Well break in is over and I thought I would give you guys an update now that I've had the EVO for a week.

I'll start with my complaints:
- cup holders suck. They can only fit McDonalds large or coke can size cups. Nothing larger.

- Gas mileage sucks. The first tank I got 17 mpg and the second tank I got 18 mpg. That's all city driving. I think Mitsubishi states 18-26 mpg.

- stereo sucks. The one good point about the stereo is that it's a normal DIN size. So whenever I get around to it, I'll be putting in that MP3 player.

- the speedometer is hard to see and read. When driving, your left arm covers up the speedometer and the font size used is a bit small. I plan on replacing them with reverse indiglow gauges when they come out...hopefully that will fix it.

Now the good stuff:
- The handling is still unbelievable.

- breaks are really good

- The transmission is better now that I've had time to drive it. It's still notchy but it feels really solid. Feels like it's tough enough to stand up to hard shifts.

- The steering is like a go-cart's. Really quick and responsive.

- The power is not linear but there are gobs of it. Power comes on strong from 3k-5k and tapers off a bit from 5k-7k. This is due to the fluxuation of boost from 19 PSI at 3200 rpms to 16.5 PSI at redline. This thing pulls really hard to redline. The pull is very similar to a TransAm LS1.

- the recaro seats are awesome. No matter how quick you take a turn the seats hold you in perfect place.

- I really like having four real doors. Coming from a Chevy Z71 extended cab (same doors to the back as an RX8) it’s much easier to get to the back seats. My biggest gripe with the suicide doors was getting people in and out of the backseat in a parking lot with cars parked next to you. It's one thing that that I really liked about the Ford Supercrews and definitely something to think about if you need to put people/kid(s) in the back seat a lot.

- FUN-O-METER: this thing is off the chart. It's why I bought it without even test driving the RX8 or STi. This car gives you, the driver, so much confidence when driving.

But with every car comes a sacrifice....this one doesn't have the beautiful look of the RX8 or 350z. It's something that I knew getting into the car...but it does have a bit more practicality.

 

Glad to hear you are enjoying the Evo, despite some shortcommings.

 

A ralley red one that had the 30 day tags done a high 12 or low 13 sec pass pretty good but what the guy paid for it was rediculous. $34,000 for a original sticker price of $29,400!!!!!

 

Man, that's too bad that the Evo has so many annoyances. I guess you'll just have to console yourself with the awesome power, awesome handling and awesome braking. :p

Seriously though, I'd bet that in a few weeks, you'll be so used to the car that you won't even notice things like that.

 

sticker price...on the evo...
My area starting price the evo for 34k.

 

The EVO just came out last month and I'm sure there is still some price gouging (pretty standard on any new car). There are plenty being sold for MSRP which with all options (sunroof and carbon fiber wing) comes in at $30217.

 

You don't like the look of the Evo? I actually think the front end of the Evo8 looks very nice, much much better than any Lancer before it. It reminds me of an Orca, graceful yet aggressive. The interior is Evo's weakness, but that's not important on a true performance car like the Evo.

 

It's not that I don't like it. It's just not as eye catching as a 350z or RX8. I really like the look of it though.

Another cool thing is sitting at a stop light watching the heat from the hood vent escape. Kinda makes me feel like I have a jet engine under there. It's stupid but cool.

 

I saw an EVO in person the other day at Best Buy. It definatley looks MUCH, MUCH better in person than it does in pics. Congrats on the car. BTW, the gripes you have with the EVO are no different than the gripes anyone else has in any other car. I have some small gripes with my Audi TT, but overall I love the car and can't wait to drive it everyday. (Though it is pretty damn annoying to not have an armrest ) I think the guy on Car & Driver this weekend said it best: "If you want a car that is perfect for all things and all people, your never going to get it." ... or something to that effect.

 

that actually seems like a really short list to me. i'd expect more annoyances out of the rx8 to be honest.