Nissan 370z vs. Mazda RX8
 

O.K. Who here has driven an RX8 AND a 370z? I am curious how the 370z handles in comparision to the RX8. I personally LOVE the way my 8 handles; the 350z cannot come close to it; but the 370z maybe able to.

Anyone? Thoughts?

My buddy just got an Rx8 a few weeks ago and I happened to go on a twisty hill climb with him last weekend. Car was very flat and handled nicely, power wise it was not the greatest but was quicker than I thought. Today I just got back from driving the 370z (for the 2nd time) and the car just sticks in the corners. I'll admit I haven't done any extreme twisty driving but from the few freeway on-ramps and turns I did take it was every bit as good as the 8 plus more. Plus the power of the car feels unreal. Definitely worth driving the new Z if you are considering purchasing one. The road feel in the car is on par with Porsche.

rx8 is a nifty looker and the back door actually seems practical, but very underpowered.

Bigdog, the RX8 was quicker than I thought it would be also given the HP. Good to hear that the 370z was equal to, if not greater than the 8 in handling abilies.

On par with Porsche = cloud 9

nissan > mazda.. mazda tries too hard to be nissan and honda combined. you can't do performance and economy all at the same time without some sort of sacrifices. that being said, the new Z will demolish the rx.. both in terms of power and handling. i'll let the 0.99 skidpad speak for itself

The only thing that i don't like about the rx8 is the terrible gas mileage

By the way, the rx8 began production in 03. Hey mazda, how about a frackin update?

eats oil, next.

funny thing is, my 8 does not eat that much oil! I have not fully exhausted 2 'bottles' of oil and I have about 10k miles on it.

and I got tired of waiting for them to update the RX cars. can't wait until 2012 for the new rotary...

This would be a very interesting match. RX8 is lighter and handles a little better than the 350Z but 370Z has much more power and is a bit lighter than the 350Z. When comparing power, 370Z will be the unmatched winner but handling wise, I really can't say anything yet. The new 370Z DOES have better suspension than the 350Z and it's 4" shorter. I guess we just have to wait and see? :excited:

I read somewhere that the 370Z engine sits a bit lower then the previous Z for a better center of gravity...... that helps quite a bit in the handling.

I read one review of the Nismo Z that stated it handled like an RX8. If the 370z handling is on par with the Nismo Z, then it should come close to the RX8.

I will try and test drive a 370 soon and give my thoughts... But my RX8 has the Mazdaspeed suspension...

With the trends of things, the '80s is coming back in style. With the likes of diesels and F/I cars for a compromise of power and economy instead of big brute force.

I don't think an RX8 can compete with the 370z because it's an older car that was geared to battle the 350z and S2000.

We will see!! Road and Track (or was that MT???) liked the feel of the RX8 better than the GTR in their best handling car in America test...

^I really like the RX8, and it handles pretty well. I also like the interior finish a lot. It's not the fastest car out there, but it's such a fun car. A lot of people were just disappointed and dissing the car because they had high expectations of it because of the legendary RX7. It's a head turner too. Up to date, I don't think I've seen more than 5 nicely done RX8's on the streets.

i dunno, i've always just found the rx and the s2k a little too tuner for me. not enough of a genuine power experience.

I would have considered an RX8 except for the very poor mileage, oil consumption and an utter lack of torque. I still respect its ability in the twisties though.

Not enough of a genuine power? Dude, look at what engine the S2k is based after. Look how small the engine is and how much power it's pumping out. That my friend, is genuine power.

How about hey Honda the S2000 needs an update not killing off.

Are you guys talking about handling "feel" as in balance etc or in outright lap prowess, times etc? If its the latter the 350z has beaten the RX8 easily on a few road tests and tied it on some tight tracks. Both did the same time on the Top Gear test track for instance. At the C&D Lightening Lap the 06 "Rev Up" Z demolished the RX8 by 7 seconds per lap. Based on that there is no way in hell the RX-8 will compete with a 370z on a track if it cant beat a DE Rev Up. An HRz would cripple it as well especially if its one with the optional 245/265 tire setup.

If its "feel", balance etc you are refering to then it remains to be seen if the 370z can feel like an extention of the driver the way the RX-8 made quite a few racecar drivers feel. RX-8 may be underpowered compared to its rivals in class but none of them have matched it in handling refinement yet. Will wait till a head to head with the RX-8 and 370z before we can know if the 370z is on par "feel" wise imho. RX-8 is a great drivers car no matter the power/tq numbers. I love the interior over the 350z as well. Quality car. My worthless 2c

Ive actually been looking at RX8's and 370Z's lately. I think the 09 RX actually lost a lot of its character IMHO from previous body styles. Not to mention im a little scared of the Rotary.

And indeed they were worthless! JUST KIDDING!! :icon17:

Actually I was thinking of 'feel', balance, and fun factor. I know the 8 got owned big time on the track, but since I will not be going to the track often, I am interested in the fun factor of the 370z. Guess we will have to wait for the heads up test.

If the Z is suppose to match a Cayman S, it should at least match the RX8 as the RX8's handling has been compared to that. BUT is the 370z's CS comparision on track or street and is it taking the fun factor into account? Just my additional worthless .02.

^^:icon17:

I agree with you on the feel, fun factor etc.....RX8 owns the 350Z on those counts from every review Ive seen. As for the 370z being as fun to drive as the Cayman S or RX8 that will indeed need to answered in a comparo. Just because the 370z can hang with the Cayman S doesnt mean its on the same level of balance and feel as either the RX8 or Cayman S. Power and enough handling can help a car make up for shortcomings like added weight, less ideal weight distribution etc. Pure track numbers dont convey the fun or balance of a car.

Example ACR horribly rapped the Audi R8 on a track. But the R8 felt much better and had more enjoyable handling characteristics compared to the mighty ACR. Im thinking its gonna be hard for a front engined, 56/44 car like the 370z to mimic the telepathic reflexes of a mid engined car like the Cayman S or the superbly balanced RX8. It may tie it or beat it on track but if past reviews are any indication the Cayman S will be the more satisfying "drivers" car. Speculation can be fun but Im hoping the 370z can at least come close to not only the performance of the new Cayman S but also come close to it in the fun factor as well.

+1,000,000. For ~$30,000 that car is so amazing. Now Honda has nothing to offer in that department. :(

Starts at $35K, which seems a little pricey. I'm not a huge fan of convertibles since you can only use one a month out of the year here, but I know I use to kill those things in my 02 trans am, and the 370 is a smidgen quicker than my TA was.

You are correct, it's 35K msrp but 90% of the people got it for around 31-32K because that's how much it went for in most Honda Dealership. S2000 is a really good sports roadster. I had a chance to drive one and boy, it felt like I was in a go cart. The gearbox was abosolutely amazing. I have yet to drive a 30K msrp car with such gearbox( 350Z gearbox doesn't even come close). From 6000 to 9000 RPM was an abosolute blast but those the only rpm you'll have fun in. Pre 6000 RPM experience is just like a Honda civic. Also, lets not forget it's a very light car. I really wouldn't mind driving one at track (autoX) from time to time.

I wasn't aware that the S2k had more than 1 trim, not counting the CR edition which came out towards the end of the life cycle.

I almost bought one back in '05, and I got quoted at $31k OTD for any S2k instock. I was about to go buy it, but I drove my friend's new Evo..2 days later, I also got an Evo, lol.

I still think the transmission in that car is the best in any car I've driven, regardless of price. So buttery smooth. I would like to say that it's the best I4 engine, but I have to give that title to the 4G63.

AK- that's exactly what I said. If you're below 5k RPM, it feels like a Civic so those who are stuck in bumper to bumper traffic may not be able to appreciate much.

During the SoCal nights, I still fiend for a white s2k with red interior. :( But that car would be even more impractical than the Z to daily drive in. :(

if you knew what genuine meant you would understand that you are wrong. the 370z has genuine power.. a corvette has genuine power. they boast 300+ hp without a turbo or an inline-6. however, then there are cars like the mazdaspeed6 and the s2000, they squeeze every little ounce of power they can manage. same goes for the 335i.. a little artificial if you ask me.. also that leaves some room for turbo lag. and don't get me wrong, all 3 of the latter mentioned cars are amazing but they just lack that stomp down the foot naturally aspirated power you get from a camaro or a z.

What car has turbo lag again? I have full torque of 300 at 2k RPM. Have you seen the size of the snails on the 335i? Like I've stated earlier..the 80s are coming back. BMW has announced that it will no longer use high displacement N/A motors on their M models and go with turbochargers to compensate for the MPG factor.

I speak on cars I drove and know of. I considered buy a G35 coupe, Volvo S60R, S2000, Rx8, 350z, STi, and Evo back in '05 and ended up with an Evo. If you want to talk about lag, mention cars like the Evo. :D

I currently have an rx-8. Hopefully I can test drive a 370z soon so I could provide a proper comparison on handling. I love my car. It's a fun car to drive, but it lacks power for its class. Mazda has been ignoring their current flagship sports car. The rx-8 has been out for over five years now, but they still haven't given it a mazdaspeed treatment in the US just like the mazdaspeed 3 and the 6. I don't know how the hell Mazda turbocharged an suv before the rx-8. I looked forward for the 2009 redesign of the rx-8, but when it was released, it looked like crap.

I agree; although a new black R3 with the 19 inch gun metal wheels looks really good in person! The only hope for the RX car is the new 16B Rotary to drop in 2012. It is suppose to have a true 270 HP engine with 200 lb feet. That in a 2900 pound car is not too shabby (assuming they go with the coupe as rumored)....