A) I was simply saying the rx8 is not a pure sports car. A pure sports car should 95% be devoted to one thing - sport! It's a compromise of a sports car in ways of ease to own with a family (read the target audience).

B) Its a sports car because it has a rotary engine? Hmmm...

 

Since 1978, Mazda Japan have only put their Rotary Engines in Sports Cars..
RX-7 ( SA, FB, FC, FD)
RX-8 (FE)

 

but what do you use to define a sports car...yea the 8 has 4 doors compared to the s2k's 2...and the s2k has power steering compared to the elise's non-power steering. My point is what sacrifices of luxury and practacality must be made in order to achieve the "pure sports car" title from you?

 

"RX8 Buyers are confident, techno savvy, open minded buyers who have a passionate appreciation for uniqueness and style. They are typically professionals in their late 30's to early 40's married with young children but still enjoying an active lifestyle and social lifestyle. As progressive thinkers they want to stand out from the crowd with a distinct blend of young at heart fun and practicality that is required in their daily lives."

distinct blend of young at heart fun and practicality that is required in their daily lives

To me, at least, a sports car is designed with (nearly) one thing in purpose - sports driving. Due to the rx8's 'distinct blend' with a great emphasis on "practicality that is required... in (daily) lives" I believe it was not created with such intentions.

I simply was stating the rx8 is not a pure sports car, that is all. The rx8 does what it does great - it is a livable sports platform with amazing practicality. At the same time, however, I think it does not belong in the exact same genre as miata, s2000, corvette, etc.

The rx8 is unique in the fact that it cannot be pigeon-holed. There are comparisons with the rx8 ranging from Ford Mustang GT, G35, 350z, SVT Mustang Cobra, Audi TT, S2000, etc.

I believe the rx8 was intended as a sports car one could pick up the kids in and drive around town without issues in. As clarkson says, "when you're done clowning around, it takes off it's terminator mask." I guess you could say, to me, a real sports car does not 'take off its terminator mask' lol

 

whatever look at your average corvette driver.

 

the rx-8 is not a sports car! It is a sports sedan according to my insurance and I am very very glad!
By that very narrow minded criteria of tiltmode, then a 911 too is not a sports car since it has back seats! Nor is a GTR. I suppose a Del Sol (remember those silly things?) is more sports car than a RX-7 or M3 then.
What I do find hilarious is this person listed a 350Z as a sports car considering it is a parts bin special cobbered together from various Nissan bits and from a sedan/coupe/mini SUV platform. Totally contradicting with the mandate of a car company purposefully building a car from ground up as a sporting machine.
For a family sedan (yeah that's what I like to call my 8) to have more sporting characteristics than so-called sports car just means that the paradigm of such old-school thinking has progressed. Smart packaging allows Mazda to design a car with superior sports car characteristics while maintaining civility. One shouldn't have to compromise or should they? Hmmm....

 

FORD SELLS A PORTION OF ITS STAKE IN MAZDA

https://www.rx8club.com/general-automotive-49/ford-sells-portion-its-stake-mazda-160849/

 

Did I ever discount the rx8 as a sports car? Sometimes I feel people on internet forums do not entirely read, I simply said it is not a pure, 100% sports car - that is all! Did I once say, "These are the ONLY criteria by which a sports car may be decided?" Absolutely not. Enough of the allure of the rx8, however, is 'usable' back seats. Dammit I got pushed up against a wall upon which everyone thought I was discounting the rx8 as a sports car entirely - not true at all! Hell, I've owned an 8 for three years and would be hard pressed to trade it for any modern day "sports car"!

For maximum performance, one should have to compromise.

"A sports car is a term used to describe a class of automobile. The exact definition varies, but generally it is used to refer to a low to ground, light weight vehicle with a powerful engine. Most vehicles referred to as sports cars are rear-wheel drive, have two seats, two doors, and are designed for more precise handling, acceleration, and aesthetics. A sports car's dominant considerations can be superior road handling, braking, maneuverability, low weight, and high power, rather than passenger space, comfort, and fuel economy."

I would definitely say one of the rx8's "dominant" features is the inclusion of rear seats + suicide doors.

Lets turn the tables here. Sure, the rx8 revs to a wonderful 9k RPMs, has AMAZING handling characteristics, brakes like there's no tomorrow, and has a FR(F-MR for you nitpickers) platform. However, the rx8 has notably large passenger room, even in the back seats. The vehicle is relatively 'soft' from the factory in terms of dB as well as suspension tuning.

Tell me, given the aforementioned description, that the rx8 is a 100% purebred, single purpose, absolute pure Sports Car.

edit: BTW, who mentioned building ground up to be necessary? I consider the MR-S a sports car (though be it somewhat tame) yet it was compiled out of the parts bin. Really Mazda's target audience of the rx8 tells it all with respect to what type of car it is.
Lastly, it would truly be asinine to really think seat count be my sole criteria of judgement. Oh yeah, some sports car we've got here ->

 

I am actually glad this was cough cough spammed here. Thanks for the link

 

the RX-8 is an entry level GT car... not even close to a full on sports car. It's slow as ****, too soft, and has far too many compromises (large cabin, 4 seats, 4 doors, lots of storage space) to be considered as one.

Let's put it this way... after I crashed my 2004 Honda S2000, I drove tiltmode43's RX-8 and loved it. I loved it so much that I purchased my own 06 GT. Now why would I do that? Because it was fast? No, it's actually dreadfully slow. Because it handled well? No, I actually think the ease of driving it gives off the impression of good handling. It's too soft, the steering wheel is too big, and there's too much body roll.

I bought it because I liked that it had a navigation, keyless entry/ignition, heated leather seats, a moonroof, traction control, and other "GT" features, while still being a relatively fun car to drive. I thought that it would match the image that I try to give off better than say, an NSX or an Infiniti Q45 I also liked the 4 seats and 4 doors, but because I'm still young and don't have kids; this is my last week with the RX-8.

 

how can you consider this a sports car? a mustang GT is more of a sports car than this.

 

If it has more than two seats it ain't a sports car. Simple.

I still enjoy my sporty coupe RX-8, no matter how it's classified.

 

Slow as ****, thats exagerating dont you think? 0-60 in 5.9/ 1/4 mile in 14.5. An 04 S2K runs a 14.2. So that makes your old S2K slow as **** also.
oh really, thats contradicting since the mustang is also a 2+2 coupe. And how does a Mustang LOOK like more of a sports car . Becuase that 8 has 16 inch wheels and its an AT, oh well, Id take that over a mustang based solely off of looks.

So none of these cars a sports cars:
Trans Am, Camaro, Mustang, G35, Eclipse, 240SX, 300ZX, Supra, Prelude, SC430 and I could keep going if need be.

 

Yeah, the old "more than 2 seats isn't a sports car" argument doesn't hold water when compared to other sports cars....

*edit*
They tried something new, and it didn't really even take off at all. How popular were those models? Were they even anywhere near as widespread as the FB? That is why it's a Sports Cars engine.

 

anyone who has driven both cars knows that it's not even close... The s2000 is brisk in my opinion, never did I claim it to be fast. However, the RX-8 lags far behind.

You are simply just an RX-8 fan boy...

Trans Am, Camaro, Mustang are "muslce" cars. Most of them are automatic V6's driven by middle age women. Funny how it's the same with the RX-8 huh?

The Eclipse and Prelude are fwd sport coupes. The 240SX is an entry level sport compact. The weak engine, lack of an LSD in most of them, and just plain non-sportiness are all factors.

300ZX and Supra are sports cars.

SC430 and G35 are GT cars.

 

Thanks Alexis, you saved me the typing.

And btw: a convertible sports car is a roadster.

 

Just wondering,
How many non-sports cars have carbon fiber driveshafts?

 

I was having fun as the poster that said it was a sports car for the sheer fact it had a rotary engine in it. I should have included a couple bikes and aircraft now that I think about it!

 

nice article but it sure did seem to rush to the end the last couples lines or so.

 

Just A bike. I wish I had it

 

I still don't get how the rx8 is not a sports car. 4 Seats? is that really valid? So a 911 is not a sports car? I guess neither is a GT-R, nor an R8.

Some of you guys need to track the car, see what it is capable of.

 

I personally don't discredit it as a sports car per-se, nor do I feel it lacks the performance of the sports criteria. However, can you honestly call it a pure-bred sports car, from a traditional sense? My personal argument was that the rx8 is not 90-100% sports car - can you really disagree with that?

I'm going to exit this discussion as I would rather my own opinions not be mixed up with those that see the rx8 as not a sports car at all

Alexis - how can you discredit the 8's handling when it has been proven on tight tracks/autocross courses? These are tests of vehicle capability rather than driver confidence (though that is necessary as well).

 

r8 has 2 seats.

tiltmo - that's just my opinion after owning an s2k

 

I don't really think the word "pure" fits, maybe you mean raw. But I can think of very few cars that meet that requirement. Just the car has comfort that doesn't automatically kick it out of the sports car category. I see that as a stupid category. If you want a raw or "pure" experience get an aerial atom, or a spec miata (I'd imagine a 100hp to get boring pretty quickly)

As far as handling goes, it is amazing. I let one of my good friends drive my car on the track (he owns an S2000 and is a very experienced driver). He described the car as a punching bag, where you can give it hell and it won't kill you. According to him the car handles damn good and he said it feels more stable that the s2k.

For all the people who thinks this car is THAT slow, take it to a track. learn and see what it is capable off. I know on my second track day when I passed a c6 vette, a gt mustang, and a m3 on race tires. It gave me a good feeling.

 

there is a reason why it is still wining handling comparisons 4 years later.