Well im sure the "EVO books" you bought and read will tell you why the driving felt so different and bad. You cant compare the VIII/IX to the X. The X is aimed for more luxery while the VIII and IX are for more racing feel.

 

well the eairly year 8 did not come with the bilstine shocks/struts like the 9 came with and also it wasent an mr. the mr is a great track car (stock or lightly modded) because of the close gear ratio allowing it to get out of corners fast. so give a 9 mr a ride and let us know what u think then

 

you have to be crazy to really think that, i cant think of one person who thinks the IX/VII gen lancers interior looks better than the newer ones...those interiors were horrid the corollas then had better interiors

every review you read about the X out there will say how much a step up the interior is over the previous models

 

I don't anything can go wrong if you're planning to build a Track Evo VIII/IX. I think that model has build a pretty good reputation for being a designated track car. From Japan with the Cyber Evo to US with the AMS Evo, I think the Evo VIII/IX has the right credentials to be a track car.

I have no idea what's wrong with the Evo that test drove, maybe it's a dud like what others said. Might want to test a few more to settle your suspicions.

 

I think because you own an Evo X made you get that kind of impression of the Evo VIII. I love all the evos but my favorite is the IX which is not much different than the Evo VIII. I take Evo 8 / 9 all day long over the X.

 

this should go in the X vs. IX thread

 

I've driven both and own neither. I love them both but the VIII feels more agile. I'd rather own a X as a small compromise in favor of refinement. You own an MR though, so you *clearly* chose a huge compromise for comfort so your opinion is expected. I would never drive an automatic.

 

The TC-SST is not an automatic.

I swore that I would never buy a car that didn't have a clutch pedal.

Then I drove the TC-SST. I'd driven other sequential manuals before, and even the twin-clutch one from BMW (DCT), but the trick to these transmissions is the software programming.

And Mitsubishi just _nailed_ it with the TC-SST. That's why I bought the MR instead of the GSR. And, I don't regret it one bit.

--michael

 

I hope you let the VIII owner know you weren't interested in buying it, rather just driving it for a comparison..........good thing my IX isn't in TX....

 

I wasn't driving it as a "comparison". I am (well, was) truly interested in buying one.

And, I intend to drive more, especially an IX. If I find the right one, and I really like it, then I may buy it. I'm not fooling around and wasting other people's time.

--michael

 

I never drove an VIII so I can't comment, but I own a IX and it is very different from any other cars... as all Evo's are. I know that the IX's really give you that surge of turbo around 3 grand that really tickles your stomach ( which I love ), however the X's power is more steady and doesn't have quite that low end sort of dead spot if you will.

 

also to add, the handling is what has kept the X in the picture when it comes to the IX vs X battle that people always seem to bring up. The fact that that the 4b11's high power response to smaller mods also is a big plus.

 

You're going to get all kinds of trolls chiming in on this trying to make it a 8/9 vs X argument as you've already seen. I thought your review was spot on, and it's interesting how many people are bashing on you for being an X owner who was looking to buy an 8 or 9 because of their legendary tracking status. So you didn't like it - it's not for everyone. It certainly wasn't for me, which was why I was going to the dealer (southcoast) to test their used STI when they convinced me to drive the X. I wasn't even looking at EVO's because I was so turned off by their interior (and exterior to be honest). But because you and I have different taste, we will get flamed for our opinions and reviews IN THE X FORUM by owners who can't understand that differing opinions don't translate into disrespect for their older cars. I thought your review was very similar to my own opinions after driving an 8 and 9. Don't pay attention to the trolls.

 

Comparing the two generations of the Evos, (8/9) / (10) , is apples and oranges.

The new Evos are geared more towards creature comforts etc. While the older Evos were just that, older and more raw. It's all personal preference.


I like the rawness in sports cars. The same reason I went after the 03 S2000's. Higher rev limit, no traction control, no drive by wire BS.

Newer cars seem to have too much assistance for the drivers. Sometimes it helps, some times it just makes you feel like you're not part of the car anymore. It's not the same feel as older sports cars.

My .02

 

I honestly think that people were wanting more of those comforts in these cars. BUT, let's take the base GSR X. It doesn't have much more than the GSR IX had.. cruise I think is standard ( which is a nice thing to have ) but I can't think off of the top of my head really what else, besides safety stuff which is important in a car of it's ability IMO. Yes, the VIII's and IX's do look sort of cheap inside, but more than that I think they did go for the " raw " look that goes along with the rest of the car. Personally I don't know the story of what happened to making the X RS and hopefully they do bring one into the line-up at some point because that would make a lot of the enthusiasts happy.