due to my profession-sales/finance @ subaru. i have had nice opportunities to drive cars home that were traded in. from G35's to mustangs and various other "sports" cars- none have left an impression like this 2004 Mazda RX8.

my 1st impression was like, this car is weird looking. and it starts up weird. it almost sounds like its struggling to start. rotary engines always fascinated me. but after driving it i learned thats the way it always starts. at first i was dissapointed by the engine at idle... looking at everything interior wise i was like, "weird designs". the shifter **** is triangular...the ebrake handle reminds me of the old school Daisy BB gun handles...and the sunroof a little too far back and about 1 inch too small.

then came the 1st road test. i hated it. coming from a STi and driving this... no torque. the more and more i drove it i started to learn its capabilities. one thing that began to appreciate was its thirst for 9k rpms. after taking it on our famous 13 turns(a nice small twisty road here in hawaii) i pushed the car moderately. on a couple of the hairpins it had a nice oversteer that was manageable. the brakes were pretty impressive- felt good with minimum fade by the end of my drive.

then on to the freeway. the minute i punched the gas the car just seemed like it didn't wanna stop. i smiled and smiled and i saw my rpms go from 4,6,7,8...and up to 9k. (something i don't have in my STi ) from that point the car actually had a nice tune to it. and the ride was smooth.

with a car so light and horsepower around 240hp, and a weird functional design, and confusing center console(aka german cars) i actually love the car. the fact that i can drive it moderate and feel comfortable and "get on it" (7-9k rpms) if i want to. . . it definitely has a little more of a mass appeal than my STi.and also keep in mind that it seats four...the 2 rear seats will seat someone under 6 feet comfortably. am i recommending you to buy this car? no. come buy a subaru from me ..j/k. but i must say that the smile i get from revving it high is nice....but nowhere nearly as nice from a car with 300hp/300 lbs.ft torque.
i can't wait until i get a evo in on trade....









aloha from the summit of *-^-Mauna Kea-^-*

 

I test drove one too...

Like:
Interior Styling and ergonomics
Suicide rear doors
Handling is more to my liking (I like a little oversteer)

Dislike:
Lack of power...even coming from a regular WRX I could tell that the power is waaaay too low for a car like this.
Rear exterior styling...ugly.

 

That's cool that you liked it. My cousin wants one bad.