You guys never answered the questions is a Porsche 911 not a real sports car since it has 4 seats? A G35? I have a RX8 6 Speed and I most def get more than 15 MPG. Its more like 20 buddy and I know!

 

I've actually put 3 sets of clubs in the back as well as other items at the same time. It had more storage capability than I anticipated.

 

Test drove both including others as well... I give the rx-8 the 4 seats if u want more room.. and the interior IMHO is better... however.. the power isn't there. The 350z has way more torque and hp.. just overall a more sporty faster car. Hope this helps

 

One point that I have not heard in this thread is both of these cars have issues (flooding, oil consumption vs tire wear problems). Ask yourself a question, with what I know about my local dealership, is he going to be responsive about correcting my potential problem and keeping me on the road? In my area, I would not buy an RX8 for that reason.

 

Also test drove the 8. Low end torque definitely absent, the gearbox was smooth and shifting was effortless. Thumbs up on the interior styling and comfort but thumbs down on the torque, MPG and HP. You don't feeling any torque till the higher RPM's. After test driving the RX-8 I appreciate my Z much more now.

 

the rx8 is a sports coupe, just like the g35. 15 mpg is what the majority of rx8forum.com members report for gas mileage in city driving.

 

The RX-8 is more comparable to the RSX Type-S in the Sports coupe class, but not quite the Sports car class.... the 8 definitely is a "sporty" car IMO

 

Are you saying theres a difference between a sports car and a sports coupe?

 

Based off semantics... plausibly. The fact stands that the RX-8 is comparable to the RSX-S. Now if Mazda brings back the RX-7, then THAT will be direct competition for the 350Z. I KNOW you don't have reservations about that last statement.

 

well i got an rx-8 over the 350 and it was a long and hard decision. It is my only car, and frankly i dont know how one could survive with only a 350. I guess I have an overly active lifestyle though.

The 8 is slower, but not that much slower. that R&T ariticle claimed 0.7 difference to 60 and less than one for 1/4 mile. I would gladly trade that for the practicality.

I dont know why people dont believe its a sports car, 6 sec 0-60 is pretty good, its certainly faster than the rsx-s its been compared to. and it handles like a dream. Oh and the z and 8 had same lap times, both beat by the s2k. I think they each bring something different to the speed department, and they about equal out on the track, and really thats where it matters.

as for my mileage, i get on average 20, although mine was built in feb. as far as i know, the mileage issues have been solved by a simple computer update.

Im trying not to be biased, i love the z, i cant say that for all of you though.

Plus the 8 is a lot cheaper. $5000 in canada plus the interest rates are 2-3% lower and that adds up to another couple grand

 

not that it really matters, but the best 1/4 reported by a mag for the rx8 is 14.4 and for the z 13.77. i don't know what other category it could possibly be classified under other than "sports coupe". mazda would refer to it as a sports coupe i imagine.

 

Handling: equal

Ride: RX-8 by just a bit

Power: Z by a LOT

Steering feel: Z by a bit

shifter: Z by a bit

ergonomic layout: equal

looks: pure opinion.....doors on RX-8 look ridiculous in my opinion

sound: Z by a lot

interior quality: RX-8 by a bit

exterior quality: equal

practicality: RX-8 by a lot

seats: Z by a lot....the best seats of ANY car I have been in.

I bought the Z for it's awesome off-the line torque, the tight powerful feel of the shifter, and it's drop-dead gorgeous looks. All far superior to the RX-8 in my opinion.

 

Perhaps I should've utlilized "sporty" coupe in my terminology... Civic Si, RSX-S, RX-8, etc.

You guys wanna play on semantics...

Sport Vehicles

Wide market there as the 350Z and the RX-8 are listed in this class... as is the NSX, RSX, etc.

Now how about sports performance then for "words" sake...

Performance Vehicles

Notice which cars are left out of this classification.... hey, I think the RX-8's are rather cool, but they simply aren't direct competition for the 350Z

 

I was lookin at a RX8...could have even got it on the Ford discount, but I liked the Z better....among other things didn't trust the rotary engine.

 

This is a link that said top Competitors to the 350Z and guess who was first? Your link means nothing because most magazines and test drivers compare the two because these two cars are competitors. Thats right people wouldnt keep camparing the RX8 to the 350Z if it was nearing the same performance, give and take in obvious areas. Some of you all in here need to suck it up and just admit to it.

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/co...titors&src=vip

 

Sounds like someone has "Z" envy!

I don't give a flip what the mags say...if I did, I'd be driving a honda accord, the best car ever! hahaha

These mags also state quite clearly that the performance #'s attained by the RX-8 are not typical of daily driving, and in fact would cause the owner to go through clutches quite quickly, due to the extremely high RPM drops that are needed to get the low 1/4 mile times.

Enjoy your RX-8 man, I think they look cool...

 

anyone else hate that the only categories the Z loses to the RX-8 are the features most people look the least at when buying a "sports" car. If i want a sports car, i want power. I want handling. I want to feel a connection between the road and the steering wheel. I dont want to know i have X amount more cargo room than another. Or that i can take 3 more people crammed into the car. Sports cars are not practical. They arent suvs. They shouldnt have "cargo room" comparisons that tip the scales of a decision. I want to know which one is the fastest. Which one can handle the twisties and beg for more. RX8s are great cars. Just not pure sports cars. Mazda made comprimies to sell it. Its a different niche in the market. Its a good niche, but still to different. I sat in the back seat of an rx8 and thought i was in a straight jacket when someone sat next to me. I would rather have 50 more hp than 2 more tiny seats. But thats just me. And the doors are silly. So so silly. I think i saw those on a saturn once.

 

You want to discredit my facts, then I can discredit your's... if you had rational arguments, then you might be worth wasting some time posting to.... obviously you don't, so you're not. You'll have to give my props (which are obvious to any rational thinking adult) before I can EVEN acknowledge a response to your's

 

Excellent points DrVolkl... guy can't accept that his car isn't a performance car... he must think his car is an RX-7 or something. We're competitors?

Again, agreed sentiments. So I guess Mazda can release a new RX-7 and that the 8 will be virtually equal in performance or something... and he thinks we're knocking his car! He just can't face facts! IT'S A NICE CAR, it's just not a car that delivers performance to those wanting that raw performance/racing feeling.

 

i think the rx8 is a direct competitor to the z, because obviously a lot of people are cross-shopping them (including me, though i prefer the z). they're both stylish performance cars with a little more exclusivity and curb appeal than something like an rsx or celica. i think the s2k for me is a closer competitor to the z all things considered. but of course it's a convertible. rx8 and s2k are definitely its most direct competitors though (imo).