Hmm, they seem to give it a pretty bad grade and somehow rate the STi's handling about the Evo.

They also say the Evo takes "more attention" to drive. Yeah, sure, the STi is easier to drive if you like understeer...

"Noise and the lack of a sixth gear make long drives tiresom ...[The] Evo has a ride that is hard and jarring. Each impact make a pronounced shot. Ride motions are abrupt and improve only slightly on the highway. Road and drive-train noise are prevalent ... Driving [the Evo] smoothly is a bit challenging ... requiring some driver input to maintain control. On the track it felt more nimble and entertaining for the experience driver, but it requires more attention than the STi."

They also rate the STI's emergency handling as "excellent" while the Evo only gets "very good". Their STi also won their avoidance manuever run by .5 MPH which doesn't seem to fly with other motor magazines.

What do you guys think about the article? I know it doesn't apply to most enthusiasts who buy the Evo but it will certainly impact the public image of the Evo among general buyers and the image of Mitsubishi also.

 

frankly, i dont care about the consumer report crap. i was able to read it because my workmates showed it to me. teasin me bec the 350z and the sti were among the best buys.
besides, the evo is not for the "general buyer" anyway, IMHO.

 

i agree with you , i think us evo people are a seperate breed from all the rx8 , sti , 350z people out there . were just , different

 

Like I said
"I know it doesn't apply to most enthusiasts who buy the Evo but it will certainly impact the public image of the Evo among general buyers and the image of Mitsubishi also. "

I just want to know what you think of their conclusions.

 

The average buyer wants the best of all comforts. They want an Element Elise type car (lightweight, fast and still have room for 5 to watch the plasma tv). That wasn't my priority when I bought my Evo.

 

I kick myself every day knowing I could have bought a Buick LeSabre for the same price instead!

 

Look at the comparative scores. The EVO scored in the beginning of their excellent category - very close to the others. When the reliability data comes in (and its good hopefully), it'll be "recommended". Still, I was not thrilled with the rigor of their analysis.

 

Traditionally, Consumers Reports have rated all Mitsubishi cars has have sub-standard reliability and I have yet to see a Mitsu being "recommended" when all the other Japanese manufacturers save for Suzuki automatically get the checkmark.

 

It is probably good that Consumer Reports speaks rather poorly on the EVO. Over the years it has been the most useless off base rag that I have ever seen. You can almost bet that if Consumer Report likes it, it is a major dog. They are such a bunch of know nothings with ABSOLUTELY no knowledge of cars. It is like they got stuck in the 50's. F'em

 

Yeah, who cares what Consumer reports say --> less "general" drivers behind Evo == less accidents == less $$$ on insurance premiums

 

Well all I have to say is, Let Consumer Reports stand on their own then.... Everyone else and their Mothers rate the Evo over the STi... I hate how my STi rides, the chair feels like your bouncing in it becasue it's too soft, and I feel cluttered with useless gadgets for a performance vehicle.

 

so which do you like more ?

rate the evo and sti 1-10

 

Consumer Reports is a bunch of old ladies testing toasters..

They can kiss my

 

Totally agree!!! This car is a lot harsher than almost anything I have driven or ridden in, but I don't care.... when the turns come, the car absolutely sparkles. Consumer Reports is definitely trying to appeal to the mass car buyer, and I think they probably hit their mark. The STi is softer. The EVO will make the average person unhappy with it's super stiff suspension, so I don't think they missed their mark (other than the EVO being slower... what's up with that?). It's just that what we (the average EVO buyer) wants is different from what the average person they are advertising to wants. I would rather have rave reviews from every magazine, though... and 2003 be the only year the EVO is imported. That would all translate into a higher resale value <--- good for me as an owner and harder for kids who don't know how to drive to get into one.

 

I agree with cotmfk that Consumer Reports is trying to appeal to the average car buyer. Frankly, I think people who buy the Evo are some of the most knowledgeable car people around. They tend to do more research on cars. For the average person to buy the Evo, without knowing what they are getting into, would probably result in ratings like CR gave. It does have a very stiff suspension but, how many of us owners were surprised or disappointed by it? We all knew beforehand and wanted it like that to get the awesome handling. As far as the performance results that CR got, it's possible they had an underperforming test car. It's bound to happen. Every now and then a magazine will get results that don't jive with other magazines. Had they done THEIR research they might have stated in the article that although this model didn't perform as well as the STI, others have consistently bested the STI in similar tests. I rate the car a 9. I haven't driven the STI, I didn't like the hood scoop. It takes away too much of the view from the cockpit.