Road Test: 2004 Honda S2000 Vs. Mazda RX-8 Vs. Nissan 350Z
Three For The Road: What makes a modern sports car? We wring out a trio of distinctly different approaches to making power, connecting apexes, and accommodating passengers

HERE IS THE LINK OF MOTOR TREND MAGAZINE

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...ree/index.html

 

awesome article. pretty in depth... 10 pages, wow. nice find.

 

'cept on the last page they called the rx-8 rx-9

 

Data Sheet

 

my rx8 cost alot more than 27,200

 

They tested a base model, which I have. I got mine for less than 27,200.

 

Great info on braking and steering .
michael

 

Excellent article. All three are winners in my book. All three products cater to different tastes in styling, ride, and overall dynamics. I concur with their overall assessment -- that's why I got the RX8 over the other two (and several other candidates I test-drove).

Interesting how they characterized the Z as a musclecar, relative to the RX8 and the S2K. When I test drove the Z, I thought the same thing. The driving dynamic of the engine and steering felt reminiscent of several V8s I had driven in the past, but not as ham-fisted. Similar feel in the G35, albeit smoother, quieter, and not as edgy.

 

No, see, the RX-9 has 250 hp, the RX-8 has 238 - lol

 

First of all, those are really good numbers for the 8.

Second of all, the Base Price of the Z is $26k NOT $34

 

Not for the track version, which is the z they tested.

 

Ah I see, my question is why did they choose the bottom trim level RX8 (the cheapest) and the top trim level Z (the most expensive)? If they had chosen the base Z, then the prices would have been equivalent.

I'm also surprised to see that the Z and 8 had the same skidpad numbers.

I'm also impressed by the Z's 1/4 mi time. Better than I would have expected.

 

Yeah, that was slightly confusing. Although it does make the 8 look pretty good by beating out the track z (probably the harsher ride of the track version didn't help matters). Which version do you have zthang?

 

I agree, the Track model is a total waste of money. No one in their right mind should pay almost $5k for Rays wheels and Brembo brakes. I'd rather buy a fully loaded RX8 than a track Z. Personally, I bought the Performance model at just under $30k, and the wheels and brakes are the only diff b/w my model and the track.

From the chart, it looks as though the RX8 would have great breaking compared to non Track model (non-Brembo) Z's.