So I had the luck to drive a Evo MR the past few days. Not just any normal MR and not just a "around the block test drive". Instead I was given the opportunity to drive the Method 4 Motorsports/Hankook/DC Sports Evo X MR!!! I had to drive it from Method 4 Motorsports in San Jose, CA. To DC Sports in LA. Then I was given one of their friends Dodge Rumble Bee truck to drive home and pick up Seibon parts from the Seibon USA distribution center in LA.

So on to the Evo X MR review: It's more than I expected and different than I expected and in a bad way sometimes too. First let me say the Status seats were awesome but also not my size, just a tad too small but I dealt with it. After a 300+ mile drive I was sore and had a dying back, oh and I'm not old....22. So this do not blame on Mitsu as they aren't stock seats. Okay on to the SST, after driving this I wish I had a MR so I didn't have to go thru a total leg work out in rush hour commute....but the programming of the SST sucks for commute IMO as well. Well make that LA rush hour traffic. I think there should be more modes. I never used Super-Sport mode, so this review is based on Sport and Normal modes tested. I used Normal and Sport back and forth the whole trip and used the paddle shifters in the start and end of the trip. The best way to stay in the right power band and RPM range in LA traffic with the SST is with the paddle shifters IMO. In fully normal mode it would shift to too high of a gear, 25mph and in 5th or 6th gear...WTF!?! And in sport it would stay in to low of a gear for me, 3rd gear with RPM's around 4500. I wish they had a Normal-S mode to bridge that gap between Normal and Sport. However on the interstate for 300+ miles I loved the ride, getting off the freeway for pit stops the downshifts in Sport mode were amazing and made me believe in the SST. Before I was like it's probably hyped up. But I'm still not convinced completely...with those rush hours in LA I think it needs a better mode than Normal and less aggressive than Sport. Also is the finial gear the same as the GSR 5th gear? Because I swear when cruising at 75 and cruise control set the MPG was the same as my GSR on the same trip a few months ago.

Oh also another thing to add about the SST, there was one time I swear it got confused on what to do. It was in sport mode, I was at very light throttle, higher RPM range of 3rd, got stuck behind a slow truck as I was getting onto the freeway. Once there was enough room to gas it and swing around into another lane I did, but right before I did it shifted to 4th, no power, down shifted to 3rd again, got some power and shifted back to 4th. It was very clumsy, rough and not the fastest way to get power. A GSR would have spanked it and been much better off with the driver predicting the needed power in this case. A drivers instinct would have said hold off on the current gear and get ready to go. The SST was like "I don't think we are gonna need a burst of speed, let's change gear....OH **** too high of a gear now....gotta go back down....crap out of usable power in this gear, back up...." Still remember I still very much like the MR and the SST. I believe it will be the way to go but still has a few more "kinks" to work out. In this case I'm sure S-Sport mode would have been best but I wish there really was a S-Normal. LOL.

Also it had the Navi package, which I loved. I had to set it to take me to DC Sports as I had no idea where it was...but DC was it's home location, I told the car to go home and I was set for the trip. The guidance volume seem'd kinda low, and I tried turning it up, but it was maxed....blah. What ever I could deal with it if I had one I'm sure. Overall I give the MR a thumbs up and wouldn't mind owning one, but I'll stick with my GSR till it's paid off. Here are a few pics of the Method 4 Motorsports/Hankook/DC Sports car as I filled up on gas, and few pics of the truck I was given for the drive back up after dropping the MR off at DC. Oh also loading the truck up with Seibon parts. Hehe.










Oh I'm sold on that truck too. Method 4 Motorsports did a great job with BOTH the MR and the truck. They were both a blast to drive and I can't wait to drive their GSR Evo X TT car if they let me. So both the MR and truck I would love to have. The truck had mad power for being a small cab pick up.

 

Nice review. I drove a stock one last week, so I'll add a brief review to yours.

It was kinda fun, the SST seemed like a novelty though and I was bored after a few mins. It would make a nice DD though.

 

.. You guys may have different programming ?? I swear I complain the other way round .. it shifts to 6th too slowly !! .. I think you maybe trying to say 45mph instead of 25mph ?? but yes I don't like normal modes for overtaking .. it takes too long to think

You really can't have have everything that pleases everyone .. then you need a doctorate to operate the car .. The Normal-S mode is call paddles

Everything on the SST is broken down into 0's and 1's .. when they meet .. you get your crazy shifts .. thats why I don't like SPORT mode in auto .. its quite useless .. I guess MR owners will have their own workrounds on the shortcomings

You know what .. I like the yellow truck more !!

 

Coming from a MR owner, I agree with Normal mode not being that great for overtaking on the highway. With that being said, I have just grown to use the paddles if I want to overtake someone. Not only will you be able to control the rpms, but it brings back the "standard" feeling. Also, the car does shift through all gears a little to fast in Normal mode, so yes you can be doing @30mph in 6th gear, but hey, don't you want to save a little bit of gas?!

But again, I have no regrets about my MR or its tranmission. I love it.

 

nice review... would have been cool to work something like that out for myself

 

I think the TC-SST just takes some time to get used to. Once you are used to it, it's fabulous.

But, I can see how many people may not like it, especially if they don't "get the idea" of the transmission. Meaning that it's not an automatic, even though it has an automatic shift mode.

I've driven manuals my entire life, and I absolutely love the SST. I've only driven it around town, but eventually my MR will become my track car (once the warranty is over). The shifts are so smooth and so fast, and you can keep power on during the shifts. Interestingly enough, I still find myself lifting throttle when I paddle shift... I have to tell myself "don't lift".

But, as I've said on other threads, and has been said in numerous reviews of the MR, I think that Mitsubishi just nailed the TC-SST. Specifically the software, which is really the "secret sauce" of these dual-clutch transmissions. When I'm just driving around town, the Normal mode is just fine. When I want to get on it, I tip into Sport mode, and the gear selection is just perfect. I don't even shift manually that often, because the transmission just seems to be in the correct gear all of the time, especially in Sport mode.

--michael

 

eventually you can get bored.... even in my GTR the paddles can become a bit boring at times.... maye ill get a used evo 8/9/X for a DD.... GSR's

 

LOL for all you MR owners who think I'm ragging on the SST and getting all defensive about me review, it just makes me laugh. I know what the SST is all about. And I still think they can do better. I mean you think this tranny will be exactly the same in 5 years? There will be more research and development into it and over time will be even smarter I bet. I think it's a great transmission none the less but I feel it does have some shortcomings. What's the point of all modes, Normal, Sport and Super-Sport if you override them with the paddles? I get the paddles give YOU control, but I'm talking about when the computer is control I found it not all I was wanting it to be. Thus why I started using the paddles in traffic and when I wanted a certain gear or needed power. It's just not friendly in automatic mode in LA traffic. I get normal mode is meant to be for the best MPG, but normal mode is not cutting it for best MPG in my opinion... In the traffic it is shifting to early and putting a much larger load and strain on the engine, than say if it was in a lower gear. The car is so bogged down, it's just wasting more fuel than needed to move the car. At a lower gear there would be less of a load and less resistance to move the thing....thus why I think there should be a Normal-S mode to cope with that...

 

You are correct. The SST will continue to improve and evolve. I know where you're coming from, and I appreciate your review.

Normal mode can seem laggy, but I've always found if I press my right foot down, the downshift is instantaneous. Normal mode is intended to save fuel--it feels like you're "wasting" fuel because you're not in boost. (Normal usually keeps shift points at around 3K rpm, right where boost really starts to come in, but will vary them depending on throttle input)

And, I understand what you mean by needing a "middle" mode between Normal and Sport. I guess that personally I don't feel that way, because depending on throttle input Normal can be pretty peppy. If I really want to have fun, it's a simple tip to Sport...

--michael

 

I understand it can get up and go, but see I'm talking about one and half car lengths I need to close. I don't wanna mash the throttle to the floor and go up the *** of the car in front of me, or slam on the brakes once I get the power to only have the guy behind me rear end the car. When I started the traffic driving I was in normal and many times I would get cut off by another merging car as the distance between me and the car in front would get large at times because either I didn't have power or I waited for a downshift, ect. Just I couldn't go WOT. I'm sure you know what I mean about traffic. You just want some throttle to close a gap. And so I tried sport mode....now the RPM's were staying too high 4500 or so, and just wasting gas again. So I did paddle shift after running thru the cycles of trying to figure out Normal and Sport modes in horrendous LA traffic. And concluded paddles are the best in this case.