Nissan Z-350 or Mazda RX-8?

[Mr. Curious]

Which car is better "overall"? I know that Mazda's rotary engine is more reliable as it has much less moving parts, but piston engines have better fuel economy, so each car has it's own advantages. What I am looking to find out is which car is more fuel efficient, and which has more raw power/higher max speed and better handling?

When I ask this, I am asking about the most "basic" models. Not special editions or anything like that.

When answering, please explain your answer. Don't just say Nissan or Mazda is better. I want to know the "why" part.
Thanx.

 

[andrey t]

you know I was thinking about getting a car and those were my top 2 choices as well, and what i ended up getting is the mazda, a couple reasons why is because of the interior, the nissan inside is not the best i have seen, there are many little things that i didn't like, it felt cheap driving it, where as the mazda felt really sporty inside, it comes with bucket seat in all for positions so everyone is comfortable, and even though it seems to be a coupe it sits 4. another the nissan has a faster engine but the car itself is allot heavier, where as the mazda is fairly light and the engine has about 250 BHP and it is 50/50 weight distribution the car car has great handling, but if you are looking just for fuel economy the nissan has better gas milage, but overall i would say the mazda is better, another car you might want to take a look at is the infinity g35 it looks somewhat similar to the nissan but has better milage and allot more dependable

 

[C7S]

I drove both Manual versions. The Mazda RX-8 is reliable if you know how to maintain rotary engines and take care of them. For example, if you use synthetic oil in a rotary engine, it will die before 100,000 miles.

The Nissan 350z accelerates faster.
The Mazda RX-8 handles much better.
Around a race track, they post the exact same time.

The Mazda is more comfortable and has better quality, a smoother, higher revving engine, and it is much more practical with the back seats and larger trunk. It is also mch easier to drive.

The Nissan has no back seats, a tiny storage place, bad quality interior that scratches easily. And it is very hard to drive(manual) The clutch is very sensitive and heavy and the shifting is heavy. But it is more exciting than the RX-8 in a straight line.

They have the same top speeds of 155mph.

The 350z only gets 1mpg better than the RX-8.

Personally, I would choose the RX-8 after studying about how rotary engines work and buying the car's manual.

I drove the RX-8 in rain and a little snow. It is very slippery in rain and impossible to move in snow because it is RWD.

I did not drive the 350z in rain or snow, but my friend owns the car and he said the same thing for his car because it is also RWD.

 

[patrickjerard]

They're both good cars and they compete well with eachother. Honestly, you have to sit in one yourself and figure it out.

I like the RX-8 more personally, but I cannot ever buy it for one simple reason - I can't fit in the damn thing.

But the 350Z has 306 horsepower and gets 18/25 mpg, city and highway respectively, for roughly $28,000. The RX-8 212 HP with an automatic transmission or 232 with a manual one. It also gets 16/22-23 MPG and costs about a thousand dollars less. Both cars are different beasts though and specifications can only mean so much - go testdrive them. =]

 

[cohibasafterdark]

They're pretty much equal. Basically you have to pick the one you like best. Just give each one a test drive and choose the one that you think will make you the happiest.