Test drove an RX-8 yesterday!!

[Phoenix5]

Well yesterday, I went to my local Mazda dealership just to pick up a broscure for the RX-8 since I'm considering it to be my next car.A salesman walked up and talked to me about it,he asked me if I've ever driven one and I told him no then he asked me if I wanted to and of course,I said yes!!The car is pretty quiet and I quickly discovered HOW short the shifting was.The test drive sucked though since he didn't let me "open her up" as they say.I just basically went in a circle around the auto center.

 

[Leppy]

The test drive sucked though since he didn't let me "open her up" as they say.I just basically went in a circle around the auto center.

Trust me, it's as fun opened up as it is just driving it around the corner. I've test driven it at least 6 or 7 times and it impresses me each time.. almost bought one, but they couldn't finance me as much due to the credit..even though i had 3 or 4 grand down plus a trade-in.. oh well... next time

 

[Phoenix5]

Yeah, I'm test driving it again!(burnout)!!

 

[FC3s Boy]

yea most dealerships have a demo to test drive in, just wait till you drive a modded one whooo, our should be done next week with intake, exhaust, pullies and a 50shot

 

[Phoenix5]

(omg)Damn!!

 

[ATL-SRT]

I got a chance to drive one a couple weeks back. I was really impressed with the overall appearance of the car! Handles seemed to be more than adequate and I was even allowed to lay down a patch of rubber. Nice car, but the pickup just wasn't where I'd personally like it to be. Based on my test drive: nice car, but not quite right for my taste. (eekdance)

 

[Phoenix5]

I'm starting to like the fact that there is no jerking when you shift(due to a lack of torque),have when I have a girlfriend,I don't have to worry about giving her whiplash every time I shift(lol2).

 

[MSPinVA]

yea most dealerships have a demo to test drive in, just wait till you drive a modded one whooo, our should be done next week with intake, exhaust, pullies and a 50shot

50 shot? How well do rotaries respond to nitrous?

 

[FC3s Boy]

50 shot? How well do rotaries respond to nitrous?

the respond very well, I mean don't go crazy with it. I run a 50 shot on my N/A and my bro runs a 100 shot on his. We just are using it till are new motor gets done ( it also helps take care of those pesky 350z and evo's)

 

[luckezero]

I'm starting to like the fact that there is no jerking when you shift(due to a lack of torque),have when I have a girlfriend,I don't have to worry about giving her whiplash every time I shift(lol2).

or that could possibly be because of the weight distribution. a lot of that "jerking" is caused by the front end of the car bobbing up and down and is also much more common in FWD cars. since the RX-8 has such a small (in relation to other brands) engine, perfect weight distribution and near "mid-engine" placement (behind the front and in front of the rear axle), and is RWD, shifting will inevitably be smoother. I REALLY like the way my true mid-engine (behind the driver) MR2 moves. Although I only have the 130hp 2.2L, it is real torquey I never get the jerky feeling. btw, the smoothness of an engine helps out alot too ... much like the free spinning inline 6's from BMW, the renesis 8 quickly and easily accepts the increase/decrease in RPMS without transmitting a lot of stress to the chassis.

On my test drive, I first stalled out. then I almost stalled again. Not having a lot of torque, and concerned that I'd "peel out" I had a hard time getting the right mix of clutch and throttle. In addition, I noticed too much engine vibration coming up through the gear shift. My MP3 is like that too ... odd. And the handling, while feeling very capable, almost was too good. It's the handling equivalent to having 1000hp in a street car .... like it's your dream, but bittersweet cuz you'd rarely ever get to use it. ATL-SRT said it best, "Based on my test drive: nice car, but not quite right for my tastes." I do emphatically support Mazda for getting a RX back to market and can't wait to see another forced induction model like the 3rd gen RX-7. WOOT!

 

[Roywhitep5]

i drove an rx8 at rev it up and floored it the whole way. dont remember anything accept that understeer was not a concern. i also had a huge smile on my face

 

[protegeV]

Damn, Id like to get in one. I hear they are pretty gutless, but dont they have about the same power numbers as sn S2K, with about the same rev ranges.

 

[Phoenix5]

or that could possibly be because of the weight distribution. a lot of that "jerking" is caused by the front end of the car bobbing up and down and is also much more common in FWD cars. since the RX-8 has such a small (in relation to other brands) engine, perfect weight distribution and near "mid-engine" placement (behind the front and in front of the rear axle), and is RWD, shifting will inevitably be smoother. I REALLY like the way my true mid-engine (behind the driver) MR2 moves. Although I only have the 130hp 2.2L, it is real torquey I never get the jerky feeling. btw, the smoothness of an engine helps out alot too ... much like the free spinning inline 6's from BMW, the renesis 8 quickly and easily accepts the increase/decrease in RPMS without transmitting a lot of stress to the chassis.

On my test drive, I first stalled out. then I almost stalled again. Not having a lot of torque, and concerned that I'd "peel out" I had a hard time getting the right mix of clutch and throttle. In addition, I noticed too much engine vibration coming up through the gear shift. My MP3 is like that too ... odd. And the handling, while feeling very capable, almost was too good. It's the handling equivalent to having 1000hp in a street car .... like it's your dream, but bittersweet cuz you'd rarely ever get to use it. ATL-SRT said it best, "Based on my test drive: nice car, but not quite right for my tastes." I do emphatically support Mazda for getting a RX back to market and can't wait to see another forced induction model like the 3rd gen RX-7. WOOT!

That could be the reason too.

As far as stalling the engine,I only did it once on the entrance of the Mazda dealership,believe it or not.

 

[protegeV]

y the problems with stalling. I know its got a high redline...ya gotta let the clutch out at 2500 to take off? (laugh)

 

[luckezero]

^ there's not a lot of torque down low (or necessarily up high), the clutch is a little touchy (not always the easiest threshold to find), and I was on a test drive and didn't want to overdo it with my first launch in a brand new car.

I'm sure that after adjusting, it's an easier car to launch. It still could use some more torque. For the money, I actually liked the way the Nissan/G35 took off a little better... it had that FR racy engine feel that people buy 'Vettes and RX-7s (TT) for.

 

[Phoenix5]

My problem was that the dealership had an incline for the entrance so it was a little touchy,hehe.