ATLBuckeye

Hey guys,

First off, sorry, there has to be a thread like this somewhere else, but my searchs did not turn up anything.

So, I'm looking at trading in the 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD (MT) for an EVO in the near future. One large question that I'd like to have some opinions on is should I go for the manual 5-speed or the auto "twin-clutch" transmission.

If I did not hear that the MR shifts "faster than a human", then there would be absolutely no question that I would go for the GSR. I have drove manuals for the last 10 years and love the control (autos tend to bore me). I'll also add, that I have no knee problems , and I have zero problem with a stick-shift in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

So, questions are..
1. Has anyone, who historically always drove a stick-shift, bought the MR and was satisfied?
2. Is there any other differences between GSR & MR?
3. Anything else I should look for when looking for a new 2014 EVO? (i.e., options that I should avoid, and options that I should not pass up)

Thanks!

.M.

Sounds like you need to go drive both and decide

As far as differences. Wheels, spring/strut combo, etc. Do a quick search for the side by side comparison. Plenty of info.

1ucky11

I just bought my new 2014 GSR last month, and I love it. I test drove the MR, and the main thing was the auto, that killed the sell for me. There are many differences between gsr and mr. The options I couldn't pass, on mine is: SSS package and Navi. I didn't care too much for the leather and sunroof.

Jakee

1. I don't remember exactly who, but I remember reading a post from another user on here who said that he was a "die hard gear head", but he changed his mind after driving the MR and later bought a MR lol. So yeah, there's a probably a couple people out there who switched sides.

2. The MR has an extra gear, so it's a lot more tolerable on the highway. The GSR tends to drone a lot. The MR has a better suspension and a softer ride, the GSR is pretty stiff, but it's tolerable. The MR is a lot more luxurious with several upgraded options to the car's interior.

3. Pay close attention to which seats you prefer, (cloth or leather).
When I bought my Evo, I didn't care about what seats I got, just as long as they were Recaros lol. Big mistake, I really wish I got the leather seats.

If I was you, I would test drive both cars and also sit in both leather and cloth recaros.

Also, try to get the touch screen, it makes the interior a lot better.

SIDE NOTE:
I couldn't imagine owning an automatic Evo (no offense to any MR owners.)
There are days when I'm really lazy and I wish I owned a auto while I'm sitting in stop and go traffic. However, all of the fun this car offers is felt when you shift gears manually and feel the torque push you back in your seat with each shift. Also, MR owners tend to get a lot of crap from the general public with the constant "Ew, it's an automatic."

Napalm_Enema

NOTE - THE MR IS NOT AN AUTOMATIC in the conventional sense. It's a dual clutch manumatic. The paddle shifting or shifting with the lever are just lightning quick because as you release each gear the next gear is already spooled up with its own clutch. That's why things are so fast. People from supercars that drive an MR are impressed with how fast it shifts...truly amazingly quick.

Now on to my opinions

I was a lifelong die hard hated anything automatic stick shift driver. I've been banging gears since 1990, and said I'd never ever own an automatic sports car.

I love my MR. It allows me to be almost superhuman with focus on the road and lightning fast shifts that I couldn't do even though I'm a phenomenal stickshift driver. I've come up on a bad traffic situation and dropped 5 gears inside of five seconds which is impossible with a stickshift.

That being said, I still have a soft spot in my heart for a stickshift, but experience has taught me that I have to at least have a 6 speed. The 5 speed on the GSR is nice and tough, but it doesn't 'feel good' to drive as it's quite notchy. That and it is crazy loud even stock on the highway due to the lack of a 6th gear.

The MR in S-Sport mode is something else. Fastest shifts evar and feels great driving at the limit and shifting without taking your eyes off the road. When I was being honest with myself on the test drive, I realized that all I was giving up was physically moving the stick into gear and putting in the clutch. Big deal. With the MR I was miles faster than any shifting I could ever do.

Just to give you an idea - the MR while heavier than the GSR is .5 seconds faster to 60 just because of the transmission.

My ideal GSR would be one that had the Subaru STi 6 speed in it. That would be heaven.

If I could go into a dealership right now and buy an EVO? I think I'd walk out with the MR.

If money were no object? I'd get a GSR and an MR.

One final thing to consider, the MR costs more in maintenance and has a higher cost to modify it safely. Not the end of the world, but it does have more pricey parts to it so that is something to consider.

- Having owned a 2014 GSR and a 2014 MR back to back, the GSR stripped and the MR fully loaded, just get the fully loaded one. The amenities are great, the stock Rockford Stereo is great, and the NAV is very nice and works well. I also love the leather recaros over the cloth ones, though both are nice.

I have no regrets going fully loaded, but they are a bit heavier. Then again, modifications fix all that so who cares

sblvro

iTrader: (2)

I learned driving with a manual. The good thing about the GSR, the driving satisfaction never ends. It also drives like my CT9A evo9 MR. If auto is not your cup of tea, fwiw, it drives like a 911 turbo S esp in super sports mode. You will not be disappointed whichever you choose. It is just preference.

stiggysaurus

iTrader: (2)

1. I had a 5 spd 2011 WRX, 6 spd Mini JCW, and 6 spd 2013 Sti.. there are times when I'm very happy with the "auto" and other times I wish I had the GSR. I'll say this: 95% of the reason I went with the MR was because i didn't want a 5 spd transmission. if they offered an evo x with 6 spd, I would've gotten it hands down. gearing on the MR is def meant for acceleration, not low RPMs on the highway so expect 3k+ on the highway. for the time I had my STi, I had a chronic pain in my left knee which has cleared up after getting rid of the car - related to the clutch? who knows. all in all, I have to say I am somewhat torn between the two.

2. chrome trim around windows on MR, color matched vents on hood and fenders on MR, chrome trim on grill on MR, MRs are usually wingless IIRC, MRs have bilstein shocks which are much stiffer than the GSR (either Koni or kyb shocks, i dont recall)

3. Evo Xs come in cloth, alcantara, or leather interior. I think the cloth isn't great, I would go either alcantara or leather although keep in mind leather comes with a moonroof which converts your roof from aluminum to steel so factor in weight. I'm happy with the RF system although I wasn't a fan of the touchscreen radio. I would recommend going with an aftermarket navigation unit. some option gets you heated seats which are nice but not a requirement - I don't have them but do miss them sometimes

I don't know what RPMs the GSR usually run in at 65+ mph but the MR isn't great either. I see 3200 or higher with a lot of tire and wind noise. MR bilsteins were incredibly stiff and stiffer than GSR from what I've seen on the forums. They were typically intolerable for the roads by me in the north east. I swapped to Ohlins within a few weeks

i'm happy with my alcantara but the leather looks nice

this is true.

ATLBuckeye

Great info guys. It's always good to hear it from the owners, and not the seller. A few things I want to add as well as some imbedded responses, and quesitons in red below.
1. One main reason I am swithcing is the lack of aftermarket, and perceived future aftermarkets support on the Acura TL 4th gen. I assumed there is no issue here?
2. For Hondas, they have Hondata (Hondata.com), which is an on-board tuning solution (dont have to dino for smaller mods). But like I said, this is not available for my TL. Does the Evo X have an option similar to this?
3. Is there any features I should avoid? Or any paint colors have issues? etc..?

Jakee

1. There's no issue with a lack of aftermarket parts for an Evo, lol. That's why people buy Evos in the first place-to mod them. There's many companies out there and the community helps a lot with any questions. (See this thread for example lol.)

2. Evos have the option to be "e-tuned." there are several members on this forum who do e-tunes for a reasonable price. there's a guy named "JohnBradley" on this forum who does e-tunes well, he's also from English Racing.

3. None that I can think of. As for the paint, Evos come with awful paint and I would recommend buying some mudflaps as your first mod. It will help the paint sooo much. The paint on these cars chip extremely easily. Almost as bad as Chrysler's paint, and that's saying something.


The main reason I believe Mitsubishi made this car with only 5 gears (my personal theory) is because I think they were trying to give us the Rallying experience by giving us super short gear ratios and only 5 gears. Once again, it's just a theory lol.

And yes you can get leathers seats with a GSR. Test drove a GSR with leather seats. (I believe it was leather lol.)

The constant drone is because of the GSR's lack of a 6th gear. It's not because of the stock exhaust system, so switching to a cat-back wouldn't fix the issue. In fact, it would just make the drone even louder. The drone isn't ridiculous, but it is noticeable. I only notice it going 65+ on the highway.

Jakee

I've read that the MR has a nicer suspension and it's not as stiff as the GSR's suspensions. In fact, I've read of GSR owners switching out their suspensions for the MR's suspensions. Keep in mind that this is just stuff I've read on the forums so I don't know who is right here, nor do I claim to be an expert on this subject haha.

Enpera

Hey there again!
I am a die hard manual driver, never even owned an automatic myself. I just came from a track oriented FRS, so I was used to a "bare basics" driver's car. After trying them both out, I fell in love with the MR. Honestly it offers all the usability and driving fun of a manual with the convenience of an auto. For some odd reason I find it strangely fun to paddle shift and not have to release the accelerator :-) I can't wait to track it at AMP.

I know a lot of the reviews have chosen the MR over the GSR due to the droning and lack of a sixth gear.
I more so noticed the difference in stiffness, which helped me in my decision.

As many have said, just try them both out!

stiggysaurus

iTrader: (2)

1. there is not much lacking in the aftermarket world on these cars especially since the car has been out since 2008. Keep in mind warranty concerns though with the dealership if you run into any trouble

2. you can pay a tuner for "e-tuning" where they send you a tune via email and you send them your datalogs via a cobb accessport. safe to say other than a catback, everything else in the evo (intake, downpipe, test pipe, intercooler, turbo) will require dyno or e-tuning.

3. non come to mind.


- I can't speak on the drone on the GSR but if you get the leather it comes with extra sound dampening. the leather option is part of the "sunroof & leather pkg" on the GSR and gets you a sunroof, heated seats, and extra sound dampening. alcantara is not an option with GSR as it only comes on the MR with "premium pkg". My MR without the sound dampening isn't bad on the highway, mostly tire and wind noise like I mentioned.

- there is no factory rear view camera option in the Evo at this time.

- you cannot mod the MR past 360 whp without spending considerable money on upgrading the SST. if you make more than 360 whp on a stock SST, your transmission WILL fail.

- check the mitsubishi website and "build" a car, it will show you what options you can and can't get with each trim. that should've been your first step

stiggysaurus

iTrader: (2)

if you're worried about the suspension, I have the MR bilsteins and eibachs as close to brand new as you can get (<500 miles) - we can swap

.M.

A good read also...

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...mr-vs-gsr.html

Robevo RS

iTrader: (16)