Guys,
A top US mag will soon release a comparo story with the RX-8 vs. G35 coupe and a few others.. needless to say, the 8 is declared the winner in this story...

Look for it on news stands in the coming weeks.

Bern

 

That's always a good sign. I almost don't want the car to become popular, so that I can have something unique (and less expensive) in the future. Then again, that also means no RX-7, and probably no rotary powered car for a long time. Oh well.

Can you give us a hint as to which magazine it will be?

 

Hint! HINT!

 

*crossing fingers* cmon car and driver, cmon car and driver. :D

 

No, I hope it's Road & Track (I sub). C'mon R&T!

Historically the most rotary friendly rag.

 

Shall we start speculating as to the other cars present in the comparo?

Will the BMW 3 series make an appearance?

Does Volvo still make its C70 Coupe?

Will they allow the FWD Acura CL in?

This should be a good comparo, one I've been waiting for. :D

 

Yep, they are still slowly churning out the C70. It's in a whole different price range though ($44k).

 

Motor! TREND! ???

 

Sounds like the review is good :D - I am a little leery about them using a pre-production vehicle to compare with the G35C. Hope it was better assembled than the Detroit cars - which were obviously not yet ready for prime time.

 

My predictions:

Magazine: Road & Track

Cars and rankings:
1) RX-8 (given)
2) G35 coupe
3) BMW 325i
4) Lexus IS300

 

I think it would be more likely the 330, as that's the car with similar performance specs.. but I don't know till I see the article!

 

Am I the only one who doesn't see the RX-8 as a competitor to the BMW 3 series? The Mazda6 appears to be the more appropriate vehicle to compare to the current denizens of the sport/luxury sedan realm (Audi A4/BMW 3 series/Lexus IS300/MB C Class).

 

Well, the the rx8 has a closer price to the sport/lux sedan class, closer interior quality and closer performance. So imo, its ok to compare.

anyway you slice it, its becoming more and more obvious that mazda has a hit on their hands. nissan and mazda are in for an epic battle which is good for us consumers! :D

i actually hope the 8 will become quite popular like first and second gen rx7's. Then mazda can bring out the new 7 and those of us who chose to can "upgrade."

 

Yeah, I would prefer to see the 330, since we already know that the RX-8 is gonna whoop it :D. However, the cheapest 330 is almost $35k, so I'm predicting the 325 just because it is much closer in price to the RX-8.

 

plz plz plz not motor trend....that will destory the articles credibility, imo

i hope they do rx8 vs. g35, m3, z06, 911 and then say the rx8 wins like in the last road and track article with the Z. Maybe they will compare "Rex factor" (as oppose to "z factor). :D

hehe, wishful thinking i know...:p

 

I agree with you on all the above points but I don't think the RX-8 fits into the same market segment as the German sedans. I don't see BMW customers (myself being one of them) being wooed away to Mazda dealerships just because of interior quality and performance similarities. When the Mazdaspeed version comes out, I will be making an addition to my car stable not a subsitution.

 

Yes, I see what you're getting at. The "aura" of the cars are just different. The rx8 really doesn't seem like a sedan competitor. I guess the mps mazda6 may be a better comparison or maybe a new "mazda9"

 

Personally, with so many performance-oriented cars in the $20 - $40K price range, I'd love to see a monster comparison review of all of these models. I would include the best FWD sport compacts (Neon SRT, Mazdaspeed Protege, Celica GTS, RSX-S, etc) the rally cars (WRX, Lancer Evolution VIII, WRX STI), 2 seat sports cars (350Z, S2000), the best sports sedans (BMW 3 series, G35 Coupe) and the RX8.


I'd like them to assess them by performance, livability and value based on the those two criteria.

 

How do you not see it as a competitor? They are both 4 passenger, front engine rear drive, 4 wheel indepedent suspension, engine output in the 200's and performance oriented. The 6 is not gonna hang with the list you mentioned it is front drive and has a more subdued performance and a lot less luxury (starting price below 20k). If you want to compare the 6 with something lets talk accord, altima, acura cl/tl, camry, taurus, stratus, malibu, anyways you get the point. The 8 will be far uprange from the 6 and personally I can't wait until it embarasses the German boys.

 

I simply stated that I thought the Mazda6 would be a better comparison than the 8 - never did I say it was a good comparison. I was just trying to be nice to the Mazda community here. I am not a Mazda fanatic - please don't kill me. The have had bad experiences with Mazdas. I slammed my hand in the door of my mom's GLC and I have been a little bitter ever since.

I have no doubts that the rx-8 will trounce the German sedans (excluding the S4 and M3) in most if not all performance categories. I do have doubts of the average sports/lux sedan buyer seeing the rx-8 as a viable alternative to a new A4 or 330.

I concede that the 8 and the 3 series share similar hp #'s and drive layout but they are completely different vehicles in purpose. A simple examination of the styling differences between the two automobiles provides insight to this point. The rx-8 is a much more aggressive/sporty vehicle than the relatively sedate BMW 330(c)i. Mazda appears to have designed the rx-8 to be a utilitarian sports car. A BMW, however, is a performance oriented sedan. Splitting hairs, maybe in this crowd but not in others.

The 8 is much more performance oriented than a BMW and will therefore draw from a different consumer base. For example, look at how much of the dicussion on this forum has been dedicated to the debate of the 8's weight. I have only met a single BMW owner who was concerned as to the mass of his vehicle (he is a former rx-7 owner). It has been my experience that the typical German sedan owner is concerned less with the performance capabilities and more with the brand image and luxury (features, build materials, etc) of his car. In both of these areas, the 8 will most likely come up short in comparison and therfore will register only a minor blip on the fringes of his car buying radar screen.

 

I think a BMW 3 series comparison is very valid (more valid than a G35 Sedan comparison which has vastly more space inside than an RX-8 or 330i). Before I heard of the RX-8 I was looking at the G35 Sedan/Coupe and briefly looked at the BMW 330i/330Ci. Sadly the BMWs were around $42k when equipped the way I wanted (Premium, Sport, Xenon) so they dropped out of my shopping list pretty fast.

If you like driving and want 4 seats and 2-4 doors in an RWD package then the RX-8 should be on your shopping list. And the RX-8 will probably beat ANY sports sedan below $48k (i.e. base M3) which sounds good to me. Except of course the WRX STi and Evo VIII which in my opinion are just applicances for speed that I would never consider (too basic for my needs).

When comparing the RX-8 against true sports cars and roadsters (no offence meant - some magazines think that sportscar can only ever have 2 seats) such as Porsche Boxster, Miata , Honda S2000, Nissan 350Z etc, it will probably be comparable in performance or even lose out in some areas, but it will vastly more practical (which means I can actually buy it).

 

One of the cool things about this car is that it does appeal to people for different reasons. As a result, some are going to want to see the car compared to the S2k or 350z -- others want to look at how it measures up to the 3-series or A4.

Some guy out there is measuring his desire for the RX8 against a Dakota quad cab...

Point is, I agree with revhappy - I'd like to see all sorts of cars that fall into that 25k-35k (or 30-40k) range compared with each other. We are all smart enough to know that the driving dynamics are going to be significantly different between rally cars, FWD cars, RWD sedans and traditional "sports cars". But it would be cool to see how the RX-8 measures up against the best Japanese, American, and Teutonic cars out there.

My own personal comparison (and the cars the RX-8 is competing with for my money) includes the G35 coupe, a 1998 BMW M3 sedan or coupe, an early 90's 911 or 944, new BMW 3-series coupe/sedan, audi A4 (or used S4), Chrysler crossfire, Mini Cooper S, and the STi or WRX...

At this point, it comes down to how I feel when I get into it, and how it feels on the test drive, since so far I'm sold on the rest of it.

-ss

 

It's interesting to see what cars people are comparing the RX-8 to. For example, many are comparing the RX-8 to the G35 coupe. I see more of a comparison with a G35 sedan. Why? I have a young child who has to sit in the back seat. As such, I am only considering 4-doors, because it is just a pain to get a child in and out of a 2-door car. Thus, the G35 coupe is off my list. (As is the 350Z because it only has 2-seats.)

To me, the other comparisons are not to the Mitsu EVO or the Subaru WRX those are just glorified compact cars with high-power engines. Even though those cars will probably sell fewer models than the RX-8, they will not have the exclusivity factor of an RX-8, because they look like modded economy sedans. (For those of you that think taking into account a cars looks is bad, BS. The EVO and WRX are faster and better (or at least comparable) performing than the RX-8. If performance is all you cared about you would get the EVO or WRX.)

To me the comparisons I am making are with the luxury sedans, such as the BMW 330, the G35, and the 3.2 TL-S. The RX-8 should handle better than any of those cars, but may be slower and probably has less room. But realistically, I will not be racing very often. But it also looks different than most cars. There are tons of 4-door sedans on the road. How many cars look like the RX-8, yet still provide a decent amount of room AND easy access to the back seat?

 

For me personally the decision was RX-8 or Volvo S60R. They may not technically be in the same "class" but for each person the comparison vehicles will always be different.

 

i was wanting a mini cooper s until i found out about the rx-8...but now i think im pretty much set on the 8, tho i have lingering issues with this midnight blue fd running thru the back of my head =p