TT
09-01-2005, 09:56 AM
Hello everybody, another nice ride the other day (yesterday acutally). Again it was a testdrive done by this friend for his website and I was in charge of the pictures.
The idea was to test the EVO VIII before the IX will be launched and to pin it against an Impreza WRX STI to spot the differences. So I was lucky enough to be passenger in both cars obviously, and once again, up and down some mountain passes.
No supercars, but damn fun and quick.
If you are interested in a couple of words about the two cars, here they are: first of all, you have to know the STI was privately owner by a friend of my hero ( ;) ). It has more KM, it is used as a daily drive and as a family car (with child's seats and everything) and it does trackdays too. So, suspensions, steering and even the gearbox can be a bit tired by now.
The EVO beeing a testcar from a garage had still low mileage (and it's also the newer model of course), but abused tires LOL.
That said, from the passenger seat, the EVO feels much more present, agressive and on tip toe! It's reactions are lighting quick, the suspension firm but not too firm and the grip just unbelievable. The seats are very supportive, just perfect and the engine pulls strong. Only downsides are (and we know about it) the turbo lag and the soundtrack which is totally uninspired IMO. Under 3000 rpm you are doomed, the engine just barely crawl to that mark where finally the turbo starts to hiss and kicks you in the butt, that's a pain if you are not used to it, but once you learn to play with the gears you can easily keep it on boil.
The Impreza is, on a general way, more relaxed (not the correct term actually LOL). Suspensions seems softer, the steering less direct and reactions a bit less rapid as far as I could see. Again some massive turbo lag is there.. probably not like cars from the 80s, but really impressive after having seen what a 997 can do on the same mountain road. But the boxer's burble is a much better soundtrack IMO.
Inside both cars are dead basic, with the Subaru beeing slightly better IMO. Anyway you don't buy such car for the luxury, so it is ok.
There was some tougue style chases up and downhill and the feeling is that the EVO has got the edge when the cars are driven on the limit, but on a daily basis the Impreza could be the better choice. Still focused, but not on the edge like the EVO is.
The brakes in the evo seems to fade quite quickly, a simple mountain pass downhill made the pedal travel already longer and the pads less strong, and I won't talk about the smell of abused brakes :D
Last note, to cover some 120 km the EVO swallowed around 26 liters of petrol :shock:
BTW, with this test I am launching a new section of my website, for "in depth photo coverage" ;) enjoy!
Here are some previews, you can find 40 pics by clicking them
http://www.jabbasworld.net/photopost/data/504/medium/Mitsubishi_Lancer_EVO_VIII_017.jpg (http://www.swisscarsightings.com/indepth.html)
http://www.jabbasworld.net/photopost/data/504/medium/Mitsubishi_Lancer_EVO_VIII_027.jpg (http://www.swisscarsightings.com/indepth.html)
http://www.jabbasworld.net/photopost/data/504/medium/Mitsubishi_Lancer_EVO_VIII_028.jpg (http://www.swisscarsightings.com/indepth.html)
http://www.jabbasworld.net/photopost/data/504/medium/Mitsubishi_Lancer_EVO_VIII_041.jpg (http://www.swisscarsightings.com/indepth.html)
http://www.jabbasworld.net/photopost/data/504/medium/Mitsubishi_Lancer_EVO_VIII_and_Impreza_WRX_STI_001 .jpg (http://www.swisscarsightings.com/indepth.html)
For the ones interested, a couple of vids. The quality is as always average, and the onboard is shaky, but it's just a photocamera and I am shooting the vids just for future reference :):
Cornering (from outside, same corner where we got the oeversteer picture) - http://rapidshare.de/files/4576544/evocornering.zip.html
Onboard following the Impreza, downhill - http://rapidshare.de/files/4603532/mitsuevoviigoingdownthemarchariuz.zip.html
Tomorrow a new addition, Mazda RX-8
The idea was to test the EVO VIII before the IX will be launched and to pin it against an Impreza WRX STI to spot the differences. So I was lucky enough to be passenger in both cars obviously, and once again, up and down some mountain passes.
No supercars, but damn fun and quick.
If you are interested in a couple of words about the two cars, here they are: first of all, you have to know the STI was privately owner by a friend of my hero ( ;) ). It has more KM, it is used as a daily drive and as a family car (with child's seats and everything) and it does trackdays too. So, suspensions, steering and even the gearbox can be a bit tired by now.
The EVO beeing a testcar from a garage had still low mileage (and it's also the newer model of course), but abused tires LOL.
That said, from the passenger seat, the EVO feels much more present, agressive and on tip toe! It's reactions are lighting quick, the suspension firm but not too firm and the grip just unbelievable. The seats are very supportive, just perfect and the engine pulls strong. Only downsides are (and we know about it) the turbo lag and the soundtrack which is totally uninspired IMO. Under 3000 rpm you are doomed, the engine just barely crawl to that mark where finally the turbo starts to hiss and kicks you in the butt, that's a pain if you are not used to it, but once you learn to play with the gears you can easily keep it on boil.
The Impreza is, on a general way, more relaxed (not the correct term actually LOL). Suspensions seems softer, the steering less direct and reactions a bit less rapid as far as I could see. Again some massive turbo lag is there.. probably not like cars from the 80s, but really impressive after having seen what a 997 can do on the same mountain road. But the boxer's burble is a much better soundtrack IMO.
Inside both cars are dead basic, with the Subaru beeing slightly better IMO. Anyway you don't buy such car for the luxury, so it is ok.
There was some tougue style chases up and downhill and the feeling is that the EVO has got the edge when the cars are driven on the limit, but on a daily basis the Impreza could be the better choice. Still focused, but not on the edge like the EVO is.
The brakes in the evo seems to fade quite quickly, a simple mountain pass downhill made the pedal travel already longer and the pads less strong, and I won't talk about the smell of abused brakes :D
Last note, to cover some 120 km the EVO swallowed around 26 liters of petrol :shock:
BTW, with this test I am launching a new section of my website, for "in depth photo coverage" ;) enjoy!
Here are some previews, you can find 40 pics by clicking them
http://www.jabbasworld.net/photopost/data/504/medium/Mitsubishi_Lancer_EVO_VIII_017.jpg (http://www.swisscarsightings.com/indepth.html)
http://www.jabbasworld.net/photopost/data/504/medium/Mitsubishi_Lancer_EVO_VIII_027.jpg (http://www.swisscarsightings.com/indepth.html)
http://www.jabbasworld.net/photopost/data/504/medium/Mitsubishi_Lancer_EVO_VIII_028.jpg (http://www.swisscarsightings.com/indepth.html)
http://www.jabbasworld.net/photopost/data/504/medium/Mitsubishi_Lancer_EVO_VIII_041.jpg (http://www.swisscarsightings.com/indepth.html)
http://www.jabbasworld.net/photopost/data/504/medium/Mitsubishi_Lancer_EVO_VIII_and_Impreza_WRX_STI_001 .jpg (http://www.swisscarsightings.com/indepth.html)
For the ones interested, a couple of vids. The quality is as always average, and the onboard is shaky, but it's just a photocamera and I am shooting the vids just for future reference :):
Cornering (from outside, same corner where we got the oeversteer picture) - http://rapidshare.de/files/4576544/evocornering.zip.html
Onboard following the Impreza, downhill - http://rapidshare.de/files/4603532/mitsuevoviigoingdownthemarchariuz.zip.html
Tomorrow a new addition, Mazda RX-8