I owned a 600 whp evo VIII a 400 plus Whp evo IX rs and now i own the X this car i love the most. i dunno if its the handling or the way the car feels when i drive it but there is something about this car that i dont look back at my previous evo's

 

i agree with TS, the X is much more stiffer and the inside gives you the feeling that you made a wise choice purchasing the car at 30k+... im sorry but the old Evo's have a very blank interior which is the same with old STI models (interior door frames is already creasing bad on 07 models).

 

Absolutely not.

I drove the VIII because I want to buy an earlier gen Evo! I've fallen in love with the idea of the Evo, and as I said, I'm considering an older one as a track (yes, road course--I'm a Porsche club HPDE instructor) car. I've been a German car driver (BMW), and frankly, I'm just sick and tired of paying for the maintenance of a German car. Plus, I'm a software engineer, and I'd like to try my hand at tuning a 4G63 engine--there's so much knowledge out there, and I don't want to mess with my new Evo.

I just wrote the original post because I was really surprised at what I felt. As others have said, I may have driven a dud, and I really hope it was a dud, because I wasn't impressed at all.

--michael

 

Find a properly tuned VIII and you will see a huge difference.

I bought my car from the original owner, he took very good care of the car but it was returned to stock. After throwing a boost gauge in there it was only running 12 psi... I never new why, nor did I care. I just put in an EBC and called it a day and that woke the car up on it's own. A few mods later and a decent tune, the car just flat out rips.

 

Nice write up, and I agree with everything you said. I had an Evo 9 before my X, and it definitely felt cheaper because it had no amenities. Going from an E46 M3 to Evo 9 was quite a jump for me, but I loved the performance of the car so I kept it instead of moving back into an M3. I feel the X is the best of both worlds. Its still got that special Evo feel, but also things like cruise control, great nav/sound system, higher rated safety, and smoother/more stable ride.

The X also makes for a great car on a road course because of the SAYC. If you can afford to buy a GSR to track, go for it.

 

My pops got an X, put all the basic bolt-ons, tune... 364whp 330tq, My VIII MR is about 315whp 315tq, and i stomped his X... But thats beside the point, when i drove his X i felt like i was driving a bentley! the seat are ugly imo but comfortable as hell around corners, but it was a really smooth evolution.. im only 22 so i can give a crap less about comfort, but i really enjoyed driving the X(however iit is on JIC FLTA2's with 265's :-)) i drove it for about half an hour, smooth yet heavy and slow.. Then i get in my car to leave, and say "now this is a ****in racecar!"

Moral is, the X is still a bamf, but not a flatout eat ur soul fun car

 

You must have driven a bum car.

My 05 was solid as a rock. and ive driven X's......

 

Evos get expensive if you track them hard. Don't get a 8/9 MR as a track car.

 

Totally agree with the original poster.

I owned an VIII for 5 years and there is not one thing I like better about the VIII over X. The X is just a whole different category...period.

Even ask the tuners...they are in awe of what the X is doing. From power to handling and everything inbteween...it all seems to be better.

 

I owned an 05 VIII and I loved it. It did feel a lot more raw. But what sold me on the X was the handling. I did have to grow into its looks when they first came out and I definitly don't regret getting an X.

But like some have said, You probaly did drive a dud cuz the performance of a stock VIII is raw compared to the X.

 

First off....your whole post is senseless since your comparing your brand new car to someone's used car. It will be interesting to see what your car feels like in three years and 20k miles.

Anyway I have always been a firm believer in making cars faster by modifying them. Honestly I would Never buy a mitsubishi if I was going to keep it stock....there are waaaaaay to many nicer cars in the same price range stock for stock.

So with that thought process....the evo X's are untested as of yet...we don't know what the engine can handle. Only time will tell.

BTW....little added edit....I think the x is really nice imo. It is heavy but the interior kills the viii and ix's. I'm not crying sour grapes to clerify....I could buy a x, I just haven't chose too.

 

We don't know what they can handle... but the engine seems to respond very well to each mod that is put on it.. I am selling my RS to buy an X, but not because I don't love my car.. i'd just like to have some power windows and locks for a change... actually I could even deal without that, and just have the side airbags and the other safety features. Again I LOVE my IX and if I had the money, i'd keep it and buy the X, but right now I just can't do it.

 

Wow. Well, I've never driven a X but if I had the opportunity, I would. Just wanted to say that, I bought the IX MR because of it's beauty and reputation. I didn't care about the interior nor the amenities. The way it feels, sounds and the way it pulls, "oh my godddd".

Yes, I'm serious.

 

Come on. I've driven, and bought, enough used cars in my life to know that I'm driving a used car, and to take that into account.

I didn't expect perfection. But, I wouldn't have expected that in 3-4 years (this VIII was a 2005) with only 19K miles an Evo would feel like this one did. Again, maybe this was a dud.

I sure hope my X doesn't feel like this car did in 3 years and 20K miles.

Don't get me wrong. I _want to like_ the earlier Evos. I'll make it a point to go drive some more. It's just that I've read so many comparisons of the VIII/IX to the X (and when I say read, I'm a "collector" of reviews, forum posts, etc., and I have read an immense amount of material both on the VIII/IX and the X), and I guess I was expecting to be blown away by the "raw feel", the steering feel, the 4G63 engine. I was just truly underwhelmed, and gained a much greater appreciation for the "evolution" that the X really is.

Hey, I posted my review in the X forum. I didn't go trolling in the 1-9 forums.

--michael

 

I've owned both and loved both for many similar and different reasons. There's no reason to drag this topic through the mud any further.