Got to drive a friend's lightly-modded Evo yesterday. Wow. My experience was pretty much spot-on with what everyone else has been saying.

Just turning the engine was something else - deep, loud growl plus a high-pitched whoosh. Sounded like it meant business even when standing still.

The quick steering ratio is awesome - what would be mere slop in my WRX steering causes a quick lane change on the Evo. Totally controllable though, makes me want that Quik-rack even more.

Great tires - when I first backed out of the garage, I thought I had the ebrake set :P On the road the tires complement the steering and braking very well - really contributes to the "sharpness" of the car.

More boost + power of course. Coming from a WRX, the EVO had very little lag. Can't wait to drive an STi

Bunch of other stuff too, but it's every bit the serious race car. Did it make me want to trade up? Nah...but it does make me want to mod my own car

 

thats was the same impression i got. the power didnt seem to incredible though. felt like a mildly modded wrx with a bit less lag.

 

Yeah, didn't seem like an otherworldly difference in power, though it was certainly noticeable. It was really the other details that made the big difference.

I'm beginning to agree that the stock WRX is a little too low on low-end power though - it would be nice to have some punch below the 3000-3500 rpm mark.

Also, one thing I forgot to mention earlier - the suspension is not stiff at all - definitely nothing in comparison to a stock RX-7. I could drive through bumpy roads all day in that bucket.

 

steering is the good thing

 

yeah **** Subaru for not putting multilink w/A-arms on teh impreza...

 

Please don't tell me this means the Lancer OZ Rally Edition has better total potential for suspension/handling :banana:

 

no, I mean if teh Legacy can have it, why the hell can't teh Impreza...

plus, I could give two ****s about teh Lancer OZ, but its a fact that part of what makes teh EVO handle nice is teh rear suspension...

 

hate to say it but I would drive an Evo. Glad I have the subbie though, itchin to be modded faster. I had a 1990 Turbo Eclispse modded to 270 and it was so much fun in the day to romp on 5.0's before rice was big.

 

i was pretty inpressed with the evo. it had great power and handling, for a rental car!!

 

LMAO @ Rental!!!

I liek the way they feel, but they are fugly. I really dont like the looks.

But then again I hate the '04 tail light set-up on the subies too....where did that round spot come from? Make it flat and it would be :banana:...

--Robb

 

Yah steering response feels like you're driving a bus with the wrx (ok it's not that bad but you get the point). My old 86 Jetta had better steering response than the wrx. But I still like the wrx for its overall package.

 

i actually like the round spot, but i dont really liek the front end, but then looking at vividracing's project 04 red rex that thing is very nice. do dealers at mitsu let u test drive? or are they like some subaru dealers that doesn't let u test drive the STi's??

 

I dunno about test-drives, but my friend said that a local dealer had an evo at 500 over invoice (I should have asked if it was a test-drive car), so chances are you can find a place that will let you test drive.

I HIGHLY recommend doing so if you can - heck, get one of the Evo guys in BAIC to give you a ride if the dealers are being jerks - the total feel between an Evo and a WRX is really night and day.

The pedals and gearing/rpm-drop-rate/whatever are beautifully set up for heel/toe and double-clutching too, although I definitely found myself doing a lot less of it as there was a slightly wider power band than on the wrx.

 

I test drove WORKS' EVO. Extremely impressed with the steering response, as everyone else in the whole world has stated, and I loved the Recaro seats. Powerwise, I wasn't impressed. It's definitely quick, but not compared to my STi. The suspension seemed a tad bit stiffer than on my car.

Overall, I'm glad I made the right decision and went with the STi. Don't think I could have lived with myself if I had to look at the interior in the EVO everyday. The exterior is not much better, IMHO.

 

Forget the Works Evo, test drive a Vishnu Stage 1 Evo. I drove my friend's Stage 1 Evo and it's amazing. A stock Evo falls flat above 5500rpm while the Stage 1 pulls hard to redline. 50whp is exactly what the Evo needs.

Doesn't quite pack the low end torque of the STi, but the driving experience is alot more enjoyable, IMHO. Both the Evo and the STi are the best cars on the market for 30K, but Mitsubishi will be getting my paycheck next year.