I wasn't laughing, it was more of a compliment that the RX-8 is viewed as expensive as an entry level luxo car. Chill.

 

(in satirical tone) Dude, what would American consumers care if a car manufacturer won a rally?

"Wait, ain't that where tanee lil imports race on durt?"

(seriously) The relationship between races and how a manufacturer does is a complex relationship. It's not as black and white as you'd like it to be.

 

wow.....this thread opened a huge can of worms...

i appreciate all the input.

I pretty much know the pros/cons of each car. I've never driven an evo..but I did have one SERIOUS ride in one. I also drove an RX8.

I'd have to say that if I were interestedi n all out performance, the EVO is hands down better than the RX8. It has gobs of power, loads of torque, and it's AWD system is nothign short of amazing.

the RX8 that I drove, was ona very twisty road, and the cars light weigha nd perfect balance made it transition through the twisties so well...it was light, and had the flickability of a small car like a boxster or miata. very fun. it felt razor sharp through the corners.

the last time i rode in the evo, on some corners, it was squeeling and sliding...but the AWD system kept it right on track.

i guess maybe i'll have to set out to test drive each on the same day...hopefully in the same area on same roads to see which i really like better.

image wise, i'd prefer the 8. the evo does have that "boy racer" look and it does look less impressive. true car enthusiasts will give it the respect it deserves..but it can't help the image that it has. the EVO X may change that....

i'm still researching my next car. right now the 8 is at the top of the list... i'd consider the EVO...but one thing I am thinking of is insurance cost. I am 35, have NO poitns on my record- no accients, no tickets, nothing. I also have a super low pricedi nsurance company....

going from my S60R to a Mazda RX8 caused virtually no change in my premium.
going from my S60R to a Lancer Evolution causedm y 6 month premium to go up by almost $400....OMFG! that alone might be enough to cause me to pass. kind of hard to justify all that expense!

 

I'd like rent an Evo. Just thrash the ***** off it for a day. But as far as owning one, no thanks. I already cast my vote for the 8 with my wallet.

 

Well that is not a fair comparison, it was only a matter of time before the French gave up.

 

A lot of things are just opioins and subjective, like looks.
But when it to comes to things you can actually measure, like performance, the Evo wins hands down, in just about every category.
I think the Evos form follows it's function. It has those functional air scoopes to flow air and to cool the engine, brake ducts, etc. IMO the huge rear wing isn't really functional unless you're going over 160+, so I would dump that. Other than that how is it any different than people who put body kits on their 8's? Is there any wing/spoiler for the RX-8 that is really functional for downforce either?
I think both cars are tools for different jobs. The Evo can haul *** on a track/street, has 4 doors and a trunk of reasonable size, and can easily run to the store to get groceries when needed. It suffers from a stiff ride, and you know you'll want to go fast all the time in one, and has higher insurance rates, etc.
The RX-8 is still a great car performance wise, it handles and goes like stink, and has 4 doors as well, and can easily do the various tasks like getting groceries and/or going to the store. But I also think the MAIN appeal of the RX-8 is it's rotary engine- or atleast it should be. It's currently the only production car you can get with a rotary that on sale right now, so any rotor-head will jump on that.
IMO they're different cars that get grouped together because of a similar price point and somewhat close performane numbers.


Dave

 

Although on the surface they are comparable, I think they couldn’t be more different. Then again, we live in a world where consumers go out to buy a 350Z, and come home with a Murano.

Fact is, both may be best at what they do IMO. Evo; best performance car for the $$ for enthusiasts. RX8; best daily driver for the $$ for enthusiasts.

I never drove and Evo, they don’t sell ‘em in Canada. But I’m no worse to speak on Evo’s than non-8 owners who think they can speak to the idiosyncrasies of the 8 since they took one for a brief spin. But based on everything I’ve read they are unrefined, loud, stiff riding, turbo-lagged cars based on an economy car platform. Where am I wrong here? Evo’s that are modded usually only enhance their worst attributes – more lag, more noise, more stiffness. This isn’t a negative ‘cause it makes for a great performance car, but in no way would I want to drive one for a daily driver. Same with an STI. Same reasons why I leave my sportbike at home and take my touring bike when I commute.

The 8 is a more natural competitor for the other car I nearly bought; a 330i. It has an even smoother motor with a very linear power delivery, and an even better handling / ride compromise than the Beemer. Plus I’d always argue light is right, though the current Evo is no tank, and the feel of RWD is always preferable to me.

So, is it performance first? Get the Evo. Want an all-rounder? Get the 8.

 

Sure, those work.

Also : Do you want a relationship with the car, do you want to feel involved, and want it to have a say when you go through the corners? Do you want proper driver feedback , with the chance for you - the driver - to make corrections? Get the rx8.

Or do you want a car that will go around the same corner as fast, probably faster, but with you firmly in control? Your car is your bitch. It does what you want without fuss or complaint, but with little respect for you. One day you will make a mistake and without warning your car will kill you. Get the Evo.

 

[QUOTE=Ike]Calling the RX-8 a genuine sportscar is just some marketing term to toss around. >>

Is that right? I guess calling the Corvette and an SS Impala different things is nothing more than some "marketing term." Right?


"What makes a genuine sportscar nowadays is so blurred that you'd be hard pressed to find a mass mass produced car that even fits the traditional definition. "

Simple enough in many cases:

A Jaguar XK-R is a sports car.
A Jaguar SJ is not.

A Corvette is a sports car.
A 396 Camaro is not.

A Ferrari is a sports car.
An AMG Mercedes is not.


Unfortunately, in the real world, genuine classifications are used on automobile sectors, instead of the two you use:

1) Cars Ike approves of.
2) Cars Ike does not approve of.



<<It would be easy to argue that the Evo is more sporting than an RX-8. How is a homologation rally special with years of refining and development to be the best performance car for the money not purpose built?>>

Because at bottom, what you have is a family sedan that is overtired, oversprung, overshocked, overbraked and tweaked, as opposed to a vehicle that from the first sketch, when it was just someone's idea, was designed from the first to be what it is.


<<Just because a car shares some parts or not doesn't make it any better or worse. My first trackday was done in an E30 M3, a brilliant car. But I guess because it shared so much with other basic 3 series it was a less impressive car in your eyes...>>

I never said it was "less impressive-" I will tell you I do not consider the M3 a sports car, even though it is a very capable vehicle. Hell, even Triumph Spitfires are sports cars, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to go up against an M3, or even a Toyota Camry with one.

<<Numbers have little to do with why I buy a car and you calling the Evo a "tricked out Japanese Buick" just shows your ignorance.>>

Not at all- it is what it is- a tricked out Japanese Buick.

<<It also makes it clear that you have never actually driven one. I've driven the RX-8 and it's a great car, it just wasn't the car for me. >>

Well, at long last, thank you for telling us this. We were all beginning to worry.
We're glad you're happy with your purchase. We are happy with ours.

Will you go away now?

 

[QUOTE=MP3Guy]So in short what you're saying is that you've never driven an Evo but you're going to talk out your *** about it anyhow?

 

The mods need to stickie a RX 8 vs EVO/STI/350z.

 

The wing is quite functional at speeds below 160mph and was extensively tested in a wind tunnel and were the vortex generators on the MR.

 

Having the opportunity to run with a high powered Evo crowd here in Phoenix, I've spent plenty of time seeing the differences between the RX8 as the Evo VIII as well as an EVO IX RS.

It's true that these days there are so many vehicles which fall into the "sports car" group that it's hard to say that one particular car is the defination of a true sports car. It could easily be said the Mustang GT or Coba is THE sports car with huge engines and two doors or that the Evo itself is a sports car because of the AWD and impressive numbers in both drag and road course.

When I set out to find a "sports" car, it wasn't going to be a 4 door sedan...which is funny how I ended up with the Rx8.

The difference in the cars goes down to the core of the differences between the companies who make them. Being as I've worked for Mazda for a short time I understand the direction they are headed which was to produce a car that is of a sports car type but they were not interested in making a huge power house vehicle. The idea is this is a car you want to have fun with. Think about any of the 500 hp monsters out there...when you're halfway on the throttle your over 100 mph easily which can often mean you're about to go to jail. The Rx8 allows you to be able to go WOT giving you the speed to make it fun but not so much your going to attract attention.

Ok, long winded I know.

The Evo for me was too Sedan like. The seats forced me to sit up straight and I felt the same as I did when I would drive a mini van in terms of position. The Rx8 put me into a cockpit style where I felt apart of the car. The interior is roomy but wraps around you.

Performance is difficult to judge because I see apples and oranges here. You have a high boost piston engine with a rotary, RWD platform with mid-engine design to an AWD front engine design. The Evo is fun to drive cause of that rush feeling with the turbo, but the jerkyness becomes annoying compared to the smooth power feeling of the rotary.

Now, I heard someone once say the Evo has no soul. I tend to agree but let me explain why. The Evo is a masterpiece of electrical and mechanical engineering. So much so, that in many cases the car w/ the AWD pretty much drives itself. I see drivers with road courses quickly advance in groups because the car easily covers up mistakes. With a RWD platform, the room for error is greater and more skill is necessary to achieve similar performance compared to the Evo. Does this mean all Evo drivers suck? Absolutly not. What is does mean is the Evo can give you a false sense of security that would catch up to you quickly behind the wheel of another car if you're like me as a novice driver.

Bottom line, both cars are great but for totally different reasons. They appeal to different people and no one should think they are getting cheated buying one over the other.

 

The talks of them pulling out of North America are old. Sales are up and so far they're doing a good job revamping their lineup and sales are up. According to early impressions they have a winner in the new base Lancer. I was a little shocked at how much C&D liked it.

http://www.caranddriver.com/previews...hi-lancer.html

 

I don't have to drive it to know what it is, any more than I have to drive a Ferrari to know what it is.

You still don't get it, do you?

 

Seeing the car has all of the aerodynamic qualities of a shoebox, no doubt.

 

He never will either. Some people want to believe that their car is the end all be all of existence (all hail the great EVO). Point is, if I wanted to bash the roadways with a club, I would drive an EVO, but since I like to let my car navigate the curves with a certain sensuality, I drive an RX-8. The same can be said of sportbikes. It takes any idiot to go fast in a straight line (check out some bike tires and you'll see what I mean), but it takes someone with skill to squeeze all he can out of it in the curves. And some of us just find that a little more fun. Besides, I find it funny that here in WA, I have seen at least two EVO in the papers that got wrapped around trees. So much for superior handling...

Later
Corvus13

 

MP3Guy, I can "see" your angle about the subjective sports car classification, but I wouldn't make fun of Evo's CD.

Shapes can be deceiving when it comes to aerodynamics. For example, Prius' have better CD than our RX-8, and Camrys probably have the same CD as our RX-8.

 

^ he's just tryin to get people to continue to argue. kinda childish

 

Regarding whether a car is a sports car or not.

It's all perception now.

Technically, the term "sports car" is obsolete in my view. The term was for a time when differences were clearer as the auto market was simpler.

"Sport car" lives on as perception. This perception is different from one to the next. This difference is important to an automobile marketer. RX-8's marketers were successful in getting in touch with MP3Guy's perception of sports car.

MP3Guy, I'm not bashing you. In fact, I'm in sync with your perception of sports car. To me, a sports car is about proportions, design, and "sporty" aura & feel. I just think it's unwise for you to invalidate other's perceptions.

 

I would not doubt that the Prius has a very efficient Cx. One of the most striking aspects of the car is that arc that stretches from the front, up the "A" pillar, across the greenhouse, and ending at the back.

 

I still think the term has validity, even today. And in some ways, maybe even more so. My former car, the MP3 Protege, could generate incredible cornering power. So can the STi's and Evo's. But there is still something to a car that is designed from a clean sheet of paper to primarily entertain the driver. Porsche is another example of this.

 

They sure didnt win anything, but neither did Subaru. They both didnt win much.

 

If you look it up, the Prius has 0.29 and the RX-8 has 0.31 or 0.32. I remember very well because I was surprised.

 

Yeah, I don't get it... I'm not the one spouting off about a car I've never driven.