid below 3k, but it still wouldn't pull from a tuned civic in my opinion. I just don't see the point to this change, it didn't really fix anything, just made things feel smoother. And after 3k, I really could not tell a difference at all between my car and the new one. The sales person kept gunning it like an idiot with cars all around, trying to convince me of its new power. When I drove it though, my two years of rx8 experience kicked in and regulated my perception of this new vehicle. It seems as if there is no difference in power or torque after 3k, and even at 5k, where I usually punch it for a sweet(though short) neck snap in my 04, the 09 didn't seem to have this phenomena. Redline in the 09 was unfortunately not as cool as my 04, but this may be due to the engine being new?

In any case, all I'm trying to say is, if you are an owner of first gen 8 and for some reason planning on getting an 09, I would not do it. Instead, I would rather wait for the new renesis/rotary to come out. Because quite simply, there is nothing in the 09 that an 04-08 can't have without aftermarket upgrades (except for like the urathane foam filled chassis or extra oil injectors) And even still, some suspension tuning and premix are perfectly suitable alternatives to these upgrades.

I am trying to be completely objective here, trying to keep myself from succumbing to the hype of a "NEW" rx8. It's really the same exact car, and at this point at least, there is enough aftermarket support to make an older 8 much much more raw than an 09.

 

The exhaust tips are bigger in the 09.
As for torque, I don't think it's a good judge on a brand new vehicle to say that the torque remains "the same". Get into an 09 with over 2,000 miles on it, hit the gas and then tell us what you think. Without the vehicle being broken in, I don't know if the full effect is there.

 

going from 4.77 to 4.44 isn't going to help you much. Your top speed is going to drop by ~5 mph. Your gains are going to be somewhat similar to a lightweight flywheel but it will cost you in fuel economy to boot.

 

good write up. I'm actually seriously considering getting rid of my baby before I head off to Iraq and buying an R3 when I come home, but I'm afraid that some of the AM parts I have wont work on the new one ie the AP, pullies and other junk. I really enjoy modding my 8 and dont want to have to wait another four years for there to be a market base for it.

 

yes, there is certainly a lot more we can do with our "older" cars today than we can with the new 8. To be real, I really don't think there will be aftermarket support for the new car. I just don't see all the big name makes investing a lot of effort into this new 8. The point of this car just seems to hold us off and keep us happy temporarily (yay new 8!) until the new motor is out....

 

I drove a white 09 today! I was hoping to replace my busted 07 - but I think not - The car feels wrong - Is that enough with out writing volumes? Its all too tight- the clutch is --- well it feels like my Maxima clutch did - I didn't like that.

I liked the new feel of the shifter in the first 4 gears - where I would spend the most gear change time.

I don't like the new gauges - The analog parts are too "classical" next to the digital parts.

I like the rest of the package especially the added lights in the rear (after the last crash from the rear) - but not enough to pull the trigger.

nope - I just didn't like it the same as the 07

 

I have an '09 and it's a fine car.

 

You can use the AP just wait for a software upgrade

 

I hope it doesn't seem as if I'm hatin on the car, just trying to make it known that it's not that much better than what we already have.

 

its still an rx8... just think of it as you wear the same suit monday to friday and just change the color of your tie.

 

There's a gray one at my local mazda shop. I might drop by to whirl it around for comparison.

 

I just want to deal with it now