Really cool review a guy wrote after flying out to cali and then driving 2500 miles back out east with his X:
http://forums.evolutionm.net/showpos...5&postcount=93
"Scalpel? An Evo X review.
2500 miles, two days of sleep deprivation, dodging drunk driving Indians in New Mexico, traveling through 3 inches of snow, a few dyno pulls, lots of Dr. Pepper, and a psuedo migraine later, I'm ready to talk about this car. I've had a lot of chances to push it to the limit and have fun with it.
There are so many things to say about this car and some of it will be review, but I'll start at the top: South Coast Mitsubishi. Sam at South Coast rocks. He's honest, hard working, and generally just cool to deal with. He picked me up at the airport, which was very nice. They already had the deal pretty much done from the day before on the phone, so all I had to do was come in, sign the papers, and drive the car out. I got the car for a few dollars over invoice, got a good interest rate, put a few grand down, and was on my way. They were more than happy to clean it up, but it was raining and I wanted to peel the vinyl and plastic off myself. There is a reason to go to South Coast: Its cheaper than anywhere else in the country, and they give you great service. I don't know any better compliment to bestow on Sam and crew, so I'll stop there.
Lets get the negatives out of the way first. Here's my suck-list:
The interior sucks. Its not the absolute worst, but the competition has it whipped in spades. Granted, the Evo is an unapologetic weekend track toy that is licensed for use on the street, so if you only care about the interior, you probably should buy something else. The plastics used on the dash are really low grade and cheap. The fabric on the seats is much lower quality than what they used on the IX. There is a general low rent touch to most of the controls. I am noticing this because I came out of a BMW. This interior isn't Pontiac Grand Prix crappy, but its infinitely worse than what they are using in a modern 3 series.
The radio sucks. There, I said it. I have an SSS package car, and although it was easily worth its cost for the HIDs and the spoiler, the stereo is not a reason to buy this package. There are some very good factory stereos out there. Case in point? The Logic7 in my 335i made this Rockford Fosgate look like a Kraco radio from the 80s. Sirius is a bit silly, so I'm glad it was free for six months. It sounds very compressed and low quality compared to a CD, and is kind of like listening to MP3s ripped at 64kbps.
The gearing sucks. Its just way too short. The IX gearing was better, but honestly give me VIII gears with a IX 5th and I'd be so happy. Thank goodness this car is more focused on handling, because it will never be a drag racing rockstar since it doesn't attain a very high speed in 4th gear. Unless it can be revved really deep, running elevens on the stock turbo in this car will be the epitome of challenge. Fuel economy is effected by this too. I struggled to hit 23mpg in Texas driving back on flat roads with cruise control (after the engine had 1000 miles on it). The EPA sticker says 16 city, 22 highway. Yikes! This also translates to a bit too much cabin noise, especially on the interstate. Drive faster that 70mph, and it gets a bit loud because of the RPM. When you shut the door on a 3series, you shut the world outside and have nothing to bother you.
The extra weight is a little disheartening. Although you won't feel it in the way the car handles, there is no denying it is there, as acceleration, the aforementioned fuel economy, and braking all suffer because of this. I am all for a lightweight car. A 3500 pound car is just too heavy. A 3500 pound four cylinder is just plain wrong.
The gearbox is notchy and maybe even a little bit crunchy. There are people online already complaining about having a second gear grind. I have a second and third gear notch at upshift if I don't shift slowly or rev the car to close to 4000rpm. In downshifting or in spirited driving, this issue does not exist. With what is supposed to be a better transmission, these things should not be happening in my opinion. I'm a 34 year old dad, and I haven't abused this car a lick.
In typical Evo fashion, this car still has the turning radius of a school bus.
So after all that, it sounds like I hate the car, right? Not so. I'm just trying to give you all a very comprehensive review after putting 2500 miles on it. Here are some of the good things:
The seats are great. The fabric covering them is not the best, but the comfort and bolstering they provide is just phenomenal. I'll go one step further and say they are the best stock seats I've ever used in a car.
I think the steering ratio is an improvement. Its still wicked fast, but the darty edge of it that put it a little too far over the top is gone. You won't have to worry about ending up in a guardrail if you sneeze anymore.
The crazy driveline thrash of the Evo VIII and IX from light throttle in first gear is gone. This car is a lot more civilized in that regard.
Power delivery is nice, but a bit boring with the weight. You saw my dyno a few posts back- its fat, but offers lackluster peak numbers in stock form.
The place this car really just obliterates the IX is the chassis. Its ridiculous good. I know I keep saying it, but this car is screwed together so much better than the older Evos, that its worth lifting them from their graves for a chance to point and laugh. It rides over bumps so much better than the IX, and almost none of the road harshness reaches the wheel. What does reach the wheel is enough feedback to take over the tarmac. You feel like you can correct your line within a couple of millimeters to clip a tiny pebble in the middle of a tire if you wanted to.
But by far the best part of this new car is the fact it get all this and SAYC. I have never had SAYC, and it really truly is the best thing I have ever seen in a turbo AWD performance car. Remember that stupid understeer the Evo VIII and IX had? GONE. Period. In fact, switch all the traction nannies off, but the SAYC remains. And then you can provoke the car into oversteer. I'm not talking about a little bit of throttle on oversteer like an Evo IX with a nice thick rear bar. I'm talking about dori-dori-throw-the-back-end-of-the-car-out-be-careful-or-you-might-crap-your-pants-while-looking-like-a-rear-wheel-drive-ninja oversteer. I hit one of my favorite corners near my home with the traction nannies turned off at about 95% and had to majorly correct the yaw control bit so hard. I think I scared the crap out of the person behind me with them watching the rear end whip around. If that didn't assure them I was nuts, the maniacal laughter and rejoicing that ensued after more than certainly did the trick. Make no mistake, this little beeotch is the best handling car we've had in this country in this segment by a longshot. I'm far from a great driver, but I can't find the limit. You push it further and further and the car just laughs at it and gobbles up more road.
The new Advans are better than the old ones as I mentioned, and the brakes are still great.
I love the styling everywhere except the front from a profile angle. I'm sure I'll get used to it.
This car is not as good of a commuter car as the 335i was, but it a lot more fun (and capable) when driving fast.
If handling was what sucked you into your VIII or IX and 4G63 drag racing heritage is not your thing, run to a dealership and put your name in the hat for an X. Its infinitely better at carving up the twisty sections of road and you won't regret it one bit."
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