Lancer Evolution...
 

Took one of these for a test drive yesterday. Wow.

Nice detailing, the car doesn't look riced out (except possibly the wing on the back, but at least it is functional).

The get up and go is more than satisfactory, and the car handles like it is on rails.

All I can say is that I am impressed that Mitsubishi of all people is making a car of this calibur. If one was into auto-X this would certainly be a car to look at...

It is widely known in import enthusiast circles that Mitsubishi makes the poorest quality vehicle of any significant import manufacturer....

I would MUCH rather drive a Subaru WRX STi than an Evo. Why? Well...the Evo is a Lancer (sort of) converted to all-wheel-drive. Subie's trademark is all-wheel-drive.

Both impressive cars, but either way, make mine a Camaro ;)

I test drove a Lancer Evolution and I would have bought one except:

a) The dealers really like them
b) The WRX has a much nicer interior
c) The WRX is easier to drive around town

I bought a WRX and thought about an STi except I don't buy first model years of any car.

While both these cars a little ricey for me, and being not German, the Evo is NOT a Lancer converted to AWD. Don't let the "Lancer" in the name fool you. It's like comparing Armani suits with Wal-Mart. The car has been in Japan and Europe for many years. It's just now come to the US. It's in high demand, that's why the dealers are so "proud" of them.

The STi is not in it's first year. It's in it's first year in America, the car has been around for a long time as well. Why do you think these things were so anticipated over here? However, the only thing against the STi is that it came to America with a 2.5L engine, the Japanese car is a 2.0. 300 HP was a big number for Subaru when they brought this car over. The Evo however, is very close to the Japanese version of the car, from what I've read.

I love the STi myself, while not a big japanese car fan, that is one awsome looking machine. The Evo is ugly as sin.

I'll take my M3 over either of them though.

"It is widely known in import enthusiast cirsles that Mitsubishi makes the poorest quality vehicle of any significant import manufacturer...."


Let it also be known I have a 2002 Lancer OZ Ralley Ed.
It had 46mi when I bought it. It has 16,500mi on it. I will have it a year on, or about, this September 20th.

I have not had:

One glitch.

One defect.

One problem.

One Complaint.

One hiccup.

One niggle.

Or, put simply,

Absolutly nothing has gone wrong with my car.

I am one picky dude, so if something had, that sucker would have been back to the dealer faster than you can say "Evo."

mmm evo.... mmm wrx sti...

"Top Gear" on the BBC tested the U.K. versions of these cars against each other... and the Subaru won, if only by a small margin.

Personally, I like the STi's looks better:

http://www.carnuttv.com/images/roadt...on_front_1.jpg
as opposed to
http://impreza.subaru.com/microsites...ti_full/06.jpg

However, correct me if I'm wrong, but the Subaru costs more...

Yeah, I know the STi has been around in Japan for a long time w/ a 2.0L engine. This is the first year Subaru has turbocharged a 2.5L engine and they have an all new transmission attached to it as well. In my mind a new engine and new transmission make it close enough to a new model to have new model problems.

The WRX is much nicer......Do they both have AWD all the time?

I know the WRX does.

The Evo won Car and Driver's comparison against the subie.

It also just beat out subarus in a tuner test in the same magazine.

I like the Lancer Evolution.

Not that people would use these cars for what they were designed for any more than SUV owners, but a friend who rallys tells me the extra locking diffs in the STi make it slightly faster on a rally course.

It's a personal preference for a street car.

in my opinion, the evo VI was the best looking. it was fatter, meaner looking. the evo VII and VIII had more rounded styling.
I'd still rather have one over a scooby doo any day

Wow, if you were one 'picky dude' I'd think you'd do better research. Mitsubishi does not have a good history in the US of creating reliable high-power turbo cars (does the word "Crankwalk" mean anything to anybody?). Just because your grocery getter eco-box (rally edition?? by which you mean, you've taken it on a rally course competitively...right?) is fine doesn't mean the EvoVIII is going to be long-term reliable. You also haven't had yours for long enough to comment on long term reliability.

But anecdotal evidence aside, lets go see what the Survey Says...

http://www.jdpa.com/presspass/pr/images/2003050b.gif

My flavor of choice, Toyota, is right up there with Porsche...Mitsubishi is more down with Hyundai, Suzuki, and the ever-reliable Daewoo. Even Subaru ranks higher than the industry average...and they've got a lot more experience with AWD cars. With Subaru, AWD is a theme throughout all of their product lines. With Mitsu...it's a novelty selling point.

Oh, and comparing the Evo8 to the EvoVII...ridiculous. The VII would eat it alive...the 8 is so stripped down its ridiculous. They took a 7 and gutted it to bring the price down to something the American market could bear.

I do hope, however, that the WRX, the Evo, and the Neon SRT4 start a turbo war...I am eagerly awaiting the next Toyota turbo car. Fifth Gen supra, anybody? Maybe a new MR2 that actually has some balls? Who can tell.....

The previous gen Evo cars, not sold in America, are completely different cars. The American Evo8 IS a hopped up Lancer (Rally Edition? Are you serious?) economy car, CONVERTED to AWD.

And as far as quality is concerned, I was talking about Mitsu's ability to build a performance engine that can be modified without blowing up. They have been building economy cars forever...they should stick to that.

And cmon guys...look at the two pics above. The Subaru is a genuine car with genuine good looks....the wings is ugly, but that can be easily removed :D The Evo looks like some 16 yr old RICER got a hold of it and turned it into the Bat-Mobile. But I guess thats why the Evo appeals to a lot of people...the RICER look is the "in" thing to have right now....

Now I remember why I stopped posting in the motors forum.

It's all a dick measuring contest, everybody HAS to prove something, and

it's tired out.


If you know so damn much about cars, you should know that "Ralley Edition" is just a trim level.

I never said it was more, nor did I imply something about me racing the car on a ralley course. You said that. I'm sure you said it just to be a jerk.

If its "just" a trim level, why include it? If its just a dick measuring contest, then by including that, you're trying to stick out your hips and make your dick look just a little bit bigger. I dont say that I have a 1997 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 LT1 V8 with a 6-speed, 3.42 rear end, CAI, QTEC electric exshaust cutout, performance sway bars, trailing arms, adjustable panhard bar, Bilstein shocks/struts/Eiback springs, 17x9.5 Y2K Vette wheels wraped in blah blah blah blah.

I simply say I drive a Camaro, because I dont have anything to prove. :D :D

I realize its just wheels, a shift knob and a mild ground FX package, (am I missing anything?) and it does make the Lancer look better.

I'm not trying to be a dick OR to prove anything. I post what I post because I dont think that a lot of people here know very much about cars and I'm just trying to help...cause cars is all I do lol.

I also think that a lot of the general public very heavily buys into hype. Namely, Evo hype. I guess thats just my opinion tho....

Apologies.

Well just about anything would be better than the old subie transmission. The rally guys can change on in about 20 minutes, that's how well they stand up to high power and aggressive driving.

Re: Lancer Evolution...
 

Or Rally. Lot of panting in those channels

I'd be happier with a '50 Merc.

I'm just gonna post this, and watch the hilarity ensue... For the record, I'd take an EVO any day. :D

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/fe...cc_evogermany/

Who's won more rallys, Mitsubishi or Subaru?

Don't tell me Mitsubishi can't make a performance engine. I enjoy most of the aspects of the Evo VIII, aside from the ugly wing and euro tail-lights. The STi wing makes baby jesus cry. :P

I'd honestly rather have an Evo for the simple fact that my friend dumped $6k in mods in his WRX and got ~100 HP out of it and guess what he did? Sold every part and bought a 69 Nova, dropped a 454 in it and never looked back. If you didn't notice, he's a drag racing fan. But yes, the WRX was NOT made for the strip, hence the great horsepower-stealing AWD.

Just my opinions really. Evo > Subaru :p

I'm a big rally fan, and I love both the Evo and the STi. If I had the money to spend on a new car, though, I'd probably buy the STi, just because I'm not a big fan of the way that the Evo VIIIs look. On the other hand, the gold wheels on the STi would have to go.

hey etla, no race car uses a stock transmission. According to Sport Compact Car, the tranny is the most expensive piece on the car, because a typical race is about 2,000 shifts. They use sequential, custom cut dog gears like every wrc rally car. They swap out the transmission quickly because that is what they are trained to do. Look at Audi in Lemans racing. The entire back end of car is held in place with a few bolts. If they want to replace the brake rotors, they drop out everything from the transmission back, because it is all attached. The suspension is bolted to the tranny case, and the tranny is the main support for the rear of the car.

Our version of the Lancer is not an "converted" version of the Lancer FWD car that they started selling here a few years ago. It shares a few parts with the Lancer FWD, and it's only a few options away from the Japanese Evo VIII, which also shares parts with it's Japanese FWD counterpart. Our car is missing a variable center differential, and Mitsu's active yaw control. These changes were required to get the Evo down to Mitsu of America's decided 30k price point.

Also, I think the entire automotive industry needs to get it's damn average up.

when it comes down to it the STI does have a couple more goodies and a few more horsepower. The addition of a user controllable center diff and water injection makes it a favorite of mine, and it doesnt look as cobbled together as the new Evo. Once you yank the big ass wing and the rims off the STI you have a hell of an Auto-X car right off the bat. The Evo seems to appeal to a younger market that probally will never put the car on the track. Apples and oranges really.

I find it kind of weird that you mention the water injection and then mention autoxing the STi. I believe you can get penalized quite severely for dripping any fluids onto the race track, as it can adversely affect the traction of cars following you. Also, I believe that these cars appeal to the same group of people. Anyone who has seen WRC and knows the cars, or anyone who is a fan of Gran Turismo and has fallen in love with either/both car would probably be apt to get either one. They have roughly the same price, and apart from the slightly nicer interior of the STi, they perform nearly identically. Most independent magazines that have reviewed both cars (head to head, as if they appeal to the same market) has picked the Evo narrowly over the STi purely due to the fact that it is more fun to drive. I would definitely enjoy adding either car to my stable.

Ive used water injection in the past and never once had a leak. Then again I am the biggest anal retentive bastard when it comes to things like that.

But in an Auto-X the only place id use the water is at launch really. No where else are you spinning the turbo too high.

What do you mean water injection? If by water injection you mean spraying water on the intercooler then both the STI and EVO have that.

Comparing the EVO to the STI is not apples and oranges. They are competing cars not only on the street, but also in the WRC. In most of the magazine tests where they went through some twisties the EVO has won even with its 271 HP compared to the STI's 300. Why? Because even with all the fancy gadgets (including more hp and torque) in the STI it still can't compete with the EVOs handling and steering.

Also the only picture that shows up for me in this thread is the picture of an EVO. From the wording in that post it sounds like the poster is thinking it's a STI.

There is a big difference between water injection and spraying water on the intercooler. Water injection actually sprays water into the hot air stream. The high latent heat of water soaks up a good deal of the heat and thus a cooler intake charge. Spraying water on the intercooler gives you mixed results, only really helps when the intercooler is in a tight engine compartment, but no where as much as water injection.

Oh and someone remind me why Mitsu dropped out of WRC for a while? Oh yeah massive reliability problems.

The STI does not have water injection. It uses the same method as the EVO, spraying a mist of water on the intercooler. Please let me know where you find contradicting information.

I got that from Automotive Engineering, if Im wrong please correct me. I cant remember what issue though.

On a similiar note though the new ford lightning will supposedly route an air conditioning duct through the intercooler. Im pretty sure this has been done in the past but it is a pretty neat setup.

The EVO is a very nice car. As is the STI. But if you dont have the money for the WRX STI version. Then the EVO will match up just fine.

I like it. But i enjoy my Matrix.

Also for those not familar with Subaru. STI is like ,TRD for toyota.

I forget the full name for STI.

STI is basically enhanced modifications to the WRX car.

Subaru Technica International

I am torn, the EVO is a better handler and has more comfortable seats, but the racer in me LOVES the STi ... Hell I'd buy an Sti

I just cannot imagine that you could go wrong with either car. They seem to test out in the magazines very similarly. I have a wrx wagon, but I guess the bigger thing would be to find one that does not have too high a markup from the dealer.

cool pocon1. I just test drove a WRX wagon yesterday. They're so fast, I wonder why anyone needs an STi with 300hp. I guess everything's an upgrade from my Geo Prizm though...

No 4wd drive or FWD car needs a wing. Period. You just are not going to get the speeds necessary to justify the extra weight for traction tradeoff. Period. Considering wings hurt FWD traction ( pulls down on the rear end) and 4WD have gobs of traction anyway, it's just factory rice.

I have heard many bad things about the Lancer Evo. Personally, I'd rather go with the Subaru WRX, or WRX STi for around the same price range.