Ok im new to these forums and have a question. My wife and I are looking to purchase a '11 ralliart and we are wondering since this will be our only car, if it has good drivability for daily driving and full time use. We love these cars and going to buy one depending on your response. Thanks.

P.S. Miss DSM's

 

Defiantly yes! I have a ralliart for my daily driver. It's fun, fast, and the milage isn't to bad (about 23mpg). It's also a beast in the snow!

 

I def love my Ralliart for daily driving. Gas mileage could be a little better & the tires that come on the car are pretty worthless in snow but other than that car is awesome.

 

I would buy two.

 

only potential concerns based on your needs I can think of are:

Gas Mileage isn't in the 30mpg range. It's up to you personally if the performance is worth the cost to you

The trunk opening on the sedan is a little small. When I have a cooler for groceries, I have to tilt the cooler out to be able to open the lid with the small trunk opening. If you need space I'd consider the RA Sportback (the styling really grows on you)

That's all I can think of right now. These are just nit-picky things though, overall a great car

 

I daily mine, haven't had any issues with reliability. Aside from the random hard start (which hasn't happened in a LONG time now *knock on wood*).

Gas mileage is...meh, could be better. Bryan's V2.5 basemap increased MPG by 3~5ish, which is nice.
Tires...get eaten quickly from the AWD.

All in all though, it's a great DD. Just a little expensive to maintain/insure.

 

My car took a while for my friend to get use to, whom drives a nissan altima, but they like it way more than their car. Its a car with a manual transmission that is driven automatic. Its doesn't feel heavy like most american cars and each mod you put on the car will give you the biggest bang for your buck. Also, the awd feature is flawless in all weathers. Tarmac for dry days, Gravel for rainy days, and Snow for icy and snow days. The car will remain to drive like a dream in all weathers and put you at a smaller risk than any other vehicle. And if you do mod the car, your warranty will not void unless the mod was the cause of the problem. Also it shares the same mods an evo MR uses as far as the engine bay goes. Just be sure if you add a short ram intake to relocate the battery or get a small battery kit.

Im not a fan of the gas mileage, especially with the current gas prices. Im tuned to run 93 octane only and that's 3.75 a gallon. The gas tank is smaller too. The stock tires could be better and it shares the gts looks as far as the rims and spoiler go. Also, if driven way too hard or inappropriately you're going to be introduced to limp mode, which makes you unable to accelerate and you'll have to restart the car. Its the car's safety feature, so its not a bad thing. Also a cold air intake was seen as one of the quickest ways to send this car to the grave. The cai goes so far down in the engine bay it can easily pick up water from the ground and destroy your engine. It also takes away all the much needed cool air from your radiator. A shop here in dallas that mainly works on evo's told me this is a common issue with daily driven evo's and ralliarts. Also, these cars use the evo 9 drivetrain, so you can't use the same turbo back exhaust system as the evo 10. The only thing similar on the exhaust system is the testpipe/high flow cat and a few downpipes that don't come with 02 housing.

In the end I love this car to death. And with the insurance being reasonable for its price and potential power I couldn't complain. I just think you should also be aware of its issues.

 

Mine is an extreme daily driver. I do about 25K business miles per year on top my typical commute and weekends. The only issue i have is the Recaro's; I love them....everyone else that rides in my car hates them. I would also recommend checking out the sportback...I like the look of the sedan better, but the extra storage would be nice.

 

I have a sportback as my DD. I had grown fond of the utility of the hatchback style from my previous car, but just wanted a little more of a fun driving experience. The RA fills the bill just fine for me. Fuel economy is not great, but that is generally the case with all AWD cars.

 

Cleanse your head from such words like "fuel efficient", "hybrid", "eco" and so on, and you have one of the best DD's .... *pause* .....

*Jeremy Clarkson face*
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*wait for it*

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IN THE WORLD.

 

Ultimately, you are on a fan forum for the Evo and its brethren. You are going to get a slightly biased opinion because we all own one (if we didn't like it, we wouldn't be here).

Search the internet for more info concerning maintenance, insurance, and fuel costs. If these costs are not a deal breaker, then the RA is a good car. Its not the best made car by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a fun car to toss around on an empty back road.

 

I purchased my car to be a DD, it goes to my work, to my school and home. I get about 25 MPG right now and with the Sportback it has great storage. Other than the lowish MPG the car is a great DD, I even have the Tein S-Tech springs and the ride is still not that bad.

 

i bought one, got almost 2100 miles on it. i thought i was ordering mine from japan but i gone one with 200 miles on it. dont really care, it came with leather everything and fully loaded as i wanted it. i love her to death, and i still havent named her. dont know when i will or if i will ever. ill just call her "car".. mmm yes car. om nom nom

 

I love my Ralliart, but I would never want to buy one as a daily driver because of high maintenance costs, poor gas mileage, and need for premium fuel in a world where gas prices are increasing significantly every week and no end in sight. I strictly use mine for evening and weekend driving.

 

The interior is a bit plain and full of plastic death. Most the cost of this car goes to the engine (same 4b11t engine from EVO X) and drivetrain (same drivetrain from EVO IX). If you are looking for a little brother to the EVO then go Ralliart. If you just want a 4 door compact you may want to look at the baby brother to the Ralliart, the basic lancer.

I did a bunch of research on which to get (EVO or Raliart) and found that after test driving both, the EVO would be to hard a DD for me. I love the Ralliart cause it shares some components and still is comfortable enough to drive to work and back every day!!

^^ BTW you should always name your car!! My baby's name is Stella!!!