DGS

I didn't get the impression that his mind was made up. I got the impression that he was looking for some assurances from owners about "does it get better than this?".

When someone who drives well appointed euro cars in the summer goes to look at the EVO, it doesn't make a good impression. I was used to coupes and hatchbacks, and the EVO is a big four door sedan -- it doesn't "feel" very "sporty" ... compared to P-cars or F-cars. And the average test drive doesn't really let this car shine. While the EVO is an easy car to drive quickly, it's not so easy that you can master it in a short test drive. Compared to vastly more expensive sports cars, the EVO is noisy, cheap feeling, and raw. It's not very "solid" feeling, even compared to my (Carlos Sainz era) Toyota AllTrac.

But the handling is much better than you'd expect for the price. Does it out-perform a Ferrari 360? Well, no (other than braking below 60). But you could buy four EVOs for the price of a 360. Will the EVO out-perform a 360 in the snow? You betcha.

But very little of the car's benefits show during the test drive. (You can't even get a good winter test drive, because the car comes with summer tires.)

For me, the car's handling, braking, and acceleration performance out-weigh the disadvantages of cheap interior and inconsistant dealer support.

Each potential buyer has to make that comparison for himself.

Granted, he could get this data from test reports in magazines. But I don't blame him for trying to get "the word" from people who have lived with these cars. I did a bit of web searches on the car, myself, before I decided to buy.

But heck, what good is a luxury interior in a "winter rat"? You're bundled up in a winter coat, you have snow-covered boots on the floor mats, you've tossed your ice scraper onto the pass-side floor. The EVO isn't a luxurious as the Ferrari. But what I do to the EVO in the winter, I'd never do to the Ferrari. I hardly ever wash the EVO -- it's a rally car: it's supposed to look funky.

RTS EVO VIII

iTrader: (3)

uh

EVOag

Don't buy it if yo don't like it...simply put

plokivos

iTrader: (3)

108ft at 60. new world record for a stock production car.

111ft at 60 for modena.

109ft at 60 for Enzo.

propellerhead

iTrader: (3)

It gets better...

Let's face it, there are few cars that can hold up to the hype that surrounds them, especially special cars like the Evo. It's no exception. If you read and take to heart all the forums and reviews discussing the Evo you'd think it was God's own chariot. It's inevitably going to be a let down to some degree.

In my case I didn't suck in all the hype before I test drove and bought mine. I familiarized myself with the basic specs and performance stats and my expectations were pretty much inline with what I experienced.

As others have said and you have discovered, you gotta work the powerband in the Evo to get the most enjoyment out of it. Life doesn't begin until you hit 3,000 rpm where the turbo reaches its boost threshold. Until you learn to do this the powerplant will be a letdown. It's not going to deliver the gobs of low end torque that a 6 cylinder, 8 cylinder or a twin turboed 6 does. Maximum torque isn't delivered until 3,500 rpm. Also, a boost gauge really helps you learn where your making power.

Once you learn to work the powerband and especially once you tune the car to its fullest potential, you'll be blown away. With a modest $3500 investment and ~350hp at the crank you can be ******* the *** of a 993 TT from a roll on the highway and more than certainly humble it on a roadcourse.

As far as the quality goes, my car has been flawless. I have not had a single issue with my car and I beat on it like the b1tch owes me money. I track the car and I plan on continuing to track the car. One thing I don't do is dump the clutch from a standstill to try to achieve some semi-mythical zero to 60 time. Stick with the Cobra if you want a drag car. The Evo ain't it.

Yeah the interior sucks. Especially in my case coming from an Audi S4. The seats and steering wheel are great. The shifter ain't bad either, especially with bushings and a short shifter. The way I look at it is, Mitsubishi had to put some kind of an interior in the car. They couldn't exactly give it the "Elise" treatment and since the regular Lancer interior fit, they put it in.

mifesto

iTrader: (58)

i knew the evo was an amazing car but i just knew it was better then my 350z with snow, handling, and power so i knew i wouldnt be disappointed... fortunately for me i didnt go into it expecting a 'GOD like' car like some people do so its all a matter of perspective, really.

Shaitiger

iTrader: (2)

I just bought my Evo last week. I needed four doors, AWD, and for the car to perform well out of the box. My two choices were the Evo and the STi. Despite the "cheap" all around quality of the Evo, I still got a great deal on a 2004 model. A deal I wouldn't have ever received on a 2005 STi. I will be honest though, this car doesn't blow me a away either, but it's still a great car all around car.

plokivos

iTrader: (3)

"I beat on it like the b1tch owes me money"

lol

plokivos

iTrader: (3)

I don't know what you guys are on, but EVo's the slowest, ugliest, dumbest, and ugliest car I've ever seen. Did I mention ugly?

That's why I got it. Not because it's fast, handles good, breaks better, and looks mean, but it's just ugly, farting, splitting, nasty sorta car.

propellerhead

iTrader: (3)

I get out my "hairsplitter" when I see people refer to the Evo as "cheap" or "cheap quality". Although the interior and the paint quality are not what one would ordinarily expect from a $30K car, they aren't poor quality. You might be able to argue that the paint is poor quality because it's on the soft side and swirls easily but the interior for what it is, is excellent quality. It's ugly, but it's built very well. It doesn't fall apart, at least not yet, and it doesn't rattle.

The biggest criticism I have is the poorly designed heater controls and the instrument cluster. The gauges are difficult to read and the heater controls require too much attention when adjusting. Neither of which are cool to deal with when your engaged in any sort of driving that requires a certain level of attention. I would have gladly paid $1000 more to get a specialized set of instruments and controls.

PS- Enjoy your new ride!

Hatorade

iTrader: (1)

I donno. The only thing I find disappointing on the interior of my Evo is floormats and door panels. I know my elbow is gonna wear that fabric out, and the same goes for the spot under the gas pedal.

Shaitiger

iTrader: (2)

I probably used the term "quality" loosely. I guess the interior of the car just looks cheap, although the quality might be decent. I'm working my way around all the negatives though . I will soon be wingless as well as sporting Evo VII tailights. Oh, and yesterday I replaced the cheap looking stock head unit with an Apline unit.

Noize

iTrader: (24)

I guess it depends what you're comparing it to. For the cost of the car, you get a lot of performance potential. The stock ECU mapping is very restrictive post 5000rpm. There is a lot of potential to uncork for not a lot of money.

EVO Enthusiast

Everyone has an opinion. I love mine.

Ludikraut

iTrader: (17)

... I test drove one back in November of last year, and like vin11 wasn't really all that impressed. Sure, the car felt quick, and sure it had great brakes, but it just didn't really jive with me. Fast forward to the present ... decided to take the plunge in April. Here's some highlights:

- The day I drove it home, my buddy and I put about 200 miles on it, decided to take an interstate 270 degree ramp at speed ... ended up with an exit speed just shy of triple digits.
- After a couple of weeks of driving my Evo, my A8 is starting to feel like it drives like a bloated whale and is relegated to being mostly garage bound.
- After clearing the break-in period I start to explore what the car can do .... it is very fast and, unlike any car I've ever driven before, completely stable at ALL speeds. None of that "floaty" feeling you get in other cars.
- Recently upgraded to a Vishnu Stage 1 (+25% power) ... the car has gone from being fast to being ridiculously fast. See an open spot in traffic? The car gets there RIGHT NOW!! The car is actually so fast right now, that it is impossible (aka foolish) to explore it's limits on public roads.
- Last, but not least, the handling and brakes ... I could drone on and on about this topic, but, in a word, both handling and braking are jaw-dropping

I bought the car purely from a performance standpoint. IMO the only concession the Evo makes to the everyday crowd is the fact that it does have a fairly good sized rear-seat. Outside of that, the Evo is a driver's car, pure and simple. I more or less look at it as a $30K turbo-charged AWD go-kart. The list of cars that can outperform an Evo on pavement on a dry, sunny day is very short. Change that to any other surface, weather condition, and I can't think of any car that I'd rather be driving.

FWIW, I got a ride in an STi not too long ago, and was really underwhelmed ... too soft, small interior, definitely not my cup of tea.

l8r)

:edit: I dunno about anyone else, but I have noticed that with other ppl in the car, it does seem to make a noticeable difference in how quick the Evo feels. It doesn't seem to have that balanced-on-a-razor's-edge feel with passengers.