TeamRedline808

Ohhh deeeear!

Alang

iTrader: (1)

I went to the LA autoshow in 2001 to see the just released production Z, and there was an EVO there also. It really surprised my how much I liked it. Not for the style so much as the stock stuff it had. Great seats, turbo with intercooler, AWD, and for a car with a family car liniage, it looked OK. In the end, the Z won my heart with its looks. The performance was similar as was the price, but the EVO was a longer wait, with fewer cars being imported. Given the wait and the low production numbers (meaning lots of markups), added to the Zs far superior looks (IMO), the decision was easy.

Anyone that is being realistic has to admit that the EVO has great performance numbers. As far as aftermarket, its eaiser to upgrade turbos, but at 14psi, the EVO motor is pretty tweeked as is. I think the Z will have a much greater potential than the EVO as the aftermarket matures.

TeamRedline808

Major disagreeage goin on here. The evo's 4g63 is much more workable than that of the z. At least as of the present it is. Go to evolutionm.net and look at some of the times there running over there with mininal mods. The greddy turbo z aint even close to some of the times over there.

mark350

I am glad I bought a 350z and not an EVO...I sold my 2001 Integra Type R which was in excellent condition and heavily modded because I wanted to get away from the boy racer image....I am 30 years old and imo buying the EVO would have been a lateral move from my R.....actually I feel that the EVO is even more boy racer than my R was. I guess it all comes down to what you are looking for....I want a car that is quick, handles well for track events, and has class. The EVO is quick and handles well but has no class to it at all. The Z has class...interior, exterior, coming, or going. I'm very happy with my purchase decision. I would buy an EVO if I could afford a car for track only events but I wouldn't want it as a daily driver....The Evo is not what I am looking for in a car. Maybe if I was still in high school I would think it is a cool car.

CaneZMD

iTrader: (1)

The Z is FAR more stylish than the evo. However, for some, driving a really fast econobox is OK. It's just not for me.

I also don't trust an engine that's boosted at 19 PSI from
the factory!!

TeamRedline808

I believe its closer to 14 psi. The scoobie is closer to 18-19 psi tho. And why wouldnt you trust that? That actually proves a point there. That is nothing to an engine like that, imagine what that would do to a 350 tho!? People mod them to well over 20 psi and they run fine.

OC_350Z

Post some pictures next time....

zeroday

Yeah agreed...of all three of your cars together. Honestly you don't sound like you own a Z, or a wrx.

350zroadster

iTrader: (1)

Evo just seem like any other car I would have and sell a few years down the road. Especially considering the fact that it's hit the capacity for upgrades as it is. It's a dressed up 2L 4 cylinder economy sedan.

where as the Z as twice the potential and would be an oldie but a goodie that I would babie forever.


-oh yeah, 04' Z roadster on order

ttheisen93

I was feeling kinda sheepish about how unpractical my Z is and I mentioned to the wife that the Evo has better performance and would drive well on the snow. It would also have a rear seat and trunk room, which would be nice sometimes. My wife is very practical about cars and looks at them as a tool, not an obsession, so I thought she would agree. She took one look at a picture of the Evo and said, flatly "we're not owning anything that ugly". Well, oooookaaaay. I guess that decides it for me!

Enron Exec

That engine block in the EVO 8 has been the same one found in every generation EVO since #1. Its no wonder they have EVO's with 800+ hp on tracks making mad numbers. Give the VQ35 some time. By summer of next year i bet there will be 350Zs running just as good numbers as those EVO 8.

Keep in mind that the EVO 8 is a heavily modified factory car. That was the best Mitsubishi could put out and still call it drivable. The 350Z on the other hand has a fairly mild engine and is a great foundation for the aftermarket community. Thats why I got mine and passed on the EVO.

Inova

the evo is a bad *** car in terms of performance. will not CRUSH the Z but it will definately be able to beat it.

for me, the evo looks ok but nowhere near as good as a Z.

only hard core enthusiasts will know that the evo sitting next to them at the lot is fast but ppl that pass by will be glued to the Z.

aeromotive1

The 4g63 is a proven engine for high, high horsepower mods. There are folks overseas pushing earlier Evos past 2 bars of boost, and norrisdesigns of england is selling an Evo 7 that runs a cool 600+ hp, whose founder made his car to be "streetable." It is over 100 gs tho . With the VQ there doesnt seem to be a solid answer out there about how modable (ease, cost, and reliability) it is.

I love both cars, but I didnt realize how good the Evo is. The Z is more compromised but great in its own right. To all the doubters I challenge you to test drive the Evo. I think as Z owners we all take pride in our cars' performance worth above all else. So its valid to take stock of what else is out there. You dont have to love you but you have to respect it.

I have pics of the trio on my hard drive. How the can I post em?

longbowe

Hey, the Evo's great, there's no knocking it. And besides, compared to the STI, it looks pretty clean. I'm a little confused as to how to feel about the wing, though.

Anyway, one of my coworkers has an Evo, and he was very kind to let me drive it a bit. He drives his cars hard (his previous car was an S2000), and kept urging me to drive his car harder. Fear of tickets kept me below 60mph on a 35mph zone, but from what I could tell, it was awesome.

Beyond just the performance numbers, the Evo just felt better. The pedals were a little easier to reach, and I don't feel like my left leg's going to cramp up from being exercised at the clutch. The shifter is smooth, which is comfortable, but I did miss the solid feel of the 350Z's shifter.

But it's a bit ricey for me. It can be a sleeper, but it also attracts a lot of attention from the very same guys who would want to race it: The ones that know what the Evo's all about.

delhi

errr... correction. EVO is boosted to 19psi. STi at 14. and WRX is also 14. simple really. a 2.0l engine at 14psi will yield around 227hp like the WRX. It's not possible for a low compression EVO engine to yield 270hp at 14psi. It's 19. The STi with a larger turbo and bigger engine yields 300hp with 14psi.

Zracer03

Why does this topic ALWAYS come up? If ALL your concerned about is performance, but an EVO. If you want looks, performance, and style, well then the Z is a no brainer. The EVO is a quicker car, no doubt, however, it IS a riced up econbox that came out to compete with the tuner crowed and the already riced up civic and import crowd. So when the comparison with the Civic came up, he was right, that's all it is. Nissan markets the Z to a completely different crowd then Mitsu and the EVO. It makes me sick that this comparison comes up time and time again. Maybe not in terms of pure performance, but overall, the Z is a FAR superior car. I take nothing away from the EVO, it's great to watch at the track, but it's usually the same crowd that drives it, and they are the same people that used to own and rice up civic's and the like. Like the one guy mentioned, which car would you rather take your boss to lunch with?

TeamRedline808

Ok so i wrote it backwards, my point remains the same. For the evo it makes my point even more so. It can hold those levels of boost easily. People have it at 20psi with no problems.

z4ken

I priced out an Evo with most available options and it came out to $35,542.62 including tax and not including license, because here in SO -Cal the license registration fees have tripled for the moment.

So yes the Evo is awesome, and its looks are ok, not revolutionary or anything. but for 35,000 big ones I think that I would lean else where.

One thing no ones has covered is that the Z is only in its first year of production, as the car comes to its next stage in evolution the ponies will rise as well. Ive read on other posts of a 400 HP plus beast right around the corner in 2005, so if youre a little butt distressed over the Evo dont fret bigger and better things for the Z are coming over the horizon.

Montez

Agreed, the one I drove was just an overall better performer than the 350 sorry to say it but it is! So many people here are so "performance oriented", but always says something bad about a car that they percieve to be ugly but is faster/better performer than the Z 4 door or not funny

bhobson333

I have a co-worker (gholl) with an Evo8. He drove my 350Z a few days ago and liked it a lot, he really liked the low-end torque, seemed to really enjoy driving it, said it is easier to drive than the Evo.

Today it was my turn and I drove his Evo. An extremely different experience from the Z!

Fit & finish is decent. Nothing seems flimsy or cheap, seats are comfortable and hold you well. Body panels fit well together, paint has some orange peel, but is about on par with the average 350Z from what I've seen.

The steering wheel reminded me some of my 350Z wheel; it had the same bulges at 2:00 & 10:00. Steering was tight and precise. The 5-speed shifter felt good, well-defined gates but not hard to get into any gear and I didn't miss any shifts. It was easier to get into 1st when moving, something you need to do more in the Evo than in the Z because of the comparative lack of low-end torque.

Compared to the Z I felt like I was riding a little high and top-heavy, but not too bad. I just generally didn't feel quite as comfortable with the idea of wrenching it hard into a turn.

As for the pull: Can you say JATO? Up to 3000 RPM it pulled like what you would expect from a 4-door econobox that looks like this car looks without the wing & intercooler, etc. Once it hits 3000 RPM and the boost gauge shoots up, it's like somebody lit a Solid Rocket Booster! Dayum! It's thrilling, and it passes cars like they're standing still. A lot of fun.

But I never felt like I had that speed as much in control as in my Z. Yeah, it's somewhat because I wasn't used to the car, but a lot of it was just the fundamental platform. As so many people have said, the Evo may be faster, but the 350Z is a better total package.

Oh, one other thing I noticed. The looks. I have gotten so used to the looks I get in my Z. As I'm driving around, eyes are following me everywhere. In the Evo, I might as well have been in an Accord. I was anonymous and invisible.

FWIW