Why would that have to be so?
All the non-US Evos have HIDs, front LSD, ACD AND AYC.
We dont get the rear AYC which is fine.

Personally, I think Mitsu should have kept the HIDs on the GSR/MR and lowered the price of the MR.

 

Non-US evo's are all more expenive than the US evo's.

 

I agree a lot with the part in EFIxMR's first post that talks about Mitsubishi using the MR to build hype for mitsubishi in `05.

If you think about Mitsubishi's reputation before the U.S. evolution, it was pretty crappy. Mitsu had killed it's GSX and GS-T, and mitsubishi was no longer a tuner favorite. Since the Evolution, Mitsubishi's good name in the U.S. has been recovered.

Mitsubishi's only failure is not pricing, but the design of the evo. The evo is already more tunable on the stock block/internals than the STi, but they should have taken it further. They should have really blown Subaru out of the water. They should have built the block, rods, pistons, injectors, etc, capable of producing 450+whp (Al-a Skyline style). Then mitsubishi should have kept the pricing very similar to current pricing, even if that meant they had to sell the cars at cost to dealership.

- Jason

 

White STi's are beautiful. I am sure you will love the interior of the 05, it's quite nice. I do love the Subie. Aside from a tiny modicum of steering speed and feel in the suspension, and the tunable limits of the engine, the STi is just a lot more car for the money than the MR. I may just be a bit tired of the STi's external style, but I don't love it. I definetly prefer the Evo's exterior. The driving environment on the STi is a bit better, I think, as well. Better gauges, mainly.

I'm on a waiting list for a gray MR, but I'm having second thoughts. I know I can resolve any of my concerns with the suspension for the price difference, and I've already got a full manifold back exhaust from my WRX. Hrm.

 

I mean really, come on dude you can't be serious. Wholeselling the cars at zero cost to dealers is one thing, but putting them all out on the streets with built engines is another. What about the average joe that wants an Evo but doesn't want to have to let his car warm up for five minutes every morning, has to use racing gas to get its full potential and wants more then a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty? And then you want to compare the power output of a 2L 4cyl to a 2.6L 6? One whose engine is no longer in production which, among other reasons, doesn't meet today's emissions standards? Oh, and there's no reason in the world for Mitsubishi to be charitable and give away a car they had to redeisgn and reengineer to sell in this market in the first place. They brought the car in as cheaply as they could to make a profit, not break out of the segment and still beat the STi in performance. Bravo.

 

Not all. just anywhere outside of Japan.

 

Skylines are also a hell of alot more expensive.

 

I would take a '03-'04 VIII and especially an '05 VIII over a '05 STi.

 

^ Haha, I know I did!

 

You did not read what I wrote.

I said "Make the SAME 271hp output stock". I only said make the engine CAPABLE of 450hp on the stock equipment. Currently, I _think_ the figure that is considered safe on the stock internals is around 350-370whp (which is still amazing). The car would still come stock with 271hp and a full warranty from the factory though. If you mod your car to 450whp, your warranty is gone, just like it is on the Evo currently. A much higher percentage of Evo's are modified than say, a Mitsu Diamante, so this capability would be MUCH appreciated by the type of people who buy the Evo, Driving enthusiasts and tuners.

Because it's driving enthusiasts and tuners buy the Evo, nearly all of them would be running 400+whp with just a boost controller and 100 octane. All of these crazy evo's running around with no money dumped into them, 16yr old kids eveywhere will be mitsu fans buying lancers and other mitsubishi cars until they can afford the $30k. When you make fans young, you make fans for life. These people buy minivans when they grow up and raise families.

Also, I never compared the Evo's capabilities/engine to the Skyline's capabilities/engine. I simply said "Skyline style" as in, another highly de-tuned engine from the factory. I could have said "Supra style", because it too was what put Toyota on the map for tuners with it's de-tuned engine. Never once did I note the skyline's stock hp rating or max rating.

- Jason

 

me too. only thing better about the sti is the interior. if i wanted a nice interior i'd buy a benz.

 

True. Skylines are closer to $45k than the MR's $35K, but it's also more capable than my proposed 450whp for the Evo. Skylines are capable of producing closer to 500whp on stock internals. So I think in 2004 that mitsu could produce the Evo _capable_ of producing 450whp on the stock internals and still break even at the Evo or MR's price-tag. They could still offer the same warranty because anyone who boosted their Evo from 271 to 450hp would have their warranty voided anyway.

So your point's not really valid.

It's not always about making lots of money on your flagship cars, it's about pulling people into the showroom and making fans for life. It's about making your flagship car destroy as many other flagship cars as possible.

- Jason

 

So is almost any other car outside of the US.
That's because there are very high taxes in other countries for vehicles.

 

Thats exactly what i did, i returned my MR downpayment and bought an 05 aspen white sti with gold bbs wheels, short shifter package and upgraded security for five grand less than what i would have paid out the door for the MR. It has four way adjustable hid's, 6disc cd changer standard, intercooler sprayer, manual and auto dccd, the interior is much better than the old sti's, they moved the cup holders, change to auto climate controls and you get cruise control unlike the MR. I am very happy with it, and if you saw some of the stares ive been getting you would too. The paint is unbelievable and has a great clear coat and wax over it, unlike the mitsu's.

 

On the contrary, I read it - I just didn't agree with it. You still don't understand that it is easier to make a larger engine capable of more power then a smaller - when all things are equal. Certainly comparing two Japanese built DOHC, 4-valve per cyl, turbocharged engines has the basics covered. But saying Mitsu should have made the engine 450 capable and not charged extra when you are dealing with a 2.0L I4 is trite and asinine. 350-375+ on stock enternals IS great, especially compared to the EJ20 and the SR20DE(T). I've heard of 400hp being done on DSM's, both 1 and 2G's, so I'm sure someone will do it (or has already done it) with an Evo. Even if the car still only has 276hp, it will still cost money to put in forged internals, whether the customer takes advantage of them or not. I guarantee you that if(when) the Skyline comes out next year at say 350hp but its internals are capable of 450+ Nissan of America will void your warranty if you mod it to 450 even if its guts "are capable of it." Using 100 octane and a BC will void your warranty just as fast as a GT35R kit and full supporting mods will.

The bottom line is, I don't get why 450 capable and zero profit is the line for you, while 350-375 and profit is not good enough - especially when it was high production costs and zero profit (losses actually) that killed off all those Japanese GT cars to begin with!