Consumer Reports tests EVO
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Consumer Reports tests EVO
Evolution OCR
Like the Subaru WRX STi, the Lancer Evolution, or Evo, is a small four-door, five-passenger sedan that delivers race-car-like performance. It's virtually as quick and capable as the STi, with a powerful turbo-charged four-cylinder engine and secure, agile handling.
The Evo's rally-car character is evident in its stiff, uncomfortable ride. Noise and the lack of a sixth gear make long drives tiresome. We do not have sufficient data to predict reliability
THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE
Basically a race car for the street, the Evo has a ride that
is hard and jarring. Each impact makes a pronounced shot. Ride motions are abrupt and improve only slightly on the highway. Road and drive-train noise are prevalent.
The Evo's steering is very quick but lighter than the STi's, making the car quite responsive to small movements of the wheel. Driving it smoothly is a bit challenging. The Evo posted a commendable speed in our avoidance maneuver, requiring some driver input to maintain control. On the track, it felt more nimble and entertaining for the experienced driver, but it requires more attention than with the Subaru STi, the prominent rear spoiler makes the Evo stand out, but it can interfere with rear visibility.
The turning circle is a wide 42 feet.
The 271-hp, 2.0-liter turbo-charged four-cylinder engine provides blistering performance but lacks the low-end response of the others. The five-speed manual transmission performs well but lacks a sixth gear for highway cruising. The Evo got 20 mpg overall, but it has a short cruising range. Braking performance is excellent.
INSIDE THE CABIN
The interior is similar to that of the Lancer, which costs half the price. But the materials are better, and it's outfitted with racing-style Recaro sport seats and a Momo steering wheel. Visibility is excellent, but the seating position is low and seat height is not adjustable. Shorter drivers may have trouble reaching the pedals.
The front seats are very supportive and hold occupants firmly in place during cornering. However, they may be too
narrow for some drivers. The rear is roomy with good head room and leg room, but thigh support is lacking. Getting in and out over the wide doorsills is easy
The gauges are mostly standard Lancer fare, with logical switches. The red-on-black instrument-panel labels lack contrast, and the speedometer is partly obscured when driving.
There is a minimum of in-cabin storage space, including a small, nonlockable glove box and a deep center cubby There are two sturdy recessed cup holders in front and in back. The rear seats don't fold.
SAFETY NOTES
The rear head restraints are too low to provide adequate whiplash protection in a rear impact.
Driving with kids. Some rear-facing child seats may not be secure in the center rear. Attaching and detaching the LATCH straps is awkward.
Like the Subaru WRX STi, the Lancer Evolution, or Evo, is a small four-door, five-passenger sedan that delivers race-car-like performance. It's virtually as quick and capable as the STi, with a powerful turbo-charged four-cylinder engine and secure, agile handling.
The Evo's rally-car character is evident in its stiff, uncomfortable ride. Noise and the lack of a sixth gear make long drives tiresome. We do not have sufficient data to predict reliability
THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE
Basically a race car for the street, the Evo has a ride that
is hard and jarring. Each impact makes a pronounced shot. Ride motions are abrupt and improve only slightly on the highway. Road and drive-train noise are prevalent.
The Evo's steering is very quick but lighter than the STi's, making the car quite responsive to small movements of the wheel. Driving it smoothly is a bit challenging. The Evo posted a commendable speed in our avoidance maneuver, requiring some driver input to maintain control. On the track, it felt more nimble and entertaining for the experienced driver, but it requires more attention than with the Subaru STi, the prominent rear spoiler makes the Evo stand out, but it can interfere with rear visibility.
The turning circle is a wide 42 feet.
The 271-hp, 2.0-liter turbo-charged four-cylinder engine provides blistering performance but lacks the low-end response of the others. The five-speed manual transmission performs well but lacks a sixth gear for highway cruising. The Evo got 20 mpg overall, but it has a short cruising range. Braking performance is excellent.
INSIDE THE CABIN
The interior is similar to that of the Lancer, which costs half the price. But the materials are better, and it's outfitted with racing-style Recaro sport seats and a Momo steering wheel. Visibility is excellent, but the seating position is low and seat height is not adjustable. Shorter drivers may have trouble reaching the pedals.
The front seats are very supportive and hold occupants firmly in place during cornering. However, they may be too
narrow for some drivers. The rear is roomy with good head room and leg room, but thigh support is lacking. Getting in and out over the wide doorsills is easy
The gauges are mostly standard Lancer fare, with logical switches. The red-on-black instrument-panel labels lack contrast, and the speedometer is partly obscured when driving.
There is a minimum of in-cabin storage space, including a small, nonlockable glove box and a deep center cubby There are two sturdy recessed cup holders in front and in back. The rear seats don't fold.
SAFETY NOTES
The rear head restraints are too low to provide adequate whiplash protection in a rear impact.
Driving with kids. Some rear-facing child seats may not be secure in the center rear. Attaching and detaching the LATCH straps is awkward.
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ah, consumer reports looking at the evo from a consumer point of view...
"The 271-hp, 2.0-liter turbo-charged four-cylinder engine provides blistering performance but lacks the low-end response of the others. "
what "others?"
"The 271-hp, 2.0-liter turbo-charged four-cylinder engine provides blistering performance but lacks the low-end response of the others. "
what "others?"
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Consumer Reports December 2003 Summary
The stereotypical image of a sports car is a small, low-slung two-seater, with little or no rear-passenger space and barely enough cargo room to carry groceries. The reality, however, is changing. New designs are blending high performance with a higher degree of practicality
Of the five sports cars we tested for this issue, two—the Subaru Impreza WRX STi and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (commonly called the Evo)—are four-door sedans with a reasonable backseat and trunk.
Another four-door model, the Mazda RX-8, is a coupe with two small rear-hinged doors in back to allow easier access to its small but usable rear seat. The other two cars
-the Nissan 350Z and the Chrysler Crossfire—are two-seaters with no room for rear passengers.
All cost about $30,000 and provide excellent acceleration and braking. But handling and driving character vary. As with many sporty cars, the trade-offs for good performance are ride comfort, interior quiet, and fuel economy The STi and Evo are all-wheel drive; the other three cars are rear-wheel drive. All require premium fuel.
The Subaru STi was the highest-scoring car in this group and one of two that we can recommend. (See CR Quick on page 61 for our criteria.) It's a high-performance version of the Impreza sedan and is very similar to Subaru's
professional rally racing cars (see CloseUp, opposite page). The first WRX model, which was introduced in 2001, was also patterned after the rally-car design and has been our top pick in the Fun-to-Drive category since we tested it for our December 2001 report. Available as a sedan or wagon, the $25,000 Subaru WRX is a relatively inexpensive car that successfully blends sporty performance with four-door practicality.
The STi version, available only as a sedan, is closer to the real race car. It delivers quicker acceleration and better handling, but it is stiffer and noisier. It also costs $6,500 more than the WRX.
The Mazda RX-8, new for 2004, is a successor to the
RX-7 two-seat sports car, which was introduced for 1979 and hasn't been imported since 1995. It's essentially a 2+2 coupe (with two front seats and two small rear seats), and it has the added convenience of small rear doors. Like its predecessors, the RX-8 uses a rotary "Wankel" engine, now the only production car to do so. The engine has a pair of three-sided rotors instead of pistons to create compression. It is smaller and lighter than other types of engines and revs exceptionally smoothly. However, it gets lower gas mileage, and its emissions aren't as clean.
Like the STi, the Mitsubishi Evo is a high-performance version of an existing small sedan, the Lancer, and a close replica of the company's rally racing cars. The Evo has been sold in Europe and Japan for several years, but this eighth-generation model is the first to be imported to the U.S.
The Nissan 350Z, introduced for 2003, is fifth in the line ofDatsun/Nissan"Z" cars, which started with the 1970 240Z and was discontinued in 1996. The 350Z Touring model we tested comes with a 287-hp version of the 3.5-liter V6 found in several other Nissan and Infiniti vehicles.
The 2004 Chrysler Crossfire, built in Germany, is being touted as the first car from DaimlerChrysler to be co-developed by the American and German groups. The Crossfire is based on the outgoing Mercedes-Benz SLK, which was introduced in 1997 and is being redesigned for 2005. Although a new model, the Crossfire relies on a seven-year-old design and can't compete with newer sports-car designs.
Sporty cars are designed primarily to be fun to drive, with the best providing quick acceleration; agile handling;
responsive, communicative steering; and strong braking. To a large degree, those attributes determine how a car scores in our Ratings. While practicality is of less concern, the six top-rated models also provide some passenger- or cargo-carrying practicality, which makes them appealing to a wider range of drivers.
Of the 14 sporty cars listed here, 7 have all the requisites to be recommended. Among them is the Ford Focus (1), which showed improved reliability in our latest subscriber survey. We don't have sufficient reliability data to recommend the RX-8 (3), Lancer Evolution (6), Chrysler Crossfire (12), or Hyundai Tiburon (13). Below-average reliability prevents us from recommending the Mini Cooper (7) or Volkswagen New Beetle (8). The Mitsubishi Eclipse (14) has had average reliability but falls short in both performance and practicality.
The Ratings (right) rank vehicles based on how they performed in our tests. Recommended models (if) not only performed well in our tests, but also have shown average or better reliability and performed at least adequately if crash-tested. Quick Picks (below) are recommended models that deserve special consideration.
Of the five sports cars we tested for this issue, two—the Subaru Impreza WRX STi and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (commonly called the Evo)—are four-door sedans with a reasonable backseat and trunk.
Another four-door model, the Mazda RX-8, is a coupe with two small rear-hinged doors in back to allow easier access to its small but usable rear seat. The other two cars
-the Nissan 350Z and the Chrysler Crossfire—are two-seaters with no room for rear passengers.
All cost about $30,000 and provide excellent acceleration and braking. But handling and driving character vary. As with many sporty cars, the trade-offs for good performance are ride comfort, interior quiet, and fuel economy The STi and Evo are all-wheel drive; the other three cars are rear-wheel drive. All require premium fuel.
The Subaru STi was the highest-scoring car in this group and one of two that we can recommend. (See CR Quick on page 61 for our criteria.) It's a high-performance version of the Impreza sedan and is very similar to Subaru's
professional rally racing cars (see CloseUp, opposite page). The first WRX model, which was introduced in 2001, was also patterned after the rally-car design and has been our top pick in the Fun-to-Drive category since we tested it for our December 2001 report. Available as a sedan or wagon, the $25,000 Subaru WRX is a relatively inexpensive car that successfully blends sporty performance with four-door practicality.
The STi version, available only as a sedan, is closer to the real race car. It delivers quicker acceleration and better handling, but it is stiffer and noisier. It also costs $6,500 more than the WRX.
The Mazda RX-8, new for 2004, is a successor to the
RX-7 two-seat sports car, which was introduced for 1979 and hasn't been imported since 1995. It's essentially a 2+2 coupe (with two front seats and two small rear seats), and it has the added convenience of small rear doors. Like its predecessors, the RX-8 uses a rotary "Wankel" engine, now the only production car to do so. The engine has a pair of three-sided rotors instead of pistons to create compression. It is smaller and lighter than other types of engines and revs exceptionally smoothly. However, it gets lower gas mileage, and its emissions aren't as clean.
Like the STi, the Mitsubishi Evo is a high-performance version of an existing small sedan, the Lancer, and a close replica of the company's rally racing cars. The Evo has been sold in Europe and Japan for several years, but this eighth-generation model is the first to be imported to the U.S.
The Nissan 350Z, introduced for 2003, is fifth in the line ofDatsun/Nissan"Z" cars, which started with the 1970 240Z and was discontinued in 1996. The 350Z Touring model we tested comes with a 287-hp version of the 3.5-liter V6 found in several other Nissan and Infiniti vehicles.
The 2004 Chrysler Crossfire, built in Germany, is being touted as the first car from DaimlerChrysler to be co-developed by the American and German groups. The Crossfire is based on the outgoing Mercedes-Benz SLK, which was introduced in 1997 and is being redesigned for 2005. Although a new model, the Crossfire relies on a seven-year-old design and can't compete with newer sports-car designs.
Sporty cars are designed primarily to be fun to drive, with the best providing quick acceleration; agile handling;
responsive, communicative steering; and strong braking. To a large degree, those attributes determine how a car scores in our Ratings. While practicality is of less concern, the six top-rated models also provide some passenger- or cargo-carrying practicality, which makes them appealing to a wider range of drivers.
Of the 14 sporty cars listed here, 7 have all the requisites to be recommended. Among them is the Ford Focus (1), which showed improved reliability in our latest subscriber survey. We don't have sufficient reliability data to recommend the RX-8 (3), Lancer Evolution (6), Chrysler Crossfire (12), or Hyundai Tiburon (13). Below-average reliability prevents us from recommending the Mini Cooper (7) or Volkswagen New Beetle (8). The Mitsubishi Eclipse (14) has had average reliability but falls short in both performance and practicality.
The Ratings (right) rank vehicles based on how they performed in our tests. Recommended models (if) not only performed well in our tests, but also have shown average or better reliability and performed at least adequately if crash-tested. Quick Picks (below) are recommended models that deserve special consideration.
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FYI... I used to drive a car with a 42' turning radius (V8 SHO, 200" long FWD, wide tire car) and the EVO is much much much smaller.. I'd say closer to 37'. What is Consumer Reports smoking?
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Ford Focus?
Ford Focus #1??????????
Are they crazy or what?
Look at the 350Z. Ouch!
Ratings (In performance order) OCR...
1 Ford SVT Focus
2 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
3 MazdaRX-8
4 Subaru Impreza WRX
5 Toyota Celica GT-S
6 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
7 Mini Cooper
8 Volkswagen New Beetle- TurboS
9 Honda Civic Si
10 Acura RSX Type-S
11 Nissan 350Z Touring
12 Chrysler Crossfire
13 Hyundai Tiburon GT(V6)
14 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT(V6)
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There is a minimum of in-cabin storage space, including a small, nonlockable glove box and a deep center cubby There are two sturdy recessed cup holders in front and in back. The rear seats don't fold.
I consider Consumer Reports to be reliable in posting hard facts about the products they review. And their information about reliability seems dead on from my own experience and from comments from friends. However their subjective comments (especially about cars) sound like they are written by what seems to be a crew of 70+ year old people (I am 40) with a touch of sciatica. They always whine about bumps and noise and back seat access.
IMO the subjective portion of their comments should be a camparo of SIMILAR cars and not base their comments based on some "ideal" car.
After all, an F-15 can go faster than a 747 because its smaller, lighter and more powerful, of course it will ride differently- morons.
The STI, RX-8 belong in the comparison but I think the Z belongs with the likes of the S2000, Vette, TT for an example.
Thanks
IMO the subjective portion of their comments should be a camparo of SIMILAR cars and not base their comments based on some "ideal" car.
After all, an F-15 can go faster than a 747 because its smaller, lighter and more powerful, of course it will ride differently- morons.
The STI, RX-8 belong in the comparison but I think the Z belongs with the likes of the S2000, Vette, TT for an example.
Thanks
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From: Jersey
1 Ford SVT Focus
2 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
3 MazdaRX-8
4 Subaru Impreza WRX
5 Toyota Celica GT-S
Excluding the STI - which of these cars can beat the Evo's performance in any area under the sun, excluding gas mileage and trunk space...
2 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
3 MazdaRX-8
4 Subaru Impreza WRX
5 Toyota Celica GT-S
Excluding the STI - which of these cars can beat the Evo's performance in any area under the sun, excluding gas mileage and trunk space...
