Nissan 350Z vs. Mazda RX-8

Well this was certainly a tough decision for me. It looks like both Nissan and Mazda are taking a step back in time, when they, along with Toyota ruled the import streets of the past.

I've loved every U.S. destined Nissan and Mazda sports cars, and can't ever take one over the other. But if it came down to it, I would take the Mazda, since it feels to be of higher quality in the term of "sports" (aside from the 2 extra doors and seats). When you check its intricate craftsmanship, you see that the detail in shape and purpose come alive. Even the Rotary engine is known to be among sports cars primarily.

As nice as the 350Z is, you can still feel a slight sense of 'recession' within the company, shown to you in the car as a whole (undedicated chassis/engine). I'll still love Nissans, but I just can't pass over something as tidy as the RX-8.

350Z Pros: two seat simplistic design, torque monster engine, turbochargeable future, reliable powertrain with many replacement parts from many different Nissans, expensive feel for bargain price, beetle-like retro effect, rear tower stabilizer.

350Z Cons: parts-sharing slighty reduces the car's perfect conceptual shape due to and double-dutying the engine and chassis. Not as much absurd acceleration due to heft and relatively undeveloped suspension & engine tuning.

RX-8 Pros: the trick door, niche-type car, heavily developed 13B parts available for the Renesis engine, screaming rotary, fresh and new anime-like body aesthetics, expensive feel for a bargain price, in-cabin design.

RX-8 Cons: questionable reliability, RX-7 still better for all out performance, slightly controversial look.

nissssssssssssssaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!!!!!!!!

i dunno, whats odd is i would take the newest rx7 over the 350z AND the rx8.......just how i am.......they both look too retro to me, but 350 looks the best, and, i love it when its decked out in race style (see freshalloy.com's banner) and i dunno, has the 350s performance specs been confirmed yet?! coz they kept changing...... which makes for a bad comparison from that point of view.....

i think that the RX-8 will be faster then the 350Z since it has similar horsepower (unofficial spec) and it weighta a whole~ lot lighter!! plus its more of a conventional sports car. it has 4 seats!!!

I'm in for the RX-8.

3-rotor - (excess turbo heat) = one cool engine! :coolguy:

uh oh, 3 and 3, we're tied now.....

come on peeps! be seduced by the whine of that nissan's turbo spooling up!

but see Nismodrift. the 350Z isn't goin to be any kind of force induction. its goin to be a big block ( to japanese standards ) VQ35DE engine. its goin to be all motor.

On the other hand, a turbocharged RX-8 may be released sometime in the future (actually, I've heard even a possible 350Z Turbo may be produced as well). But the RX-8 would probably take turbo duties much betterl, since its heart sharing brethren have already been worked up for turbos.

Yeah, everything ive heard has said the Z was in for some forced induction.......

This is what been rumor for a long time.

350Z 280-300 hp
350Z Turbo 350 hp
GT-R 400 hp

Turbo is consider for the VQ Engine Series.

RX-8 250 hp
RX-8 Turbo 330 hp

Turbo is consider to improve on the 160 lb-ft torque.

Turbo is defitnitely in the work for both Nissan and Mazda.

I concur; those are the exact same numbers that I've heard.

Hopefully, the turbo models won't be too expensive.

Originally posted by jay@af
I'm in for the RX-8.

3-rotor - (excess turbo heat) = one cool engine! :coolguy:

the rx-8 has a 13b engine...doesn't it only have 2 rotors?

Yeah the RX-8 has a Renesis 13B, which is differentiated from the RX-7 13B by the lack of turbos, and more importantly, by the exhaust and intake ports being integrated into the side housings of the motor. Not only does this reduce port overlap, thereby promoting combustion, but it also shaves some weight off the engine. Furthermore, the intake ports open sooner, and the exhaust port open later, all adding up to a naturally aspirated motor which is almost as powerful as the Seven's 13B.

But we all know that this engine was meant to be turbocharged... Can't wait!

Morpheus do you subscribe to Options magazine?

No, I have to buy it at the store. But damn it's expensive. I haven't bought one since '96.

Originally posted by Morpheus XIII
No, I have to buy it at the store. But damn it's expensive. I haven't bought one since '96.

They sell it in LA?

I bought a lot on my trip to asia this winter. Option's complete set to modification magazine edition 2 etc. I am a big fan of Spec R magazines as well.

Yeah they sell it in Little Toyko near downtown, but they also sell it in Torrance in this Japanese plaza. There are a significant number of japanese living in Torrance too. But it's like $8 a copy. Of course, there's all the other Japanese magazines too.

Sorry for getting off topic people.

Man I can't wait until the dealers receive the first Eights. For now, GT3 and GT-Force will have to suffice. In stock, the car responds like a nice controllable rear-wheel-driver, like the S13 240SX. Of course it's a bit heavier and not as tossable as the Seven, but the freestyle doors make-up for it.

After seeing both cars in Detroit last week, I have to pick the RX-8 just because I like the look of that car more then the Nissan.













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yeah even though both cars look really good to me, the RX-8 is the better lookin one of the two.

I went with the Nissan. Cool comparison though.

Well from what I have seen of both cars, both manufacturers have bastardized great cars! The CEO's should shot as the lot of the exectutives.

I voted for the Nissan because it is family and that is the only reason. Hopefully neither will be built.

youd think theyd at least make them be able to compete with the lancer evo when it gets here...i mean, subaru is its only competition, and im pretty sure its gonna get crushed

I think I'd rather have either 350Z or RX-8 than an EVO VII. Sure the rally car is cool, has a dense motorsports heritage, and has turbo-packed fun, but it would get pretty boring as a street car; it's still a compact sedan with a sedating appearance, without any real sportscar body lines (after all, its a purpose built machine). I wouldn't mine sacrificing some performance for a more elegant body design.

Definitely the 350Z over the RX8 for me, since I've ordered one already. I don't know, but I find the looks of RX8 to be really odd and somewhat ugly. I've never seen any car that resemble that. It just looks really odd.
By the way, the 350Z is promised to have at least 290hp (for the 6-sp), and its weight is likely to be under 3200 lbs. Performance wise, it should have no problem doing 0-60 in less than 5.5 secs. So far, magazines have ESTIMATED its performance to be under 6 secs, but when it will come out, owners will have no problem doing it in low 5's. I'll see to that personally.

real tough one. altough I'm more into Mazdas I had to vote for the 350Z . cause mazda meesed up with the design while releasing the car(I prefered the first concept pics of the RX-8).

Originally posted by Bean Bandit
...cause mazda meesed up with the design while releasing the car(I prefered the first concept pics of the RX-8).

The concept RX-Evolv is almost identical to the RX-8 other than a little nose and tail treatment. They body lines are exactly the same.

http://www.rx7.com/pics/rx-evolv13.jpg

http://www.rx7.com/pics/rx-evolv2.jpg

I actually like the RX-01 much better than either. The concept exercise is a little dated (from 1995) but it still shows Mazda's right direction in creating a purist's sports car (that's right only TWO doors). But the RX-8 is still great, four doors and all.

http://www.whatodo.ru/bestcars/cars/mazda/rx01/rx01-3.jpg

i voted for the RX-8 just because i love the rotary engine.. i just hope they make better apex seals for them...the lines are sick and i think suicide doors is pretty cool.. the 350Z lines look too smooth for my taste, i like the raw look of the RX-8..although the concept pics for the RX-8 and RX-01 are kind of ugly, looks like that old concept of the pontiac Banshee..fugly!

Really? You don't like the RX-01? I know it looks a little too old too compete in today's modern sports car world, but back 6 years ago, it was a pretty little thing. I bet that if the 01 had made it into production, it would not have disappointed us.

The RX-8 is sweet, but its sports car intentions have really been hacked at by parent company Ford. The RX-01 was created during Mazda's final years before being bought out, and therefore is a true sports car sibling of the RX-7.

i just didnt like the front end of the RX-01..looked to robotic, for lack of a better word.true about the issue of the RX-01 though, it would have been a truer sports car, but i dont think the RX-8 will dissappoint us.

Oh absolutely. The recent review by Road & Track of the RX-8 cover car shows real promise for this new Mazda.

One question, would any of you consider this to be another one of the "crossover" breed? I don't think it's an SUV/wagon (like Matrix) crossover, but it does seem to be some type of this sort, considering that it has 4 real seats, rather than being a 2+2.

I bet many will consider the Mazda somewhat more practical than the Nissan, being that the Z only has 2 seats. But whatever floats your boat, I suppose.

Mazda cuz of the looks and performance:bandit: :smoka: :smoker2: :ylsuper

I read somewhere that the RX-8 isn't even the true successor to the RX-7. So does that mean that Mazda is gonna bring it back or was what I read misguided??

they r both nice but the RX-8 just looks a lot better

The 350Z will definitely outperform the RX-8. They may have similar horsepower figures, but the RX-8 is lacking in the torque department. It has somewhere around 165 lbs/ft. From what I have read, the RX-8 doesnt get fast until you hit 5000rpm. Mazda is touting low six-second times for the 8, and Nissan claims 5.3 seconds.

its hard to beleive that the new Z is goin to weight less then the older Z32. i guess thats why its goin to be faster. even though the 350Z looks extremely heavy when it really isn't that heavy at all

Originally posted by lloyd_nickens
I read somewhere that the RX-8 isn't even the true successor to the RX-7. So does that mean that Mazda is gonna bring it back or was what I read misguided?? The RX-8 is a separate model from the RX-7, not necessarily the next generation RX-7. It's quite posible, but still just speculation, that Mazda could come out with a 4th gen RX-7 and sell them along side the RX-8.

Originally posted by jay@af
The RX-8 is a separate model from the RX-7, not necessarily the next generation RX-7. It's quite posible, but still just speculation, that Mazda could come out with a 4th gen RX-7 and sell them along side the RX-8.

That would be so sweet!!

I loved the rx-7.

For all out power, I'll give it to the Nissan.. it's probably going to get it there. But for handling and such, I'll give it to Mazda, because they've done a great job with a crappy line (read: Protege, Mazda6 that wowed editors in Italy recently), and now they are going to introduce a car whose engine is mounted nearly in the middle of the car, 50:50 weight distribution, and all efforts geared on lowering its weight.

Besides, read the R&T review (at least I think it's R&T, might be C&D) on the Z, and you'll see read one of the counterpoints is that there are much better balanced cars for 35k, and I think that the RX-8 will be one of them. Also, having owned a Mazda, their interiors are not as 'cheap' as Nissan interiors, giving them that better interior aesthetic. However, The exterior looks are all in the eye of the beholder.

Nissan interiors are plain, NOT cheap. They just happen not to appear flashy and this is evident even in their flagship sports car, the GT-R (stark, cold, simple, luxury-less race set-up). Furthermore, Nissan's Infiniti stable has really distinctive interior, always with the centerpiece analog clock. Ever been in a Maxima? The quality is just as high as any other competitor out there, including the Camry and Accord V6s.

Tough choice, they both look pretty promising. I'm going to wait before deciding about the RX-8. My gut feeling tells me that Mazda will put out a 2-seater version with more power (turbo?) within a couple years after the RX-8 release.

I'm just happy that the industry is realizing that we want high-performance import sports cars again.

Originally posted by Morpheus XIII
Nissan interiors are plain, NOT cheap. They just happen not to appear flashy and this is evident even in their flagship sports car, the GT-R (stark, cold, simple, luxury-less race set-up). Furthermore, Nissan's Infiniti stable has really distinctive interior, always with the centerpiece analog clock. Ever been in a Maxima? The quality is just as high as any other competitor out there, including the Camry and Accord V6s.
Nope, they are cheap.

I own an 01 Maxima SE, and yup, they are definately cheap.

Originally posted by Kaneto
Tough choice, they both look pretty promising. I'm going to wait before deciding about the RX-8. My gut feeling tells me that Mazda will put out a 2-seater version with more power (turbo?) within a couple years after the RX-8 release.

I'm just happy that the industry is realizing that we want high-performance import sports cars again.


i agree...as much as i love the RXs, it is too risky since RENESIS is new but it sure impressed me with 250hp n/a. Still, I'm gunning a turbo version or maybe 280+ hp n/a version (3-rotor?). Personally, 250hp is not good enough...more hp more torque!

Originally posted by FC3S



i agree...as much as i love the RXs, it is too risky since RENESIS is new but it sure impressed me with 250hp n/a. Still, I'm gunning a turbo version or maybe 280+ hp n/a version (3-rotor?). Personally, 250hp is not good enough...more hp more torque!
It is for me, when the car weighs under 2900 lbs :)

Originally posted by HerculesMO

It is for me, when the car weighs under 2900 lbs :)


The power-to-weight ratio is good n 250hp may just b enough 4 daily usage. But, it is not when u r tailgated by even stock Evos, Skylines and most importantly, 350Z. U'll have tough time trying to outrun those. Just not enough to perform even for a rotary powered.

Also, Mazda will have 2 solve some issues on RX-8 and I'll be waiting for the 2nd gen release. :)

Originally posted by FC3S



The power-to-weight ratio is good n 250hp may just b enough 4 daily usage. But, it is not when u r tailgated by even stock Evos, Skylines and most importantly, 350Z. U'll have tough time trying to outrun those. Just not enough to perform even for a rotary powered.

Also, Mazda will have 2 solve some issues on RX-8 and I'll be waiting for the 2nd gen release. :)
The car does 0-60 under 6 seconds... I think if you're a good driver you can easily take out 90% of the drivers on the road.

Besides, I'm not using this car to race. It will out handle the 350Z easily, and that's why I want it.

Originally posted by HerculesMO

The car does 0-60 under 6 seconds... I think if you're a good driver you can easily take out 90% of the drivers on the road.

Besides, I'm not using this car to race. It will out handle the 350Z easily, and that's why I want it.


I agree w/ you that it can outslug 90% drivers out there but being a rotary fanatic, i just cannot help it when my rotary is being bullied by another Jap supercar. It annoys me badly...just hate it!

RX-8 is about highway cruising, weekend drives and not race. As for 350Z, the RX-8 can outrun it on winding and twisty roads but not sprinting on highways or straights roads.

Both are really sweet cars, but when it comes to looks, the 350Z is much more stylish and i'd say, looks more higher class... rx8 is more sportier...I don't know whether its the pictures i've seen or something else... but the rx-8 IMO, looks like a toy car... just like the miata...
Though i love the rx8 for its handling(50:50), I'd go for hte 350Z...

The 350Z ROCKS! I cannot wait until mine is done. I think the Mazda is kinda ugly.

[SIZE=4][COLOR=red][B][I]350Z

the rx-8 is disappointingly slow. it sprinted 0-60 in 6.3 seconds. even a 02 maxima can beat that car. of course the rx-8 is a beautiful car and is a more purposeful car then the Z. but i would still choose the Z becuase i am biased hahaha. and for HurculesMO how can you say the maxima's interior is cheap? i have a 3.2 TL type S at home and the maxima interior feels much much more solid then the TL's. the TL's interior is not put together all that nice which is a dissapointment since i would expect more from a honda. and if nissan interiors are cheap then what do you call mazda? my MPV is the biggest POS van right now. the interior is just fallin apart on me. plus my friend's RX-7 FD3S is no different. his interior has sooo much squeeks and rattles that it drives me nuts everytime i drive it. and his whole center transmission console is coming off. not to mention another FD3S that i've driven where even the cluster is calling off and that trunk had a major leak. my friend has a 89 240 with over 220K miles on it. the interior is clean as hell. no rips, no rattles. now if nissan is considered cheap then mazdas much be below garbage standards then. and what do you call a 626 and millenia? hahaha sub standard cars that had no chance in the market either.

I am sorry but based off that picture the RX8 looks FUGLY! Even if it were faster I would still pick the FairladyZ. Looks are a big deal. You can always make a car faster, but it isn't easy to make it look a lot better.