Sept 3rd - A ride in a Mazda RX8
 

Ok guys, you should be fed up by now by these "in depth" coverage, so this one is less wide that the previous ones, but at leat I had some material to start the new section of my website as it should!

So, we got an RX8 this morning. It's the 231 hp version and although in some pics it could seem black, it was a deep metallic green. Interesting.

What about the car... well, it's fine, it seems well built, typical japanese quality, nice looking. Inside it is roomy, the front seats are not enough supportive, especially for small persons like me. Also too soft maybe, but pretty comfy if you won't push the car too hard. The backseats as seen in many reviews, can accomodate a couple of adults for medium range travel in a decent way.

On the road, the ride good. Suspensions are firm, but not too much, it corners pretty well and is very stable. If pushed to the limit, it is the front that wash wide while the back seems impossible to upset if not with left foot braking. That's not a bad thing afterall, especially for unexperienced drivers.
What about the lack of couple we read about to many times? It's not a lie, if you want to overtake another car, you better be high in the rev range because in the lower part the engine is dead. Once on the boil, it keeps revving, up, up and up again to 9000 revs, making for an interesting sensation. It is weird to have a car revving so high and in which you can keep a given gear engaged for so long :D
it is fun for a while but the delivery is perfectly linear, there is no point in the rev range where you can feel something changing in the engine.. it just revs, revs and revs, and again in every gear, but it doesn't even a certain revs where the turbo kicks you butt or when a bypass valve opens or where the power has an abrupt peak, there is nothing like that.
The sound is better that in vids, both inside or outside, it is "different" and a pleasure. The buzz at the rev line seems way quiter than it was in the RX7.
Sadly we had not enough time with the cars to really stretch its legs or abuse the brakes, but it seems a very good package, it is cheap afterall, well built and all.
It might be a small engine, but revving like a fool, you still use a lot of petrol, probably something in the 16 liters / 100 km

:arrow: 15 high-res pics available
http://www.jabbasworld.net/photopost...a_RX-8_006.jpg
http://www.jabbasworld.net/photopost...a_RX-8_012.jpg
http://www.jabbasworld.net/photopost...a_RX-8_019.jpg

Now we will take a break for a week, but we should have a Corvette C6 right after that :twisted:

great pics and nice short review :D
you're right is does look pretty black in some pics. It's good that I've seen one that color in real life to know it's a great color for the Rx8.

great review and photos TT. So the car is like everybody is saying... good but you would want more torque on the low band
in the first 2 pics the car shows it's true color, but if you hadn't told us, I would still have the idea it was black or grey

Re: Sept 3rd - A ride in a Mazda RX8
 

Cool car, the pictures of course are great. :D

It wouldn't be my first choice of colour, but still looks neat. :D

When you post pics of that could you please say the car is crap - just to get RC started. :P

Re: Sept 3rd - A ride in a Mazda RX8
 

Nice review of the RX8 :)

That third picture probably looks far crazier than it really was :P ;)

What spec C6?

Z51 option or the hairdresser suspended version? ;)

hmmmm one thing is needed. more torque! its kind of sad because this car has a lot of potential but if you keep it in the right gear at the right time it can be very fun!

But all this and 16l/100kn??? Thats not very good for a "small" motor... ;)

Keep em coming Indeed. :mrgreen:

TT : How do you come across these cars? Are you just going to dealerships, or are they friends cars?

Well, I am not totally sure but I have the feeling it is the basic model. The dealership that will give it to us has that test car for quite a while.. before the Z51 kit was launched I think :bah:

Well, beside the Subaru, the others are all test cars from garages. We just explain them that we need to write a review about the car and take some pics. of course the fact it is a guy driving a 550 or a 355 helps a little bit :)

BTW, just came back home after a photoshoot with an Exige Mk II :D that one is a friend's car :)

No we certainly don't get fed up with these reviews. At least I don't. You me keep them coming ;) TPAG (= the pics are great -> this makes it easier for me to comment your topics in this section :P)

A nice care, but I'm already a bit over it just as Dani. It was a cool fresh looking car when it was launched, but nowadays I don't really have that feel anymore about the RX8.


Btw, I'm really looking forward to the review of the Exige ;)

hah.. thats a great idea going around in a ferrari tellin dealerships you need to "review" (beat) one of their sports cars and take some pics..

nice review, i agree with you all the way. the engine is very smooth and just loves to rev! nice power from ssuch a small engine, but with that power your bound to have some gas guzzling big or small engine...

keep the reviews coming you lucky bastard!

*ARMAN is jelows* :mrgreen: Thanx for review and pics TT! :wink:

For the ones beeing able to read french, the review was published today
http://www.asphalte.ch/Auto/RX8/RX8-1.html