So before I bought my RX-8, I read a number of reviews that didn't like the digital speedometer, and when I test drove the car and saw it, I agreed. But now that I've owned it for a while and gotten used to it, I find that I really like it. It lets you see both the speedo and the tach in one look.

What do other owners think?

Krankor
05 Shinka 6MT

 

digital speedometer is the bomb, those reviewers probably didnt even own the car.

 

One thing from driving my car a lot with the digital speedometer is when I drive a different car and see the speed go up. the needle is around 12 o'clock at 80 mph and it looks so weird.

 

I got a question, because I don't own an 8 yet, I can't verify it.

The speedometer, does it increase with jumps? like when you accelerate, does it go from say 30Mph to 40Mph? Or do you see the build-up 30-31-32-33-...-40 ??

 

It refreshes several times per second, so depends on how fast you are accelerating.

 

I like the digital, it is large and easy to read. Plus it is in the middle of the tach, so one quick glance gives you mph and rpm's.

 

if I ever accelerate so fast that the speedometer jumps from 30 to 40 you'll hear it here first (0-60 in 2.5 sec here I come)... It will jump from say 43-45 mph as I accellerate onto the freeway, but never more than a 2mph jump (I'm sure I'm driving conservatively, or maybe not )

 

I love the speedo. Easy to read, doesn't wash out in light like the old vettes and doesn't jump around at all. I see no advantage that an analog speedometer would offer. Don't ever take away that wonderful tach sweep, though!

 

Who's lookin at the speedo when they're jumpin on it? :D

 

u see the build up of cause, 30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40

depending on how much attention u paying to it

 

Hahaha... I love the digital speedometer. Big, crisp and clear! I agree that it was a bit weird when I first drove with it... but after awhile of getting used to it... I loved it.

 

...best part about it is that the passenger can't see it!

 

I think it's great. You can see it in all kinds of lighting conditions and you can see the tach and speedo in one quick glance. I agree wiyh Flop, a big plus is the passenger cannot see it.

 

which is good cause when they lean over and see you are cruising at 120 and they though you were goin 85 they tend to flip...

 

w00t!

 

Who looks at the speedo ??? :D

 

I love the digital speedo. I doubt I can ever go back to the "old kind" of speedo.

One glance and you know exactly what your speed is, unlike the analog speedos where it takes a bit longer to realize your actual speed.

 

Digital is the way to go. I love how it's integrated with the tach. I drove an "old school" analog the other day and hated it. The other plus is that if you're travelling across the border, you can switch from kmh to mph with a press of a button. I found with my father's Toyota Land Cruiser (which from the US), the kmh is in smaller numbers and harder to see at times.

 

i like everthing abt the car except...gas mileage cud be better :D

 

I totally love it.
Such a difference from the Corolla I was driving. Never had a digital speedo before and what a change. So nice the way it's lit up and easily readable. Love how it is integrated into the tach.

One thing did take getting use to...the way the odometer is smaller than the trip meter. Threw me off for a few weeks but I like it now. I use the trip reading much more than the odometer unlike in previous cars.

Great display Mazda. With the lighting options it is a work of art.

 

I got used to the digital speedo when they were all the rage in the 1980s. If you have never used one before it can bug you until you get used to it. Personally I think Mazda's speedo-tach layout is great. Compact and practical.

What bugs me is the rest of the instrument clutter (not misspelled). The random placement of meaningless icons-lights and nonfunctional gauges drives me up a wall, particular since the number one design goal was "style". Just like a friend of mine who buys used hardback books, selecting them based on the appearance of the spine so her book shelves will look good.

 

I always wanted a car with a digital speedo, always wanting to know EXACTLY what speed I am travelling. I remember when I was little, I would favor cars w/ digital speedos in the videogame Stunts, even though they may not have had the better performance characteristics.

So I am actually really enjoying the RX-8 speedo. It updates pretty fast, I never notice its steppiness. When I'm accelerating really hard, I don't look at the speedo, but at the road, so I never notice it jump more than 1mph. It always looks smooth.

I have been driving past E-ZPass tollbooths in Mass at exactly 15mph, since, heck, it's so easy to be so exact now

One valid point that my roommate (STI owner) has made is that for a manual car, you get used to relative positions of the tach needle vs the analog speedometer needle. So you get this visual "relationship" between how much a tech needle winds up given a gear and a speed. This is something that's absent in a digital speedo. There, you have to get used to actual numerical speeds and it seems to me that it takes a little longer to sort that out in the head (vs analog). Not that much longer to really make a difference, though.

 

Whenever I drive a car with an analog spedo, I either have to look at it two or three times or stare at it for a couple seconds before I can actually figure out how fast I'm going. Such a pain!

 

wow, i can't believe people would say bad things about the speedo. FOr me and the people that drive it (for the first time) it's hard to notice, but it's still great.

I think it's a brilliant design.

 

I barely even look at the speedo now, it's just a glance now and again (mostly when setting the cruise). With the speedo inside the tach, like it is, it makes gauging speed via rpms easier, in my experience. I do wish it updated a little faster, but that's really only for aesthetic reasons, not functional.