That interior pic is great. The RS looks like the real deal.

 

It might be a very long wait. Even when factory hp ratings are released it might give us an idea of how much power, but we won't really know until owners dyno their Xs. I remember when the EVO IX came out I admit I was a little disappointed by the factory ratings, but then the dynos came out and IXs were making anywhere from 255whp to as high as 275-280whp.

So here is what I've seen from Mitsubishi and its HP ratings of the EVO compared to what it actually puts down to wheels. (Dyno Jet)

2003-2004 EVO VIII
Factory HP Rating- 271hp
Average WHP Numbers (Dynojet)- 235whp to 255whp
Percentage of WHP to Factory HP Rating- 86.7% to 94.1%

2005 EVO VIII
Factory HP Rating- 276hp
Average WHP Numbers (Dynojet)- 245whp to 260whp
Percentage of WHP to Factory HP Rating- 88.7% to 94.2%

2006 EVO IX
Factory HP Rating- 286hp
Average WHP Numbers (Dynojet)- 255whp to 270whp
Percentage of WHP to Factory HP Rating- 89.1% to 94.4%

So in theory if the EVO X came with 310hp then the numbers should look like this-

2008 EVO X
Factory HP Rating- 310hp
Average WHP Numbers (Dynojet)- 275whp to 290whp
Percentage of WHP to Factory HP Rating- 88.7% to 93.5%

Now if Mitsubishi finds a few extra ponies and the car is rated at 320hp then-
Factory HP Rating- 320hp
Average WHP Numbers (Dynojet)- 285whp to 300whp
Percentage of WHP to Factory HP Rating- 89.1% to 93.8%

So this is just pure speculation and I am going off of what EVOs usually dyno and where they are rated at. Before somebody says, well my VIII and IX put down more or less than the average, well ok, there will always be factory freaks and sometimes factory geeks, but usually EVOs on most dynojets put down these numbers and if Mitsubishi continues with this trend then this is what I speculate the numbers for a EVO X will be. Of course we will never truly know until the numbers are realesed and the EVO X is dynoed. In case you are wondering why the 2003/2004 EVOs kind of fall out of line, I believe the 2003/2004 EVOs had the largest varation of power for the EVO models. Some 03/04 EVO VIIIs would put down some absolutely paltry numbers and then you have some making IX numbers. Interesting, guess Mitsubishi had some kinks to work out with the 03 and 04 VIIIs, this may be why they changed it up for 2005.

Also as far as HP ratings, expect some weird number, Mitsubishi (not including FQ series) rarely if ever rates thier EVOs at like 280/290/300/310/320hp, it will probably be like 303/309/ or even like 318hp.

 

Even with whp numbers, we still might have to wait even longer to truly be amazed by the X. Even when the IX came out and it was making more power stock than a VIII, the fire didn't really start to burn extremely hot until we all found out that the IX was making as much power with just bolt ons as a VIII with bolt ons and Cams. So the important question may be, how much power will a X make with just bolt ons and a tune?

 

A "driver's car" is commonly known as a car that doesn't take away from the driver and his/her ability to do what he/she wants of it. Case in point, compare the F40 to the Enzo. Many regard the F40 as the funner car because it does what you ask of it. No computers interfere with braking, throttle-input, ect. S-AWC will take away from the overall experience of pure driving ... and I've never smoked the stuff.

 

Funner eh?

 

Yes, funner. Like it or not, S-AWC is a form of electronic stability control, a highly advanced version, yes, but still an ESC. What do racers want to do in a street car when they take it to the track? A: Turn off any electronic driver's aids. Why? Because they interfere with the controls that the driver wants to ... well, control. Now, funner doesn't necessarily mean a quicker lap time for all drivers, as the average driver will probably benefit from S-AWC and get the faster lap times with rather than without it.

 

How much funner do you want X to be?
The Skyline was one of the funnerest cars. It also had a lot
of electronic interference, in the form of all wheel steering plus other
kinds of funner electronic controls.

 

How many of you have driven all variants of USDM Evos or have talked to or read about people who have? Same goes for cars like the Porsche 997 Turbo versus the 997 GT3 or my previous example of the F40 compared to the Enzo. If we're talking about the pure art of driving, then those cars that have less driver's aids are the cars that are more fun. I'm not saying that GT-Rs aren't fun. Rather, as a driver, I want more control of what my car is doing as opposed to the car having more control. You guys are misunderstanding me here and taking offense. I'm not saying that the X will not be a fun car. In my opinion, the RS will be the most fun.

 

in that case just get a rear wheel drive car with traction control off and you will have loads of "fun" ,

 

or "more fun", but I just can't see it being "funner"

 

Driving aids are fine, so long as they're not overactive and can be "muted" if opted.

 

For a funner ride, drop the power steering, power brakes, power windows.
Hell, drop the ECU, electronic fuel injection, and the starter.
Get me a hand crank start kit.
And bring the carburetor back !

 

LOL!

Might as well huh..

THE X IS FINE the way it is.

 

Well, looks like I was dead-on with my weight speculation.

Now all that's left is get a USDM X into the hands of a Tuner to see some real dyno numbers. And finally to match up an X against a new STI.

 

And how would you know? Have you driven it yet?

Also, you guys are missing my point about less is more. How many of you have driven all variants of Evos? Let me guess, once you hear that a car has no radio or manual windows you immediately dismiss it and refuse to drive it.

You guys are in a box that you don't want to look outside of. For once, try to think outside the box and think that computers can get in the way of pure driving.

Understand that the X will now be available to all drivers, what with its auto gearbox and all. It is a common fact that people that drive manual gearboxed cars are more focused in their driving and in turn are better drivers, period. Now, all skills of drivers will be able to drive an Evo here in the States. More driving aids isn't such a bad idea. A lot of people will need to "bandaid" their driving mistakes with the X, and S-AWC will be the perfect bandaid.