Hi .. I am an RX-8 driver, so will admit to being biased.

What has made the RX-8 for me is:

1) The engine is just so so sweet ... buzzes all the way to 9k and just loves to do the whole rev range.

2) It just grabs attention everywhere it goes ... every day I end up being accosted by some new stranger who wants to talk to me about it

3) It handles like a dream

4) It's a nice place to be when you're on a long boring journey ... looks nice in there and is really comfortable

5) It's much more practical that the crossfire ... 4 seat, 4 door, and a decent sized boot with a better opening.


Downsides:

1) You need to get in the right gear to get the most out of it ... so lazy drivers forget it! For me, I quite enjoy flipping from 6th to 3rd and rocketing past everyone.

2) Fuel economy is non-existent.

3) The back end isn't that pretty to look at

4) Oil needs topping up every 2500 miles

All-in-all, these are both good coupes, but I chose the RX-8 for it's "daring to be different" from a technology perspective. The crossfire is a lovely looking car, but at the end of the day (for me at least) relies on good old fashioned merc SLK mechanics.

 

Thanks for your honest opinion! The old Merc mechanics were tweaked alittle for this car as far as wheels and suspension!

 

Mr. Q,

In case you haven't noticed by now, you will not get your answer here.

You cannot ask a bunch of people who've paid north of $30K for their car, and still own it, to be biased and level headed when they talk about it or compare it to other cars.

Read the last post from the RX8 owner...with the exception of the buzzing to 9K feature, virtually any Xfire owner here would've listed the exact same pluses for his or her car.

Now, go over to an RX 8 board. The RX8 owners will all be crowing about their car, how the car draws a crowd, how they've smoked a Crossfire or other car owner at a light (as with most bench racing, most such boasts happen when the other driver wasn't aware he was racing, been that way since the beginning of time), you get the picture.

In other words, we've dropped serious money on these cars, and we cannot help but be biased. You won't get your answer.

I would suggest that if you are unable to test drive both cars, do not buy the one you cannot test drive. I cannot fathom paying high 20's (well, in my city they can be had for $23+K) RX8, or $30K plus for an Xfire without driving it first. That's just plain crazy.

All you'll get from owners of expensive cars when asked to compare with other expensive cars is actually totally useless, subjective information.

Good luck, comparative shopping is half the fun!

 

I am going to add in some other considerations like dealer service, insurance (may be similar between vehicles), repair & replacement costs of items like the Michelin PS2 tires. Don't know about trunk capacity but the XF's is decent enough to hold a large cooler and groceries. Plus, in the US we get luggage.

I had a '94 RX-7 which had twin turbos. Don't know if the RX-8 has as well but replacement of that down the road could be another consideration.

Finally, I believe the XF is probably going to retain more value because they are rarer.

 

The Q

I am currently awaiting the delivery of my Crossfire so i have not had the experience of driving the car everyday like some of the lucky fellows on this forum. Prior to choosing the Crossfire i did test drive the RX-8 whilst the RX-8 is a nice car to drive it needed driving!, i cannot imagine cruising around in an RX-8. From my test drive therafter of the crossfire i chose it. The crossfire felt a better cruising car whilst still having the poise and power to drive hard should you want to and from a quality point of view it feels quality and the RX-8 felt... well Japanese! The crossfire would undoubtably lose to the RX-8 on a racetrack, but i don't drive on a race track and very few people do! comfort matters and the RX-8 loses in my opinion.
Also from a financial point of view the crossfire will hold its price far longer than the RX-8.

 

I've never driven a crossfire but have owned an RX8 for 2 months so can try to give you an opinion on that. In general the rx8 has been very well received in the UK, car of the year in some quarters and loads of great reviews. The crossfire on the other hand has been given quite bad reviews as far as I read. Top Gear did their piece on the crossfire and really got stuck into it criticising handling looks, layout and the manual transmission. They claimed the auto box was even worse.

Check out www.rx8ownersclub.co.uk for a listing of all the web reviews. My favourite is this one by edmunds comparing the RX8 and the 350z.
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/compa...9/page001.html

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/compa...9/page002.html

Looks wise, well thats your opinion but I love the rx8 inside and out. What I can say though is the quality of the interior is way above its price point. The switches and dials are all very high quality and the overall finish is excellent.

Yes, it handles beautifully (again go to the owners club website and search for the top gear review someone posted in MPEG format, to see the car being serioult chucked about) and in town is a real joy to be honest. Considering its a sports car driving along urban roads is very smooth and comfortable.

Engine is great. So smooth and very powerful. Now I know people ***** about the power only being available at 5000rpm, but so what? It revs to 9000 (or 100000 if you're really brave!), so the whole point is to use the entire range. It takes a little more work, sure, but with the superb gearbox who the hell cares! Before I used 3rd to overtake but now its ok for me to use 2nd!

So, I love the car but are there negatives? Of course. Fuel ecomony is not all that great, 18-20 MPG with mostly in town driving. You need to check the oil, every so often but after 1000 miles I've only used 1/4 litre, thats no big deal at all.

As for resale value, I'm not sure what mystical powers Leviathon has, but with all the negative press over here regarding the crossfire I would be doubtful about his claim. We shall see.

Hope you can make up your mind soon because its a joy to drive coupes of this quality. For me it was a no brainer as I loved the RX from the very beginning. The fact it has reviewed better in the press and is cheaper than its rivals didn't come into it!

 

In my opinion (Having driven the Crossfire) That Brit from Top Gear doesn't know a Steering wheel from a brake peddle. The Automatic tranny is absolutely awesome!!! I've also driven the RX8 and it rides like a buckboard. And don't even think about leaving the line quick with the RX unless you rev the crap out of it.

If you drive both cars you won't have any problem picking the one that serves your purpose and style the best.

But whatever you do... Don't let the so called "Experts" tell you which one is best. Only you can determin what is the best fit for you.

 

"That Brit from Top Gear" has been a motoring jounalist for the last 20 years and is pretty well respected, although he can be a smug **** sometimes. The other two guys on the show (also motoring journalists) wholeheartedly agreed about the auto box being utterly terrible. Like I said I'm only going on others peoples opinions.

What the hell is a buckboard? Is it something that goes round corners like its on rails. The RX8 handles beautifully, even compared to my old MX5 (miata), both at speed (I'm tlaking about tight UK A and B roads, not USinterstates) and when cruising through town.

These 2 web reviews give the crossfire a decent enough review, but both complain about the interior, which is interesting considering where it comes from. They love the engine and exterior styling though.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/?news/a...y.php?id=42553

http://www.channel4.com/apps26/4car/...2&reviewid=789

 

Ruttiger

when i mentioned about the financial side of the RX-8 and Crossfire holding their prices, i wasn't using the force or any other mystical powers. When i got a quotation on leasing both the crossfire and the RX-8 from the respective dealers the depreciation on the RX-8 was higher than the crossfire. This actually made the crossfire cheaper to lease than the RX-8.

But at the end of the day it all comes down to personal choice, i like the crossfire over the RX-8, some prefer the RX-8 or 350Z. And i respect other peoples choice of car, if everyone believed top gear we would all be catching the bus until we could buy a ferrari!

The less than complimentary reviews have not made a difference to the lease values! Well top gear magazine did say the crossfire had four seats!

Which ever car you choose it has to be right for you no matter what anyone else thinks!

 

Leviathon

Top Gear really said the crossfire had 4 seats? You're kidding right? Bunch of chumps! Quite a fundamental thing to get wrong I would have thought?

As for the rest it sounds fair enough and it will be interesting to see how finances pan out.

I agree 100% about personal choice. A sports coupe will always be a very personal choice, especially as a perfect one has yet to be made. Its just nice to see the TT having some real competition for a change!

 

ruttiger wrote : "That Brit from Top Gear" has been a motoring jounalist for the last 20 years and is pretty well respected, although he can be a smug **** sometimes.


I couldn't care less who or what he is! He's absolutely wrong!!! Ask anyone that's driven the Crossfire. That's the only point I was making.

And a "Buckboard" is an old west (western US) horse drawn pickup truck. Extremely stiff ridding. The RX8 rides like the wheels are bolted to the frame (IMO).

 

Ruttiger

Top Gear magazine did indeed have the Crossfire listed as having four seats. So obviously the guy that wrote the review had driven a crossfire!

Lease prices in my experience always tend to show what type of depreciation a car will have as the leasing company charges more if the car is worth less at the end of the term, so it your looking to buy a car get a lease quote even if you have no intention of leasing.

From memory whilst the crossfire is quite a few thousand pounds more expensive than the RX-8, on a lease over 3 years its around �’100 a month cheaper to lease!
I was just as surprised about this as i am sure anyone is!

 

Ruttiger

If you want to read a review that's fair and written by someone that has 36 years experience and an automotive editor, go to this web site.
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/je...sfire&src=Home

Since you are into credentials don't forget to click on the "About Don Jedlicka" link. His credentials are impressive.

This is an extremely Fair and "Honest" review!!!

As a Crossfire owner I can't refute any of his comments.

 

Ruttiger;

Clarkson is a Muppet....
By his very own addmision, he is nothing more than a presenter/journalist with a more than passing interest in cars.
Fair enough, he has driven pretty much every car on the road for the last 20 years or so, but he still believes that bikes are not as fast as cars, despite the fact that during a test involving himself, driving a 911 Carrera Turbo, Jason Plato driving a Subaru WRX and Niall Mackenzie on an old Yamaha FZR1000 Exup, the only way they could beat Niall at any of the tests was to try and force him off the track...!

The only reason the Crossfire got a bad review on Top Gear was probably down to DCUK not providing enough freebies for the crew.
They didn't even show the lap that "The Stig" did in the car because it put more than a few of the cars all ready tested to shame.

Basically, anybody who has driven a Crossfire will know that Clarkson was talking bollocks from the minute he started.

At the end of the day, I bought mine for me to drive, not to try and impress the likes of him.

BTW... was that your Silver RX-8 I saw parked outside St Johns Hospital in Livingston last Thursday?

I do like the fact that the RX has an extra 2 seats, with plenty of leg room to go with them and had I been buying a replacement rather than an second car, then that may have tipped the balance for me.
The rotary engine is definately something everybody should try, but it does require full concentration and to be kept in the high revs as there is no torque to help you along if you cruise.
Oil consumption shouldn't be any surprise to anybody familiar with a rotary engine.
The Norton rotary engined bike, used by Steve Hislop to win the IOM TT, is a constant loss system. There isn't a sump, as such, so you have to make sure that you check the level regularly.

I like the look of both the RX and the Crossfire, but the Crossfire takes it's styling cues from a slighltly retro look, take a look at the Chrysler Airflow circa 1934, and the RX is more your "Fast & Furious" look.
I opted for the Crossfire and can't say I am displeased in anyway.

Cheers for letting me spout yet again!

 

WMichaels,

I agree 100% with the review right down to the power window switches operating backwards which is easily fixed. Just remove, reverse them and reinstall.

As of today tho, my first gear problem reappered. I'll post more on that in another thread.

Happy motoring....

 

Del R71

No, I've a Red RX8 so it wouldn't have been me. In fact outside of a local meet and a day at prodrive I've only seen one other RX on the road. Briefly saw a crossfire a few months ago as well, driving down into Barton junction from the 4th bridge. Looked good.

Like I said I won't have a go at the crossfire as I've not driven one. As for Clarkson, well I admit he's a **** most of the time (although I'd give anything for his job), but we do agree on the RX8 so he does have some redeeming features. 8)

Glad to hear the crossfire is not as I've read. Its nice to have some TT competition! More the merrier.


- Torque. Just not true. Ok, its hardly V6 torque levels at less than 5k revs, but considering thats only half way arounf the rev counter, its easy to overcome. The gear box really makes it a joy to drive in any situation. In fact I find it easier to drive than my old MX5, and I don't find myself concentrating any harder.

- Oil. Interestingly I just found out that the RX8's sump is only half as deep as a 'normal' sump due to the position of the engine. After 2200 miles I've used 750ml of oil. You should check your oil regularly in ALL cars not just rotaries.

If you're local then perhaps you'll be interested in coming along to the next RX8 meet and show us all what we're missing. I'm sure the other guys would love to have you. We're trying to organise something for the end of Feb (22nd maybe) around Stirling Castle and then drive either over to Loch Lomond or hit the Edinburgh Moffat road. Let me know if you fancy it.

 

ruttiger,

That CF you saw a couple of months ago would be me. I had the only one delivered to a customer in Scotland at the time.

regards

 

Right on ruttiger, the RX-8 is a great car. I'm a Mazda fan from way back buying a GSL-SE new in 1985 and a few others since. But the Crossfire just caught me right, a combination of great looks and driveability got me when I first saw it and has me still. While we may bicker between us about which of our "sports" car is better, we are still a community. Were I located across the big pond I would love to show my Crossfire off at your event, and also admire all of those great RX-8's too.

 

Cool, shame you were going in the other direction. I didn't think it was too ugly at the time :wink: .

You still alone or are there any more about? I drove behind a 350 last night for a while and I think its looks are growing on me. Looks mean as anything even from the **** view.

 

I dunno, to me the 350Z looks like a sofa with a sheet draped over it.