RX8, test drive, thoughts Options

[akamiami]

over the weekend, I took the opportunity to drive an RX8. It was an absolute blast.

Personally, I don't think the cars look too great from the exterior or interior, but I can see how it would grow on me. Especially the interior which is light years beyond the EVO. It's nice to see that mazda didn't just spend all their time on the engine in this car.

As far as performance, the car seemed to handle pretty well, very neutral, and with DCS turned off, it was easy to throw into a slide and control during the drift. I was pleased at how well it gripped _and_ drifted. Rewarding for those seeking both good technique and good fun.

My only RX7 experience was with a 90K 3rd gen that still pulled high 13's on the gtech. This car was not nearly so fast, but when kept above 5K (redline appeared to be around 9.5K) it felt good enough. I'd estimate high 14's.

The overall feeling of the car was stability and very solid structure. It felt like a car much heavier overall, though advertized weight is a full 500 lbs lighter than the EVO, which feels like a much more nimble car.

Overall, I was expecting a total turd, and I was pleasantly surprised by the power, handling, and comfort. The seats did suck nuts, even the cloth ones though the leather was absolutely terrible, and they did use the rotor theme a little heavily through the car, but overall, not bad at all. I guess I had heard so much negative stuff about the cars that it would have been pretty hard to disappoint me.

What do you guys think? Now I'm dying to drive a 350Z for a comparison.

[akamiami]

below 5K and the thing was pitiful. I'd love a test drive in the STi. We need to hook up this saturday, drive our Evo's to the dealership and request a test drive under the pretense that we are considering switching.