Six speed would be better for the highway, no doubt. But the X is much quieter than the 8 so cruising in the 5 speed on the highway is not bad.

 

I agree with it needs a 6th gear..5th gear cruise on the HW is just a lil high in the RPM..

 

well if your just saying what you like . make it an 8 speed. then you could have a close ratio 5 speed , mixed with 3 OD for Highway use and extended top speed use.
6 th gear is helpful if you spend hours on the highway . this is not what the car was designed for. its a sport car , red light to red light , with great all wheel drive launch , A track car with superb handling. Japan is a small country and problaly no one there would ever get to put their car in 6 th gear.

 

Yes, I would like a 6 speed manual. 5 speed manuals are for Civic DX's and Toyota Corollas!

Although the X looks so good, I don't think I'll be able to wait for a 6M. I want an X

While we're at it I wish could put Bluetooth in the GSR too. I guess I will just have the dealer do that, but it looks a little complex.

 

I would rather have bluetooth than a 6 speed, although I do find myself wanting to shift after 5th gear.

 

What I really would've liked to see, on the global market (including JDM and USDM):

An Evo RS with a 5MT. This will be the stripped down budget car that is primarily intended for race-car conversion, corresponding to the JDM RS.

An Evo GSR with a 6MT. This will be the standard "daily driver" car, corresponding to the previous GSR editions.

A limited edition Evo MR with a 6MT and enhanced suspension etc. and possibly a bump in power to 320 ps. This will correspond to the MR editions released in the JDM (strictly called the MR GSR, since there is also a different MR RS spec).

A "really limited" Evo MR SST with the TC-SST transmission and a stock power output of 320 ps. This will correspond to a much more "kick-a$$" version of the slushbox Evo VII GT-A.

---

My dad drives a Evo VII GT-A, even though it is a slushbox auto (he has foot problems). Point is, there will always be people willing to buy an auto car, even if it's the automatic version of a performance sedan. The GT-A sold out, because it came in very limited numbers (more limited by far than the limited MR version). The SST should've been marketed the same way - as a super-limited luxury edition with the new fangled automanual transmission. Most enthusiasts would still buy the 6MT, but Mitsu would've had no problems selling out a limited run of SSTs.

What likely happened is that the bean counters won out - since the SST cost so much to design and engineer, they decided they needed to recoup costs. They figured out (probably correctly) that offering a 6MT would cut into the SST's sales too much, so they put in an old tech 5MT in the "competing" model.

Very sad, IMHO. And it's one of the reasons (apart from the weight and lack of grunt) why I changed my mind about buying the new Evo. The new STI is looking like a much better performing car with a 6MT, but I hate the hatch look, besides, I've already owned 2 WRXs and I'll be damned before buying another Subaru so soon. I really wanted to get the new Evo, but it's not happening now - I've decided to hold off on buying a performance car for now (buying luxury instead).

(last paragraph is not a flame, so please don't interpret it that way - just giving my honest opinion).

 

jesus where have you been the sti looks like a better car with the 6MT? have you read the reviews the sti has been getting stomped. **** the 6MT people get caught up in the BS 6MT isnt always better than a 5MT it all depends on the tranny. The 5 speed in the 8 and 9 had better ratios and was a stonger tranny than the 6 speed.

 

The X has been owing the Sti. Just like the IX did,
Just like the VIII did, just like the VII did... well you get the picture.

Evo > Sti.

 

So far I love the new 5 speed. A little short for the drag strip, but it feels great everywhere else.

 

Nope.

On the track:

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X : 1:06:46

Subaru Impreza WRX STI : 1:05:95

Source : http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/05/e...uba-lap-times/


In a straight line:

0-60mph in 5.2 / 0-100mph in 13.7- EVO X SST

0-60mph in 4.7/ 0-100mph in 12.9 - IMPREZA STI

Source : http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carrevi...vs_rivals.html

The JDM STI (which is available here fairly easily through a parallel importer) still beats the Evo X in a straight line contest, even though it's down half a liter in displacement compared to the US model. It's a close fight on the track, but quite a few Japanese reviews have called the STI the track winner too.

The rest of the world has enjoyed AYC-laden Evos and JDM 2.0 liter STIs for a long time. I realise they're new to the USDM, but make no mistake, the JDM versions of both cars are fairly keen competitors with no clear winner. But they're both slower than their respective earlier iterations.