RX-8 Test Drive - This Saturday
21 August 2003, 08:35 PM
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I have myself booked for a test drive of the new RX-8 from Mazda this weekend. I cant wait to see what its like.
All the better thinking that most wont get a drive for at least a couple more months...
Dan
All the better thinking that most wont get a drive for at least a couple more months...
Dan
24 August 2003, 10:12 PM
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25 August 2003, 07:50 AM
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Dan,
Sounds like you were not too keen. Other guys on the RX8 forum who have driven it seem more impressed, as do most of the press.
Do you think I would be mad swapping my STi7 for one. Im just a bit bored of it and fancy something different? Ive wanted the RX8 since I first set eyes on it.
Managed to book a test drive for next Saturday now so should be able to see for myself.
Here is another review as a comparison... RX8 review
Mark
[Edited by MarkWRX - 8/25/2003 7:52:34 AM]
Sounds like you were not too keen. Other guys on the RX8 forum who have driven it seem more impressed, as do most of the press.
Do you think I would be mad swapping my STi7 for one. Im just a bit bored of it and fancy something different? Ive wanted the RX8 since I first set eyes on it.
Managed to book a test drive for next Saturday now so should be able to see for myself.
Here is another review as a comparison... RX8 review
Mark
[Edited by MarkWRX - 8/25/2003 7:52:34 AM]
25 August 2003, 08:53 AM
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Mark, I have seen various reports on the 8. Some good some bad and some in the middle. These are what I felt of the car, I didnt get a proper drive in the car as the dealer had HIS planned out route, maybe if I get a better (longer) drive in one I may feel differently, but at the moment I wouldnt go any purchase it.
Below is another report from another RX-7 owner (I own a scoob and an RX-7). As to your question would you be mad to swap an STi7 for the RX-8, I would say yes you would be but I havent driven an STi7 yet. Make sure you get a proper test drive down some nice twisty roads as the suspension is meant to be very good, I didnt get that chance to find out.
*** Report
I thought of many ways to start this mini-review. There were the positive options:
RX-8 - Got a great boot
RX-8 - Nice wheels
RX-8 - Nice flared arches
But that's where it ends. I suddenly realise that the only good bits I can point out are cosmetic design features. What I could have started with was:
RX-8 - Sit on it not in it
RX-8 - Mazda 6 with weird rear doors
RX-8 - With a girly clutch
RX-8 - Zoom zoom yawn.
Ok, perhaps I'm being harsh. It'a a nice car with some nice features. The rotor shape appearing in many places through the design on the inside and outside which is a nice touch. But sitting in it stationary I immediately noticed something missing. While the seats look buckety with raised sides, they're big...very big and offered no support to me at all. Definitely seats designed for a rep mobile and somebody that doesn't particularly want to crease their clothes getting in them.
But nothing could prepare me for what was coming. The salesman drove me down the road, as passenger and them we changed over. The first thing that happened after I put it into gear ircumnavigating the HUGE handbrake mounting (why?) was that I stalled it trying to pull away. Never in my life have I driven a car with such a nothing clutch. Absolutely no warning and then dump you're in gear.
So, restarting the engine I pulled away and we pulled onto the A3. I floored it and waited, and waited and waited. Ah redline, change gear repeat. This was the high powered model and it felt slow, really slow. Nothing about it said quick. I looked for the holes in the floor so I could pedal Flintstones style to speed it up. I know we're used to the much higher performance of a £30k+ sportscar but there was no point where I felt it was pushing me back in the seat. Even a 190hp Celica feels like it pulls better.
Handling wise, it felt very solid and capable. I just never really got it fast enough to be able to test it properly. It seems fairly quick up to sort of 50-60mph but then just stopped pulling and got a bit tedious as I tried to get some poke out of it. I wouldn't fancy overtaking in it that's for sure.
I commented to the salesman that I kept waiting for the second turbo to hit and then realising that I hadn't felt the pull of the first one yet. Yeah it revs high, quietely, I got it around to 9000rpm. But it just didn't do it for me. There is a rev beeper there but it's quieter than the fan on the air conditioning and almost unnoticeable.
We approached a left turn on the drive and I deliberately left braking late. The screech from at least 2 of the tyres was quite a surprise. I asked if it had ABS and he said yes it did and EBD EBA etc. Great, shame it adds up to a load of screechy noise and doesn't actually stop like it should. If I'd hit my FD brakes like that it would have just stopped, quietly and quickly.
So, ultimately a very nicely styled car with some nice cosmetic features and a superb boot. Would easily take a family of four and all their luggage on a holiday for 3 weeks. But it's a sportscar isn't it? Or is it? I fail to see where the market for this car is coming from. It isn't going to steal anything from the Audi TT hairdressers. It doesn't feel sporty like a Celica even, the seating position that bit too high.
The salesman asked me if I was interested in buying one and I politely declined stating that I didn't feel I was in the market for a car of this type. His response was to ask if I'd driven a Nissan 350Z as he has some coming in!!!
I guess my closing comment has to be this. If I still owned my MX-5 and I drove the RX-8, the only thing that would get me to buy it would be a pregnant wife and a pushchair. Sorry Mazda, but you've had over 10yrs to come up with this and I'm dissappointed. It's not as much fun as a 5. If you want to know what I was hoping for, look in the brochure entitled RX-Evolv!
*** End
Dan
Below is another report from another RX-7 owner (I own a scoob and an RX-7). As to your question would you be mad to swap an STi7 for the RX-8, I would say yes you would be but I havent driven an STi7 yet. Make sure you get a proper test drive down some nice twisty roads as the suspension is meant to be very good, I didnt get that chance to find out.
*** Report
I thought of many ways to start this mini-review. There were the positive options:
RX-8 - Got a great boot
RX-8 - Nice wheels
RX-8 - Nice flared arches
But that's where it ends. I suddenly realise that the only good bits I can point out are cosmetic design features. What I could have started with was:
RX-8 - Sit on it not in it
RX-8 - Mazda 6 with weird rear doors
RX-8 - With a girly clutch
RX-8 - Zoom zoom yawn.
Ok, perhaps I'm being harsh. It'a a nice car with some nice features. The rotor shape appearing in many places through the design on the inside and outside which is a nice touch. But sitting in it stationary I immediately noticed something missing. While the seats look buckety with raised sides, they're big...very big and offered no support to me at all. Definitely seats designed for a rep mobile and somebody that doesn't particularly want to crease their clothes getting in them.
But nothing could prepare me for what was coming. The salesman drove me down the road, as passenger and them we changed over. The first thing that happened after I put it into gear ircumnavigating the HUGE handbrake mounting (why?) was that I stalled it trying to pull away. Never in my life have I driven a car with such a nothing clutch. Absolutely no warning and then dump you're in gear.
So, restarting the engine I pulled away and we pulled onto the A3. I floored it and waited, and waited and waited. Ah redline, change gear repeat. This was the high powered model and it felt slow, really slow. Nothing about it said quick. I looked for the holes in the floor so I could pedal Flintstones style to speed it up. I know we're used to the much higher performance of a £30k+ sportscar but there was no point where I felt it was pushing me back in the seat. Even a 190hp Celica feels like it pulls better.
Handling wise, it felt very solid and capable. I just never really got it fast enough to be able to test it properly. It seems fairly quick up to sort of 50-60mph but then just stopped pulling and got a bit tedious as I tried to get some poke out of it. I wouldn't fancy overtaking in it that's for sure.
I commented to the salesman that I kept waiting for the second turbo to hit and then realising that I hadn't felt the pull of the first one yet. Yeah it revs high, quietely, I got it around to 9000rpm. But it just didn't do it for me. There is a rev beeper there but it's quieter than the fan on the air conditioning and almost unnoticeable.
We approached a left turn on the drive and I deliberately left braking late. The screech from at least 2 of the tyres was quite a surprise. I asked if it had ABS and he said yes it did and EBD EBA etc. Great, shame it adds up to a load of screechy noise and doesn't actually stop like it should. If I'd hit my FD brakes like that it would have just stopped, quietly and quickly.
So, ultimately a very nicely styled car with some nice cosmetic features and a superb boot. Would easily take a family of four and all their luggage on a holiday for 3 weeks. But it's a sportscar isn't it? Or is it? I fail to see where the market for this car is coming from. It isn't going to steal anything from the Audi TT hairdressers. It doesn't feel sporty like a Celica even, the seating position that bit too high.
The salesman asked me if I was interested in buying one and I politely declined stating that I didn't feel I was in the market for a car of this type. His response was to ask if I'd driven a Nissan 350Z as he has some coming in!!!
I guess my closing comment has to be this. If I still owned my MX-5 and I drove the RX-8, the only thing that would get me to buy it would be a pregnant wife and a pushchair. Sorry Mazda, but you've had over 10yrs to come up with this and I'm dissappointed. It's not as much fun as a 5. If you want to know what I was hoping for, look in the brochure entitled RX-Evolv!
*** End
Dan
25 August 2003, 09:16 AM
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"I commented to the salesman that I kept waiting for the second turbo to hit and then realising that I hadn't felt the pull of the first one yet"
The RX8 does not have Turbos like the RX7 had.
The RX8 does not have Turbos like the RX7 had.
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25 August 2003, 04:28 PM
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Danny,
You said you drove the Tit grey car. Was this the low power version 192bhp?, as the reviews of the cars Ive read the Tit Grey has been low power, and the Velocity Red the high power 231ps.
Maybe the extra 40bhp of the high power would give the extra performance you felt was missing?
Mark
You said you drove the Tit grey car. Was this the low power version 192bhp?, as the reviews of the cars Ive read the Tit Grey has been low power, and the Velocity Red the high power 231ps.
Maybe the extra 40bhp of the high power would give the extra performance you felt was missing?
Mark
25 August 2003, 09:50 PM
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Mark, the salesman said that they was both 240ps. It was however a pre-production model so god knows what the real power figure is...
Dan
PS. Alberick us RX-7 owners know that the RX-8 doesnt come with turbos.
[Edited by Danny Fisher - 8/25/2003 9:53:27 PM]
Dan
PS. Alberick us RX-7 owners know that the RX-8 doesnt come with turbos.
[Edited by Danny Fisher - 8/25/2003 9:53:27 PM]
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