Like I said on page one, comparing the EVO to the RX-8 is like comparing apples to oranges. Two totally different cars, and the EVO comes out the winner anyways.

RX-8 is all show and no go.

 

I like the RX-8 no question. What Mazda did power wise is bull-****. They better come out with a Mazdaspeed RX-8 soon (w/turbo). I don't know what one person was talking about with double takes. I get at least two double takes every time I drive my car. The style may be more so on the RX, but I still think the Evo looks better, but I'm all about fender flares.

 

More like granny smith to red delicious.

The RX-8 really doesn't fall into a category other than "$30k (give or take) sports car" which includes a lot of vastly different cars. The 350Z isn't a good comparison, as it lacks 2 of the RX-8's selling points - 4 doors and a back seat. The G35 Coupe seems to be the closest comparison for the RX-8, at least in my book, in which case the RX-8 certainly has a case for being a good car in its class.

 

A close friend of mine at work has an RX-8, and I love it. It handles incredibly, is smooth as silk, stops on a dime, and looks great. Those cars are totally different than ours and serve a different purpose. If you're a true performance car enthusiast, I can't see how you wouldn't love the RX-8 after taking it out for a good hard drive.

 

I have test driven both the RX-8 and the EVO-RS in the last two weeks.

You could compare the two cars, but why bother? The EVO Kills the RX-8 in power delivery. The RX-8's reported quartermile time is a 14.5. The EVO-RS, a 13.3.

My wife wanted to get the RX-8, which we test drove first. Then when she felt how much faster the EVO was, she said "There just isn't any comparison when it comes to which is faster."

The RX-8 does handle >>Very Well<< but certainly not better than the EVO. The RX-8 has great brakes. It looks great in my personal opinion. But, it's power out put reminds me of a Honda... high revving, low torque, dissapointing.

I wouldn't fault anyone who gets an RX-8. Its a great car for the money. But, I would never get one over an EVO.

 

Funny to be talking about the RX8 and 350...I had a numerous run-ins with both on the freeway and boulevards....I'm always amused by these folks because they obviously don't know the EVO....On saturday, a guy pulled up next to me on the freeway, wanted to race and was persistent....we came to a low density area and I dropped into 4th and went to 7200rpm or so....dispite his efforts I moved quickly 200ft ahead of him.....we did this a couple times and he got irritated and quit....

350Z, same night from a light (after much persistance on his part)...I actually did my first really aggressive luanch to put a nail in his coffin and bury his ignorance....It was a good laugh....he actually complimented my car and said "what kind of car is that - it's fast!".....

Two fools schooled on one weekend.....I also smoked two SRT's and a Porsche Cayanne Turbo, and a misguided Cobra (a beautifull on ramp whipping)....

 

I test drove an RX8 & G35 before my purchase of the EVO. There is no comparison between the two. The RX8 is a nice car but lacks the power and handling of the EVO. These are two seperate cars and should not be compared. The EVO will eat the RX8 in any performance event.

 

I don't know why some of you guys publish these comparisions. These cars aren't meant to be competing againest each other. Their totally different. Pretty much the only similarity is 4-seats, 4-doors.

 

The one thing I did like about the RX-8 when I took one out was how absurdly smooth the thing is to redline. Even the S2000 got a little raucous past 8K. Lots of folks have been getting their RX-8s to rev to 10K, which is pretty impressive.

If they made a modern RX-7 (2-seater, turbo, stiffer suspension) I would actually give it a lot of thought.

 

all looks no performance for the rx8... cant compare it to the evo.

 

RX8 is beautiful, but it definately needs a turbo.

Then again, IMO most cars need a turbo

 

I picked the 8 over an Evo.

Why? Well, safety for one thing. The lack of side airbags in the Evo worried me. I also didn't want to have to deal with the potential clutch issues.

Otherwise, the Evo is a fantastic car. I took it for enough test drives to feel I've actually owned one now, lol. I too love that rear-ended by a freight train feeling when the turbo spools. And the super-quick steering. And the Recaros.

But.

Calling the 8 "all show and no go" is just plain ignorant. The car wasn't meant to win drag races. Neither was the Evo for that matter, although it seems fated to be abused that way here in ths US.

If you're an objective person, oriented around facts, statistics, 1/4 mile times and bragging rights... the Evo wins hands-down.

But if you're a subjective person like me, where the driving experience, the feeling of being in harmony with a well-sorted out machine is a priority.. well, things aren't quite so simple. Both cars can deliver, and which you choose is more a matter of personal taste rather than comparing facts and figures.

The 8 is a very nice car to drive. No, not if you need to spank people at every stoplight. But if you relish carving up twisty country roads, listening to 9,500 rpms during shifts... it's a heckuva lotta fun