I traded in my '05 VIII RS for a '10 X MR-T in March and thought I'd write a review for anybody wondering how they compare.





First of all I was one of those people that hated the X when it came out because of the heavier curb weight. To me it was the absolute antithesis of my CT9A RS. Two kids later my perspective has sort of changed. I'll never love the heavier weight but the bigger dimensions do make it a much safer car - especially for my kids in the back seat. I don't think that's even debatable. I also opted for the SST tranny for a few reasons but primarily it was because my wife can't drive a stick and she refuses to learn.

Overall the MR-T is a pleasure to drive on a daily basis. I can easily talk on the phone or with my passengers. The cabin is very quiet even though the tires are not. The navigation system is excellent and the sound system is better than average too. Some of the little electronic creature comforts like heated seats, climate control, bluetooth, sun roof, rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlights are cool too. I terms of interior quality, it's like comparing freezer burned ground beef against marinated tri-tip. There's no comparison. I never tracked my VIII (although I'd always planned to) nor have I tracked the X since I bought it. However I live in the Bay Area foothills so I've got a handfull of freshly paved, completely deserted twisty mountain roads close by that have allowed me to compare the canyon carving capabilities of the two cars. Bear in mind that, before parting out my VIII, it had a full suspension...KW3 coilovers, fat wheels and sticky tires, sway bar, roll center kit, aftermarket bushings, camber plates, etc...so this isn't an apples-to-apples comparison by any means. That being said, the first thing I noticed about the X is that is oversteers when you turn off the ASC (not off off - just the middle setting). I mean I was really throwing it into corners and it wouldn't push. It was surprising considering how nose-heavy this car really is. What the X lacks in the curb weight department, it seems to make up with electronic aids compared to the CT9A platform. It's also noticeably more solid structurally and it's not like the CT9A was some bouncy Buick either. You can still feel the extra weight of the X, but it feels like I'm driving around a giant block of cheese on wheels. It's so solid. Unlike my VIII, the X conveys a super strong sense of how tightly connected the front and back of the car really are. It's hard to explain without sitting behind the wheel but the best way I can put it into words is that my VIII felt like 2 or 3 pieces welded together really well, where the X feels like a single giant chunk of car. Crappy explanation I know. Sorry. One thing I don't particularly like about the X (and it might just be the Bilstein suspension on the MR) is that it does this corner wobble under quick transition turns...it's like the body does this subtle bounce and that tight connection with the chassis disappears for a split second. It's also very hard to explain but it's unsettling and not exactly confidence inspiring. It seems to happen under sharp cornering at higher speeds (60mph+). The suspension will probably be the first area of the car I modify.

There's still less than 5K miles on the X and I haven't done any modifications yet so it's tough to make any power comparisons. Before I traded in the VIII I'd parted it out and flashed it back to the stock tune though. I only drove it like that for about a week but I would say that the new X and my old bone stock '05 VIII were very similar in the acceleration department. Where the X is noticeably better is down low in the RPM range though. I think the dual MIVEC is really excellent at generating torque at low RPM in a higher gear. The 4B11 seems to make torque with less effort. The older 4G63 was a little more peaky...although maybe the single MIVEC version in the IX was somewhere in between. I'm not sure having never driven an IX.

Overall I'd give the '10 X MR-T a 9/10 in the fun department and a 8/10 in the daily driver department. On the other hand, off the showroom floor, the old '05 VIII RS was eaily a 10/10 in the fun department and probably a 6/10 or worse in the daily driver department. Thanks for reading.

 

Congrats on your new car. Post some pics when you have a chance.

 

Nice review... you should publish it in a magazine... lol

You should have a lot of fun with the X... and it will make a better daily driver than your older "raw-er" EVO VIII.

 

Congrats on the purchase. I know exactly what you mean by the X feeling more solid then the VIII. I don't really know what you mean about the corner wobble.

I just took a trip from LA up to Oregon and back. 2000 miles in 4 days. I took the coast highway all the way up, went up to Crater Lake, then came back through the Sierra's on the eastern side of Cali. The MR was the perfect car for the trip

 

My previous car was a modded Integra with a stiff suspension and it had max feedback at slower sweepers as well as high speed cornering. The first thing I noticed with the X was the wobble effect. At the slower sweepers, it feels stable and it has good neutral to oversteer as long as your foot is still on the pedal. At 100km/h or higher, the sweepers on the highway have that "wobble" effect on the stock suspension. Don't even get me started with throwing the car into corners. DO NOT under any circumstance throw your car into a corner with the ASC on thinking it will save your ***. It does quite the opposite as it starts braking and engine power cutting which actually almost caused an accident on me. If you're used to powering out of corners like on your old VIII, turn that stability crap off or you'll start fishing out!

 

Congrats on the upgrade... great write up and def +1 for some pic's! There's def not enough pic's of sweet MR-T's on here!

 

yea i had an 09 gts with nice coilovers and my X MR does do that wierd split second lag of feeling solid when cornering sharply. it's like it has to ride a small wake on the water before it's solid again when cornering. i gaurantee you it's the suspension because on my GTS it didn't have that, even though comparing an X with a GTS is almost no comparison. ive done exhaust and coilovers will be on my list of to do's for sure. does anyone buy the MR suspension?

 

You def have to set the ASC to the lowest setting. If not the car bucks, and the power basically goes away. This corner wobble you speak of may be the computers making corrections. Turn the ASC to it's lowest setting and see if you get the same feedback.

 

How do you like the SST?

 

I didn't expect to like the SST but it's really good. There's none of the low speed bucking I'd been told to watch for, the shifts are lighting quick and OMFG my left leg doesn't feel like it's going to implode in traffic anymore. My wife loves it too - although I haven't told her how to change any of the settings. She doesn't need to know. I've messed around with all of the settings (but I haven't launched it yet...don't know how) and I think the car's shift points are spot-on for the power band. It's fun to use the paddle shifters when darting through the twisties but, if I'm being honest, the car shifts better than me on its own.

The suspension wobble is not related to electronics. I feel pretty sure of that. It's just a general "floatiness" of the body-to-chassis combo under quick transition. There's only so much aggression an OEM can dial into a car meant for public consumption. I've no doubt a nice set of coilovers, rear sway and a roll center kit would completely eliminate it too. Remember that my frame of reference was a really dialed-in CT9A, on a full suspension, and weighing almost 700lbs less. My neighbor with a lowered '06 GTO thought my X was the best handling car he's ever been in too (he's previously owned an E39 M5 and a Saleen 281 Mustang) so it's really all about what you know when it comes down to it.

I reread my review for the 1st time and I've left out of a few minor things I should have mentioned. Rattles...I really hate rattles. The sunroof rattles. The glovebox rattles. There's even a wierd rattle near the driver side oh-$hit handle. My VIII never had any rattles whatsoever. I guess with every additional option, creature comfort or electronic gizmo there comes an additional chance of a rattle. But come on...the glove box! With the exception of the sunroof, I'm sure a little felt tape is all I need. It's just annoying and I attribute it to poor build quality. These cars may carry a luxury price tag but the general fit and finish is still a but chincy compared to the German and Japanese luxo-sedans in the $35k+ range.

One very positive feature I forgot to mention is the steering feedback is just as amazing in the X but there is a huge reduction in vibrations, bump-steer and general busyness in the steering wheel. Anybody with an VIII or IX will know what I mean. The steering ratio is still uber-quick but slightly less phycotic. You still feel confident enough to drive like a crazy person after 5 minutes behind the wheel but you won't accidentally slide over 3 lanes on the freeway when you sneak a quick peak at the GPS.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S5D6wA6ZJw

 

Thanks

 

Nice review.

I have pretty much come to terms with the reality that my next Evo will be an SST. My wife can drive a stick, but that's a statement that should have an asterick, dagger, double dagger and appendix attached to it. Plus she talks on her cell phone while driving so it just really wouldn't work. I will keep my old Evo to mod, so the idea of having a chill Evo with Nav and a different setup is okay to me. But since I already have an SSL, I'm already open to the idea of going to a "luxury/loaded" (ha ha) MR-T. It is nice to see a former RS owner switching to one and being happy with it.

I still have to have the big wing on it though...

 

Yeah the switch from an VIII RS with no ABS, no EBD, no sound deadening, no power windows and no power locks to an Evo X MR-T with all the luxury stuff (and still no wing ) is pretty much the biggest transition within the USDM Evo line. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the VIII though. That was a really fun car and it just got better and better with each mod.

 

The wobble I think comes down mostly to a soft compression and rebound in the shocks themselves. Especially the back. I WONDER if the GSR's shocks feel a bit better...

As for launching, I haven't done it either but know how

Keep it in auto
SuperSport mode
One quick press of the ASC to turn it off (but not all the way off, ie AYC control is still on)
Foot on the brake, gas ALL the way in, foot off the brake and away you go.