Geminite

Hi, just some questions regarding the Evolution VIII and possibly the Evo X. (I have never driven an Evo before)

1 - How good is the Evo in terms of reliability and Mitsu, in general? Coming from a Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry v6 and Toyota Celica GT-S, these cars have been absolutely trouble free.

2 - Having done suspension mods to my Celica, I know exactly how a "harsh" ride feels. Is the Evo as bad as they say for a daily driver in terms of harshness? While I'm young, I can still handle a good amount of bumpiness in my drive. My friends tell me that my Celica rides more harsh than a stock STi, if that is a good reference point.

3 - Do you think this car is overkill in terms of performance if I dont track my car? I would probably drive it daily at work and have some spirited driving on some backroads on weekends.

4 - How well does the Evo perform in snow? My Camry was pretty good in snow with winter tires. My Celica isn't that great with snow tires.

5 - Fun factor. My celica drives like a go kart, can I expect the same with the Evo? How does the Evo compared to the MazdaSpeed6?


Current cars in mind: Acura TSX, Evo XIII, wait for Evo X

I love the TSX interior, but the car's speed did not impress me at all.

Thanks for the help!

Evo Girlie

iTrader: (55)

1- The evo is very reliable it is all on the owner and how they take care of it (drive,mods ect), however if u mod the car and something happens the dealer will not cover u. Mod evo = no warranty because 9 out of 10 times they will try to blame it on the mods.

2- IF u got the cash go with coilovers if not get swift springs, I got those and feels pretty close to stock imo better. Car responds better in everyway

3- No, you can spend tons of money on making the handling better (if u use it) if it's your daily then go light on the suspension mods, as it is the Evo performs very well stock.

4- Live in FL, so I can't answer this..

5- The Evo will not feel like a go-kart because of its size, However it is a thrill to drive and how it responds to turns, in the rain, ect. The Evo is fun to drive even if it's a so called family sedan, it does great in autocrosses,drag ect. You want a go kart feel get an S2K my roomate has one and that car is a go kart everyday lol. There is no need to comapre it to the mazdaspeed6 if u drive both u will see that it is not worth spending the money on the mazda.

if u want luxury somewhat and a bit of speed, the evo is not luxury mostu can get is the SSL package which brings the leather,sunroof and sound system.

GL

wizzo 8

iTrader: (35)

The Evo with snow tires is unbelivable in the snow. I think it handles better than suv's.

jroller

iTrader: (1)

Not only that but an Evolution will destroy both of your previous car rain, snow or shine.

zeus1

iTrader: (19)

1) have 44k on my car and has been trouble free (some dealer warrantied items, such as as bad speedo) but thats about it.
2) on stock suspension you probably will not think its a harsh ride compared to your celica. it certainly is bumpy thoug
3)car is not overkill and with basic bolt on's you will see good gains
4)car is great in the snow,BUT you will need either snow tires or good all season tires. the stock advans are outright dangerous in the snow
5) the car is a blast to drive for sure. just a lot of performance out of the box..

ziggity

It's a mean *** vehicle. As long as you can put up with the mpg, it should be fine for your tastes.

COEVOPOWER

I belive the only down fall to the evo is mpg. but other then that, I live in Colorado so we have pot holes galor and bad weather and its just a blast to drive no matter how it is outside.

Geminite

Is the mileage actually worse than the estimates say, especially when you are in boost?

Reason being, the IS300 has similar MPG estimates, and while it was on the bad side on gas, it wasn't overwhelming. (Borrowed one for a week).

RoadSpike

iTrader: (5)

1 - I guess reliability depends solely on how you treat your vehicle. I daily drive mine so no crazy modifications or launching. 40k miles on her right now and not even the hint of a glitch.

2 - In all honesty my old 1985 z28 IROC was harsher than this car but its no cushy ride if you get my meaning.

3 - Performance is so clearly subjective to what a person wants. IMHO the only overkill performance vehicles are super street bikes.

4 - Winter tires on its fine, summer tires on you go off cliff savy?

5 - I will never go back to Mazda... ever.. I had a little protege which was a fun car but not even half as fun as this one is

joey0480

iTrader: (4)

so the stock yokohomas are not good in the snow? Just would be good to know for reference. Then I would just get snow tires and swap these out lol.

And really, what seems to be the gas mileage.

jred321

iTrader: (3)

i daily drive mine so i'll add my $.02
1) so far reliability has been great for me, no issues at all. that said, you're not going to get the same life out of the car as you are any of the listed toyotas where you'll be able to go 200,000 miles with minimum maintenance. but it sounds like you change cars more often than that so i doubt this will be an issue

2) if you're used to an aftermarket suspension the evo won't be harsh. if you're used to stock suspensions set up for everyone and their grandmother then you'll think it's a harsh ride

3) nope, i view it as a great daily driver. 4 doors, plenty of room, fun all year long. i would like to track it some day but for now it's a fun DD

4) it's great in the snow with winter tires. whenever it snows i make sure to get out there before it's all plowed. never had anything resembling a problem and an empty parking lot is always a great find

5) won't feel like a go-kart but won't feel like a cadillac either. i came from a mazdaspeed protege and liked the "feel" the protege gave a bit better. i drove the ms6 once and it felt less like a go-kart than an evo because of its size and much softer suspension. you're a bit more disconnected from the road in an ms6 than you are in an evo. the best way to see if you like the feel is to go test drive one


my friend just got a tsx. it's nice but it's just a fancy accord, nothing special. good if you have kids or have another fun car to drive on the weekend or a nice sunny day but i wouldn't want it to be my sole source of transportation



from other posts in the thread:
the stock tires, like any other summer tire, are terrible in the snow and cold weather. i usually swap mine out around thanksgiving and put them back on at the beginning of april or so.

mpg is normally around 20-22 with mixed driving. with all highway i've gotten 27. people say that when you get tuned and do some minimal mods it improves, i have a tbe w/ cat and a mail-in tune and didn't notice an improvement in mpg when i did those.

COEVOPOWER

well my MPGs is horrible but possibly cuz I love to drive and boost everywhere, i shift around 5-10psi, so its close to like 3-4,000 RPMs. or around there... depeinding on my mood mostly if i need to be cheered up i hit 20PSI as soon as i can. but other wise i take my time or just get there.. but yeah i dont think i can go back to another car, i drove a old friends 01Civic after i had my evo for a few months and it just felt wrong!!!

tubsy3

I was just wondering about the reliability of the evos. Good to know they are very well built cars.

With my m3 i was getting liek 22mpg so Ill take this MPG on the evo anytime lol.

PedroMartinez

iTrader: (17)

Congragulations on your move to a Mitsubishi vehicle.

First of all I own a 2003 Evo VIII. I used to own a 5th generation 1992 Toyota Celica which i swapped in the all mighty 3sgte. (still left it fwd, didnt go to awd). But then i went to the "H" badge, Honda. and built a 1990 Civic Hatchback.

I will hate to say it. my hatchback stuck dick in my evo but thats because my evo is stock right know! and my HB has 811 whp and 539 tq.

But in OVERALL I LOVE MY EVOLUTION I wouldnt trade it for anything, its just the best damn car I have EVER owned. It will own my HB here pretty soon.


Dude get an Evo, i would stick w/ the Evo 8 or 9's because they have more feedback and we all dont know what to expect from the Evo X.


But you will love your evo and will clearly say that you made the right decision choosing an evo.

Geminite

Another concern I have is theft. My new job requires me to drop my car off in a commuter parking lot every morning from 9-5. I have never had any problems with my Toyota's being broken into and so forth.

I've been browsing the forums and it said that Evolutions have one of the highest theft rates in America.

Am I just being over cautious here?

It would break my heart to see my car stolen, lol.