MR Trans is worth every penny!
 

Seeing the car up close didn't do much for me. The wheels didn't set off the car like I'd hoped and the chrome trim in the front was tacky. The seats feel better though. But enough of that, the trans makes this car. Its almost like Mitsubishi put a clunky 5-speed in the GSR on purpose. It makes you feel like Paul Tracy is hidding in the MRs trans doing the shifting for you.

In normal mode the car will shift as smooth as a Lexus. It feels like you are actually engaging the clutch from a stop in first just like a hand shaker. But once you get moving she feels just like any high end auto trans upshifting for you.
In sport mode things start to get interesting. Almost no turbo lag! Its like the car knew what gear to be in to eliminate it. And it shifts hard and percise. No hesitation or delay or gear hunting. Its always in the right gear at the right time to keep the car moving. I didn't try it in super sport mode because the car was too new.

And forget the stupid paddle shifters, this car doesn't need them. It brings back the human element in driving this car. Still a human can make a mistake on where to upshift or downshift. A human could never shift like this 100% of the time and thats why this trans is so good. Get rid of the human element in shifting and you get perfection. The only reason I could even see someone wanting a manual is if they wanted to make 200 more hp than stock. And even then I would take an MR SST over a GSR with 200 more hp. Real high powered fast manual trans EVOs can be a bear to drive everyday and can become old fast. This car will alow you to relax and have the power to pass anyone at will. That will never get old. It may leave you wanting for more power, but once you break something or get stuck in traffic with some light switch of a EVO, you'll want to go back to being mildly modified with a nice everyday car. Just my opinion.

A couple of things I noticed on my test drive:
-the car felt real strong, like 50 more hp stronger than a GSR.
-I never felt any flat spot in the power band like in the GSRs.
-the car actually felt fast in a straight line (like stock IX fast)
-smooth ride, tad bit smoother than a GSR or even an STI
-the car felt very poised over broken pavement (it didn't skitter around or track the crown of the road).

I walked up to the car disapointed and walked away with the excitement of a little kid opening up a new gift on Christmas morning. For the money Mitsubishi hit a homerun with this setup. Now I could only imagine what a Nissan GTR feels like. Same type of trans with double the power. :mitsu:

Nice review, someday I'll have to take a test drive of an MR just to see what it's like.

Go to the closest dealership and demand the test drive. I'm in Mitsubishi sales myself and I couldn't deny any person with car enthusiast blood in them. I'd have anyone drive it just to show off what this car can do. Being around cars all day long makes you look at everything as being metal and plastic. This car just made me fall in love all over again.:D

I concur. I felt the same way on my first test drive with the MKV GTI w/DSG. The MR is noticeably faster and *gasp* refined (AWD vs. FWD) than the GTI, but the dual clutch magic and seemless torque transfer is in both cars. If I could own two cars, the GTI and the MR would be my two choices. One for the track, the other for DD. Lazy the dual clutch makes you, but it is so darnded gratifyingly addictive.

Good write-up OP.

i wish i had my MR, 4 more months.. come on!! this is making me wanting it even more. Thanks OP for this bad *** review.

Great review. I was luky enough to tes drive one of the first EVO X MR in the country and I share your review. The transmission is deliciosly nice. People must start accepting that the technology already changed,is changing and will change forever the performance of the transmissions.

Just look around and see how many other manufacturers already did the move, Porsche, VW,Lamborghini,Buggatti, Audi, Mitsubishi and the list goes on and on.

Botton line, the new MR transmission is butter smooth, I drive a car that has the same technology(07 vw GLI with DSG), it is worth having it.

my .2c

Carlos

Nice write up. I agree and am enjoying driving mine......and trust me, I don't miss my manual at all {thumbup}

Nice review:mitsu: I was told that the MR SST is the same one used on the new Nissan GTR..............anyone know if this is true:confused:

It's the same type of tranny (dual clutch 6 spd) but not the same tranny by any means.

I was told that both tranny are made by the same company..............Getrag(sp?):confused:

Borg warner makes the GTR tranny. Getrag makes the TC-SST

Well congrats on the car, but I don't think you really know much about the GSR making comments like that. It's got a much stronger tranny than the MR, and although it may be a bit rough because of having very aggressive synchros, it's the strongest tranny that mitsu has ever made and will hold a ton of power. As far as it feeling slow and having flat spots in the powerband... maybe you drove one of the early GSRs that didn't have the latest factory reflash that I guarantee your MR has, but saying that the GSR feels 50 hp slower is ridiculous... especially considering that the magazines all rate the GSR as being faster in the 1/4.

Look, I'm happy for you that you are enjoying your MR, but realize that it's a luxury cruiser version of the GSR, and although it's faster around some tracks, it's slower around others; this has been proven in the magazine tests of the two. The suspesion is also softer sprung as well, which is why it feels cushier than the GSR. This unfortunately shows up in the skidpad tests though, showing the GSR at .99 Gs and the MR at .96 Gs. Slower slalom speed is another area that it takes a hit as well. It makes up for these shortcomings on certain tracks that require a lot of shifting by providing the super fast shifting that you are enjoying so much, but on higher speed tracks that don't require quite as much shifting it loses to the GSR.

Mitsubishi even said so themselves in a press release that the GSR is for the sports car enthusiast and purist, whilst the MR is for the guy who wants great performance but values creature comforts and technology more than all out performance and rawness. All I'm saying is that your perception of the GSR is way off and you need to chill out with the superiority complex of your MR being better than the GSR and realize that there had to be compromises in your MR model to make it the better daily driver that for you is definitely a better fit. Just be aware of the fact that there's no such thing as a luxury race car. It's one or the other, and when you add a little bit of one aspect it takes away from the other. {thumbup}

[QUOTE=LITE SPD;5896517]-the car actually felt fast in a straight line (like stock IX fast)
QUOTE]

nice review dunno if the MR feel like IX fast tho hehe I have both. IXs diffinetly has bit more of a kick than the MR and launches faster as well. :) I love my MR and there s nothing like it. Not even the new M3 drives as nice. My cousin spent 80g and its a total bust driving 15mpg hehe gratz on the new car!

I don't know how relevant this is, but coming from a "medium" modified cobra. I'd have to disagree,

ESPECIALLY with a turbo car (coming from a heavily modified GSX) you can have the best of both worlds, stop and go traffic has NOTHING to do with how modded your car is, there's no such thing as a "light switch" evo, that **** makes me laugh, those 2L wont do **** with out a spooled turbo.

the trans. though, that sounds VERY interesting, right now I'm leaning in the direction of the GSR (mostly for monetary factors and weight and power capabilities)

BUT

if this tyranny can take some heat. hmm...

I have been driving a customers car, with then new trans, it is a beautiful thing. aside from that I will keep my old clunky outdated 8 and get a skyline.