May I point out the lotus? Its faster, but more about handling than anything. But the lotus probably doesn't have glass tranny (sorry guys, I love the feel, but come on! I'm on number 2...).

 

how dare the OP have an OPINION. he must be a crybaby for having a flipping opinion.

 

The Lotus also has a top end lower than an AT RX8. It's geared to be quick. It's not meant for touring.

 

I currently own 2007 Mx5. I have previously owned a 2004 Rx8, 2005 RSX type-S and 1998 WRX. Having tracked these cars, all but the Rx8 performed as one would expect and in that sense were comfortable and fun on road and track. The Rx8 IMHO was extremely different. As beautiful and smooth as it is, on the street, it does tend to feel a bit underpowered. On the track however it is phenomenal. It is like a totally different car, the handling is unfailing and grip levels terrific. In short, the car needs to come alive once you’re revving onwards and upwards in 3rd gear and beyond. So I feel the car comes alive from 120kph (or 75mph). But, and it's a big but, you simply can't do this on the street. So for that reason, as much as I do love the car, I feel it is incredibly wasted on the street. It also doesn't help that you pay big time for fuel usage when the results aren’t there. This also explains why so many people say that other sports cars perform better and more efficiently on the street.
If I could have 2 cars, I’d have my Mx5 as a daily driver and an Rx8 as a track beast.

 

This is my first post on this forum. I am currently considering purchasing an RX-8 and this thread is a winner for me. Lots of pros and cons, and I learn more about the car from them all. Still haven't made up my mind about whether to go for a used 8 sooner or whether to wait for the new CR-Z in 2010. It will be interesting to see how the CR-Z compares to the 8 for hp and ft-lbs. and handling ability. The Honda may be the closest competitor for the 8--I'm guessing the power numbers will be in the same ballpark.

I drove an 8 for the first time on Saturday and loved it. I'll need to drive them some more to see how it feels on the street. It's interesting that some folks think it's a gas of a challenge to keep the car jumping in traffic by gearing it appropriately while others just wish there was more 'gas' to play with.

It's good to be on board (well, on-line anyway!).

 

I don't know where you live, but here 75mph is well above the speed limit on the streets. So as far as street driving is concerned, fast acceleration past 75mph is unimportant. If you need to haul *** past 75mph because you're a bad *** street racer or want to show off to the girlies, again, wrong car.

Lets also not forget that all of the other piston powered cars have 100 years worth of engineering, testing, and redesigning. It's easy to stand on the shoulder of giants to get a few more hp out of a piston engine. Mazda has to rely on their own engineering and their own designing. Improvements are expected to be few and far between. Mazda is not hiding performance from us, they're doing the best they can with what they know. The 16X will hopefully come in the next few years w/o increasing the cost of the car by much. So there will be a better powerband and hopefully better fuel economy. If that wait is too long for you, I don't see any other automakers with a better rotary engine, so I don't know know what to tell you.

 

I aim to please!

 

That's my whole point. OMG. You can't do 75mph on the street, but you can do it on the track. And unfortunately that's where the car comes alive.

 

Not in Colorado!

 

its all about ying and yang.. balance and the need to remember that you do not need to use an AX to remove a fly from an opponents head....

The RX8 is like a fine martial arts black belt. He/She knows that its not how hard you can hit a person but where and the most efficient way to achieve the desired results.

The RX8 truly subscribes to the saying The end justifies the means...

 

Why are we comparing the 8 with the Z?, totally different weights. I though the sole competition was the s2k. Handling, power, displacement, crazy revs, rear drive, similar design, minus the passenger cap and convertable.
Both cars are going through the market at the same pace with similar minor changes, no major tweeks in the powertrains, have introduced a track ready car for its final year(s), the only thing difference is that the s2k is 3,4 years ahead, so its not like the 8 is the only car thats left behind in the market.
Its like a yin yang between car makers theres balance between competition... if that makes any sense.

and another thing that is similar about these 2 cars, both of the forums, rx8 and s2k have the ranters ranting about the exact same thing

peace

 

how many threads like this are there? 5 years later, people still dont get it... Either you like the car or dont, Im glad not all cars are the same, i like this one, im keeping it till i blow it up and then ill see what else is available whenever that is.

Unsubscribed.

 

I agree with the OP to an extent. It's been 5 years and still no increase in power, hell there was even a decrease in power due to their overstatement. Yes, the car is light on it's feet and a blast to drive but it is lacking in the power department. Yes, you can boost it but why risk it. The 8 will never have the level of HP that these other sports cars have, but it doesn't need it due to it's low weight. I wrecked my car last month and I can honestly say I hate my drive to work now that I'm in an A4, not a boring car but just not an 8. I was contemplating buying a new one but opted to wait to see what happens in the next three years. I think in the next three years two things will happen, either Mazda will scrap the rotary or they will come out with a more powerful version. I hope for the latter.

 

Almost...but it goes like this "how many threads like this are there? 5 yrs later Mazda still doesn't get it..."

The automotive community at large, many on this this forum, and basically every review for 5 yrs has said the same thing...the handling/utility is great fun but power (torque) is lacking.

And it's not as simple as saying "You like the car or you don't.." We wouldn't own the car if we didn't like it. However that's not to say (nay...we have a right and duty to say) that we are aware of it's lackings and would appreciate them rectified.

The 5 yr record shows, as far as the vehicle made available to purchase, Mazda has little interest/won't muster the engineers/doesn't see the business case for doing much to increase the overall performance of the car.

Notice the "overall performance" metric. Simplist solution would be lowering the weight. Have they tried that? Not an ounce, when 100kgs less is what's needed and Mazda is one of the leaders in vehicle weight reduction.

Ok for '09 they changed the gearbox & axle ratio That's quite the engineering accomplishment. Meanwhile over the model years we've had no end of leather choices, dress-up items, and "special editions" (but never a MS edition that's graced almost everything else Mazda has made).

Loving the car and bitching about the fact Mazda has left the car's performance to languish at '03 levels are two entirely different topics.

 

We didn't languish we actually lost 18 HP

 

can you lose something that was never there?

 

Did people already forget the development of the 16X?

How easy is it Nissan or Honda to add 5 or 6 hp to a piston engine shared by several other cars? Compare that to increasing power in one engine solely made for one car by one company. Give them a break. Look how long it took for them to put out the RENESIS. It took them the better half of a decade to develop that.

It is that simple, you like the car or you don't. If you have a concern about the power, then you don't like the entire car. Maybe go find another one. If powerful cars are so abundant it shouldn't be that hard. This car is not about power, obviously. You either get over that, or you don't and you start threads like this.

The car is what it is. Take it or leave it.

 

I'll ask again. Who cares if Mazda makes it better or not? Once you drive YOUR car off the lot, it is what it is and it doesn't matter what Mazda does to the model line after that. If they bumped it up 10hp every year, no one would ever buy one, we'd always be waiting for next year.

 

lol superglue... I see where you got your name... you really know how to debate a topic.. everything is either yes or no...black or white... love or hate.. take it or leave it.

FYI the 16X is only a housing and some words at an auto show ... far from reality.

FYI HP and power aren't the issues ...performance is.

FYI if you think everthing has a simple answer... you haven't lived very long.

 

Weren't they driving a 16x around the streets not too long ago?

Reality has changed since I went to sleep last night, I guess.

 

I dont understand you ask them to develop something, and when they do you criticize their efforts? What else do you expect them to do to the renesis, everyone knows there is not much gains except from FI. Then if they did that cost would rise for development, tooling, more parts in the car, less fuel efficient, etc. and people would complain about not being able to afford it.

If your unhappy with the car, its your fault you test drove it (i hope).

Superglue had a great point, its one car company working solely on a specialty engine.

 

no.

if everyone "took it or left it" there would be no aftermarket turbos, etc. and manufacturers wouldn't ever have to improve their products.

taking it or leaving it is not captialism, is it? if there is enough demand, things will change. how does demand occur? people voicing their opinions.

 

Until Mazda kills the rumors of the 16X I think it's safe to say development is in progress. The rotary engine may very well depend on this developement to stay alive with so much push on better mileage.

Performance, hp, whatever it is, the complaints are still the same. "Why isn't Mazda making this car do xxxx feature better"... or more accurately "Why doesn't Mazda change xxxx feature so I will like it more". Sports car performance doesn't change every 5 years. If a car was really fun to drive in 2003, it's still really fun to drive today.

My 95 year old grandfather thinks everything has a simple answer, he's been round for a little while. This however is a simple answer, either you're happy with what the car does, or your not. If not, maybe this isn't the best car for you. If it's performance is so lacking, then I'm sure there's plenty of other cars in the same price range to drool all over.

 

People always demand. that's what we do. The demanding never stops.

If you wanted aftermarket parts for the car, great. Doesn't mean Mazda can use the same modifications and keep the reliability, price, target market, gas mileage, etc. in line.

Mazda has a hard enough time trying to convince people that the stock engine will last and the gas mileage isn't that terrible, yet alone under boost.

 

We're talking about repeat buyers and people who will only care about the 8 when it turns into an RX-7 (i.e. becomes lighter and more powerful).