Hoping some 2012-13 Evo X MR owners here will read this and answer some of my questions.

I had a 2003 blue Evo 8 years ago, sold it cause I needed the money at the time. It made almost 400awhp and was pretty much a go-kart around the bends. I'm at a point now where both the wife & I are in a comfortable enough situation to be looking at a new car.

Originally we were going to get a BRZ, even test drove an FR-S a few days ago and I was fairly impressed. Brought back memories of my 1991 MR2 Turbo.

After looking around and thinking about it some more, I found myself looking at Evos once more. We have a 3-year old and even though the BRZ would be sufficient, I like having the idea of 4-doors and maybe slightly more trunk space.

We currently drive a 2009 Lancer GT-S so we're familiar with the chassis and interior.

My question to you current Evo X MR owners is, how's the ride quality, interior build and overall feel of the car? Is it significantly more livable? The suspension doesn't shatter your spine? How are the new Recaro seats? And most importantly, how is the road noise on highways around 70-80mph? All these questions are assuming everything is stock still.

We live in New York City, right in the heart of Manhattan. I commute to work 3 times a week and drive to pick my kid up from school 5 days a week. So this will become a daily driver in every sense of the word.

Any and all comments are welcome, and if anyone has some pictures of their stock interior with the touring/premium package (sat-nav, leather Recaros etc etc) I'd appreciate it tremendously

 

You'll love it, the X is a worlds better car than the VIII was, especially as a daily-driver.

 

You'll love it, the X is a worlds better car than the VIII was, especially as a daily-driver.

 

Just don't judge one on the stock tune. Since they weigh so much more than the 8 and 9, they'll feel sluggish.

Kracka has a good point though, for daily driving, it's modernized enough to make it worth it.

 

Trust me, coming from an '09 Lancer GT-S, any Evo will be super fast right now lol

 

its a great daily driver, and I have a GSR

seats are comfy.. ride quality is a bit stiffer , but it won't jar your back.

Road noise, well I love mine. Just be aware that the stock advans after they wear down , it makes the car extremely loud in the cabin. Of course the right tires will bring them down more than stock levels.

 

Had an IX, love my new X.

Only 2 complaints I have in the comfort department and they are rather amusing.

1. My right arm is too short to rest my elbow on the center armrest AND hold the steering wheel at the same time. (could in my IX)
2. The steering wheel gets thick at 9 and 3 O'clock making it harder to hold it there with one hand compared to my IX.

I normally cruise with my left arm at 9 and my right arm on the shifter. On my IX I would hold the wheel at 9 O'clock and wrap my ring finger and pinky finger around the wheel below the black metal part that connects to the horn. My thumb could also bend around the wheel above the part that connects to the center. My index and middle finger would be pressed against the back of the metal center connecting-piece.

So basically with one hand, I had a grip that was very comfortable for cruising and at the same time strong enough to manage any torque steer from a sharp turn at WOT. Now I have to hold the wheel at either 10 or 8 with my left hand when cruising. It's not as comfortable for me.

Obviously hand positions are totally different for tracking/racing/etc. But for just cruising around and getting on it, I'm a sucker for 9 O'clock. Very superficial I know!

I'm only at 2500 miles on my 2012 X and still I'm reaching for 9 with my left hand and not being able to fully get a grip around the wheel. Drives me nuts.

 

I'm aware of the treadlife of Advans, I had Azenis on my Evo 8 and they weren't bad, road noise wise.

Driving a regular Lancer GT-S currently, I know how your arms are setup, but I use my left arm to rest on the window sill at the 9 o'clock position as well and I rest my right arm on the center console no problem.

Good to hear that the ride quality has improved somewhat, I'm not expecting a cushion of air, but some comfort is nice.

Seems like the only complaints are pretty superficial. Might go tonight and take a look at one after all

 

If you drive one with the 10 inch sub, make sure to actually turn it up to "Sub Punch 6" and listen to some good music too... It was turned all the way down on mine, still I thought it was a decent system. Then my girlfriend turned it up a few miles after purchase and I was rather impressed. I have no interest in messing with any aftermarket radio stuff at all now.

My passengers have said it rides much better (emphasis theirs!) for them. Me and my girl take our 48yr old friend to dinner on Fridays and he rides in the back seat. He says this car doesn't take his kidneys out when I hit bumps like the IX did. I give him crap about it, but he was always crabby about the ride in that car. No complaints in the X so far.

I guess people in the backseat will notice the biggest difference in ride quality. I thought it was only marginally better riding than the IX, my passengers think it's a LOT better.

Fuel economy in mine is holding right there with my tuned IX if not slightly better. That has been rather impressive for me. I can easily average 17-19 playing around, 24-25 average if trying, and about 27mpg with hypermiling. I'm also a seasoned self-tuner/hypermiler though so please don't argue my numbers

Don't be surprised if you leave with it . I did and I was a hardcore IX guy.

 

you shouldnt rest your hand on the shift knob unless you want to increase chances of problems...

 

^^ that's what I thought when I read that..

I had a '05 VIII and the X is a lot smoother than the older models. That's one reason why there are so many complaints from 8/9 owners. They want more of a raw feeling. Anyway, they ride is nice, the interior is ok- a lot of plastic everywhere, but the leather is nice. I wish I had it.

The X is basically a little more tamed version of your old car.. More creature comforts, smoother ride, smoother power band- although not as great, etc..

I believe your biggest complaint will be the trunk.. It is CRAZY small. Especially with the RF sound system. But I would def get the upgraded sound system..

 

I came from an 06 ralliart to a '10 evo x se... I do miss driving manual but the x is so much more refined.. I love my heated recaros (you can get heated leather with touring)... I think the stock suspension is sufficient for daily drivers.. I drive my car every day and every day I love it more and more lol.

I will say the trunk is basically nothing. I have some tools and a sleeping bag and I can fit maybe a few bags of groceries lol. It's also awesome knowing you can take any weather with the x's awd

 

I'm 6'3" - long legged and long armed - I fit perfectly, even with the driver seat pushed forward a tad to make room for my twin 6 year old boys. I got the car Nov. 01 and am loving every second of it. I came from decades of European cars so the interior quality isn't on par nor is it spectacularly designed but the ergonomics are great and simple. Everything is within reach and there's very little that my kids can break or ruin in the back. As a family car, I find the trunk absolutely tiny and the lack of fold down seats or even a ski pass-through can be annoying at times but so be it - it's worth it. The SST is fantastic and makes the power and travel sped very deceiving; it is far smoother than I expected and so I am often moving a lot faster than the "butt feel"... Suspension is very good, steering is incredible and the brakes are also very, very good. Being an MR, it comes with Bilstein shocks and the Eibach springs and I find it sits incredibly high and the front suspension has felt very "harsh" to me over small, sharp bumps. Having switched over to my winter tire setup yesterday, I discovered the source of the front end harshness - the tires were inflated to 44 pounds for some reason - apparently, that was a bonus from my dealer from their PDI - in any case, with tire pressures where they are supposed to be, it's even better now. I found the exhaust to be a bit quiet so I installed an Ultimate Racing cat-back system yesterday with the "mid mini-muffler" and it sounds great, especially under hard throttle. As for road noise, droning on the highway, etc - it's better than I expected but I am planning to do an interior sound deadening project in the next few weeks. I will more than likely focus on the rear deck below the rear window, some deadening in the doors and under the rear seat / floor and see how that goes - I just want to add some density to the "tinny-ness" sound and feel of the interior.

You will not regret getting the car - it's technologically incredible and despite weighing about 3500 pounds, you would never know it by driving it; the balance is that good.

Hope this helps...

 

A headsup on the trunk. If you take the spare tire, tools, and styrafoam pieces out it literally adds another 50% to the volume of the trunk (and drops 50lbs off the weight of the car). I have AAA, and the Mitsubishi roadside assistance that came with the car, so it's really not a big deal to have the spare. I can just get it towed somewhere to deal with a flat if/when it happens.

I've honestly never actually used a spare in my life. I got a flat once in my first car, and the bolt that held the spare in was stripped so I couldn't get it out...and the spare was flat anyway...

 

Evo X defnitely a good DD all the way...yes, the trunk is uber small...even tinier than the years prior...and the field of vision isn't that great for short ppl like me...