Took a drive in my bro's US Spec Evo and all I can say is... HOLY Smokes!.. I drive a base 350 and a WRX and believe me when I say it makes my modded Rex feel like a friggin buick and my Z feel like, well... Im sorry but it aint no Evo. Tight, tight, and TIght... from the suspension on rails, to the Sharp steering that even edmunds.com said made a miatas feel limp.. and the power in stock form!- THRILLING. The misleading effects of turbo lag you say... the hard numbers in every mag put it in a category beyond the Zs, and no its not bone jarring, and yes its a totally driveable package. Sports Car mag or some other recently said the Evo with a good Stage 1 upgrade (about $4k) around a track would HUmiliate Not just beat a Porsche Carrera 4 and tops M3s and S4s as it is. And bottom line subjective Fun Factor... in a league all its own.

Hey I love my Z but I give the Evo mad respect. We have a lil less weight (at least my base , more cylinders, more torque, more power, more gears and I get Evo envy from 1 short test drive. Not trying to rain on anyones parade, especially my own, but it makes me feel a lil disappointed that Nissan couldnt do more with the Z. And Im sick of the argument about the Z lookin prettier and others lookin ugly, thats subjective not to mention a completely wussy argument. Give credit where its due folks.

I need to get to modding.

 

The bottom line in my opinion is the EVO is a souped up econobox and still is butt ugly.I could car less how fast it is.

 

I always look at it like this:

Which would i feel more comfortable driving my boss to lunch/dinner in?

I think the EVO is one hell of a car, but it looks pre-riced to me. I think I could hang glide off that rear wing.

My .02,

HokieZ

 

Then you dont even belong in this thread cuz he is obviously talking about performance. He just got over saying that is a weak argument and you go and say it again. Please!

 

I love the EVO... it's sooo fast and handles great, I've been dabating myself if I should get EVO or Z, but EVO isn't really my style, I just can't stand looking at it everyday if I got it.
So I'd still get a Z, even it's slower...

 

i totally agree here!!, just not my style either

 

Disturbing Similarities: KIA Spectra VS EVO 8

 

Disturbing Similarities: EVO 8

 

Disturbing Similarities: Hyundai Accent VS EVO 8

 

_____You are absolutely right. I have to give credit where it is due. I have neither the 350z or the EVO 8. Yet the EVO 8 is THE premier import tuned to handle like a race car more than any other car in its price class. All wheel drive, tight suspension, brisk acceleration, excellent price what is there not to like? Seems too good to be true. I believe the EVO would be perfect if it wasn't for the questionable design. Ah yes, the highly debated question of looks of course. I agree, aesthetic appeal is very subjective. But a pure sports 4 door sedan? Hell no! 4 doors on a high performance car is like giving Olympic sprinter Michael Johnson a set of ankle weights to compete in the 200 meters (i.e. "Hey kids, let's all get in the car and add a whole bunch of more weight reducing acceleration and top speed!! I'm gonna burn all the soccer moms around the supermarket and then rally with Makinen!)
_____Externally, I feel the Lancer is caught between an automotive identity crisis. Should I be sports? Should I be sports sedan? Should I be a nice family car? I don't think there's anything subjective about it. It's too half ***, like an amalgam of mismatched and confused people. It's like a hopeless teenager trying to find himself in different styles, but too afraid to choose his or her permanent clique lest he be hated by specialty groups of people. All I'm saying is please choose what kind of car you're representing yourself as.
_____Hands down though, if I were to race rally, auto-x, or even on the 1/4 track for cash or pride, I'm getting in the EVO no doubt about it because if you can drive, the EVO will beat the Z with no doubt assuming the same skill in the drivers for both bone stock cars. However, I have to be seen in that thing on the street?Where I pass by beautiful women every day? Please bear with me here. Have you not seen the latest design for the 2003 KIA Specta? The similarities are uncanny. If I owned an EVO, and even 1 person made the mistake of saying, "Hey, nice Kia." my 30,000 EVO investment will suddenly make a mental depreciation in my mind because that girl, (who albeit, probably knows nothing of cars) thinks I drive a cute KIA starting comfortably priced at $11,000? Sure, you are not the car you drive, but would you want your community to misunderstand your passion for driving? And the KIA is not the only car! Hyundai's accent share's some disturbing similarities as well not to mention other economy class cars.
_____As ignorant as some people are, I assure you, there will be a lot of individuals (not making any unwarranted claims on the nature of gender or demographic) who confuse your 0-60 in 5 monster with a economy classed regular family sports sedan, and I for one will not stand for this. This fact of course is counterbalanced by the number of automotive enthusiasts that look at the EVO 8, and drop their jaw and drool at the potential power that vehicle is capable of on the track.
_____If anything, I believe the EVO is one of THE best in its class in performance and handling, but the aesthetics are simply not up to debate. 4 door family sedans turned supertuned monster? No way. You see the same problem with tuning other family sedans, in the extreme case Cavaliers and Oldsmobiles. The foundational stock body isn't sports enough to accurately reflect an attitude of power and intense handling when adding all the performance modifications and exterior strap-ons. Lastly, people will make the ignorant assumption that your $30,000 car is the comfortably priced, yet well equipped $11,000 KIA or Hyundai. For me, this is too damaging to the mental human psyche. Mitsubishi must change the design.

 

Ahhh, but you're missing the beauty of having a sleeper. My gf wants one just because it's similar to her Civic, plus another 150hp.

She wants the horsies, but the car is still practical, and unassuming (minus the giant wing).

I'd still take a Z no matter what, but the EVO is cool as hell for performance.

-Xray

 

I resent that comment that the Evo makes the Z feel like a Buick!! I'm sure my Buick would make that Evo feel like a Toyota Echo.
Anyway... The EVO doesn't really have that much above our Z in terms of performance, about the only thing it really has going for it is AWD, and that is really only an advantage in standing starts and at high speeds it just becomes a hinderance. I prefer my sports cars to be RWD, 2 doors and good looking. Around a road course or an auto-x I'm sure the Z would keep up with, if not beat an EVO, at least in stock form.
I know a lot of the time this issue comes down to looks and I have to agree that I think it is a pretty ugly car. I think Mitsu would have been better off with making a newer generation Eclipse that actually looks like a sports car with this drivetrain. Plus, the rice treatment with the huge wing and altezzas is a little over the top.

 

I think it's funny as hell when a sedan can hand my Z it's a$$ But I'm in love with the Z, not the EVO, and it's only a matter of time till I will return the favor

 

I think to evo is nice from the front, and from what i have heard, it is very fast. I just think that the 350z is more of a car. What i mean is that the interior in the z is nicer and the feel of driving (shifter feel.......) is probably better (i never drove the evo). I just think that the evo is a riced sedan. If it didnt have the turbo, it wouldnt be fast. I still think its a nice car though, and it would beat the **** out of my z. But i think the z is a more elegant car. To each his own, they are both nice cars.

 

Fact: No matter what you drive, no matter how fast it goes, someone else will always be able to drop the hammer and smoke our cars. Question is: Who buys the beer?

G

 

OK. Don't think that the evo with beat the sh*& out of our cars first of all. Of the the line the evo will take a quick car or so lead but from there on it will be about even. If we race one from a roll it could be anyones gain. I have stepped on it with one when he was behind me. he did not gain on me. granted he said something was messed up with his clutch but how much can that effect when you are just driving in a strait line with out much shifting.

in other words don't asume that the ero will hand our *** to us everytime day in day out. It is only quicker to 60 and 1/4 due to the awd. race on on the highway and see what happens. especially at high speeds. they have to lug all 4 wheels instead of just two like us.

just my 2 cents

 

nice post 1000hp

I actually think the looks of the EVO have grown on me...I have no problem with an understated look, and if you know anything about cars...those FAT fenders and HUGE intercooler look pretty cool!

Having said that, if there was no Z...I might get an EVO, BUT...I just fell in love with the Z. I am biased towards performance before looks, but the looks of the Z absolutely won me over.

 

yeah the EVO is nothing but a souped up econobox with a kick *** engine.
yeah the Z is nothing but a kick *** bodystyle with a truck engine.

 

As soon as the evo was compared to a civic this thread should have died! hahaha And what is this if the evo didnt have a turbo it wouldnt be fast? Ok, if the z was a 4 cylinder it wouldnt be fast either. That is a stupid comment. Lets try and keep this educated ok.

 

yes...the EVO may be faster......but only cuz us Z owners got a chick in the passenger side!