Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
 

A local dealer called yesterday and said they have one that just arrived. Since it was their only one, they wouldn't let anyone test drive it unless they had orderred one. So I just sat in it and took a couples of pics.

I admitted the Evo looks better in person. The rear-end doesn't seems as ugly as I thought. Nothing fancy about the interior. It's basic, no frill. The Momo steering wheels fitted nicely in the hands. The Recardo seats are snug and very supportive. I hope the RX-8 seats are the same ways. The wheels and brakes are just awesome; gotta love those 4-pistons Brembo. Its MSRP is near $30k with the optional carbon-fiber wing. It wasn't pre-ordered so they decided to tack $5k mark-up on it. If it wasn't for the RX-8, the Evo would be near the top of my list.

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I just am not excited about the looks of the Evo VIII, I know someone who ordered one, and I'm sure he will like it, it just looks like any other cheap 4 door, with an extremely obnoxious spoiner on the back. I'm sure it is a very fast car, and handles nice, but it just looks cheap... like someone bought a normal Lancer and riced it out... poorly... I'm not trying to get flamed, just stating an opinion. Performance isn't everything to me, I need something that's going to catch an eye also.

I'd agree, but I don't care what OTHERS think about it... I care what I think about it. That said, I don't think the Lancer's interior is very livable for me.

I think its a nice car if you only care about performance. Dunno how it do as a daily driver.....I've heard about bad ride quality. Can anyone confirm this?

Some of the guys on evolutionm.net who got them said its not too bad for a performance car. Its not going to be cushy, but it certainly sounds doable as a daily driver.

While it sounds like a fun car, I just can't get over the fact that it's still a Lancer- I had a basic Lancer as a rental car on business (my company is cheap) and didn't feel like I was actually in the car- more like I was perched on top of it. It was also too boxy for me in the looks department.

Note: I'm sure the Evo is a blast to drive- but I couldn't, personally, deal with the looks. Yes, I'm a snob.

mitsubishi is much more than a performance...that thing is just as fun to drive as the rx8... though i never drove neither of the 2 car "yet" I am just guessing it due to the AWD "I have tested a wrx subaru". If it weren't for the rx-8 that would be my next option to get... The car does kinda look a little riced in the front, just the front.

...meh, i don't need to spend +$50k (cdn) on some burned-from-the-factory-rice-kabob... the engine is good, and the AWD system, well, i don't know anything about it....
what i still can't get though is how this chassis can be considered "capable" being based on an extremely medocre econobox... whatever.
if i see a Lancer in real racing (the Mitsu WRX is NOT a Lancer in the sense this one is... even though that one relatively sucks ass, even to to the Hyundai) and it does well, i might consider a second look with a more respectabe approach, but until that day...

meh.

it DOES look better in that colour, and in GoodDuck's pics, but front and back is just atrocious... but i could certainly live in that interior day in/day out. :) i'm not that choosey.

As far as performance, the Evo is very capable. It started out as an econobox, but they vastly improved its internal structures. I've read somewhere that it's over twice as rigid as the regular Lancer. I don't think there is anything under $35k that will beat it in term of performance and handling. That said, I still prefer the styling of the RX-8 over the Evo. The RX-8 is more well-rounded.

Cars ownership does not have to be a monogamous relationship. I like lots of cars. It's unfortunate that I can only afford one. If I could swing it, I would buy them all; the 350Z, Evo, WRX Sti, MINI S and of course the RX-8. But then again I would be stupid not to get the 360 Modena and the 911 GT3. So many cars, so little money. Sigh...

I like it, very vicious looking thing

I feel your pain, but at this point in the game I can't even afford one car :( -

I feel your pain 2... If I had the money... rx-8 as my daily driver, sti for my perfomance car, e55 for my luxury.

Man I want those cars... sob sob... OH wellz I am getting one of them though.

I think they ruined the Evo with the VIII. The front grill is just straight out ugly. I loved the Evo VII even though it performed poorly in the WRC. The gave us a more crap version of their AWD system and they changed the front and back stylings so they can put the car in the crappy movie Fast and Furious 2. I was really thinking about this car and the RX-8 but Mitsu just changed too much from the VII to VII. O well what can you do?

I....
 

like EVOVIII but only the performance part...y couldnt car makers make a car that has performace and good quality ? is it that hard to make? i think Mazda did, RX8 of course.....but of all the EVOs in the past and present I love the EVO VI the best.....:)

The evo VIII didn't even just work on performance because the evo VII offered in Japan and Europe had a better awd system. For the US mitsu decided to keep prices down by giving us a worse awd system. Even with the worse awd system the prices are way over 30k and the interior looks like crap?? What was mitsu thinking? I remember back when I started comparing various cars rx-8, evo VII, 350z, wrx sti the magazines stated that the cars will be under 30k. I also heard at one point that because of such competition in the sports car market they might even price their cars closer to 25-27k.