I have found a used 06 EVO RS with 8,500 miles that appears to be in superb condition and though I haven't had the EVO at the top of my desired cars list it's definitely been on my radar as one to consider. I've yet to drive an EVO of any kind and while that's not the point here, i'm mainly interested in how harsh the RS is in comparison to the regular IX? I understand what the RS is in that it has no sound deadening, power nothing and is built for raw performance but is it really that harsh or is it truly worth the performance gains? I've never been high on luxury in a vehicle, I did enjoy the leather / build quality of the RSX's I owned but in the end I got rid of those cars because their performance was not enough for me.

I've owned an SRT-4, 2 RSX Type-S's, a full suspension/stock motor 240SX and have driven others such as C5 Coupe's, Z06's, Mazdaspeed 3... I've been leaning towards buying a C5 z06 and having a winter beater but living in Maine I would be putting the vette on the shelf for 5 months so that is why I have considered the EVO or possibly STi.. Thanks all.

 

If you can stand not having power windows/locks/ABS or a radio if the previous owner didn't install one by now I'd say it would be perfect for you. I daily a IX RS and I wouldn't trade it for anything

 

if you owned a srt4 and a 240 i cant imagine the evo would be harsh in your opinion. we can tell you our opinion all day long butvthe only way to really know is to go drive it and see for yourself. besides, i cant imagine youd buy the car without driving it first anyway.

i had my evo in maine with me for the last two summers. great roads, its a shame you can only get 91octane

 

I absolutely plan to drive and compare but the car is very far away and since I work full-time/ go to school full-time it's going to be hard squeezing in the time to travel to see them. That's why I wanted to get a general idea of what current EVO owners think about the differences in harshness between the 2.

 

i have a RS and love it i did a few upgrades like HID's, Springs and a radio w/ speakers. they are times that i wished i had power door locks because of traveling with my family but it isnt a big deal. theres a difference in noise levels compared to other Evos. so i might eventually add alittle noise deadening material here and there but it's not to bad at all!!

 

i have a ix ssl so i can not comment on anything about owning a RS. But I had a blast in the snow in maryland about 3 years ago and i didnt even have snow tires. i was thinking about a c5 myself but ended up with the evo because of awd and my past with 4g63t's. I have driven my across the country twice and I love it the only thing on long trips that got to me a little was no cruise, but i knew that before i bought it.

 

Ride wise, RS and GSR have the same suspension. The MR have bilstein so it's a more comfy ride. It depends on what you're gonna do with the car, track it or DD? If you're gonna track it often, the RS, if not then GSR.