Mazda RX-8 vs. Nissan 350Z

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The Mazda RX-8

The Mazda RX-8 is a unique sports car. Its four-seat, four-door configuration is an original design that works well.  The rotary engine is super smooth, simple, high-revving and strong.  The RX-8 is a great sports car with an innovative approach and superb engineering.

The Mazda RX-8 overflows with style, if not grace. From the side you see big, sharp wheel arches; plus a non-functional black mesh vent angled behind the front wheel. The cabin is comfortable and surprisingly roomy. The seats are great, a nice fit with good bolstering  It seats four adults very comfortable and has two small rear opening "Freestyle" doors, making entering and exiting the rear seats much easier than a typical two-door sports car.  The trunk is roomy, and could be considered a ?true trunk?.  Standard safety features include front and side-impact airbags for the front occupants, curtain airbags front and rear, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, stability control with traction control and tire pressure monitoring.

The RX-8 is available in four trims, Sport, Touring, Grand Touring and the R3.  The RX-8 Sport automatic comes standard with 16-inch alloy wheels, air-conditioning, cruise control, a CD player and full power features. The Sport with the six-speed manual transmission gains more performance via a limited-slip differential, a sport-tuned suspension, larger front brakes and 18-inch alloy wheels.   The aggressively styled RX-8 is a true four-seat sports car thanks to its near-perfect 50-50 weight distribution, and light weight, high-revving rotary engine.  With two more gears, the six-speed automatic also brings steering-wheel mounted paddle controls for semi-manual shifting; this allows the engine to be tuned closer to its manual-transmission specification, narrowing the performance gap between the auto-shifting and shift-it-yourself versions.

The manual and automatic models  of the RX-8 are two different cars. The base automatic comes packaged with a softer suspension, smaller wheels and smaller brakes. The bottom line is that the manual model is for driving enthusiasts willing to sacrifice some comfort, and convenience for performance.

The Nissan 350Z

The Nissan 350Z is a fast and affordable pure sports car.  For 2008, the Nissan 350Z receives a new color option, satellite radio is standard on the Touring and Grand Touring trims on the coupe, and the engine has been redesigned for more power.  The two Coupe models get the Bluetooth Hands-Free Phone System with steering wheel-mounted controls.    When you consider components such as a carbon-fiber driveshaft and drive-by-wire throttle, as well as the convenience features that come standard, such as automatic temperature control and a premium stereo, the price of $27,900 for the Base Coupe is amazing.

The Nissan 350Z has eight variants available: five coupes and three roadsters. All come standard with the new 306-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6, and a six-speed manual transmission. A five-speed automatic is available on all models except for two trims on the coupe.

Safety features include dual-stage front supplemental air bags, front and rear body crumple zones, and active head restraints. The 350Z earned NHTSA's five-star rating for side-impact crash test safety. Antilock brakes with EBD (electronic front-rear braking balance), brake assist and traction control are standard, as is a tire pressure monitoring system. Side-impact airbags are standard on Roadsters, and a package including side-impact airbags and airbag curtains is optional on the Coupes.  The 350Z has a firm ride and abrupt throttle response.  It actually works as a commuter car, while at the same time bringing fun for the weekend.  The five-speed automatic transmission is smooth and responsive; and it's neat when the engine blips on its own, with each aggressive downshift (Nissan calls this DRM, Downshift Rev Matching). But with the automatic, the redline of the engine is only 6600 rpm.

The large fenders and  short front and rear overhangs give the Coupe its aggressive stance. This taut body layout, coupled with weight savings gained from a carbon fiber-reinforced, plastic driveshaft and an aluminum hood (and on the Roadster, a plastic trunk lid), balance the Z well for responsive handling.  The suspension uses aluminum components to keep down the unsprung weight. It feels pretty stiff, but not unbearable. The Nissan 350Z cockpit is designed for driving.  Cloth or leather are choices in this car. The cloth seats are form-fitting, supportive and comfortable.  The leather seats in the Touring model feel firmer than those in cloth, and are available in charcoal, burnt orange or frost.



The Mazda RX-8 and the Nissan 350Z are fun, stylish, sports cars.  The RX-8 gives great balance and precise turn-in. The RX-8 is surprisingly practical, a true four-seater, with the space needed without giving up its true calling.  The Nissan 350Z is pure sport at an attainable price.  Its interior is the weakest link, but the engine and shape override this.  The RX-8 has an MSRP base of $26,435, the Nissan?s is $28,510.  The Mazda?s fuel economy is 22 mpg Hwy, 16 mpg City, and the 350-Z?s range is 25 mpg Hwy, 18 mpg City.  Both vehicles call for premium unleaded fuel.