arlingtonz

As Judged by Car and driver the winner is ......Mazda RX-8

Don't get me wrong that is a good car, but it burns oil, under produces on its promised out put and has little to no torque. It is official the guys at C&D have finally fallen off their rocker.

Unbelieveable

aws6000

But everyone who's driven it says it's a blast to drive. So why is it unbelievable? Folks have to remember that an endorsement of one car is not a rejection of another.

adrianko43

iTrader: (2)

It's because mazda is owned by ford.

MadMax76

This is a subjective opinion by several different C&D writers. Who cares what they think? They liked it, good for them. Let them buy it and enjoy it. There are tons of different magazines around, you just need to find the "right" one .

DIE DIE DIE

I haven't driven one, so i can't say...but everyone I know who has raced one, doesn't even like to classify it as a sports car.

Ghost6

The RX-8 gets a lot of press for being a 'usable' sports car. The whole suicide door thing is pretty cool, but I don't buy sports cars for the roomy backseat or extra set of doors. I think the Car and Driver guys are getting a little old, and are starting to care more about comfort and functionality instead of handling and acceleration. On a side note, I'm pretty upset about the whole 10 Best List, actually the whole issue. I've pretty much given up on that magazine, and switched over to Road and Track (seems like they have their priorities more in order).

dansouliere

There are factors that C&D take into account that we could care less about when they rate their cars. Like 4doors and overall praticality.

Spider883

My friend has an rx-8 and i have driven it... yes it drives great, has great brakes, but has no power whatso ever.

SB Track

I haven't driven a stock RX-8, but I've driven one with Tein SS / intake / exhaust. And I can say that the car is on rails. Handled much nicer than even my 350Z does now. It really is a blast to drive, has back seats, and a new look. It is also true that it is underpowered for city driving, like the S2000. Well, they make different cars for different people, and I guess all of us decided the 350Z was our selection.

Wotnot

other than a "Sports Car"??? I was sure a Sports "Coupe" was an entirely different class........no??

RedSand

I have driven one as well, the third one I got into at the dealership because the other two wouldnt start. I just couldn't buy a car that has it's own little manual on how you have to treat the engine to get it to start or restart. It did drive very nice, handled well but it definetly doesn't have the grunt or the good looks of the z. Just my $
.02

Built2shredZ

When I buy a car, I always consider these things

1) Looks
2) Handling
3) Power

Pretty much in that order.... I think the rear doors on the RX-8 break up the clean lines and make it look ackward... Not a fan of the looks... I like clean lines.. The only thing I wish was changed on the 350z is the big @ss door handles, I would of prefered NSX handles, would of keept the clean lines of the car better...

Speedracer

Here's another example of Car & Driver at their best: In 9/99 they vote the Audi S4 as the best new luxury sports sedan, dethroning the BMW M3. In the "10 best" issue four months later, they include the M3, and not the S4. Similar price, similar class of car. You figure it out. C&D and all car mags are FULL of inconsistencies. All depends on the mood of the writers/testers on any given day.

RX-8 is a blast to drive however. Feels a lot like an S2000 coupe.

SB Track

M3 is not a sedan...

bamyi

iTrader: (2)

if CD were to pick the 350 as the best, i can bet you that the ppl at myRx-8.com would want heads to roll.

xswl0931

Maybe he meant the 98 M3 which there was a sedan. In any case, I don't put much stock into these 10 best. The 3-series is back in the 10 best even though the G35 beats it in comparisons. These things seem to happen all the time. Like when the Titan beat the F-150 in a direct comparison, but loses in another top list. It's all about how much car manufacturers spend on advertising.