Picked up an Evo X today. (graphite grey pearl / sight sound / aero / aluminum shifter and brake) I made a nice deal and was out the door for 36K (taxes / destination / prep / registration.... all in)

Overall a nice car. It performs well and speed is deceptive because it's well balanced for a street car. I was pleasantly surprised by the spirited turn in. I wonder if the factory settings are neutral or even toe in on the front. I couldn't resist putting my foot in it one time on the the 45 minute ride home. Very stable all the way to 160. Acceleration was solid and linear but not awe inspiring. Brakes seem good but won't have a definative answer until I can get some heat in them.

Interior, while much better than any previous Evo, is still cheap for a 39K sticker but that's not why you buy this car anyway in particular me but with Mitsu pricing this car in a much higer market the interior is going to hold it back. The sun visors in particular are simply pathetic cheap and the rear seats are some kind of crap foam that's just wrong. I don't think the GSR's are selling all that well because of it. You can get an A4 for nearly the same price. I suspect the SST will garner a lot of attention though.

The only other item I don't like is engine related. I've never seen an engine stay revved up after a throttle blip like this one. A performance engine should blip up and down. It's as though there is a 75# fly wheel in there. I presume this is due to the rich AFM and that will go away once the car is built.

Speaking of building, the huge upside is the large international tuner community that is like having a $200 million development program at someone else's expense. You don't have that with an A4 or others. That's why I chose this platform for my next race car.

Some words on what others have complained about. With the aero package I shouldn't see the stone chips but as I alluded to above, car is headed to become a full bore race car come fall, 10pt cage, tubbed and all so stone chips, just like the cheap interior which will be removed, don't bother me in light of the bigger picture.

I didn't smell any clutch other than the oil being driven out of a newly manufactured part. I made a few slipping starts on steep hills no problems at all though I didn't "launch" it because to me that's just stupid wear that you need to throw a $100 bill in the glove box each time you do it to pay for the impending detonation no matter who the manufacturer is.

The syncros are tight but respond much better when you are driving harder. The transmission is more substantial than in the past and closer to a race box less the straight cut gears. As it should, be the syncros are going to take more abuse to prevent damage to the gears. Syncros easy to fix, gears are hard. What I think most guys are running into is while the throw is loose like a VW the gates are precise like a Ferrari, though nothing approaches the gates on a Ferrari. Once they get used to it, their perceived "problem" will likely go away. Maybe a short shift kit is in order for more reasons than just the increased speed.

Overall I'm a subdued happy with the car. Take that in the context that this car was bought to perform a task not as my dream car. I'm convinced the platform has a lot of potential. It looks as though 500whp will be available in short order due to the shorter stroke and subsequent higher revs but the block will likely have a lower ultimate maximum than its older Fe counterpart.

 

Are you saying that you took it to 160 mph, or am I missing something here. If so, godamn!

 

no break-in?

 

i dont think break in would matter, since he said it will be completely turned into a race car by fall.

 

Yes 160MPH. I didn't look down and see it but I blew through 150 pulling stong. Outside temp 28 degrees F downhill run. Break in smake in. 15 minutes on a race engine and it's ready for 24hrs of Daytona. Ask Andial. 5th is very long. 4th max's around 100. The should have spaced the gearing a bit more.

 

That's funny because you paid 36k and are complaining about the interior! Yeah I'm sure there are other cars in the same price bracket with better finishes, but the interior is not this car's selling point (as you stated). Or if the interior is really an issue...you just wait and buy the MR! Anyway, if I was buying a 90k car and the interior was cheap plastics, then I'd see why people would be complaining...remember folks, it's not a Benz (not even a C-class)!! It's a Econobox performance sedan! I guess this issue just hasn't been beaten to death enough yet...

 

i see. i didnt read the whole thing

 

160 mph on public roads... Yikes...

The fact your comparing the break in period of a purpose built, blueprinted and hand assembled engine for racing that will last not much more than those 24 hours without a tear down to a mass produced engine with poorer tolerances and less stout components also is alarming...

Good luck with the car.

 

Except that Mitsu priced it in the league of the 255HP 3.2 A4 Quattro so it is a vilid point. I chose this car because of the tuner community that will do the engine / suspension development that I wouldn't get with an Audi. If I were buying it for any other reason than turning it into a race car I'd have bought the A4 because you get similar performance with better fit and finish.

 

Yeah I see your point, but there's no way a base Audi A4 is gonna handle like an Evo X (one of the car's selling points). Comparing the two cars is like apples and oranges, even if they are in the same price range. A better comparison would be the STI, since those two cars selling points are their handling and performance (not interior). Enjoy the car!

 

Except that I have experience racing all kinds of production based engines not blueprinted until the first tear down. You blueprint an American motor and you gain a lot. Blueprint a German or Japanese motor and you gain next to nothing. Citing the using up of a race motor in 24hrs demonstrates your lack of knowledge. Many motors are good for more than one 24hr race if you don't have unlimited manufacturer funding. When was the last time you went through a set of brake pads in an hour or a set of tires in 20 minutes? Everything is different in racing. I once raced a production line Porshce 4 cylilnder for an 8 race professional season. The buyer of that car ran 3 additional amateur seasons on the same non-blueprinted motor. The difference between German and Japanese manufacturing tolerances? NOTHING!

 

Were happy for ya.

Help test and design the Goodyear tires on the class winning GT1 Corvettes from Pratt and Miller in the early 2000s, then we will discuss who does and doest know racing.

Personally, I think the fact you bought a X instead of an VIII or IX to turn into a race car shows your lack of knowledge.

Just my opinion, again I wish you luck with your new purchase.

 

You know that and I know that but Mitsu is trying to go up market and people that buy 40K cars expect certain levels of fit and finish. Cruise control, computer gadgets, keyless entry, etc is all about targeting a different, broader market. It's a different buying mentality and the reason I mentioned it was that I don't believe Mitsu is going to be able to make the kind of gains they'd hoped for. Not a lot of the consumers buying A4's are capable of driving them at their limit. I meant it more as a comment on their marketing. I'd have rather had a car with crank windows an 8 track and a bench front seat for all I care.

 

I believe a race ready X would destroy the VIII and IX that is also similarily prepped, due to the new SAWC... But one can only wait and see...

 

Tell me what's wrong with the interior, I've never heard so much boo hooing in my life! There's no difference from my GTS to the GSR besides the recaro's really... I find the interior to be fitting, hondas, mazda's and Toyotas are just as chancy!

I've never heard so many complaints about one car in all my life, the EVO X is an EVO, not an ENZO, the performance is great, the handing is AMAZING and the price tag is killer!!! The EVO wasn't meant to be a quarter mile car, it's a road going rally rocket, if you're looking for something more, try moving up to another echelon or manufactures other than MITSUBISHI!