I have just test drove a used, 2003, Evo 8 with Vishnu upgrades, giving the car around 400 horsepower at the crank, 330 at the wheels. Wow, what a car. I really regret buying the Crossfire over this. The car was so stable, the clutch was so easy to use, and the shifting was simply amazing (in particular, my downshifts where so much quicker, where as in the Crossfire, you need to match revs exactly or else the car will lurch a little bit). With the Crossfire, the shifts are balky, long, and so rubbery-feeling. The Evo, on the other hand was pure magic...Direct, crisp shifts, and a clutch that seemed so much more forgiving than the Crossfire. The power on the top end was very impressive, with the sound of the turbo at full song. This is simply the best car I have ever driven.

The problems:
-The car was great, but the brake pedal seemed overly firm, not as smooth and progressive as the Crossfire.
-The seat was very comfy, but the side bolsters interfered slightly with my elbow when shifting
-Interior looks cheap
-absolutely no power below 3000 rpms, but the car's power deliver was much more smoother than the regular Evo's
-clutch was easy to use but lacked feel..maybe I just have to get used to it
-rear spoiler interfears with the rearward visibility
-My Crossfire is leased, and I am not willing to take the loss
-Interior at highway speeds is noisey...loud magnaflow exhaust system
-the only other car I have ever driven aggresively was the Crossfire, so I don't know if I really have any true experience to base my opinions on

All in all, the Evo was a great car, but it is a different car. It's power is up high instead of down low, making the Crossfire seem much faster around town. The brakes need much more effort to slow the car down (maybe the brakes are just worn down). The car is much more practical than the Crossfire, and the ride is not as stiff as people assume it is, it's body control is kept to a minimum when hitting potholes and other road irregularities. The steering is extremeley quick, which means you need to pay more attention to the car on the highway or else you may end up on the other side of the road in no time. The Evo that I drove was fast, and very confidence-inspring. But it doesn't have the comfort of the Crossfire or the styling that attracts the right class of people. The people who noticed the Evo were young gangster kids smoking a cigarette, and not those people who have more refined tastes. And finally, the car was too loud on the highway to enjoy the radio or have a conversation with friends, the exhaust would have to change. We will just have to see how the rest of the family feels about me getting this car.

 

it is a badass car and is better than the crossfire in every way.

 

Yeah... Right...NOT!

 

how do you think the crossfire is better?

 

We must all realize that the "betterness" of a car is a subjective matter. With this in mind, some will find the Crossfire better, while others will find the Mitsubishi better. I think harry7 prefers the Crossfire simply because it belongs to a group that is more refined than the Mitsubishi. You don't see the Crossfire racing anyone, you just see it effortlessly cruising by. The Mitsu, on the other hand, is more radical, and is more often linked to reckless teens, and so harry7 probably just doesn't want to be associated with that group. Maybe harry7 doesn't care much about performance, he rather bases the "betterness: of a car on the look of the car, which is not wrong at all. In my opinion, the Mitsubishi is a better car because I feel that performace is what makes a car better, and there is no denying that a 400 horsepower Evo will be slower than a Crossfire.

 

Not exactly. I base it on the fact that I would not want to do 150 in a hopped up econobox. The car was not designed for the power or the speed. But you are right about the associations. I would more likely be testing the limits of my car on a twisting rural road listening to Mozart rather than "drifting" in a parking lot and listening to rap.

 

Now I must disagree with you when you say that the Mitsubishi is not designed for the power or the speed...everything on the car is upgraded to allow the car to handle the power, and the chassis has been significantly reinforced by more than 250 extra welds. Harry7, have you driven an Evo? The car feels absolutely stable and glued to the road, and capable of handling any amount of horsepower it is given.

 

you are an idiot when you say that, the car was defitly designed for the power, the Lancer Evolution GSR VIII is the cummualtion of 10 years of rallying and racing, they know what they are doing more than you do.

 

I've driven lancers. They are a pos period. I don't care how much you upgrade a pos, it's still a pos underneath. Kind of like making a silk purse out of a sows ear. If you want that type of car, drive an Audi S4 then tell me how great the Evo is. I even like the WRX more. And as for the rally cars, do you really think you would be getting the same car? The factory cars are probably worth $150k or more. Epyon, judging by your age, 2/3 of the planet has more knowledge and experience than you. Golfdude, dump the crossfire and get the Evo. I'm sure in 6 months something better will come along.You said the car felt stable and glued to the road. Just how hard and fast were you able to drive in on a test drive? I am biased. I hate front wheel drive. I don't think Japanese cars have any "soul" I don't like the idea of pushing a small displacement engine to the outer limits of it's capability. I'm a throw back to a different era. If you ever get the chance, drive a 12 cyl. Italian car. The engine sound is a symphony. The car is sculpture. The epitome of "soul"

 

I think I wouldn't mind driving an EVO ,but I wouldn't want to own one ! And I'm sure I would never enjoy washing one .

 

Harry7, I hope you know that the Evo is all wheel drive. It sounds like you have driven the Lancer, which is a front wheel drive POS!! The Evo is different, totally different car when driven. Yes, the interior is cheap, the 2005's with leather look real sharp I must say, especially with the Recaro seats. But the driving experience is second to none. Ohh yeah, and I did drive a 550 Maranello in Italy to over 140mph, and the sound of the engine was sweet, but the car is way too expensive. And, with around $60,000, I could build a worked Evo that will tear up that Ferrari. Who cares, though, because I accept your ideas of a better car being more refined and more mature. The S4, for example, is just that. But, it is still slower than the Evo in every way, street or track.

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enjoy!!!

 

Evo is a mitsubishi. Enough said. You want something that will always need something fixed? Go and get it. Vishnu is also a dyno jockey. His real world numbers are crap. I have been in the DSM scene for many years. I walked away from it all after the money being spent never stopped. Broken parts, downtime, always wrenching on something. Forget it.

If you are serious about getting an evo, want to make more power, better times, go with these guys:

http://buschurracing.com/

They have had better power results with the stock turbo than vishnu can do with his most expensive system. Dave Buschur was the first guy to hit sub 10s in the 1/4 with a dsm. Same motor as in the evo. Vishnu is looked down on by the entire dsm family. He is a great sales guy. You've been warned =)

 

If you're going to spend $60k on an Evo, how about a Lotus Elise? Very fast with a 190 hp Toyota engine. Extreme handling. You could certainly push the toyota to 300 hp and nothing could touch you. Of course the Lotus is going to be a maintainence nightmare also.

 

you are the epitiome of idiot, SHUT your mouth when you dont know what your talking about.

the Evo uses a All-time AWD not FWD.

The baseline Lancer is nothing like the Evo.

they use different engines and chassis, just the name is the same.

the crossfire cannot offer anything that is better than the Evo.

supposly luxury??? cmon spray painted climate control *****? wow thats real luxury. you have never heard the soul of an Evo at full boost.

 

Harry7, I have always thought of the Lotus Elise with a modified engine. But, the Elise has narrow rear tires, limiting it's ability to put all the power down. If you give the car wider rear tires, you would upset the car's handling abilities (more understeer). The Evo has all wheel drive, allowing maximum power to the wheels from a stand still. All wheel drive is the best for stand-start acceleration with street tires in most ways, except for, weight.
DFWSBR, one of the problems with the Evo is the high maintenance costs due to expensive costs. Speaking to an Evo mechanics, these high costs are due to stupid, abusive drivers. Any car can last a along time without malfunction if they are driven responsibly. I haven't seen any recalls for the Evo, by the way.

 

Listen Numb Nuts Epyon, I wasn't saying that the Evo was Front wheel drive. I was saying that I don't like front wheel drive, japanese cars, opr small engines pushed to their limit. You have all the class of a paper cup.

 

How old are you Epyon?

 

Is that you in your gallery?

 

Guys lets face it the evo is quick . But it is what it is a really hooked up lancer. If you put $60,000 in the crossfire it will smoke a Ferrari aswell. if you put as much as they did in to the lancer in a crossfire it would be a really respected sportscar on the street as well. .02$

 

Man wish i came apon this thread sooner. LOL Golfdude, dont know if you remember any of my posts I the guy always saying i should have gotten an EVO instead of the crossfire. And least someone now sees were i am coming from. And to the epsin or whatever your persona name is, not being rude just dont remember. Calling the EVO a pos and the S4 a great car is laughable. I am a huge fan of both, but the the S4 more than has its share of problems, electrical and its clutch are just a few. And Golfdude there is no reason to put 60k into an evo to beat a 550 maranello. It already would out handle it. Put a coupe grand into it. Turbo back exhaust, sheild short ram, and a AEM FMU, and you would be well around 320whp, combined with a few other tricks would make it a low 12 car. All for a coupe grand or so. More than enough to spank a ferrari.

But you said you dont want to take the hit, I am still thinking about it. Its a hard decision to make. Now you know why i call the crossfire slow, just for kicks drive a 03 cobra or a mach 1, power on demand. Just that they have limited handling, The cobra's IRS helps alot though.

The other guy is right about Buschur also, when i get my evo, thats where i think im going. And the dsm is just like any other boosted car that is beat on that runs on boost, when you crank up a dsm with 70k on to 14psi something is going to break. I had one a 94 talon tsi AWD, stuff broke on it yes, only because i was racing it. EVO is the better car.