MochaJones

Ok, I am looking to buy a car fairly soon and I have it somwhat narrowed down to, either, an EVO IX, Ls2 GTO or an older 5 series BMW ( 2003 ish ). I know these are all totally different cars but, they all have somthing I'm looking for. I plan on doing a lot of road trips ( title ) so, that brings me to the questions how does the Evo do on road trips? I'm talking like 2,000 mile trips with 3 possibly 4 people ( I know that will be sorta cramped but, we've done it before ). Is the ride smooth? bumpy? Is the lack of crusie control really that big of deal? Sorry for the long post but, I just don't want to make an expensive mistake. Sorry for the many grammer errors that I'm sure are in here.

DanJ

iTrader: (2)

You're gonna want cruise control. I could easily make a 3k cross country trip in the evo, but it's nothing i would want to do often with the use of cruise control. Have you considered an STI? it's a bit smoother of a ride and has cruise control.

SASD209

iTrader: (1)

3 or 4 people will not have a good time in an EVO on a road trip. Out of your list, the 5 series Bimmer sounds like the best bet. It has the comforts, cruise control, and long trip ride comfort. Bear in mind you will give up the power, but from your list of cars, I am still having a tough time how any of them will be a good 2K mile trip car. Get a crown vic or a large SUV if you want comfort. Seems like you want performance and 'big car' feel all in one. Good luck. Possibly an Impala SS or a Porsche SUV? I'm just throwing things out there.

FASTEVO8

iTrader: (1)

I drove my evo from here in PHX to SD and it was great. But thats only 400 miles. If you care about cruise control get the BMW.

SASD209

iTrader: (1)

Don't get me wrong...I've driven the EVO 400+ miles. By myself. Hell, like Chris Rock said "you can drive a car with you feet, that doesn't mean it's to be done". I'm just saying that if you want to take long trips with multiple people, the EVO probably isn't your thing, in terms of ride feel or creature comforts. I'm going to take the Accord on the next road trip, it just rides better on long trips. I'm going to lose a ton of performance, but going to Maine from CT, I'll save on gas and let my right foot rest!!!

FASTEVO8

iTrader: (1)

Thats true, I just bought a Corolla XRS that the wife drives and we will use that for road trips from now on too, I just meant that it wasn't much of an inconvenience to me, and I had tons of fun going through the turns right as you enter SD county.

MochaJones

I am currently driving a 99 Navigator and I am just tired of driving this beast around ( 6 years ). It is great for winter though . So, I'm trying to upgrade a smaller ( faster also ) car that has some backseat space. The GTO In my opinon has a pretty good sized backseat ( for a 2 door ) and has the performance I'm looking for but the Evo has 4 doors and the performance that I'm looking for also, but, the lack of cruise control is proly going to keep me from getting one.

MochaJones

And the 2,000 mile trip is more of a once a year thing when we head out to Cali or the occasional New York trip.

FASTEVO8

iTrader: (1)

Check out an STi man, best of all worlds for you!

MochaJones

How is the ride in an STI? We may be ok with being a little cramped but, a bumpy ride sucks.

DanJ

iTrader: (2)

It's not evo harsh, nor toyota smooth. It's like the evo but with a slight bit more forgiveness.

FASTEVO8

iTrader: (1)

Right, but with cruise control and easy drivability.

Berserker

In the past 18 months I've made 3 solo road trips that were between 2500 and 4400 miles.

I also own a '98 Maxima which as been on several 2000+ road trips during the time I've had it. (Texas is big. Really big.)

From a driver's perspective, the Evo absolutely rocks on trips. If I had to drive to California tomorrow I'd take the Evo without hesitation. The seat and driving position are spectacularly confortable, and there's so much feedback from the car that even hauling butt in West Texas on I-10 can be entertaining, wherease driving the Maxima would be like sitting in a La-Z-Boy. ZZZzzzz......

I find that the lack of cruise control is a pain, but more from a "trying to avoid speeding tickets" perspective than a "damn, this sucks" perspective. Aftermarket units are supposed to be available, but the nonlinearity of the Evo's throttle reportedly makes the units' performance sub-optimal, especially in hilly terrain where you'd get the most benefit.

As for loading the car up with passengers, I suppose the noise could get old on a trip. Personally, I think the drone would help me doze in the back of the car (as it does on airplanes). When I've had people in the back seat, the car actually drives more smoothly. If the ride quality is a concern, the Evo MR's ride is noticeably better than the other Evos'. Many of the passengers I've stuck in the back have made comments about how much room they had back there. One 69-year-old woman described the back as "comfortable", at least for short drives around San Diego.

And when you get the twisty stuff, or the wide-open stuff, nothing satisfies like an Evo. Coming back from California in May I did 110 mph+ for 10 straight minutes on old Route 66 outside of Amboy. Man, that was freakin' fun. Yeah, other cars can go that fast, but on less-than-perfect pavement they'll bounce you right into a ditch. The Evo was born to haul @ss.