Various information on the VR-4, courtesy of Iron Chef Imports:
Fuel consumption - very good for what it is. I used to regularly get 10l/100km and less on country trips, depending on what cruising speed I chose lol. Like all turbos, can go up rapidly when you drive hard, and the tank isn't overly large on them. They are AWESOME open road cars - passing road trains was a hoot! Could easily be done in 5th just letting the torque do the work, but 3rd was much more fun. Smile
Handling - firmer than a normal Commo, but certainly not Evo hard. I would've preferred it a little harder but then you compromise comfort for everyday use. Perfect for what it is - an executive express.
Seats - pretty average for a sports car as far as holding you in, but easy to get comfortable in. The Recaro factory option on the series 2s (and the Super VR-4s series 1) is a much better deal. Velour trim is very hard wearing and leather the same, although you tend to slide a bit when pushing hard. If you plan to upgrade your performance, factor in seats too.
Trans - I bought a manual, but having driven the auto, I think the nature of the motor is much better suited to the auto. Turbos are quite small, giving it an excellent midrange but leaving it breathless higher up (although the motor itself revs really freely). The series 1 autos only had 260ps, then went to 280ps in the series 2s. Not as quick as a manual off the line, but still move pretty quick.
Maintenance - I used Ultratune, beleive it or not. Mitsu Oz were a waste of time and money. Didn't want to know it. I made good friends with the service dept at Auckland Motors Mitsubishi (absolute legends), and they faxed the Ultratune blokes all the parts needed for various services and the cost, then we just ordered them in advance and serviced it when they arrived. The only big job I did was the clutch, and even though the plate is exactly the same as a manual Magna, it was cheaper for me to import one from NZ than buy locally - go figure...
