Do not worry about an hour commute, I have 50 minutes, no issues.

One reason mpg sucks is 4,000 rpm at 80 mph. depending on your drive, you can get better. if commute is around 60, think 20 to 22. I just hate driving that slow.

Threads above are good ones (Mazurfer). The $100 one will help with MPG and overall car health.

Do the math on what the additional 5 mpg you are looking for will save you over a year with the distance you drive. Decide if it is worth it for a unique, fun, curiously fast sports car that you can use to haul 3 cute chicks around in comfort with. Also, if you do come across a track, it is VERY easy to drive fast. Even I can....

 

what i'm looking for is more of something that will act like a "normal" car when i want it too. decent mpg. but when i want to put i my foot down, it doesnt suck either. i guess i thought sense its a 6 speed that top gear would be low rpm and translate into good mpg. or atleast decent. you have to admit for how small the car and motor are, less the 30 mpg is really not good. hence the mustang comparison.

 

Low rpm doesnt necessarily translate to good mpg. The major issue for the 13b is that, as stated, the thermal eff. is lower than a piston because of the higher surface:vol ratio. Low rpms give good mpg because of a complicated relationship of the how much vacuum you can generate at a low throttle opening leading to better VE because you have time to fill the chamber. (Note: not exactly correct, but close.) And in that sense "low rpm" is relative in lots of ways. Remember, a rotary is MORE efficient at higher rpms relative to a piston-driven engine.

I am not exactly sure WHAT the most efficient rpm is for the RX8. I have never bothered to care.

And to those dinging the mustang, particularly the new 2011, critics disagree with you. It is touted as the best mustang ever made. While it is a bad idea to get the first iteration of a model, I think you would be very happy with the new "Five-point-OH!" In fact, if 'Merican aluminum is your thing, I would recommend it (to you specifically) over the RX8.

 

You will never get close to 30mpg with this car as others have said. People are still not convinced that I get over 21 lol. It also requires premium gas if you were not aware.

Anyway from reading your post it seems you would be happier with an American made car. Why don't you buy an 04-06 Pontiac GTO? These are just as rare as the RX8 and should get you a lot better MPG.

 

lol to above. i would rather chop off my arms and never drive again then drive the "new" gto. dont get me wrong, its a great car. however its not a gto. gto's were made in america. not austrialia. and they had lines, they didnt look like a egg. so for me, its a big no

however, you guys do bring up good points. i do love american pushrods as i have said before in here. the rx8 has also caught my eye though. i really, really like the 11 stangs (5.0 of course) and the g8, and even the camaro's before 02. the problem with them though is winter driving. there all rwd which is something i love. but something i thought i could get away with in the rx8 cause of the weight distribution.

so i really dont know what i want i guess. the mpg of the rx8 is almost enough to make me say no. as is the flooding issue. the flooding issue is dumb because my g/f and i are always playing the car carousel in the driveway. so about 3x a week i'm moving my car so she can get out for work. if i had to drive it around the block every time that would get old fast. especially if i was in a hurry for work myself.

so maybe the rx8 isnt the car for me. which makes me disapointed really. i was hoping for it to meet my needs a little more.

thanks to all that have posted. i sure have learned a lot from this site. and this was actually the exact info i needed. guess its a good thing i dont just impulse buy.