Evo X?

[Dandbest]

Long story short, I sold my 2011 135i because I wasn't using it much and felt that it was a waste of money. Problem is, now I regret it because I really liked the car and enjoyed it every single time I drove it....but, to replace it with a new one just like mine, I'd have to spend about $41k which is a lot. So, I've always had a thing for the Evo ever since they came out, and since I can't find an unmolested Evo VIII that isn't priced for almost as much as a new Evo X, I'm thinking of just getting a new Evo X while they are still made. Found a bare bones 2012 GSR for $34k, which I don't think its too bad, and with 0% apr for 36 months too. To those that own the car, what problems if any are you seeing? Any other cars you would recomend? I've looked at the STI, and dont like the car at all. The Golf R does nothing for me, as well as the Mustang GT. Won't touch a Hyundai. I don't care if the car is RWD, I have a bad weather car.

Thanks

[AHFlynn]

keeping the crv?

[50fridge]

Buy one. It is one of the best sport sedans you can buy for under $40,000.

[tedismynickname]

buy his. its a so cal car. completely babied. 30k as it sits. running ethanol over 500 to the wheels. pm me if you want info. its not mine, but my friend's

[03GTI4Me]

Owned a base '10 GSR (in Octane Blue) from Aug of 2010 thru Sep of 2011.

Performance wise, the car was a blast. The cons were fit and finish.

Nit picky things:
*The cruise control operation was most closely associated with a used car of the early 90's. Push to operate and it would take a good 4 seconds to actually engage. Dealer wrote this off as normal operation

*The driver side seat bolster was wearing away at an alarming rate after 2000 miles. It was the alcantera like cloth interior (I had a base GSR). Could not see it holding up for very long.

*A sixth gear would have been a very nice plus on the car on the days when you are not thrashing it. A $30k permorance car should have the option of a sixth gear for the days when you need to cruise.

*Conversations in the cabin while cruising at freeway speeds would require a louder tone of voice. It was a noisy car.

*Doors felt very tinny when being opened/shut. Lacked substance. Not really sure of a better way to put it.

Mechanically the only problem I had with the car was the stock Panisonic battery crapping out after only 4 months. I don't blame the car for this though and other than that I never had any issues. FWIW, I sold it with 10,000 miles on the clock.

I loved the car, I just found myself using it as more of a daily driver rather than a performace AWD sport car. I knew what it was going in, but found myself 'over it' after a year.

MPG in the low to mid 20's if you drove coservatively. The AWD system was amazing in the snow.

The stock Yokohama's were somewhere around $400 a tire and are not winter tires. If you are in a snowy climate, have a spare set of winters. The brake rotors are massive through, so dont plan on using steelies.

If you are going to be daily driving the thing, I will tell you that it will get old within the first year.
If you know that going into it and use it without any real high quality or comfort expectations, the car is a blast.

[Eightysixturbo]

I suggest you buy another BMW because that's what you liked and if you have a habit of selling new cars, why don't you get a used one and save money.

[jestoy7]

Owned a base '10 GSR (in Octane Blue) from Aug of 2010 thru Sep of 2011.

That is a real solid review! I have owned mine for a month and been researching for a while. A lot of what you mentioned are very valid issues that I ahve read others on the Evo forum talk about such as the need for a 6th, the loud cabin, the side bolster on the cloth and the mpg.

Personally, I bought the one with SSS packages so it has leather and additional sound dampening. My car is very quiet on the highway and the leather really makes the car's feeling of more upscale. I've been in two Evos with cloth and the difference is drastic. I do agree the car should have a 6th for cruising and that it should have a better mpg when you are driving the car easy. I also wish it had a couple more dumb features like black headliner and pillars, autodimming mirror with homelink (the MR has it not the GSR) and better visors (that's nitpicking).

The car though is awesome, very responsive, very balanced and very tight inside (at least mine is). It may not be 100% as good as a BMW in fit finish but its closer than before PLUS the awesome drivetrain and performance potential.

That being said, I don't know that I would recommend it over a 135i. The car has a lot of compromises and the 135i is a hell of a car. I am a Mitsubishi fanboy but do respect the 135i as an alternative that makes maybe a better daily. You might also consider a CPO 335i, too?

[Tuneman7]

Issues
Some of the greatest issues with the Evolution X have be known to be some of the interior quality and fit and finish. Pretty much meaning that it develops a fair amount of rattles, squeaks, and noises over time despite not being as bad as the VIII or IX. Other than that, there have been some complaints about the 5 M/T being sometimes notchy (Although IIRC this was mostly corrected on '11+ cars) and the paint quality not being up to par, which people handle themselves with a 3M transparent bra. There was also an issue with one of the hoses not being properly clamped under the hood which was fixed under recall and some minor issue with the stitching on the Recaros (Pretty much get the leather ones instead of cloth).

'11+ Changes
That's basically it, other than that it's an overall reliable machine. All the tech is there from the JDM models including the AYC and aluminum 4B11T. The '11+ GSRs have the option for leather Recaros now and come with black tail lamps rather than the red ones. There was also a reflash by Mitsubishi giving the car closer to ~320/330 HP although it isn't quoted by Mitsubishi themselves, the 0-60 time has improved to 4.3 vs ~4.9 previously.

Verdict
Hope this helps, I don't have to tell you about the steering feel, brakes, handling, acceleration, the car is top notch in that regard.

[toucci]

Issues
There was also a reflash by Mitsubishi giving the car closer to ~320/330 HP although it isn't quoted by Mitsubishi themselves, the 0-60 time has improved to 4.3 vs ~4.9 previously.

Still making 280 PS/276 HP according to the gentlemen at Mitsubishi?

[Dandbest]

buy his. its a so cal car. completely babied. 30k as it sits. running ethanol over 500 to the wheels. pm me if you want info. its not mine, but my friend's

Yeah, not for me. Altough clean, this car is the opposite of unmolested, and represents 99% of whats out there, hence why when it comes to Evo's, I'm buying new only

[Tuneman7]

Still making 280 PS/276 HP according to the gentlemen at Mitsubishi?

I think they still quote it at 291 HP lol.

[Dandbest]

I suggest you buy another BMW because that's what you liked and if you have a habit of selling new cars, why don't you get a used one and save money.

I'd love another 135i. Can't justify the $41k and I'm not buying used. Its ironic, as I am in the used car business myself, and seeing what I see every day, the crap that comes in on trade is unbelievable... price be damned. So, yeah. No new 135i for now, and the Evo is on my bucket list.

Thanks for all the responses, I'll go test drive the car tomorrow.

[jestoy7]

Yeah when it comes to choosing between the different years of the Evo X, the 12 is the one to get (so far).

Some 2008's have a chain stretch issue that supposedly has been corrected in the 10+ blocks. The 08-10's have the old style display that is just red font, the newer ones are multi-color. The 2011 and up have a revised exhaust that is deeper in tone. The 2010 and up also have better side skirts and the Ralliart tails from the factory. The 2012 has piano black trims vs some carbon fiber look-a-like. The main desireable on the 08 is the aluminum valve cover vs a plastic one (if you are running an aftermarket manifold).

I didn't hear anything about the added hp. These dyno about 250-260ish at the wheels (depending on the dyno) and can gain 80-100hp with just a few bolt-ons.

If you want to see good pricing on new Evos, check out RC Hill Mitsubishi in Deland, their website shows MSRP and then their price which is a few grand below that. Its a good way to know versus your local dealer. I actually drove 2 hours to them because they had my GSR $3k less than MSRP and got good trade-in value on our Prius.

http://www.rchillmitsubishi.com/new-...%2Cyear%20desc

[someguy123]

I've looked at the STI, and dont like the car at all.

Did you look at all generations?



HIDs.

[rpmk4]

I actually drove 2 hours to them because they had my GSR $3k less than MSRP and got good trade-in value on our Prius.

this was my favorite line of your review prius to evo=my hero

[Vduber777]

this was my favorite line of your review prius to evo=my hero

x2

[jestoy7]

this was my favorite line of your review prius to evo=my hero

Its not as cool as it sounds. The Prius was my DD and my Eclipse GSX was my weekend toy. I decided the Evo will make a better long term toy while being a DD for the short term and private sold the GSX. I have sellers remorse on the GSX but it's not doable right now to have both cars.

The Prius is a badass DD though averaging 52 mpg with aggressive driving, 10k mile maintenance intervals, and 80k mile tires. The Evo get 24 mpg babying it, 3-5k mile maintenance intervals, and 12k mile tires.

[tasty danish]

buy his. its a so cal car. completely babied. 30k as it sits. running ethanol over 500 to the wheels. pm me if you want info. its not mine, but my friend's

More pics of this. Or links where I can fap to more details of it. Build thread perhaps?

[C4 A6]

buy his. its a so cal car. completely babied. 30k as it sits. running ethanol over 500 to the wheels. pm me if you want info. its not mine, but my friend's

6k clutch dumps and highway street ricing included?

Don't get me wrong, I think that thing is beast, but with modded Evos you just don't know what has been done to them.

[Dandbest]

Did you look at all generations?



HIDs.

Yeah, unless its a GC8 it's not happening, and I'm not dealing with a car that had an engine swap. I've had a WRX in the past, and frankly, there is too much wrong with them for me to want to bother again. The 2.5 is junk, cracked ring landings, a turbo 2 feet away from the ports, and a 6 speed that is geared completely wrong for the powerband of a 2.5. No thanks. On top of that, the EVO handles better from the factory.

[Hurt]

EVO 8 or 9, please. The evo x sucks in the US.. The GSR with the 5 speed is terrible. Get a good ol' Evo 9 MR.

[Tuneman7]

EVO 8 or 9, please. The evo x sucks in the US.. The GSR with the 5 speed is terrible. Get a good ol' Evo 9 MR.

I've read that the 6 speed on the IX MR is a real clunker. I think it uses the same casing as the 5 M/T and therefore overheats and can't deal with added power. Also, the VIII/IX were the cars that had some spec omitted in the U.S. market, not the X...

[Dandbest]

EVO 8 or 9, please. The evo x sucks in the US.. The GSR with the 5 speed is terrible. Get a good ol' Evo 9 MR.

Yeah, I think you're on crack.

[Momus]

I say do it. Once these cars are gone after 2013, I think they'll be highly prized in the future. If I had any reason to own a ~40K sedan I'd be in an MR Touring.

[Lucian1988]

i was looking at evo X's before my CC.... what killed the deal for me was lack of 6th gear. couldnt believe at 60 mph, i was in 5th at 3K rpm. not useful at all for daily driving.

[flat6guy]

6k clutch dumps and highway street ricing included?

Don't get me wrong, I think that thing is beast, but with modded Evos you just don't know what has been done to them.

.. You wouldn't know if a stock one was abused, either. He just needs to thoroughly inspect whatever he comes across.

[former3g]

I have a 2010 with the SSS package. I only put around 7k miles on it in the two years that I've had it, but they were very enjoyable miles. I plan on taking it out more this summer. I have had no issues, but I do agree that it begs for a 6th gear on the highway. My only really complaint is the interior plastic scratches real easily. The seats are amazing and I have no signs of any wear issues that others complain about. Throw on a high flow cat, an exhaust and a Cobb AP and you will be in heaven

[dmorrow]

buy his. its a so cal car. completely babied. 30k as it sits. running ethanol over 500 to the wheels. pm me if you want info. its not mine, but my friend's

It's possible but whenever I read the words "completely babied......500 hp to the wheels" and see a car that looks like this one I have a hard time believing it.

[C4 A6]

.. You wouldn't know if a stock one was abused, either. He just needs to thoroughly inspect whatever he comes across.

Chances are it wouldn't have been. If it was 100% stock with no chip or exhaust or intake or anything, then 99% of the time it would not have been abused. Or if it was, the owner would let you know because those abuse miles were probably track miles.

[matty_peppers]

paging gates311 to the car lounge, gates 311...

But seriously, my dad and I have both considered Evo X's at different times. Both times we came away with the same gripe- no sixth gear in the manual. The car is a f-ing blast to drive, but when you just need to do 80 mph on a commute it's very buzzy. I didn't bother driving the SST or whatever their twin-clutch unit is called, I was set on a third pedal. That's my one gripe, but yeah I hope to be in one in a few years when it's time to grow up a little.

[Tuneman7]

Yeah, I think the lack of a durable 6 M/T is the biggest omission the Evo has had. I've read the DCT on the MR is also a pain in the ass around town as well.

[wapanstore]

eBay-I basically rebuilt my car by using eBay-very cheap as well.

[Justin]

so since I shopped the Evo and a few other cars before buying an Evo I'll chime in.

It's actually my second Evo, I had an 05 RS, which I loved driving but I lived in Flagstaff and my M3 was miserable in snow so I was driving it more and more. Great car, just wish I would have waited longer and found a GSR (actually I wish the one I found wouldn't have been sold to someone closer). I moved onto an S4 after that, figured I would turn the M3 into a fun/track car...never happened but I sold the Evo when I got the S4. The S4 was faster by the time I sold it but had a plethora of issues and never was much fun to drive...

I bought an F-350 in October of 10 and then a 2500 Silverado in July 11...So, when I started looking for a new car...sorry for the long story. However, I looked at the Mazdaspeed3, STI, Golf, Mustang, Camaro...etc.

The STI has a ring issue with the motor, from what I read Subaru is denying warranty claims wherever they can. Also, it felt a little odd when I drove it, didn't feel connected. The 3 was FWD so I lost interest. The Golf R is nice but I wanted faster.

The plus of the car:
The AWD system is amazing, recently I decided to see how it would corner at about 40 I jerked the wheel and almost drove into a wall, I was preparing for a bit of a slide and it stayed true so I pulled too hard. I was amazed.

The driving position and HID lights are really comfortable, at least to me. I love the seat and I am a bit on the chunky side...But I fit in it and my wife fits and she is a great deal smaller than me.

The car seats both fit in the back. Plus if you have kids.

The Bluetooth on the radio is nice, except it is annoying that the voice recognition needs improvement (first world problem I know)

It really is quick, it still feels slow to me but every time it starts to feel faster I drive my Dad's car and that ruins me for anything short of...well I don't know the ZR-1 is obnoxious.

The negatives I have found:

1 more gear would be nice, it just runs really high RPM cruising on the freeway. Makes it loud at 75ish when it's running 3600-3800 RPM.

I got the HID and stereo package, I don't care for subwoofers 90% of the time, I'm getting old and I listen to punk rock, country and hair metal...It makes the car rattle and it's hard to find a good spot for it. Also, I still haven't been able to figure out how to set the damn clock.

The HVAC controls are a little bit cheap feeling but that's not what the car is for.

Bit of a stiff ride and almost feels a bit uncomfortable when just putzing around seeming like it doesn't like driving slow but again first world problem.

Would I buy the Evo again given the chance? Yep. I like you wanted an 8 or 9. I really wanted to get into a GSR or MR but it's almost impossible to find one that has a clean title or hasn't been beaten. Rumor is that there is a dealership in So Cal with a few new 9's but for a good premium. I am perfectly happy with the X, if it were going to be my DD I might have gone for something different but luckily I have other options to drive.

Taking it to a track day for the first time this weekend, I'll let you know how it feels out there.

[Justin]

oh and FWIW, the other car I considered was the G37 or the 370Z...However, my Dad DD's a G37 and I really like it but wasn't going to have matching cars, would make for an odd parking lot at meetings and what not...

The 370Z was not friendly for children and I enjoy taking my daughter places with me. So if you don't have kids it might not be bad to look at.

[20aeman]

Chances are it wouldn't have been. If it was 100% stock with no chip or exhaust or intake or anything, then 99% of the time it would not have been abused. Or if it was, the owner would let you know because those abuse miles were probably track miles.

Incorrect. My brother took his modded to hell evo, and returned it 100 percent back to stock and sold it. Evo owners (and eventual sellers) are well aware that the layman shares your mindset.