This was really an awesome idea for a comparison IMHO. Two big thumbs up to MT. Here's a link to the article on the Evolution forums. The thread starter works for the magazine...

Motor Trend test data: RS vs. GSR vs. MR

|-------------------------------------------------------------|
| Evo | VIII | MR | RS |
|-------------------------------------------------------------|
| 0-30 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| 0-40 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 2.2 |
| 0-50 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.3 |
| 0-60 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.3 |
| 0-70 | 6.5 | 6.4 | 6.0 |
| 0-80 | 8.3 | 8.0 | 7.7 |
| 0-90 | 11.0 | 10.5 | 10.0 |
| 0-100 | 13.5 | 13.1 | 12.6 |
| 1/4 mile | 13.5@100 | 13.4@102 | 13.1@102.8 |
| Brake,100-0 | 322 | 316 | 341 |
| brake,60-0 | 111 | 111 | 112 |
| 600ft slalom | 70.9mph | 70.1mph | 69.3mph |
| 200ft skid pad | .94 | .95 | .95 |
| roadcourse lap sec. | 92.07 | 91.80 | 92.15 |
|-------------------------------------------------------------|

 

Interesting stuff. The ABS makes a huge difference, apparently, since the RS is almost 100lbs lighter than the other two Evos but still takes an extra 10% more distance to stop from 100 mph. It also looks like the spoiler adds a lot of drag, negatively impacting straight line acceleration, but may make a difference around a road course, although the brakes probably have a much bigger impact on that time. Hard to tell which one is making the difference, since we don't know what the road course actually was.

 

i thoguth MRs r suppose to be the best out of all versions? how come it seems the slowest..?

 

Peak boost for Evos seems to have a pretty decent variance, I bet that explains the difference in acceleration more than anything else.

 

If I understand correctly tho--all EVOs will be brought up to the 276HP on the MR--plus the MR is the top range because it has been tuned to be more civilized--as far as performance goes--the RS is the top dawg--cause it foregoes alot of stuff we take for granted-like radio/sound deadening etc.

 

All three trims have the exact same engine/turbo combo. I believe for '05 it's at 276hp/284tq. The only variables are curb weight, transmission, ABS, EBD, and spoiler. As far as the braking. I think electronic brake force distribution (EBD) made a much more significant difference on the braking distances than ABS. An experienced driver can beat ABS numbers if he/she know a thing or two about threshold braking. On the other hand, no human being can duplicate EBD.

 

Obligatory "600 foot slalom?" comment.

wow, those cars handle like poo!

 

Another thing that may have an effect is the Active Center Differential (ACD) and how it's set on the MR. I don't know if they put that rev limiter thing on all the Evos or not for the new models but I have read somewhere that with the MR they cannot rev above something like 5000rpms in 1st for a launch (which as I mentioned before I don't know is across the board)!

 

The ACD is the same on all three. There are three settings: snow, gravel, & tarmac. I know for a fact that for '05 the MR and GSR have a 5k RPM launch limiter. Motor Trend claims the RS does too, but I've heard from a couple '05 RS owners that isn't the case. I'll let you all know in a few days when I pick my RS up from the dealership.

 

Man am I getting out of touch!

Besides possibly a few minor differences I couldn't find a whole lot described to be different with the cars besides the RS's obviously big weight advantage and lack of wing! I know that the MR was supposed to have some weight saving measures but they don't seem to show much! Maybe Ike has hit it directly on the head!

 

Check out this link from the Mitsubishi website. It gives an easy-to-read comparison of the three Evo trims...

http://www.mitsubishicars.com/MMSA/j...pecs.jsp?t=all

 

Why does the US always get the "tamed" versions of Euro/Jap models?
Two of the biggest examples over the past couple of years are the M3 and Evo MR.

In the UK, the new MR will hit 0-60mph in a claimed 3.5-3.7 secs. Yikes!

 

We have the California smog ***** to thank for that. Bringing cars to the other 49 states in easy. Making a car 50 state legal is a PITA though.

 

The only MR that hits 0-60 in 3.5 secs is the FQ400 which is a special model produced in very limited numbers that is also quite a bit more expensive (would be about 60k here) than other Evos.

 

There is a first gear rev limiter on the MR, my neighbor has one. It's there actually as a warrenty issue. Strange that a company would give you a 10 year powertran warrenty on all models including the all mighty EVO when they are about to go bankrupt again if the do not get a 1.2 billion dollar loan from Mits. Industrial.

 

I think it would be stranger if a struggling company wasn't improving their warranty in order to attract new customers.