Sat in an Evo today
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Joined: Aug 2003
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From: West
Sat in an Evo today
Finally sat in one. Just wanted to post a short review of the first impression.
First let me say that to sum the experience up in one word, I was "intrigued". I plan to return on Thursday to test drive one once they're PDI'd.
As I walked around it, checking it out, I was excited. In person, even with the small wing on it, it looked very sporty and was definitely an eye-catcher.
If I get one it will have the big cf wing though, that's for sure.
Odd things I noticed: The rear Brembo calipers looked a little cheap and gimmicky for some reason to me, but maybe I was just tired. The trunk is a very good size but I was surprised at the lack of a pass-through or fold-down rear seats.
As I sat in it, first thing I noticed was how un-Honda/Nissan like the car is inside. I don't mean that in a bad way, it was just different. It's the first non-Honda/Acura/Nissan/Infiniti Japanese car I've sat in and it sorta took me by surprise a little because I'm used to the dash and consoles being more smooth and flowing inside and all the features more ergonomically placed.
I drive an Acura 3.2CL TypeS and it's a luxury sports coupe with a whole lot of luxury and just enough sport to enjoy it a bit on twisty roads and to pass slow punks and ricers.
The Evo was a more purpose-built look inside, as if to say "yup there's that feature, and yup there's that one" like you're checking them off a checklist to make sure they're all there in the car somewhere, but they weren't exactly artfully or logically placed around the interior. Some of them were a bit ergonomically precarious as well.
Like the mirror adjustment up on the dash to the left on the steering wheel: with my seat in a comfortable position I had to lean up to reach it and in doing so my head is no longer where it would be when driving, so it's a bit more work to get the mirrors adjusted right. Silly little thing to notice, I know, but hey it was something that I noticed on first contact with the Evo.
The seat.... wow! It grips so well! I've never been in a sportier stock seat in ANY car. I was VERY impressed with it, but I would like to sit in one for 30-40 minutes of driving to see how comfortable it would be for a daily commute. I bet it's great for weekend fun or track days but I would like to experience the comfort (or lack of comfort) it offers for a daily driver.
The features like the adjustable headlight leveling and the water sprayer are cute, if seemingly odd features to put on a car meant for street driving. I bet if I drive one for a while it would be fun to mess with things like that. On first impression they seemed like extras I would have rather been a part of a "rally options" package so I could choose not to pay for them.
The back seats had JUST enough headroom for me (6'1") and enough legroom so that was satisfactory.
The hood IS very light. I was definitely pleased with that, considering most car hoods weigh like 50-60lbs and this one's, what, 22lbs.
The wheels looked smaller in person than in all the pictures I've seen but then again these cars haven't been PDI'd so the spring blocks are still on them and I'm not sure but maybe they force the car to sit a bit higher than it would without them and that extra wheelgap might be making the wheels look smaller.
The shifter was INCREDIBLY tight from left-to-right and short. I REALLY like the short throws but the little wiggle room left to right made a stick novice like me double-check to make sure I had it in Neutral before I took my foot off the clutch from starting the car up.
The clutch feel was very average and fine and the grab point was easy to find. The salesman I worked with (Jim from WK
who posts here) drives a WRX and was nice enough to let me sit in his car to compare that clutch and man the WRX clutch is heavier and the grab point is much more vague than the Evo's.
I really was happy with the first impression of the clutch and gearbox and I look forward to seeing how it feels to actually drive it on Thursday.
The steering wheel didn't feel TOO stiff which is good. I don't want a stiff steering wheel for daily driving. I of course couldn't experience the supposedly very-tight steering rack the car has since I didn't drive it, but I look forward to that as well.
So overall, without driving it I would say the car is worth maybe low-to-mid-$20k's of value and I expect after driving it I will find the rest of the value is there as well considering the point of the vehicle is performance.
I'll write a review Thursday after I test drive one. Right now I expect the response to be somewhere between
and 
First let me say that to sum the experience up in one word, I was "intrigued". I plan to return on Thursday to test drive one once they're PDI'd.
As I walked around it, checking it out, I was excited. In person, even with the small wing on it, it looked very sporty and was definitely an eye-catcher.
If I get one it will have the big cf wing though, that's for sure.
Odd things I noticed: The rear Brembo calipers looked a little cheap and gimmicky for some reason to me, but maybe I was just tired. The trunk is a very good size but I was surprised at the lack of a pass-through or fold-down rear seats.
As I sat in it, first thing I noticed was how un-Honda/Nissan like the car is inside. I don't mean that in a bad way, it was just different. It's the first non-Honda/Acura/Nissan/Infiniti Japanese car I've sat in and it sorta took me by surprise a little because I'm used to the dash and consoles being more smooth and flowing inside and all the features more ergonomically placed.
I drive an Acura 3.2CL TypeS and it's a luxury sports coupe with a whole lot of luxury and just enough sport to enjoy it a bit on twisty roads and to pass slow punks and ricers.
The Evo was a more purpose-built look inside, as if to say "yup there's that feature, and yup there's that one" like you're checking them off a checklist to make sure they're all there in the car somewhere, but they weren't exactly artfully or logically placed around the interior. Some of them were a bit ergonomically precarious as well.
Like the mirror adjustment up on the dash to the left on the steering wheel: with my seat in a comfortable position I had to lean up to reach it and in doing so my head is no longer where it would be when driving, so it's a bit more work to get the mirrors adjusted right. Silly little thing to notice, I know, but hey it was something that I noticed on first contact with the Evo.
The seat.... wow! It grips so well! I've never been in a sportier stock seat in ANY car. I was VERY impressed with it, but I would like to sit in one for 30-40 minutes of driving to see how comfortable it would be for a daily commute. I bet it's great for weekend fun or track days but I would like to experience the comfort (or lack of comfort) it offers for a daily driver.
The features like the adjustable headlight leveling and the water sprayer are cute, if seemingly odd features to put on a car meant for street driving. I bet if I drive one for a while it would be fun to mess with things like that. On first impression they seemed like extras I would have rather been a part of a "rally options" package so I could choose not to pay for them.
The back seats had JUST enough headroom for me (6'1") and enough legroom so that was satisfactory.
The hood IS very light. I was definitely pleased with that, considering most car hoods weigh like 50-60lbs and this one's, what, 22lbs.
The wheels looked smaller in person than in all the pictures I've seen but then again these cars haven't been PDI'd so the spring blocks are still on them and I'm not sure but maybe they force the car to sit a bit higher than it would without them and that extra wheelgap might be making the wheels look smaller.
The shifter was INCREDIBLY tight from left-to-right and short. I REALLY like the short throws but the little wiggle room left to right made a stick novice like me double-check to make sure I had it in Neutral before I took my foot off the clutch from starting the car up.
The clutch feel was very average and fine and the grab point was easy to find. The salesman I worked with (Jim from WK
who posts here) drives a WRX and was nice enough to let me sit in his car to compare that clutch and man the WRX clutch is heavier and the grab point is much more vague than the Evo's.I really was happy with the first impression of the clutch and gearbox and I look forward to seeing how it feels to actually drive it on Thursday.
The steering wheel didn't feel TOO stiff which is good. I don't want a stiff steering wheel for daily driving. I of course couldn't experience the supposedly very-tight steering rack the car has since I didn't drive it, but I look forward to that as well.
So overall, without driving it I would say the car is worth maybe low-to-mid-$20k's of value and I expect after driving it I will find the rest of the value is there as well considering the point of the vehicle is performance.
I'll write a review Thursday after I test drive one. Right now I expect the response to be somewhere between
and
About the seat...I drive around 30 miles a day from work and back home. Additional to the few roadtrips I have taken already the seats are very supportive and I have never had any pains or back problems.
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Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Boston
All those little things that you might not like will all go away with a simple twist of the wrist VVRRROOOMMM!!!!! You hear the turbo spooling up and a ways you go in any gear, without breaking a sweat. Taking the first turn you realize this car is meant for this.
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something i've noticed about the seats today...
I've owned the car almost 2 weeks now..
In past cars... whenever there was manual transmission.. I had a tendency to lean towards the center of the car more... allowing for a easier shift... closer i guess.
Today i realized.. that with the seats in the evo... I almost always sit directly centered and no slouching at all. Good for posture. Probably because of the high side bolsters... just something i noticed today.
I dont know how the jdm seats feel.. but these are perfect for me.
6 foot tall... 180 lbs ... size 33 waist.
the size of my car seems so perfect... I owned a 99 Accord Coupe V6 before this... and it was a nice. But the Evo is larger on the inside(or at least it feels roomier). But the overall size of the car seems much smaller when you're driving it. Probably because of the quick steering. It's like you can just whip in and out of traffic anytime... any speed.. and passing power is INCREDIBLE.
I've owned the car almost 2 weeks now..
In past cars... whenever there was manual transmission.. I had a tendency to lean towards the center of the car more... allowing for a easier shift... closer i guess.
Today i realized.. that with the seats in the evo... I almost always sit directly centered and no slouching at all. Good for posture. Probably because of the high side bolsters... just something i noticed today.
I dont know how the jdm seats feel.. but these are perfect for me.
6 foot tall... 180 lbs ... size 33 waist.
the size of my car seems so perfect... I owned a 99 Accord Coupe V6 before this... and it was a nice. But the Evo is larger on the inside(or at least it feels roomier). But the overall size of the car seems much smaller when you're driving it. Probably because of the quick steering. It's like you can just whip in and out of traffic anytime... any speed.. and passing power is INCREDIBLE.
Last edited by TomsSound; Aug 12, 2003 at 02:40 PM.