RS6
Member
Registered: 5th Nov 03
Location: with MJ
User status: Offline
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look good only a mazda though
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and-m
Member
Registered: 5th May 02
Location: Liverpool. Drives. Skud vRS.
User status: Offline
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From an owners review of the engine...
Performance and economy
The stated 0-60 time of 6.0s seems a bit optomistic. The best I ever managed was around 7.5s and that was after trying several different techniques. This starts a familiar pattern of figures that Mazda state that don't actually ring true. The second figure is the power of the engine. Mazda state to be 230bhp at the flywheel. Many people have tested their RX8s on rolling road dynos and very few of them have produced outputs in excess of 200bhp at the flywheel, with some way down in the 180s. The third figure that can only be described as an out-right lie is the fuel economy. Mazda state 25.2mpg for the combined cycle, a figure at which any RX8 owner will laugh. The best I ever managed was 22mpg and that was on a long motorway run, sticking to 65mph. My average economy throughout ownership was 18mpg. That, along with it's thirst for oil (1L every 1500 miles) makes running an RX8 an expensive proposition. Even my A8 with it's monster 4.2 V8 gets better gas milage.
For me, the fuel and oil economy was a bit of a non-issue due to the presence of a fuel card, kindly provided by my employer. The only way in which it annoyed me was that the 60 litre tank resulted in a range of less than 250 miles.
After that royal slating of the stated figures you would think that I don't think much of the car's performance. You would be wrong. Even though it doesn't measure up to what the manufacturers figures suggest, it is still a very capable and fast car if...... and this is a big if......you know how to drive properly. Heel and toe down changes are a necessity as is a good appreciation of suspension loading and selection of the correct gear for the upcoming corner. Drive it in a point-and-squirt manner with no real care and you find it to not be particularly rewarding to drive.
The key to driving it fast is conservation of speed. The car weighs only 1300kg and has oodles of grip so you are able to keep those corner speeds high. The car is also extremely predicatable and will slide exactly how you expect it to. Keeping those revs up is also key. Let the techo drop below 5,000rpm and you are going nowhere. This is due to the lack of torque. A figure of 157lb-ft is similar to that of your average 1.8 Ford Focus but it arrives at 5,500RPM and there is precious little below that.
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Pop
Member
Registered: 8th May 03
Location: Reading
User status: Offline
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mmmm they're nice cars but need plenty of love
... first thousand miles you're putting in nearly as much oil as petrol
... if you press the accelerator pedal before you turn it on you will flood it. do this a few times and you need to replace all 6 spark plugs at £120 a time
... there is a special edition called the evolve launched for 1st march, it's not too bad but has a minging interior
... someone suggested the mazda 6 mps, which is 4wd and 260 bhp ... i would say hold out for a year because they are bringing out a mazda 3 mps with the same stats and the mazda 3 is a small hatchback
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mwg
Member
Registered: 19th Feb 04
Location: South Lakes
User status: Offline
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Nissan 350Z (if you can get one for the same money)
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Tom
Member
Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: Wirral, Merseyside
User status: Offline
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WOuldn't have touched one anyway but this thread concretes that 
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Jason Iles
Member
Registered: 19th Jun 01
Location: Bristol
User status: Offline
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Ever since they did the RX8 womens cup race it took the street cred out for me
the RX7 is much better although needs plenty of TLC and Cash to keep it going nicely 
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3CorsaMeal
Member
Registered: 11th Apr 02
User status: Offline
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i don't like em, quite a clever bit of design etc, but they should of made a proper 2dr coupe version
RX7 all the way
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