Last night I got to test an Evo for the first time, at Carmax of all places. None of the dealers seem ot be willing to do that for some reason. Theirs was an 03 with 280 miles for $27k, sold as a new car.

I have some comments about the experience (in no particular order) and several questions.

• Amazing steering and suspension. Light and precise like no other car I've driven, it made it very easy to place the car in all the situations I managed to throw at it. Excellent suspension for trackdays, maybe a little too stiff for daily commute - I think the MR would be a welcome change in this area.
• Great AWD system - despite the panicky salesman in the back, I managed to get it into a drift/oversteer in one of the corners and I liked the way it worked, keeping the car moving forward while at the same time allowing a hint of oversteer.
• Excellent seats and general pedal placement. I could not get a heel&toe going but I'm sure I could given a little more time.
• Excellent shifter. Short throws with a mechanical feel, it never put a gear wrong during my test drive.
• So-so engine. Please no outrage cries, I tell it like I see it. The engine felt extremely solid and with a good midrange, but very rough & industrial sounding, with a fair amount of lag and an uninspired upper range. I would be VERY interested to see what some tuning can do about this, but as it is I would rate the engine the least exciting part of the car. Oh it's fast, to be sure, but in a weird way. It felt like the throttle was sometimes connected via a particularly rough elastic band - but not always, go figure. I did like the lightweight flywheel.
• Noisy car, not necessarily in a good way. I like a fair amount of engine noise (which allows shifting without looking at the tach) and a good amount of exhaust noise (which is there to tickle you pleasure glands and frighten children away). But at least this car seemed to have some tranny (diff) noise as well - or maybe it was all engine and I wasn't used to it. I also disliked the road-pebble noise in the wheel wells - I would spray some black goop in there the first thing, if I were to buy a car. So is tranny noise normal in an Evo?
• Good brakes? Not sure about this one, I tought they should feel better. Is it normal for the brakes to require a VERY firm application to stop the car from any speed? To me they felt like glazed pads or a non-broken in system. By comparison, both bimmers I've owned had fabulous brakes right from the showroom floor - strong and with good feel. Do all Evos do this?
• Rapid-frequency vibration in the drivetrain around 80mph. I attribute that to flat-spotted tires (on this 03 model) or maybe an incorrectly balanced wheel.

I now have a much better understanding on what this car is and where Mitsubishi spent the good part of the $30 grand. I liked it overall and thought it to be a tremendously fun car. My wife didn't like it that much, all the coarseness and noise. But within 30 seconds into her test drive, she was whipping it around brutally, redlining the first 3 gears without batting an eye. So I asked her - how many cars has she driven where she felt comfortable doing that? I tried to explain how special a car like that is, despite it's shortcomings and I think she understood. She is not opposed to me getting an Evo, particularly since that would push her into the 330 .

So will I buy one? I am not sure. I don't know if I can live with the noise and harshness on a daily basis, when I can only take it to the track maybe 2-3 times per year (if I'm lucky). I would love to drive a modded one as well as a second stock one just to understand if some of the problems I've noticed with this car are endemic. I think I really should drive an MR since that is what I would want anyway - just not sure if I can get a test drive for that...

And to mitigate some of the comments I've made above, please understand I'm used to some of the elements mentioned above (turbocharged engines, AWD, rough suspension and exhaust noise), just not all in the same package . I've owned a modified 98 M3 and currently own a lightly modded 98 A4 and 03 330i PerfPack.

If anybody has comments and answers please share them with me, I would deeply appreciate it.

Happy motoring,

adc

 

I'll take a few stabs...

First off, you drove an Evo with 280 miles on it, and I'm sure they were VERY hard miles on it. The steering and the brakes are definitely two of the best features, mine feel awesome after 13k miles still and I don't have to press firmly at all unless I need to. The engine...tuning will get rid of all of your gripes. It's a turbo car of only 2.0L, so of course down low it will be laggy. Up top, it wheezes out because the boost tapers to 16psi from 19psi when you get to about 5000 rpm. This car is not about refinement and luxury... This is a fast, fun, rally inspired car that's fairly inexpensive for the performance you get. That's my $.02, I'm sure there'll be a lot more.

 

after a few thousand miles and a few oil changes the motor will get much smoother..

 

I would say your pretty accurate on most points. The car is loud and the ride is pretty stiff. My brakes don't require that much pedal effort but, that is subjective. Tuning makes a huge difference in the engine area. Mine is my daily driver and I have no complaints.

 

The tires will also stick a little better with a few more miles.

 

Let me put this in a very short amount of words:

The EVO is an "enthusiasts' " car.

Keep that in mind while I attempt to answer your questions and explain in a little more detail.

Steering and Suspension: Race-worthy. You can take this suspension and go to a track with it right away. By adding even a set of springs, things get even better, and a race alignment can make things even more fun. The EVO suspension borders on 'harsh' but I think they did the best job they could with the struts they chose. The EVO reminds me of many 'stock' sportbikes. Good suspension, it will never tell you anything wrong, a bit on the rough side, but can be improved upon if you have the enthusiasm to do it. My personal opinion ... I'd rather take a good sport suspension, even a bit rough, and program that out with a few 'seat' modifications rather than up the price by 3 to 4k with an Ohlins or JIC.

AWD System: LOL, I think you know all you need to know there ... it gets even better in a 'snow' state like where I live. As far as its noise ... well ... Mitsu. used the 'minimum' technology to do AWD. Hopefully over time, an enthusiast would be able to pick out a few parts to make it even 'better.' There is a lot of discussion about AWD on this board, you'd be able to make an good informed choice with all the information here.

Shifter and Interior: A bushing and shifter changeover makes this even better. Getting a good oil in the tranny even helps out more. Pedal placement is really kinda personal ... but ... I think there are plent of ways to 'adjust' it. Personally ... I had a harder time getting used to the EVO pedals than my old WRX. In fact, I still think I need to change my gas pedal for an easier strike on a heel / toe maneuver. On the brakes ... change the lines, pads, and fluid out, and you'll be amazed on how much better it feels! The brembos are good, but only if they get the 'right' inputs. Again ... they remind me of a set of brembos on a modern sportbike ... kinda mechanical and clunky without much feedback, until new lines pads, and fluids are put in.

Noise: As far as the noise at ~80mph ... you're probably right. Any noise I've found in the EVO, or vibration is usually very easy to diagnose. The car just doesn't BS you. lol ... some people call this 'noise' and others call it 'feedback.'

Motor Power Delivery: There are so many options here. By just a simple ECU reprogram (warranty pending) or piggyback you can flatten out the torque curve to redline. I was appaled at how well the stock turbo and engine matched up. Putting such a small motor in a 3000+lb car is a real feat, and Mitsu. scored big on this one. As far as commuting ... I've never been more pleased with the 'dual' modes I can get out of the motor. Its not the 'best' on gas milage... but it fairs well. Passing, or spirited driving is really only a gear selection away. Keep things above 3.5k rpm, and you'll never 'want' for power.

0.02 ... Glad you got to testdrive one, and your wife too.

Cheers,

jcnel.

 

Everything you described is spot on.

I noticed the tranny whine immediately as well on my first drive. The brakes get better with time. I had the same feeling initially, and now, they are responsive and solid. I am almost afraid I might cause a rear-end by the brakes stopping the car quicker than the car behind me...

Another loud noise, as you slow down to a stop, the tires get really loud, it almost sounds like it's the brakes that are giving out a grinding noise. As soon as I got new wheels and different tires, the sound went away.

This car is not a luxury car in any sort of way. It's a car overdosed with caffeine. It's loud, it has a cheap interior, and it squeeks and rattles. BUT, for 30K, you get a turbo platform good for 400HP with affordable mods, AWD, Brembo brakes that stop just as good as a Ferrari or Porsche, Recaro seats, and an indestructable Carbon Fiber wing!

Those items I listed are exactly where I would like my money spent on a 30K car. Of course, my other car is the "luxury" vehicle...

Brent

 

The amount of force you use to brake in your bmw is just a lot less because of the design of the brake system, which allows the driver to stop sooner because the brakes are just more sensetive, and less force has to be applied when coming to a full stop when compared to some other cars.

The brembo's are very good from the factory; and the poor brakes could have been due to improper brake pad bedding in procedure or drivers just driving it really hard.

Zechausen is a great shop in NJ that does awesome bbk kits for pretty much any car. The owner is an extremely knowledeable person who knows his brakes.


Here is the beddin procedue: http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

 

The road noise is reduced dramatically if you switch to a less agressive tire. I have All-Seasons on my car and they handle close to as good as the stock advans but the ride and noise level is 1000 times better.

 

Hmm, I pretty much agree with everything you said but I thought I would add a few things as well.

I'm not sure if you are aware of the heritage of the 4G63 engine. It is debatably one of the best 4cyl engines ever created. The power that you can get out of just 2.0L is amazing at the very least. I wouldn't expect the same performance out of it compared to that which an M3's engine might provide. But like you said, tuning does help. With a little tuning and some mods and you can get it to where it will satisfy your cravings for power up top.

The brakes are a bit wooden from the showroom. As has been recommended by many sources as one of your first mods, change the brake pads to Ferodo DS2500 and all is good again.

Overall, I can say that your review of the EVO is right on!

 

ADC you want to sell your A4?

 

Thank you for your well thought answers. I appreciate that I didn't get any knee-jerk reaction to my post even though there were some negative comments in it...

Hopefully then the brakes were a little flaky on this car. I really should get a second opinion and test drive another stock one.

adc

 

Certainly - just cannot do it now. My wife drives it and we'll likely sell it the moment we get the new car. If you think you or someone you know might be interested in it at a later date, do let me know. It's a 98 with 46k mi, 0.8 bar chip, ATE/Mintex brakes, euro lights and some other cosmetic mods.

adc

 

Thanks for the info, it definitely seems to explain my observations. As to Dave, I know him and his good work (my 330 thanks him every day).

adc

 

How much of a later date....I am looking to buy now?