TopGear's Review of the MR FQ340...Mediocre
 

http://www.topgear.com/servlet/tg?DE...Number=16.html

this should make all of the MR haters pretty happy. topgear gave the car only a 15 of 20. essentially, they said it's fast but uninspiring. hmmm...

I wonder if 15 is a bad rating? How did the STi spec-c or the FQ300 did? I do not read top gear that frequently so I have no idea why they weren't that satisfied? If it handles better and it has better ride isn't that a plus :confused:

What I got from it, is that it is so finely tuned that there is little room for improvement.

The guys on tg are completely impretza biased.

That reviews seems like BS to me. I mean, they say the car is all that, but then trash it for being all that. You could do that to ANY car that you subjectively disliked.

i'm surprised. i thought is would be the best factory evo yet. i guess i am wrong. I know by watching the evo vs sti videos that Top Gear is more biased toward the sti. I believe an exact quote from one episode was "There is no reason why one would buy one over the other, they are both very impressive cars, but I would say, at the end of the day, I would always find myself getting into the sti. Don't know why just do. They have always been favorable toward the sti. In a newer test video, the mr 320 easily beat out the wrx sti wr1. They had to admit that. I should point out that not all magazines fairly report. I read from the newsstands a copy of Top Gear and most of the information was not exactly valid and the magazine was not all that great. Autocar is a much better european car magazine. The last i checked, it was available at some tower records stores here in NY (Long Island).

"it feels like it doesn't need me"...geez, this reviewer is very self-centered.

I guess he wants a car that requires a good bit of wrestling to make it go :D. I think the review give the car grudginly a lot of respect. It's not negative although it seems biased against the EVO....

Maybe this article from Evo mag will balance it

Mitsubishi Evo VIII MR FQ-340

Many detail improvements and 345bhp make the MR the best Evo yet


'll answer the very obvious question first. Yes, the most potent Evo MR is chuffing fast. It piles on speed so relentlessly that by the time you've got to fifth on your first rush up the 'box, you're wondering if it would just keep on charging forward if it had seven or eight speeds. It's not spiky power, either - from around 3500 to 7500rpm the push is strong, clean and consistent, and the ramp up to full boost is rapid yet progressive.

In other words, the MR FQ-340 is blindingly fast but not madly frantic, relatively speaking. We've driven other 300bhp-plus Evos that rearrange your lunch every time they hit boost (our 320bhp lightweight Evo VII RS long-termer of a couple of years back springs to mind). This is its own kind of thrill but it can distract the chassis, tugging the front wheels around or kicking the tail out when you'd rather keep things tidy.

The MR (which stands for Mitsubishi Racing) is effectively an Evo 8.5 and incorporates many detail revisions. Some contribute to it being 10kg lighter than the straight VIII, including aluminium door intrusion bars (-3.5kg) and roof (-4kg). The latter is said to have the same effect as lowering the steel roof by 50mm. UK models also get 12-spoke Team Dynamics alloys, which save 0.8kg of unsprung weight per corner over the standard Enkei alloys.

All these incremental improvements contribute to the dynamic performance of the MR but the most significant effect is probably the switch to Bilstein dampers. Compression and rebound rates have been respecified and the rear bump stops have been reshaped. The Evo's formidable armoury of electronic chassis aids has also seen changes. Previously, when anti-lock was activated the Active Centre Differential and Super Active Yaw Control were disengaged. Now they are integrated into the braking effort to help keep the car stable should you jump on the middle pedal mid-corner or trail-brake into a turn.

MR models aren't Euro-homologated like the Evo 260, but unlike previous Japanese-spec cars, they do get the full three-year pan-European Mitsubishi warranty. The MR range comprises the FQ-300 (305bhp, £27,999), FQ-320 (326bhp, £29,999) and FQ-340 which has 345bhp, 320lb ft of torque and costs £32,999. That looks like a big premium over the FQ-320 but you also get leather and Alcantara trim (a lesser hide interior costs £1535 on other Evos) and Smartnav (normally £524). Four colours are offered: white, red, silver and gun- metal grey (shown), which works beautifully with the MR's new matt- black-backed clear-lens lamps, badging and dark grey alloys.

Inside, the cabin is little changed save for strips of carbonfibre-effect trim, but the ambience of the FQ-340 is much enhanced by the Jaguar-like aroma of leather. The Ralliart-embroidered Recaros grip tightly, which is just as well because the cornering powers of the MR Evo seem higher than ever.

Compared with just about anything else, the Evo still feels hyper-active on a bumpy B-road but although the ride remains firm, right away you notice that there isn't quite as much fidget and distraction as there was. It seems to be partly the ride but more the steering, which feels a little less sensitive around the straight-ahead. You appreciate this most when you've got the throttle down and the chassis is loaded with full boost.

The handling is every bit as responsive and agile as it ever was, and grip from the broad-blocked Yokohama Advan A046s is huge. Dive keenly into a tight second- or third-gear corner and the nose will tuck into the apex with an enthusiasm that threatens to send the tail sliding out. Do nothing and full stability is resumed, calmly. Bury the throttle, though, and the response of the clever chassis is breathtaking; the rear slip is smoothly reined in, all four tyres haul hard and the MR fires out the other side at astonishing speed.

No question, of all the mega-fast Evos we've tried, the MR FQ-340 is the neatest and most driveable. The essential character of the Evo remains intact but there's a greater sense of composure, which is all the more impressive given the power and torque the FQ-340 upgrade asks it to cope with. The Evo evolution continues apace.

Inside, the cabin is little changed save for strips of carbonfibre-effect trim, but the ambience of the FQ-340 is much enhanced by the Jaguar-like aroma of leather. The Ralliart-embroidered Recaros grip tightly, which is just as well because the cornering powers of the MR Evo seem higher than ever.

Compared with just about anything else, the Evo still feels hyper-active on a bumpy B-road but although the ride remains firm, right away you notice that there isn't quite as much fidget and distraction as there was. It seems to be partly the ride but more the steering, which feels a little less sensitive around the straight-ahead. You appreciate this most when you've got the throttle down and the chassis is loaded with full boost.

The handling is every bit as responsive and agile as it ever was, and grip from the broad-blocked Yokohama Advan A046s is huge. Dive keenly into a tight second- or third-gear corner and the nose will tuck into the apex with an enthusiasm that threatens to send the tail sliding out. Do nothing and full stability is resumed, calmly. Bury the throttle, though, and the response of the clever chassis is breathtaking; the rear slip is smoothly reined in, all four tyres haul hard and the MR fires out the other side at astonishing speed.

No question, of all the mega-fast Evos we've tried, the MR FQ-340 is the neatest and most driveable. The essential character of the Evo remains intact but there's a greater sense of composure, which is all the more impressive given the power and torque the FQ-340 upgrade asks it to cope with. The Evo evolution continues apace.

Inside, the cabin is little changed save for strips of carbonfibre-effect trim, but the ambience of the FQ-340 is much enhanced by the Jaguar-like aroma of leather. The Ralliart-embroidered Recaros grip tightly, which is just as well because the cornering powers of the MR Evo seem higher than ever.

Compared with just about anything else, the Evo still feels hyper-active on a bumpy B-road but although the ride remains firm, right away you notice that there isn't quite as much fidget and distraction as there was. It seems to be partly the ride but more the steering, which feels a little less sensitive around the straight-ahead. You appreciate this most when you've got the throttle down and the chassis is loaded with full boost.

The handling is every bit as responsive and agile as it ever was, and grip from the broad-blocked Yokohama Advan A046s is huge. Dive keenly into a tight second- or third-gear corner and the nose will tuck into the apex with an enthusiasm that threatens to send the tail sliding out. Do nothing and full stability is resumed, calmly. Bury the throttle, though, and the response of the clever chassis is breathtaking; the rear slip is smoothly reined in, all four tyres haul hard and the MR fires out the other side at astonishing speed.

No question, of all the mega-fast Evos we've tried, the MR FQ-340 is the neatest and most driveable. The essential character of the Evo remains intact but there's a greater sense of composure, which is all the more impressive given the power and torque the FQ-340 upgrade asks it to cope with. The Evo evolution continues apace.

Mitsubishi Evo VIII MR FQ-340

+ Stunning pace, calmer chassis


- FQ-320 almost as powerful, £3K less

In that test they also said that the STI "understeered like a pig", the driver said that the STI was a "good boy's car" while the evo was a "Man's car". I'm surprised they wouldn't give the MR a good rating. It seems like a car isn't allowed to compete with the Lambos and Porches unless it has the same price tag as the Lambos and Porches.
I still think they're alot more objective than the journalists on most of the US car shows. I think most over here wouldn't dare put cars up against each other on track like they do. It's funny watching Autoweek and never hearing them say anything really negative about a car aside from Mr. Mandel's occasional pretentious yuppie outburts. The magazine is quite a bit better though...

here is the vid of the MR FQ 320 vs STi WR1

http://www.envizioninc.com/stiOWNED.wmv

Thank you Stealth...Been looking for that.

BTW, does nayone know if AYC can be potentially disabled (like you can with ABS) by the installation of an electrical switch?

This may make the ride more exciting at times albeit probably not faster in most situations unless maybe you are going into full rally mode. But the lack of AYC was what some people really liked about the USDM Evo VIII - less videogame.

Ever since the Evo7 many reviewers/magazines believe the Evo feels "too electronic." Unlike the Imprezas which are more grounded, the Evo is a lot more technical. The ACD and AYC are awesome - they do what they are advertised and in no way let the driver down - but that's also exactly why they don't like it. Cars need to have a "fun factor" feel. These reviewers are simply expressing that there is not a lot of driver involvement required with the Evo (due to the electronic diffs). It's more of a point and shoot sorta car.

And with that conclusion, most UK mags/shows end like this like this: "if you want to go fast, pick the Evo. if you want something fun, choose the Impreza."

Of course, since our 03/04 Evo's don't have any active diffs, ours are SUPPOSEDLY a lot more fun to drive than the ones equipped with ACD/AYC. Not that I would know because I haven't driven one with the active diffs, but that's what I've heard (a number of the MLR guys will agree to that as well).

And no, you can't just disable the AYC. You have to replace the entire rear diff.

^^^this is what worries me the most about the MR; that it won't be as raw and involving...or as fun...as the current evo viii. guess i'll have to wait and see for myself in september.