Hi all! Long time troller, first time poster here.

I drove the RX-8 last week with my fiance, and I loved it. Problem is, there's a rather huge bump in the front passenger side foot area that made it uncomfortable for her to sit during the test drive. We were trying to feel out a lot of things about the car in the short spin around the block (the dealer sent us out with the fuel light on!), so this bump didn't get a whole lot of attention and we didn't experiment with moving the seat around to make it less intrusive.

I will go to the dealer again to look at this problem, but I wanted some of your opinions...how do RX-8 owners (and their passengers) feel about this bump?

Do you passengers not notice it after awhile?

It is okay for short trips but a PITA for long ones?

Can you move the seat around the minimize the bump's intrusion?

Any other ideas about this?

Thanks in advance for your comments!

 

My wife complains that "there's no foot room on my side". She drives a '06 Forester.

 

tony8 --
Welcome to the board.

I have had many a passenger in my RX-8 over the past 2-1/2 years, and have never had the first comment or complaint mentioned about the hump.

It has been a non-issue for me. You will need to find a better reason not to buy it.

 

be glad you don't own a JDM or Aussy/UK version - that lump is in the DRIVERS footwell!

(It houses the catalytic convertor.)

S

 

I really think Mazda got blindsided by the TIER II EPA restrictions that came into play for models beginning in 2004. They had to go with a very large catalytic convertor.

That lump was probably the very first complaint logged on this board from the first Japanese owners.

-Mr. Wigggles

 

that bump would be the part of the gearbox tunnel...

 

Well, we're looking at the Mazdaspeed 6, too, which is appealing with it's higher horsepower, torque, and cabin room. Unfortunately the powerloss issue with the turbo scares me.

As a tall-ish guy of 6'2", there isn't much room for a person to sit behind me in the 8. Couple that with the cramped footspace under shotgun I'm wondering if the RX-8, for my situation, doesn't have true 4-person utility.

One of the down sides of getting a driver's dream machine like the RX-8 is that sometimes it isn't such a dream for other people riding in it. It may simply come down to each person's personal situation to dictate the car's utility.

Thank you all for your comments! I was just wondering how other people in my situation (with a finace, and a baby likely in a couple years) believe the RX-8 fits (or does not fit) their daily commuting needs.

 

No one who has sat in my car has ever complained about the bump. There is already room there for a person's feet. If the center unit was larger out to that side to cover the bump, your wife probably wouldn't have complained.