Just test driven an EVO VI and.....
15 September 1999, 12:49 AM
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First of all I'll state my reasons for test driving the Lancer EVO VI. I never really intended to buy one but wanted to build my own opinion on the Mitsubishi that nearly all magazines call the fastest "real world" car money can buy. I needed to know whether it was significantly better than my Scoob.
The test drive was arranged with Nelmes of Romford Essex (01708 381655) who provided the same car (light blue/turquoise reg M6 GSR) that has appeared in many magazines. It had endured 13k miles of constant abuse (pointed out by the dealer) but no doubt many parts had been replaced and the car had been expertly serviced. I tested the car Tuesday afternoon and I should point out that this car had spent the previous day being blasted around Cadwell. I had been invited to this event by the dealer but couldn't get the time off work.
The car I use for comparison is my 4 month old 4k mile MY99 fitted with ScoobySport back box and ITG filter. This car has been dyno'd at 239 bhp@6100 and 231 lbs@2800 and competes against Mitsubishi claimed 276@6500 and 274@3000 respectively. This would give the EVO a +15% power advantage but it weighs roughly 100kg or 7% more. I have never driven an STI or 22B and will not pass comments on these.
Sitting side by side in the dealer car park my Impreza looked timid compared to the EVO VI. The EVO's wide arches, filled with 17" OZ alloys and carrying massive Brembo brakes, not to mention the dual fin rear spoiler made the car look bloody evil. Every panel and spoiler bulged with muscles and the car I didn't like the look of in magazines suddenly appeared better in real life. The EVO still reminded me of my overweight Aunt wearing too much makeup though whereas the Subaru's bonnet intake and rear spoiler didn't look aggressive anymore. The EVO looked both very high and very low, the suspension settings being much lower but the roofline taller than my car. The Subaru is definately the better looking car.
Inside the cars the Mitsubishi wins. The EVO's dashboard is more modern and apart from the lights/wipers being on the wrong side, the controls are excellently placed. The Recaro seats also seem a tad more supportive and there is masses of headroom. I'm 6ft4 and still had 2 inches of space above my head.
The test drive started with the dealer in the hot seat. It had just stopped raining and the conditions couldn't have been better. He did his best to scare the crap out of me by bouncing the car off the rev limiter, weaving in and out of traffic and using extreme late braking. We headed towards some quietish twisty B roads where he continued to show off his driving ability before parking the car in a pub and passing the keys to me. His instructions were "abuse the car and try and get the backend out".
Headed out of the pub car park and blasted past a few lone drivers before getting stuck behind a bus and a lorry on some blind twisty bits. Some kids on the bus noticed the EVO and started throwing bloody big round things (conkers I think) at the car. My co-driver wasn't best pleased as these bounced off the windscreen and bonnet and as soon as the road straightened, the 2nd/3rd gear acceleration rocketed the car past bus and lorry instantly. I then continued to go for it as fast and safely as I could ripping up tarmac and overtaking everything in sight.
The handling of the car was better than anything I have driven before and the tyres seemed to grip where there was no grip. When cornering extremely hard I could actually feel and hear mechanical noises coming from the back of the car. I can only assume this was the much talked about YAW control doing its job of steering the rear wheels around. I managed to get the rear end out twice and only by a smidgen each time. The first time was on a large roundabout where I deliberately broke hard into it and the second was on a tight right-hander which I powered out of. Both times a combination of the YAW control and little opposite lock pulled the car back effortlessly. The EVO seemed perfectly balanced and unlike my Scoob the front wheels gripped accelerating into and out of the tightest of corners.
Now for the bit about acceleration. This car is fast, bloody fast in any gear except 5th. The gear ratios are much lower than my UK Impreza with 2nd showing about 55mph on the redline and 3rd wouldn't go much past 85. This is against 70mph and 97 in the Scoob. The gearchange was also a bit naff. The box felt tight and new (probably been replaced) but it was hard work getting it into 1st gear, I even had to pull away from standstill once in 2nd. Changes through the gears were smooth and very similar to the Subaru and the clutch was very progressive. The ratios certainly do keep the turbo on the boil and like the Subaru there is also very little lag present. To be completely honest though, I was a little disappointed with the pace of the EVO. Much has been written about its acceleration and perhaps the car has been praised too much. I was expecting my Scoob to feel slow when I got back into the drivers seat but it didn't. It did feel slower than the EVO but not by as much as most mags suggest. I thought those extra 40 horses and lower ratios would have made a huge difference but they did not. What least impressed me was the sound of the EVO's engine. It was smooth but compared to a Subaru boxer (even without SS back box) it had no bass. It sounded like any modern 2 litre engine but with the turbo whistle.
The power of the EVO's brakes is huge and combined with its 225/45 Bridgestone tyres gave massive stopping performance. The ABS did not appear to cut in once despite some heavy braking in places where you would feel the Impreza's pedal vibrating with ABS onset. The brake pedal on the Mitsubishi did feel very mushy but this was probably due to abuse suffered at Cadwell the day before.
So for the conclusion. The EVO is the fasted and best handling car I have ever driven. Its brakes are hugely impressive and it has very high build quality. Compared to any other performance car except the Subaru it is a bargain. That it is a better car than the UK Impreza Turbo is obvious. But it is not that much better. The Impreza gives you 90-95% of everything the EVO offers and costs £10k less (£14k less if you import from Holland). I was worried before the test drive that I wouldn't love my Subaru anymore if it got slaughtered. Driving the Lancer EVO VI GSR has put my mind at rest. I now know there is a better car out there, but it is not worth 50% more and does not offer any extra fun. It also doesn't burble anything like the boxer. Side by side we revved both cars and all the Mitsubishi dealer could say was "the EVO sounds a lot smoother doesn't it".
I would be telling porkies if I said I wouldn't want an EVO VI. But I cannot justify the extra cost for the extra performance and handling gained. And I still love my Subaru.
The test drive was arranged with Nelmes of Romford Essex (01708 381655) who provided the same car (light blue/turquoise reg M6 GSR) that has appeared in many magazines. It had endured 13k miles of constant abuse (pointed out by the dealer) but no doubt many parts had been replaced and the car had been expertly serviced. I tested the car Tuesday afternoon and I should point out that this car had spent the previous day being blasted around Cadwell. I had been invited to this event by the dealer but couldn't get the time off work.
The car I use for comparison is my 4 month old 4k mile MY99 fitted with ScoobySport back box and ITG filter. This car has been dyno'd at 239 bhp@6100 and 231 lbs@2800 and competes against Mitsubishi claimed 276@6500 and 274@3000 respectively. This would give the EVO a +15% power advantage but it weighs roughly 100kg or 7% more. I have never driven an STI or 22B and will not pass comments on these.
Sitting side by side in the dealer car park my Impreza looked timid compared to the EVO VI. The EVO's wide arches, filled with 17" OZ alloys and carrying massive Brembo brakes, not to mention the dual fin rear spoiler made the car look bloody evil. Every panel and spoiler bulged with muscles and the car I didn't like the look of in magazines suddenly appeared better in real life. The EVO still reminded me of my overweight Aunt wearing too much makeup though whereas the Subaru's bonnet intake and rear spoiler didn't look aggressive anymore. The EVO looked both very high and very low, the suspension settings being much lower but the roofline taller than my car. The Subaru is definately the better looking car.
Inside the cars the Mitsubishi wins. The EVO's dashboard is more modern and apart from the lights/wipers being on the wrong side, the controls are excellently placed. The Recaro seats also seem a tad more supportive and there is masses of headroom. I'm 6ft4 and still had 2 inches of space above my head.
The test drive started with the dealer in the hot seat. It had just stopped raining and the conditions couldn't have been better. He did his best to scare the crap out of me by bouncing the car off the rev limiter, weaving in and out of traffic and using extreme late braking. We headed towards some quietish twisty B roads where he continued to show off his driving ability before parking the car in a pub and passing the keys to me. His instructions were "abuse the car and try and get the backend out".
Headed out of the pub car park and blasted past a few lone drivers before getting stuck behind a bus and a lorry on some blind twisty bits. Some kids on the bus noticed the EVO and started throwing bloody big round things (conkers I think) at the car. My co-driver wasn't best pleased as these bounced off the windscreen and bonnet and as soon as the road straightened, the 2nd/3rd gear acceleration rocketed the car past bus and lorry instantly. I then continued to go for it as fast and safely as I could ripping up tarmac and overtaking everything in sight.
The handling of the car was better than anything I have driven before and the tyres seemed to grip where there was no grip. When cornering extremely hard I could actually feel and hear mechanical noises coming from the back of the car. I can only assume this was the much talked about YAW control doing its job of steering the rear wheels around. I managed to get the rear end out twice and only by a smidgen each time. The first time was on a large roundabout where I deliberately broke hard into it and the second was on a tight right-hander which I powered out of. Both times a combination of the YAW control and little opposite lock pulled the car back effortlessly. The EVO seemed perfectly balanced and unlike my Scoob the front wheels gripped accelerating into and out of the tightest of corners.
Now for the bit about acceleration. This car is fast, bloody fast in any gear except 5th. The gear ratios are much lower than my UK Impreza with 2nd showing about 55mph on the redline and 3rd wouldn't go much past 85. This is against 70mph and 97 in the Scoob. The gearchange was also a bit naff. The box felt tight and new (probably been replaced) but it was hard work getting it into 1st gear, I even had to pull away from standstill once in 2nd. Changes through the gears were smooth and very similar to the Subaru and the clutch was very progressive. The ratios certainly do keep the turbo on the boil and like the Subaru there is also very little lag present. To be completely honest though, I was a little disappointed with the pace of the EVO. Much has been written about its acceleration and perhaps the car has been praised too much. I was expecting my Scoob to feel slow when I got back into the drivers seat but it didn't. It did feel slower than the EVO but not by as much as most mags suggest. I thought those extra 40 horses and lower ratios would have made a huge difference but they did not. What least impressed me was the sound of the EVO's engine. It was smooth but compared to a Subaru boxer (even without SS back box) it had no bass. It sounded like any modern 2 litre engine but with the turbo whistle.
The power of the EVO's brakes is huge and combined with its 225/45 Bridgestone tyres gave massive stopping performance. The ABS did not appear to cut in once despite some heavy braking in places where you would feel the Impreza's pedal vibrating with ABS onset. The brake pedal on the Mitsubishi did feel very mushy but this was probably due to abuse suffered at Cadwell the day before.
So for the conclusion. The EVO is the fasted and best handling car I have ever driven. Its brakes are hugely impressive and it has very high build quality. Compared to any other performance car except the Subaru it is a bargain. That it is a better car than the UK Impreza Turbo is obvious. But it is not that much better. The Impreza gives you 90-95% of everything the EVO offers and costs £10k less (£14k less if you import from Holland). I was worried before the test drive that I wouldn't love my Subaru anymore if it got slaughtered. Driving the Lancer EVO VI GSR has put my mind at rest. I now know there is a better car out there, but it is not worth 50% more and does not offer any extra fun. It also doesn't burble anything like the boxer. Side by side we revved both cars and all the Mitsubishi dealer could say was "the EVO sounds a lot smoother doesn't it".
I would be telling porkies if I said I wouldn't want an EVO VI. But I cannot justify the extra cost for the extra performance and handling gained. And I still love my Subaru.
15 September 1999, 04:25 PM
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STI yes please. I think I'll keep my MY99 for another 18 months or so. I'll probably end up getting thr PE Phase 2 when it arrives which will push me closer to EVO/STI performance. My next new car will probably be the new shape Impreza due 2001. My girlfriend will argue with this because I foolishly promissed she had the next choise of car. There's no bloody way I'm driving about in a Beetle or TT in 2 years time so I'll have to convince her otherwise.
15 September 1999, 09:54 PM
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Nice one Orville, a good test drive report and comparison 
. I think everyone appreciates that the EVOs are great cars but the styling is a bit "in your face". You are quite right as well 40 odd bhp for 10K cheap at twice the price .
Cheers
Chrisp
[This message has been edited by chrisp (edited 15-09-1999).]
. I think everyone appreciates that the EVOs are great cars but the styling is a bit "in your face". You are quite right as well 40 odd bhp for 10K cheap at twice the price .Cheers
Chrisp
[This message has been edited by chrisp (edited 15-09-1999).]
16 September 1999, 07:52 AM
#7
I bet the dealer didn't mention the very high running costs..........service every 4500miles and group 20+ insurance! Saw a silver EVO 6 yesterday. Really looks like a 'Richard Grant' special!! Prefer my RB5 in looks any day.
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16 September 1999, 09:35 AM
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I rang Admiral for a quote and they wanted £1845 with 10k restricted mileage. This compares with £460 for my Scoob which includes protected no claims. I'm 28 with full NCB and clean license. Car parked on drive.
16 September 1999, 10:23 AM
#9
That's an awful lot of accessories you could buy every year on the insurance difference! I work in Germany at the moment and the German guys found this EVO 6 a bit of a joke! I have been here 6 months and haven't seen one Impreza yet! They don't rate them here and they badge them as an Impreza GT. Must tell you that its great to cruise at 130 mph legally. The car is very stable and smooth. Have done an ECU reset and run on SUL (64p per litre here) and it makes a great difference. Car will now pull (just) 5th from 1500 rpm.....struggled to pull 4th from 200rpm before on UL. If you spare the time, get over to Germany for a couple of days and spend some real fun time with your car. There is also the Nurburgring which is just an added bonus! If anyone is interested I have all the dates when the track is open until the end of the year.
16 September 1999, 11:29 AM
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Orville,
Good review, well written.
Thanks for taking the time.
As for Nelmes of Romford, not so sure about them. I have had problems with them in the past with my Shogun, not least of which was some blatant dishonesty, and poor service.
Oh well, there go my chances of ever test driving an EVO6 in that neck of the woods! Can't say I care though, that Mr Brown is a snotty nosed car salesman!
Stick to the Scooby, pound for pound you can't get better, and if you re-map it, change the tyres for P-Zero's, then it's gotta be unbeatable (EVO Mag).
Good review, well written.
Thanks for taking the time.
As for Nelmes of Romford, not so sure about them. I have had problems with them in the past with my Shogun, not least of which was some blatant dishonesty, and poor service.
Oh well, there go my chances of ever test driving an EVO6 in that neck of the woods! Can't say I care though, that Mr Brown is a snotty nosed car salesman!
Stick to the Scooby, pound for pound you can't get better, and if you re-map it, change the tyres for P-Zero's, then it's gotta be unbeatable (EVO Mag).
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