I finally found an automatic RS8 4 hrs away. The one at my local dealership sold 2 days before I learned about the RS8. GRRR. Anyway, if I don't like the ride of the RS8 I'll prolly get a regular tC.

There are mixed reviews on the internet, some suggesting the RS8 is a very stiff and jarring/unpleasant ride. There are other reviews saying it is smooth and enjoyable. I look forward to seeing for myself.

Anyway Question for those of you who have or have test driven the RS8...

Is there anything about the RS8 that you have grown to really dislike? Maybe you were excited about its flash and features, but then something really grated on you?

I'm planning on covering every inch of the cabin with sound deadener to tame the noisy engine if I go through with the buy.

 

The ride quality is going to be all relative. When compared to a BMW, yeah the ride is going to be jarring. For a car in this class, the tC's ride is perfectly acceptable.

The RS8 comes with TRD springs, I believe? If so, they offer a comparable ride quality to the stock springs just with the 1" drop. Just find any tC2 on the lot with the TRD's and you'll know exactly how the RS8 feels. I have Eibach springs on my tC and I even find them to be just marginally harsher than the stock springs.

The RS8 is a sweet ride though man...unfortunately I don't own one, but I find it to be tastefully done...much more tasteful than the stupid yellow of the RS7.

Most people's primary complaint is the center exhaust. It looks sweet, but it limits your aftermarket options. It's a TRD exhaust though, which is a fantastic exhaust for this car. I have the TRD on mine now and absolutely love it when compared to the cat-back exhaust I had prior. If you don't plan on getting an exhaust, then that's not your concern anyway.

The spoiler is also great. I'd love to have one...it's definitely nicer than the standard OEM spoiler.

The paddle shifters will be nice to play around with from time to time, but I find shifting the tC's automatic transmission in manual mode is a waste of time and completely unrewarding.

All-in-all, I'm excited for you...you should love it!

 

I have TRD springs on my tc. If at first you think the ride is harsh just give it time to break in and you'll love it. By far the best mod I did. I would say drive both either way and get the one you like most. I'm not a fan of red, but if the 8 was out when I bought mine a couple years ago I would have bought the 8 in a heart beat. It looks great, and the quality of the material for the seats is awesome. It seems like the seats will hold up better than the base model. Besides, you get a car that not as many people will have and you will turn more heads with it. Happy car shopping. Oh and by the way I have 73,xxx mile on mine already and all I have done is change oil and standard maintenance. I'm even still using the factory brakes. The tc is a really well built car and is fun to drive

 

I have an RS8.0 the ride is perfect, but it is too soft for me. I am going to look at getting coils or bags with high setting. Its a great car imo

 

Our RS8 is for my wife and she doesn't mind to me the trd springs feel just like stock really. The exhaust is the only exhaust option i would choose best sounding for these cars in my opion but i dont care for super loud cars unless it has some power behind it( I now regret all my integras being loud) The suspension is not that harsh though my wife haded riding in my genesis when i had it lowered cause she thought those were harsh. the paddle shifter seems cool on paper but the car does what it wants still. the seats were my main selling point and the trd parts the Five AD kit looks great also but these seats feel so nice. not to mention the look of the interior compliments so well. all in all my wife is happy i talked her into the rs8 versus getting a base model and adding stuff to it.

 

Well, the exhaust reverb of the RS8.0 was a major turnoff for me. I knew it had a growl outside, but inside it resonates in the cabin too much for me. The dealer had screwed up (long story) and so I managed a deal: they took the black wheels off the RS8 and put them on a cement tC Sport for only $500. http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/163/imageyujg.jpg/

I know the Sport packaging has gotten some laughs. Not without some justification. The option set is way overpriced. However, in cement the carbon fiber accents and the black wheels are excellent together. The leather seats are light grey, as well, so the car maintains a very attractive grey/black contrasting scheme everywhere you look. The spoiler adds to the looks, and the daytime running lights aren't my favorite but on an overcast day I was glad I had them in a grey car. The led-lit carbon fiber door sill plates are just showing off. I always prefer a leather wrapped steering wheel, so that's a plus.

Next up, gut her and lay down Luxury Liner Pro everywhere, throw in the OEM Audio Plus Reference audio package, lowering springs, and she's good to go go go.

Came with Premium stereo unit, as well.

 

tC Sport?...lol what makes your tC a "Sport"?

 

Me.

 

And it says "Sport" in numerous places on the vehicle.

 

Oh...well...carry on then.

Lol I agree the gloss black wheels go very nicely with the cement. Congratulations sir.

 

Where does it say Sport???

 

I'll take more pics. It's a Southeast Toyota thing.

 

Ahahah tc sport you mean a tc with options? Hah

 

Yes. The Sport package option. And others.

Do people laugh first and read later? Or are options humorous in a way I do not nderstand?

 

Ohhh, so the dealer packages together a few Scion options and installs them together as a Sport package for one price. Sounds a little goofy, but I'd imagine there was some sort of discount since they were packaged together. I'm sure you still came out on top.

After watching the video, those gray/black leather seats look great. I'm sure they go great with the Cement/black exterior.

 

I think he's moreso laughing because the dealer threw some Scion accessories on the car and tried to make them seem cooler by making up something called the "Sport" package.

Like I said earlier, I'm sure you still come out on top because they must have given some sort of discount for packaging them together.

 

Yep it's funny that the dealer called it a sport package sweet accessories though I wanted the spoiler but couldn't justify $450 for it

 

Here are some images of why the car is called a "tC Sport." The doorway pic is probably the most informative. There's carbon fiber appliques to the interior door handle and door sill. The outside break between the front and rear windows also has a carbon fiber strip. The "Sport" in the door sill lights up fairly brightly at night. The badges are carbon fiber, as well.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/255/sciondoor.jpg/

The reason I'm posting about this is simple: Many of us like limited release items. My car before this was a 10th Anniversary Miata. So I went looking for a limited run replacement. What I wound up with is MORE rare than the RS8, and has better feature integration. At the end of the day, the interior of the RS8 was underwhelming and didn't particularly flow with the exterior. Whereas this vehicle's carbon fiber/grey/black scheme is consistent inside and out, the RS8 interior just had some red stitching.

So if people have some money, like the cement tC, and want a more put-together look there are some Scion dealers out there with some interesting options to consider.

 

It actually isn't more rare than the RS 8.......RS 8 has 2000 units total and 125 or so of those are for sale in Canada. However, I think you have a sweet ride (rims and colour look awsome) but IMO the Sport decal on the lower side of the car is out of place/doesn't flow with the body.

PS what do you mean by better feature integration? You can add/take away anything from the RS 8........you can even replace the seats with heated leathers with your choice of colour and stitching.

 

^
+1 on all that.