i guess dis means 2 test drives ! =]

 

I think the first reviewer (for Top Gear) felt the car was less raw and involving than previous Evos or other cars. The reviewer seemed to indicate that one simply had to point the wheel in the direction you wanted and mash the throttle. The ACD and SAYC systems are so effective at pulling the car around virtually any chosen line that it removes the need, or more accurately, the joy of wrestling the car around the track. The "raw" version of the Evo VIII that we have in the US is a friggin' joy to thrash around the track.

Do you mean to say the perfect driver's car is one that allows you to rotate the ***-end on command? The US version of the Evo allows you to do this and does so in a very predictable and easy to learn manner. Sorry, but I've owned a 911. I wasn't a big fan of the hyperactive lift-throttle oversteer. Sure, it was fun. But get the 911 sideways on a track at 90 mph and if you don't have the ***** of steel to keep your foot into it, you're probably going to get intimate with some Armco. The Evo on the other hand is predictable and easy to correct for unintentional oversteer.

I agree. After tracking my Evo, I've decided that while I'd really like an LSD up front, I don't necessarily want S-AYC. An adjustable center diff could be fun tho'.

Do you really become a better driver by having to compensate for a car's handling quirks? Is the driver of an Evo a lesser driver because he doesn't have to worry as much as the Porsche driver that the ***-end will swap with the front if he early apexes a turn and has to lift? (Hahaha, maybe the Porsche driver is because he's learned that he can't make a mistake like that!) Or is the definition of a better driver one that masters the line, knows how to control the vehicles weight transfer and ultimately hustles the car around the track fastest? I ask this question because I've wondered to myself, is the ability to dominate my run group when I track my car lie within me or the supernatural abilities of my Evo? (When I say dominate I mean pass every driver and then begin lapping some of them.) Maybe the Evo does a better job of hiding my sins than other cars I've driven. I'll find out as I get the chance to encounter more skilled drivers.

I guess the point that I'm trying to make through all this meandering is that once the car's computer is doing the driving for you, perhaps you've then crossed the line (no pun intended). I don't think there is an Evo in the US that fits that description. I think the Evo MR that was reviewed prolly does.

 

And theirs cost 32K pounds which is about $45K dollars. So who's getting ripped off? For $45K you can get an M3 in the US

 

Their cars are more expensive because most of the Europeans are rich and their currency (UK) is higher than US. M3 would cost more than 45 thousands in Europe than US. Japan keeps their high performance car and they would never export those cars to all countries, especially the US. They do export their high perfomance cars but only to Europe (like the UK), South America, and some Asian countries. It's limited. That's the reason why we're getting the weakest Evolution MR. I know this because I have few Japanese friends who told me before and I read a lot of articles on exporting-importing cars around the world.

 

I realize I need much more track experience than I have to truly answer some of these questions properly. But, I'll give it a shot. First of all is that 911s of yore certainly had "handling quirks," I wouldn't even be offended if someone called them flaws. The suspension didn't do much to tame that tail. However, an old 911 with some suspension updates wouldn't be so "quirky." They can be turned into very neutral cars. The GT3 isn't really quirky either, at least not in the same way due to 21st century suspension design. People point at the rear weight bias and cry wolf when they don't realize that the best weight distribution in mid engine cars is actually very close to the Porsche weight distribution. With RWD and the weight shift during braking, a rear bias is preferred. Certainly the Elise isn't quirky in the way that old 911s are even though they have a 39.1/60.9 weight distribution.

So I didn't mean to say that better drivers are made with cars that have handling flaws, I chose those cars for their very racy suspensions with RWD. (I personally think that the best RWD cars have a rear weight bias because of the braking issue and the grip on corner exit). A BMW M3 CSL would be on the best driver's car list as well even though it doesn't have a rear bias. RWD cars are much less forgiving than AWD cars which isn't really a quirk, any RWD car with a race suspension will exhibit these characteristics. It does make you think about weight transfer and being smooth in your inputs or fast in your saves, but this is what many look for and I think it does help someone develop as a driver. I've read posts by people with modified Evos who have gotten CSLs and felt that the EVO hid too many of their errors by comparison. I've also heard that GT3 drivers come in two breeds, either they are horrible drivers who just bought the car for the image, or they are magnificent drivers. I don't think this is coincidence. My own very limited experience on the track in my 930 vs. my girlfriends WRX seemed to support this as well. I learn much more in my car.