I'm not a Mitsu fan boy I like performance cars and most are domestic. The truth is the aftermarket isn't there for the X it will be years before a good one is that is the biggest issue to me.

The domestics are running away the performance market well, at least Chevy is the new Ls3 vette is going to be very powerful.

 

Gilliam, I overreacted, man.

 

That's probably my main concern. At least in the past we always had the 4g, but now, as you mentioned, it will be years before tried and true parts are available. Sure we'll get there, and I won't knock the potential of the new engine, but it's going to take a lot of R&D before we know what works and what doesn't.

 

I would not be so quick to compare Mitsus engine to the Chevy LSX. The small block Chevy is the king of the domestic aftermarket, so of course the cottage industry (by comparison) that surrounds the 4G63 and Mitsubishi performance is going to be small and take longer by comparison. If that is the level of attention and progression you are expecting I will definitely say you are going to be disapointed.

But Mitsu will be competing with this engine. It is going to see duty in motorsports. Its going to be in the hands of Japanese and US tuners from the jump. Its going to be pushed to the limit from the start. Its going to have support.

And furthermore, there is no correlation between what happened to the US only market Eclipse and what is going on with the X. People have brought that "analogy" up several times to justify their "concerns" with V development, but it doesn't make sense at all. Mitsubishi doesn't compete with the Eclipse, they don't even export it to Japan in significant numbers (lonly a handful of 1Gs, 2G GS-Ts, and 3G Spyders went), its not even on the radar for Japanese tuners.

 

^Basically, The majority of threads ive read about the X had more posts about the styling of the car than the actual performance.

 

Nobody really hates the X. People usually react when manufacturers deviate away from what worked and what works. 4G63 is a great engine with a lot of aftermarket behind it so why change it? I thought that it was a great idea to change the exterior and the interior quality and add certain available technology such as the ayc, sawc... Bottom line is the first Xs are going to have a boat load of problems and recalls considering Mitsu's history. There is going to be minimum aftermarket, and even if there is a large following, are we going to be willing to modify it and void the warranty with a first year model performance vehicle?... I guess time will tell.

 

Okay, man. You want facts? Here's a factual quote for ya - and from Car and Driver:

Yes, there will be an Evo X, insist the company execs milling around at Okazaki, even though Mitsubishi Motors has lost almost $9 billion over the past five years and was hemorrhaging at the rate of $12.5 million per day back in February, according to Automotive News. Mitsubishi sold a piddling 12,500 Evos worldwide last year (4497 of them in the U.S.), but it's a profitable business, says Hideyuki Iwata, Mitsubishi's product manager for the Lancer line. Besides, he adds, Mitsubishi dealers routinely accept a Porsche or Mercedes in trade for an Evo. That's a brand polisher for a company chin-deep in tarnish.

But where will the Evolution evolve next? "A wider power range, a softer ride, and quieter. This is our direction," Iwata says. Then he points to a Mitsubishi-owned Volkswagen R32 fitted with VW's silky-shifting Direct Shift Gearbox and asks, "What do you think of this transmission? It is very interesting to us." To some people, an Evo with paddle shifters and a mellow ride, an Evo that doesn't explode forward at 3000 rpm but merely wafts to higher velocities like a piano pushed off a skyscraper-well, that's just no Evo at all.

But we'll worry about that later.

That "later" is almost upon us.
http://www.caranddriver.com/previews...-ix-page2.html

 

That GTI doing some test rounds with the X was, I'm sure, fitted with a DSG gearbox.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=120079

 

Considering the article pointed to earlier where the EvoX was being benchmarked against the M3, I think that's a good thing. BMWs have amazing suspensions. If Mitsu can get some of that magic to rub off on the Evo X, then I for one am encouraged by that news.

 

That's awesome. Right now we have a softer riding MR and a harder edged RS. They could still do both. It doesn't mean there won't be some version of the car that isn't better then the IX. There will be people who want NAV, sunroof, 30GB HD RF sound system with 500 watts, etc etc, and there will be those who don't. I believe they can refine the car, make it appeal to a broader audience, and still on so many levels make it better then the last car.

 

Dude. People got scared cause the evo7 came out. The Evo 6 TME got scared realazing its an evolution in the end. Their the best evo! Imo. Evo 7 rocks. Evo 8 rocks. Evo 9 blows people away. And so will evo X. mitsu evo forever. And we just jumped into world rally again!

 

The softer-riding MR is still no sofa on wheels, and I don't believe that's what Mr. Iwata was referring to. Anyhow, all this is speculation and only time will tell. Anxious, aren't we all?

 

I think the STI is a competitior, since both cars will end up in rally. The EVO is definitely not the [B]only[B] competitor, however, as it can be compared to a much wider range of cars than previous models.

Part of the evolution of this car (or any car, for that matter) will include increased "civilization" of the car, improved technology (bye, bye manual), softening, etc. If Mitsubishi doesn't do this they won't make money and we won't get an EVO. Competition occurs in the market as well as on the track.

For an example of the evolution of a car model to keep it competitive in the market, take a look at the Altima. The first year that car was made it was minimal compared to what it is now.

New technology and "dumbing down" of cars will always happen and a bunch of fanboys are not going to stop it. Have confidence that the people who make these things also love them -- you will still find enjoyment if you have a sensible attitude.

Cabo

 

It's not gone yet. Everyone's going nuts over the DSG as if there will be no manual transmission.

 

speak for yourself!

My totally uneducated and absolutely biased opinion of what will happen with the X?

Upon release, sites like evom will be flooded by people buying their first Evo. They'll fill the boards with n00bish posts like "What's a good CAI?" And posts about blingin' wheels, neon lights, and nawzzz will be far more prevelant (okokok, so I like neon when its done tastefully, sue me).

Who are these people? They're the guys/gals that can finally own an Evo without having to drive a standard. They're the guys/gals that want the new car that will undoubtedly be in Fast & Furious 4. And many of them will have no knowledge, respect, or appreciation for the 4g63 and all Evos that have come before them.

Basically my only two complaints, or rather, concerns about the X are the new engine and the fact that its now catered to the average joe. Evolution means change, but we're talking about an engine that has proven itself time and time again being replaced by something brand new. We're basically starting from the ground up, which is why I think the VIII and IX will remain the favorite of the folks on this board, while the X will be for the new guys that don't really care so much about performance.

Hopefully I'm dead wrong and the new engine will be a favorite for a long time to come. Until that point, as others have mentioned, we just have to wait and see.