bradc
1 AYC Bar
I popped into Mitsi in Newmarket where they had a 7000km old 5spd EVO X demonstrator. Went for a quick drive in it and I didn't think it was all that nice. If I had a stock manual VR-4, I'd probably keep the VR-4.
The boot is very small, probably half as long as a VR-4 and not very deep either. 2 people could probably go away in it for the weekend, but definitely not 4. Even my 850CSi has a bigger boot and it is a coupe with only 2 (useable) seats.
Road noise and manners were it's strong point. Very quiet, no wind or tyre noise and even on 245/40/18 tyres there was less tramlining and less crashing over bumps compared to my car. It felt similar to a stock VR-4 on stock 225/50/16 tyres. The one I drove did have the uprated suspension though, maybe that plays a part. It felt better than my car.
The brakes are outstanding. Lots of feel and they bite very early, just about threw the sales guy out of the seat when I stood on them
Visability isn't great, the rear wing makes it completely hopeless to look out of and the C pillar is quite large. Good out through the front though, easy to see where the end of the bonnet is. I didn't sit in the rear but there is just as much room in the back as there is in a VR-4, more than enough for normal height people.
The handbrake is on the wrong side of the car, designed for the passenger to pull it up, or a big fat american. I found doing hill starts a bit difficult simply because I had to reach across so far. It's a jap car, screw the stupid american's!
The dash looks nasty, as does the steering wheel. The leather on the steering wheel was nice though, but the centre is just too big. The quality on the top of the dash on a VR-4 looks and feels quite a bit better, there are acres of hard plastic on the dash. The seperated dials in their own little cowlings just seemed strange to me and I thought the speedo dial was quite small and a bit hard to focus on. It goes up to 300kmh which is strange considering the car is only geared for 241kmh at 7000rpm. It would have been better to get rid of the cowlings and go for a 240kmh speedo.
The gearbox felt just like mine, no surprise there considering they are the still the same box, perhaps a bit notchier but it always felt like it would find the gear and it had a nice short throw. I didn't see an SST one there, but the guy told me one will be there next week if I'd like to drive it. The gearing on the 5 speed is quite short, even compared to a manual VR-4. At 6000rpm the speeds in each gear are 55, 81, 109, 144, 207, whereas a VR-4 is 52, 83, 124, 169, 228. They've made the gears short to get over the turbo lag, but driving at 3200rpm at normal motorway cruise speed of 110kmh seemed a bit silly. They really should have made the manual a 6 speed gearbox like in the 8 and 9.
The engine however was the big let down. There is NOTHING beneath 3000rpm, even in 2nd gear it takes some time to start moving. It also felt like a VR-4 engine above 5500rpm, just a bit flat and it did feel past it by 6000rpm. I took it all the way to the cutout at 7500rpm and while it was very quiet through the entire rev range, it didn't sound very nice and felt like I was trashing it. Contrasting a VR-4 or an N/A 6A13 which just sounds happier and happier the higher you take it, I was very disappointed. You need to rev it to get anything out of it, but it doesn't sound as if it likes revving. We've definitely got the much better engine. It doesn't punch you back at 4000rpm either like a VR-4 with instanta boost. I floored it at 4000rpm both in 2nd and 3rd from a steady speed and it took a little while for the turbo to spin up, then it accelerated at about the speed of a stock VR-4.
Overall it is a nice car and if you are the type that buys a car new and has it for 3 years then sells it, without needing to carry anyone around or any luggage, it is a fine car, still quick around corners but very quiet and civilised, better than a VR-4 and the various 7/8/9's I've been in.
I think they've tried to make it exactly half way between the EVO 7/8/9 and the VR-4, more refined but still quick and overall I think it isn't ideal. They would have been better to keep it 200kg lighter and have more of the impact and design cues of the old EVO 5/6 and then make a larger, more executive car like the VR-4 is. If I had an EVO 7/8/9 I was driving every day, then then EVO X would make a nice upgrade, but I wouldn't change a VR-4 for one, even at the same price! The lack of lag, more boot room and V6 sound are all just too good
If mitsi can make a 2.0L drive like the 2.5L V6 (ignoring the lag) I'd love to see what a 2008 or 2009 VR-4 would be like with the 6B31 engine from the V6 Outlander and a few turbos in a slightly larger car, around 4.7-4.8 metres instead of the 4.5m long EVO X.
Concept ZT anyone?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_6B3_engine
http://www.worldcarfans.com/9070907....debut-in-tokyo
The boot is very small, probably half as long as a VR-4 and not very deep either. 2 people could probably go away in it for the weekend, but definitely not 4. Even my 850CSi has a bigger boot and it is a coupe with only 2 (useable) seats.
Road noise and manners were it's strong point. Very quiet, no wind or tyre noise and even on 245/40/18 tyres there was less tramlining and less crashing over bumps compared to my car. It felt similar to a stock VR-4 on stock 225/50/16 tyres. The one I drove did have the uprated suspension though, maybe that plays a part. It felt better than my car.
The brakes are outstanding. Lots of feel and they bite very early, just about threw the sales guy out of the seat when I stood on them
Visability isn't great, the rear wing makes it completely hopeless to look out of and the C pillar is quite large. Good out through the front though, easy to see where the end of the bonnet is. I didn't sit in the rear but there is just as much room in the back as there is in a VR-4, more than enough for normal height people.
The handbrake is on the wrong side of the car, designed for the passenger to pull it up, or a big fat american. I found doing hill starts a bit difficult simply because I had to reach across so far. It's a jap car, screw the stupid american's!
The dash looks nasty, as does the steering wheel. The leather on the steering wheel was nice though, but the centre is just too big. The quality on the top of the dash on a VR-4 looks and feels quite a bit better, there are acres of hard plastic on the dash. The seperated dials in their own little cowlings just seemed strange to me and I thought the speedo dial was quite small and a bit hard to focus on. It goes up to 300kmh which is strange considering the car is only geared for 241kmh at 7000rpm. It would have been better to get rid of the cowlings and go for a 240kmh speedo.
The gearbox felt just like mine, no surprise there considering they are the still the same box, perhaps a bit notchier but it always felt like it would find the gear and it had a nice short throw. I didn't see an SST one there, but the guy told me one will be there next week if I'd like to drive it. The gearing on the 5 speed is quite short, even compared to a manual VR-4. At 6000rpm the speeds in each gear are 55, 81, 109, 144, 207, whereas a VR-4 is 52, 83, 124, 169, 228. They've made the gears short to get over the turbo lag, but driving at 3200rpm at normal motorway cruise speed of 110kmh seemed a bit silly. They really should have made the manual a 6 speed gearbox like in the 8 and 9.
The engine however was the big let down. There is NOTHING beneath 3000rpm, even in 2nd gear it takes some time to start moving. It also felt like a VR-4 engine above 5500rpm, just a bit flat and it did feel past it by 6000rpm. I took it all the way to the cutout at 7500rpm and while it was very quiet through the entire rev range, it didn't sound very nice and felt like I was trashing it. Contrasting a VR-4 or an N/A 6A13 which just sounds happier and happier the higher you take it, I was very disappointed. You need to rev it to get anything out of it, but it doesn't sound as if it likes revving. We've definitely got the much better engine. It doesn't punch you back at 4000rpm either like a VR-4 with instanta boost. I floored it at 4000rpm both in 2nd and 3rd from a steady speed and it took a little while for the turbo to spin up, then it accelerated at about the speed of a stock VR-4.
Overall it is a nice car and if you are the type that buys a car new and has it for 3 years then sells it, without needing to carry anyone around or any luggage, it is a fine car, still quick around corners but very quiet and civilised, better than a VR-4 and the various 7/8/9's I've been in.
I think they've tried to make it exactly half way between the EVO 7/8/9 and the VR-4, more refined but still quick and overall I think it isn't ideal. They would have been better to keep it 200kg lighter and have more of the impact and design cues of the old EVO 5/6 and then make a larger, more executive car like the VR-4 is. If I had an EVO 7/8/9 I was driving every day, then then EVO X would make a nice upgrade, but I wouldn't change a VR-4 for one, even at the same price! The lack of lag, more boot room and V6 sound are all just too good
If mitsi can make a 2.0L drive like the 2.5L V6 (ignoring the lag) I'd love to see what a 2008 or 2009 VR-4 would be like with the 6B31 engine from the V6 Outlander and a few turbos in a slightly larger car, around 4.7-4.8 metres instead of the 4.5m long EVO X.
Concept ZT anyone?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_6B3_engine
http://www.worldcarfans.com/9070907....debut-in-tokyo
