Once on the road I continued my appraisal of the Mazda and its lack of macho manners. Small bumps didn't upset her much, there was a murmur of road noise, and once out of first gear it pretty much didn't make much difference if you shifted her at 3000 rpm or 9000 rpm because she was accepting of your unfamiliarity with her six speed transmission. That all changed when you got to know her better because she soon turns into a tomboy. She gathers up her skirts and runs away from the other sports car wannabes. She even induces mischievous behavior in regard to traffic laws. Bad girl.
There is little doubt that this is a very fun car with seating for four adults, a usable trunk, and good visibility. But, there are areas of concern. The RX showed some chassis shake over rugged roads and a thirst for fuel that prevented me from getting better than 20 mpg and usually 16 was the order of the day. The RX-8 heater was slow to warm the car, and the lack of a spare tire (you get an inflator instead), bothered me. Short armed drivers are going to have a long reach to close the front doors and there was also a shutter when you closed the doors. Other than that this was a well thought out car with some nice touches such as a great leverage handle for the parking brake, a radio mute button on the steering wheel, excellent night lighting, and a price that is remarkable.
In terms of safety, the RX has the usual belts and air cushions in the form of front and side-impact bags and head curtain side bags for front and rear occupants. There was also anti-lock disc brakes with brake-force distribution. The system worked well, but I felt there was a need for more initial bite, especially when short stops are necessary.
Dad's view: An exceptional car for a great price. That is the bottom line for the Mazda RX-8 and if you don't test-drive this car you are not serious about sporty vehicles. Of course, there are some areas that caused me some problems such as how to get to the oil dip stick, the usual higher than average oil consumption which comes as part of the rotary engine's characteristics, a lack of low end power, and soft shock absorbers. But these were offset once I got used to driving the RX-8 and the way it glides down the road.
We had the six speed manual transmission and although it was not as nifty to shift as the Miata, it was certainly on a par with the 350Z and the Porsche and light years ahead of the Mitsubishi. The clutch was soft, and the gas and brake pedals were at an ideal height for heel toe driving maneuvers. In fact, they were as good as we have ever had in this regard. The dead pedals placement was excellent.