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Old 03-26-2007, 06:41 PM   #1
graywolf624
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Default $25 to the positive, the Mazda RX8

Given the current incentive of a 25 dollar gift card for test driving a Mazda, I chose a Mazda. It is fun getting paid for this review!
Anyway, so its back to the auto mall, unfortunately Mazda dictates which dealer you visit for the 25 dollar gift card. This had one negative, the only RX8 they had was an auto. This means this review will be of the 6 speed Auto. My apologies to all the manual fans.

So right, who is the salesperson today? A young britt who just moved here a few weeks ago. She was very green at selling cars, as a result I managed an almost 30 minute drive. So the trip was very much worth it. It didn't take much coaxing at all to get a test drive, though afterwards I felt almost guilty not buying. I blame Mazda for contributing to my test drive addiction.

So on with the review. Todays car is a bright blue automatic Mazda RX8. I can't say I've ever been a fan of this cars quirky styling and suicide doors, but looks aren't everything afterall. Anyway, the salewoman refused to let me drive the car off the lot, requiring me to wait till we got to a parking lot. No big deal, though I'm not sure she quite understands what let the customer drive the car once it is in a safe location means. Anyway, the first thing I noticed as she fired the car up was a awful warm up racket. The car sounds like a bloody diesel, and not a quiet one at that. So right, not an auspicious start for this new RX8.

On the route to the parking lot where I would take over I attempted to check out the interior but to be honest I was quiet distracted. The cars check engine light had come on and something sounded really wrong. Luckily it seemed to clear itself up before we got to the parking lot, but I can tell you that if I was a buyer that would seriously make me consider running the other direction. Especially with what I know about burning oil and other hidden costs of owning this car.

Anyway, at the parking lot I slid into the seat. The seats are about mid level, nothing really to write home about. The interior on the other hand is simply awful. This is coming from an owner of a Trans Am. The materials were no doubt on par with the poor quality of my car, but it was like someone ate the materials and shit them all over the dash. It can most easily be described as cluttered and butt ugly. So right, this review isn't starting out well.

The saleswoman put in some techno/dance cd so I can't really comment on the sound quality. All that music just sounds the same to me.

Now the car does have a flappy paddle auto box, so into manual mode the car goes. You have the option of shifting the car with the paddles, or a stick. I started with the stick until midway through the drive when I realized the paddles were there. They didn't seem like the greatest intuitive design at first, but I did adapt pretty quickly to the design. Up on top, down behind the wheel.

So I pull up to the light and can barely see thanks to the RX8s rather poor visibility coupled with the huge window sticker on the drivers window. Still I somehow made it out without ending up under a truck.

Now, as is my style I launched the car pretty good, though I did restrain myself a little curtesy of the lady in the passenger seat. I'm lucky I did as not 30 yards down the road a cop pulls out of an intersection. He passes by rather quickly thankfully, or this review would be really dull.

So the power... Well the car did not seem all that quick. Part of this is the Auto being down on bhp and the car itself having less power then I am use too. However, that isn't the main cause. The main problem is the gearing, it just precludes you thinking this car is fast in a straight line. I could right this review in the time it takes for the car to make it to red line in any one gear. While Im sure thats great for highway driving, it results in a rather sanitized shifting experience, EVEN FOR A Flappy paddle gear box! I have a sinking suspicion the manual suffers from the same issue.
Now granted, I could brake torque the car, or in a manual drop the clutch, to keep the car in the power band. One can only imagine what kind of a heart attack I'd give the salesperson doing that. I certainly would never get another drive. Still neither of those maneuvers is something I would suggest doing regularly. Moreover even in the power range the car does not seem all that pressed to urgency. As a result I have to knock the car down a few pegs for the lack of urgency.

So I've now spent a page ripping this car apart, so did I like anything about the car? Well actually yes. First the cars engine, despite sounding like something out of a school bus on startup, was incredibly smooth once it was warmed up. The transmission was as well. It certainly felt like a decent grand tourer, though thats a bit concerning given where Mazda has pitched this car.

The car also handles decently. It is flickable. Still not quite to the level of the Solstice or a miata, but it doesn't feel heavy either. The dead spot in the steering wheel was rather small as well. The car seemed to stick to the road decently but was not overly rough. I further rammed this point home when I crossed some railroad tracks at 40 and didn't lose my teeth.

The car also stops straight and true. I only have my butt dyno to go by, but I found the stopping distance more then adequate.

As I completed my nearly 30 minute drive, I'm left with one conclusion. Someone in marketing at Mazda has it all wrong, this car is better as a grand tourer, but I wouldn't rank it as all that exceptional as a sports car. Now the handling is of course great and keeping the car in the power zone on the track may result in some fast fun times. But for a daily driver, the sportiness just seems somehow lacking to me. It just never felt fast or ridiculously agile. Maybe I'm spoiled, but it felt pedestrian.

At that point I took around the car and realized perhaps my verdict has even more problems. The rear leg room wouldn't fit Gumby and we return again to the awful interior. So I guess Grand Tourer isn't the word either.

So if it isn't a Grand Tourer and it isn't a sports car, what is it? Well I have to be honest, I'm still not sure.
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Old 03-26-2007, 06:46 PM   #2
nthfinity
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When I drove an 8 last year, I couldn't agree with you more. I drove the stick 6 speed, and I'm positive it is a lot better, but it still ends up falling tremendously short of what it's markted as. I will say, however, it does quite well on a smaller tight track... (gingerman raceway)
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Old 03-26-2007, 06:58 PM   #3
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The auto version of this car SUCKS... !!! good review dude.

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