vin11

Today I had the opportunity to test drive a new (left over) 03 EVO VIII. I had very high expectations and was excited to finally drive the car that I have read so much about. I can get a great deal on it and can get it for $27,500.00 plus tax. A savings of over $3000 off of the sticker price.
However, my first impression was not as I anticipated - actually it was a let down. For me, it is very difficult to get comfortable and really feel the car with a salesman next to you watching your every move - so I understand that I really did not have time to really feel the car. But I was not overly impressed with it. The throttle was extremely sensitive almost to the point it was jumpy. First gear was finished way before I was ready to shift, like a whirlwind and shorter than I ever expected.

I had no idea how fast I was going since I could not read the speedo. The black background was incredibly difficult to read and was almost useless. The numbers we so small and hard to see. Maybe its better at night, but in the middle of the day, it was hard to see.

I liked 3rd gear, the ratios seemed to provide the most pull without that "short" feeling. Once I had shifted to fourth and had the opportunity cruise for a few moments, I hit the throttle and expected the turbo to kick in and propel me to 90 in a flash, but this never happened. I heard the motor and slowly the RPMS grew and it for me, it was nothing special. Actually, I did not feel the turbo at all except for 1st gear which like I said was over before I knew it.

The interior quality was poor, cheap plastic and other materials and extremely un-refined. I almost broke the glove box off the hinge when I opened it. It was flimsy and delicate.

I have had the pleasure of owning and driving some of the finest automoblies including (2) Porsche 911's, a 911 Turbo, BMW 5 series, etc. and just recently a 03 Mustang Cobra Conv. (390HP) and a Cayenne. Now don't get me wrong, I understand I am compairing a $27K Evo to a $85K Porsche 911 -but I expected that this car was unbelievable.


So here I am contemplating this purchase with mixed feelings. I can honestly say it did not blow me away like I thought that it would. I would like to try it again without the rushed salesperson atmosphere, but you all know that is next to impossible.

Does this car get better than this? Are you owners happy with the quality of the product and what are YOU compairing it to?
Please help.

DaveWhiteEvo

iTrader: (10)

if you are having those kind of thoughts...don't buy it! i drove it, loved it, bought it, moded it, and loved it all over again!

mifesto

iTrader: (58)

first of all, the evo is made to be a sprinter, not a high speed tourer... first and second gear is purposely tall for gut wrenching acceleration... you obviously dont know the gearing of the evo, thats why you werent impressed mashing the gas and expecting to get power... do you know how to drive a stick? if you want to power out, you DOWNSHIFT... this isnt an auto where the ecu does it for you... so if your cruising in 4th or 5th and want power, you shiftdown maybe one or two gears (depending on your situation) and go full throttle.. you'll hit 19 psi... if you just mash the gas without downshifting, you have so much RPM to go until turbo kicks in 100% at 3500 rpms...

everything else you mentioned you are on the ball.. interior of the evo was NEVER meant to be pleasing, just simple. the gauge is kinda red and hard to read .. true true....

if you lived near me or anyone else who has an evo, ask him to take u for a quick ride... then you will be impressed

evilevovegas

iTrader: (12)

You have to learn to drive it to get the full extent of its power. You say you were crusing in 4th and punched it, well if you were below 3000rpms it will not just take of the turbo hasnt boosted yet. It is a great car, takes some getting used to but it is awsome and you will love it.

SilverEvo8owner

iTrader: (3)

Get familiar with the gearing and the powerband, or take a ride in someone's EVO that is used to it, or modded.

In a stock evo your not going to feel blinding acceleration. Take it into some corners, thats whats so amazing when you read all these articles about the evo. If you want to feel the acceleration, then get some mods on it or get an STi. The STi is a lot faster in a straight line but not anywhere else. Although, with a few cheap, minor, and easy to do mods, the evo will rape the STi.

Try and find a person on this board that lives near you and ask to take a ride in a modded evo. You'll need a bib.

dizzigital

iTrader: (5)

vin11, what city and state are you in?

NoTec

iTrader: (4)

Wow, that was a very negative first impression. I have driven some really quick vehicles in my time also. Some being, 10 sec supercharged nsx, 12 sec s4 biturbo, and some 11 second civics. I'm not gonna expect the Evo to blow me away out the box but, its probably the best all around performance vehicle under 30G's. Sounds to me like you should consider another vehicle.

gonzo

iTrader: (4)

Remember, your paying for performance, not refinement.

fearcazic

JDM Mustang!

You get what you paid for. The interior has to be cheap to make a car like this go fast at 30k. The front mount intercooler is like $1,000, the turbo is like $1,000, and the AWD is like $1,000+. You can get a better interior say from a BMW 323, Acura TL, or TSX but you won't get the speed.

I'm getting a MR but every dealer I talked to says I don't need the 6 speed because the 5 speed's gear ratio is short enough and in fact too short. You really need to bang gears on the EVO and launch it right. EVOs are like the DSMs they even share the same engine I think (I been out of street racing since 1997) just that EVOs is a 4 door with bigger turbo and a front mount intercooler at higher PSI.

I wasn't impressed with the EVO8s myself thus I'm getting the MR. If the MR is not fast enough than I might just forget about the speed thing and get a BMW as a daily commute and keep my 3000GT VR4.

If you want speed for less then EVO8 or a STI is the only way to go if you are looking for imports.

sr20det91

iTrader: (59)

I see where your coming from. I felt the same way when I first drove my EVO. I was foutunate enough to test drive without the prying eyes of a salesman though. I pretty much rung the car out, and was much more impressed with the handling than the outright acceleration. It did not seem to have the torquey kick that puts you back in the seat like a V-8 or turbo charged 6 like the Porche.
In the EVOs defense, after about 6-7k break in miles it became much more responsive. My WRX was the same way. It seemed like once the drive train loosened up a bit , it came into its own. Furthurmore, with the addition of TB exhaust and Xede EM it completly transformed the car power wise. Forth gear is now my favorite for high speed blasts up the freeway. Cams and cam gears will enhance it that much more.

MisterSpoot

The Evo's interior is what you should expect from something based on a $13,000 economy car. It's not great, and it never would be. The best you could've hoped for is the quality of a Mazda 3, Civic, or Corolla, but that didn't happen. Don't remember the outgoing Cobra, but the regular Mustang and GT didn't have a fantastic interior in my opinion at all. The new Stang is a big step up, but the last of the Foxes wasn't anything to call home about. Ride quality in the Evolution is plain abysmal, and that's never going to change.

If you're comparing the interior to a 5 series though (or heck, an A6), that's way out of the intended market. Those cars cost $40K in bare-bones form for a reason -- they didn't cheap out on the interior at all.

As for straight-line speed... arou? A Cobra and Vette will pull harder, but its to be expected from considerably larger displacement V8s (including one that's blown). The MRs gearing is revised. 1st and 2nd are the same, 4th is considerably different, and 5th gear will allow you to lose your license awfully quick.

Evolutions aren't about speed though. They can hustle, but their forte is the corners, and they can hang on with some pretty amazing cars in this respect. They get around the track in a very consistent manner. Don't expect V8 propulsion, but do expect your corner exit speeds to be considerably higher than it would be in the Cobra or a Vette, as well as the fact you can brake deeper in.

I'm not buying my MR for its every day virtues. For that I'd much rather have the outgoing 540i Sport, of maybe the upcoming A6 4.2. But I have to make a split for fun and practicality. My MR is first, but eventually I'll get a Cooper S or something decent for everyday, and just relegate the MR to track duty. That's where the Evolution really belongs.

LilJapnBoy

iTrader: (6)

I think someone should do a little more research before creating these unreasonable expectations for one of the best rally cars in its class. Obviously comparing a porshe's performance or a 5 series luxury is an unfair comparison.

I agree with the other posts that you really didn't get to hit the Evo's power band but at the same time if you think that an Evo is going to perform on straight aways like a Porshe or a Ferrari or any exotic sports car in that class, then you're shopping in the wrong market.

The Evo is the best all-around performance vehicle within a $30K pricetag. Compare that to a STI, WRX, RSX, RX8, GTS, S2K, etc. Besides maybe the STI there is no real competitor.

And yes the interior has criticized time after time about being cheap and simple but I actually think it's not that bad, of course not the quality of a BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, but I wasn't expecting that kind of interior in a WRC car....

vegasboy301

iTrader: (9)

dont get it if you dont like it.

mcbrown35

iTrader: (8)

You must realize the interior is no different than the $15K Lancer with the addition of Recaro's and a Momo wheel... (and I like the OZ guages better!)

alright by me

iTrader: (1)

what you needed to do was go on a back road and boost out of the corners, thats whats fun about an evo, not straight line power, going through the turns

i was in an mercedes S500 and hated the interior, i felt like i had to pull over to adjust anything, there was soo many buttons it was ridiculous, i was expecting the car to explode every time i pressed a button. I like cheap, simple interiors i know whats where and what it does.