I know its functional and i respect the evos performance so dont crucify me when i say the car needs a better looking grill, this looks like a high school autoshop project.

this car looks killer in black with those wheels.

^Agreed CTS although the manual shifter looks pathetically low quality

lp640 it looks like a grey baseball on a stick.

I agree as well… both the Evo and GT-R grilles leave a lot to be desired. I dunno what the designers were smoking. It still doesn’t change the fact that I’m gonna buy one though. Hey CTS, I agree it looks great in black, but I saw an HKS modded JDM version in white with gold Advan wheels and it looked sweet!

definitely, also, with that grill, talk about an enormous amount of drag, why did they have to make the front and rear so boxy? looks way aggressive though

Can anyone find the car horn?

Looks good. I’d drive it in a heartbeat.

F451:
lol. I’ve been looking, but I don’t see it either.
gumby:
It does look aggressive, but I don’t think drag is much of an issue… I think their reasons for doing it that way were purely from afunctional point of view… providing ample airflow for the radiator and intercooler. Also, those vents in the hood create a low pressure zone for all that hot air to exit, so the design probably helps aerodynamically as well. Maybe downforce was more important to them than a low cd figure. I’ve got no excuses for the rear though… it just isn’t attractive at all.

All grill, no frill. Very good. Too close to the GT-R, but… so what! Nice rims too.

I love the new EVO! But that SST trans just looks wrong in this car. I’m sorry but this thing should only have a manual! But for sales purposes this will attract a wider demographic of buyers and seeing that only 10-15% of all U.S. vehicles on the road are only manuals this is a smart move for Mitsubishi. I’m just a stick guy. Yeah CTS I guess i’m like Henry Ford I’ll take any car as long as it’s in black. This looks sick in black. I’ll take one with those rims powdercoated in black please! I agree with ya jamaicandude I just think it looks too bland. but i’d hit it…

looks great in black. seeing it in red is just a bit too boring, plus I never liked red.

I think I see the horn now. lol

I love the car heaps, but my very ADD mind can’t help but notice the display….You know I’ve been going to the LA Auto show for 12 years straight, and they still use the same exact display stand, even the background to display the new evo. It was the exact same one they had when they showed the imported model of the evo 7 and said the new one would hit these shores the next year….

The large grill no doubt does what it is intended to do, but they could have at least blacked-out all the components behind it, and body-colored painted the grill trim and bumper piece. Mits has my respect as they do make good products, or die trying. I look at this automobile with the unending urge to drive the piss out of it.
,
@ jamaicandude, yep, you found it, it’s the round one next to the hood latch. There’ll be no problem hearing this horn!

The horn is in the middle of steering wheel (the round one). That how it use to be before.

lol @ autonut

This should have been what the next generation SRT-4 turned out to be- not that horrid f*cking Caliber. Lets hope the “new” Chrysler can get back on track.

Whoa all the evo’s before this had a timing belt.. Learn something new everyday

Something about those headlights still bugs me. It also strikes me and not over the top enough, visually. I like the WRX better, I think. That package just comes together better. But I dig that “Cylon” grill.

Actually, paint it silver and put red lens on the headlights and it would look like a Cylon (kinda’).

Interesting place for the horn (?) though. I thought the was a ram-air intake or something.

So Blakkarr. Who would you do first: Starbuck or Six?

Six only because I have a good chance of getting a “virgin” Six. Starbuck as been around the fleet, if you gather.

mmm…virgin!

Americanos … YouTube ‘Ron Paul – Stop Dreaming’ … he is your only saviour.

That’s a lot of yum and thank you for not putting ricey taillights in

This is one evil looking machine. That’s a good thing. The 300 ft-lb is a **** load of torque for that little car. Nice.

GSR + everything except the twin clutch trans = sweet

One word SNARKY. This gets me churning more than the 135i especially after hearing the Bimmer’s pricing.

Will it still need a full service every 3500 miles?

Mitsubishi is finally coming to their senses and putting timing chains on. Timing belts suck!

Don’t like that grill set up. Gonna be a bear to keep the intercooler clean – it’ll be filled with rocks and bugs in no time sitting that low and exposed.

They better produce an RS? Or it wont continue its reign as no. 2 in the rally world. The increase in size is going to hurt both this and the WRX. They were already about as big as a rally car should be. Also needs a 6spd stick.

There is a conversion kit for the old belt to upgrade to chain. And a couple companies make custom shaped mesh protectors for the radiator and IC unit of the last EVO.

Looks impressive and alot of fun to drive. These cars respond nicely to simple modifications and spending another 8 grand on performance mods and your neck and neck with a Ferrari F430. If I didn’t love my WRX wagon so much, I would look into getting this EVO, but I’m also looking forward to the Hyundai Genesis coupe.

Holy **** they went to a timing chain? What are Mitsu dealerships going to do now that they can’t rely on thier customers to blow engines at 60,000 miles??

Be happy not to have to perform major automotive surgery or deal with irate customers.

Looks like a Happy Meal toy.

Working at a dealership blows

The scary thing is, I think most recent Japanese sports cars were designed for video games. That is, to reflect one’s expectation of a video game specific vehicle. This sometimes leads to so odd, funky, and even ugly designs.

Cutting edge design? Maybe. But most look rather weird to me.

Blakkar, so wouldn’t it be cool if they built one that looked like a Cylon Raider?

Sans the wings, It already does.

If you mean the old Cylon Raider, then that might be cool as long as it can hold a line at over 75mph.

great car hopefully mitsu gets the rest of it’s lineup together like this.

how deliciously absurd!

That crap on the shifter sucks.
Impulsive: Ron paul is too old. last thing we need, another old white guy in charge.

wow 40k for mitsu!!?!?…i like this car alot but for the $, i’ll take the base 135i with sports package option over this anyday..

Wow, what a bargain. Mitsubishi just moved up a few pegs in my books.

It was barely 5 years ago when 300 hp in any routine street car was absurd – now it almost seems….average….

Holy Mary Mother of God this looks sexy! *Schwing!

They’re treading in shark infested waters at that price point. $40k opens the doors to a whole bunch of nicer cars, that didn’t start life as an econobox like the Lancer.

This new Evo isn’t going to sell nearly as well as the old model did.

Heavier, slower, and $5K more..

Yikes! I like the Evo’s styling, but $40k and performance that isn’t really all that notable in its price range doesn’t add up to a sales success in my eyes. It is now priced way out of that boy racer market they thrive on for high initial sales. Will it sell just because it’s an Evo? Yes, to start. But will it be a long-term success? I don’t think so.

And just a side note, Mitsu is only just NOW discovering timing chains? Yikes.

I will never pay $34k for a 5-speed manual tranny. Come on, we are almost in 2008, check the competition. And that grill will grab some heavy dirt on dirt roads…or just pack with snow the winter. After all, it’s a nice looking car.

alucrowd, some people like shifting their own gears at any price, I know I will pay more for a real manual, it may not be quicker but I still enjoy it more. I think 40K for the top model is a little nuts, but I will hold judgement until I get to read more about it’s performance, hell it could end up being a bargain (from a performance standpoint) at that price.

CA36GTP. Belts are better for performance than chains but chains are more durable. Keep in mind how many Evo’s are bought and allowed to remain stock until the warranty runs out. Mitsu could be shooting themselves in foot going to a chain on this car.

much better than the FUGLY Impreza.
still a GT-R would be my choice in these types of car

^^^ Ya except its twice as much lol. As for all the people complaining about the manual w/e. Mitsu obviously does not care about it as much as they do the SST; and thats because it is obsolete to the paddles. Yes you will all tell me how much you love the feel of the shifter letting you control every inch of the car through it, but face the future paddles are faster and better in every way except for tactile response I suppose. The point is that this is an awesome car, and the SST makes it that much better. I don’t know how many of you have read the reviews but this car smashes; it is faster than the old Evo by a longshot. In Road & Track I think it was they pitted an Evo IX MR against the new Evo and although the new one didn’t quite have the fly-by-wire steering response and edgy feel it was much faster, pulling in a whole second ahead of the old Evo on FULL AUTOMATIC mode. Lesson #1, if your manual car gets beat by someone who isn’t even shifting anything including paddles and is carrying more weight than you with similar power specs you need to step out and pay some f*ckin respect!

Btw if you doubt the accuracy of the test, don’t. The test was performed by one person, who ran warm up laps in both cars before doing a hot lap in each for the final result.

On the loose. I’m a truck.
All the rolling hills I’ll flatten ‘em out. Yeah.
It’s herd behavior. Uh huh.
It’s evolution baby!

This car at a sub-30k price point would be killer. At 40k you are breaking into loaded BMW 3-series range.

As for the looks, I think it is the best looking Evo to date, and far better than the WRXSTi

F3 has it right. As much as a manual gearbox makes a fun weekend toy, compared to a good semi-auto they are obsolete.

So the new one costs as much as the old MR, with the MR jumping up around $4k

I guess that’s not too terrible considering the new gearbox and such

“CA36GTP. Belts are better for performance than chains but chains are more durable.
Comment by jonstew, posted on December14 at 11:46 am ”

Timing belts are NOT better for performance. There is no difference in performance at all between belts, chains, or gears for valve timing. The ONLY advantages timing belts have are: 1) they’re cheaper, and 2) they’re quieter.

I personally hate timing belts, and if you ever have one break on you, you’ll hate them too. I view any engine with a timing belt as one in which the engineers cut corners to make it cheaper, or they were too lazy or cheap to figure out how to design a chain system to be quiet. There’s no excuse for a belt, IMO, unless the car is super cheap to buy.

With the open grille, here to replacing the intercooler every year.

“The MR adds those two features, plus BBS forged alloy wheels, Bilstein shock absorbers and Eibach springs, two-piece brake rotors and HID headlights.” LLN

Ok for 34k you might as well just buy the GSR, if you like the wing then buy it as an option. I can buy my own BBS rims or whatever I want. I’ll go to my nearest “Rent-a-Bay” and buy my own Bilsteing shock absorbers, Eibach springs, and put on a new set of brakes. because for 6 all that stuff individually isn’t going to cost that much. Unless you really want the dual clutch then you can add that. I’ll take the 5-speed.

I’ll take the paddles and you can pull in behind me ok SS? =)

I trully believe there are very few suckers will be born to buy this wing for that kind of scratch. People who make enough money to buy or lease 30+K vehicle do know the value of money and what car will return something back. Mitsubishi has cancerous balls expecting to dictate those prices straight from the grave (financial).

30K buys you very loaded C30, basic BMW Series 1, it is very close to C-class, Lexus IS pedestrian and for 34K with 303 HP V6, any Accord with stuffings and Acura TSX loaded, Nissan Z350 and even Altima 2 dr with 270 HP V6. For any of those cars owner will be able to get good chunk of change back after 3 to 5 years. Mitsubishi to have to donate to Charity for the Blind to get a tax credit. Their resale value as good as Ford Pinto.

Autonut you are a retard, people interested in this car would never buy a V6 Accord an Altima or a TSX and likely not the 350Z (I have no idea why you even mnetioned a C30). People interested in Evo’s and STi’s buy them for the performance and AWD and at this asking price who cares if it does not hold it’s value (although beat to **** Evo’s still sell for good money) with that kind of performance.

jonstew, you are absolutely correct. You are a genius. BTW, what year of high school did you complete in one year?

is it me or does this car look way too high off the ground?

Autonut, sorry you were offended when someone pointed out the lack of logic in your post. Why don’t you go back to the post you made that I responded to, it was written like someone who either can’t speak english or does not know what proof read means. And WTF did your attempt at insulting me mean….”what year of high school did you complete in one year?” I must have hit the nail right on the when I said you were retarded.

autonut: Sorry man but at the exactly comparable prices of the WRX (non STI) and the Accord 3.5 EX, it’s a toss up between more luxury or pure all-around performance. The same logic is with the Evo and whatever TSX or german you want to compare it with. The Evo is a pure performance machine at 4.9 0-60 with the GSR. People buy Impreza and Evo because they want AWD and real performance without regard of luxury and the latter is something that’s hard to justify to the general shoppers.

Too bad it’s such a gas guzzler…otherwise pretty nice.

A sticker “from” $39K is sufficiently vague to assume it will be low to mid-40s once a full complement of fromage has been added.

Stig: It’s $43400 for a fully loaded GSR version.

Btw, that’s exactly the same street price as a fully loaded G37 Journey AT. So market wise the G37 is indeed its direct competitor. You’d rather have a faster sedan or a luxury coupe?

To Autonut: you make sense, but those comparison are not exactly right

To Jonstew: you dumb ass, who doesn’t know Sti or Evo are made for performance, but the thing is the evo jump basicly from 30k to 40k, and this does not make sense
for the price at 45k, i rather have something with CLASS

uh, is that an auto? i know it says clutch below but i dont see any gear numbers :S

Veda, I merely pointed out the value of money. I don’t know what performance advantage 291 HP has over 270. Evolution is full time 4 wheel drive and Accord is front wheel drive. They weight about the same, but with addition friction forces on extra 2 wheels the accelaration should be a toss up. Even if Evo wins by a hair (or two) 0-60 after 3 years of racing from one traffic light to another you will need to change wheels and then sad truth will come out: you get zilch for Evo and something for Accord. I hope this is clear. Mitsubishi is not in position to charge the same amount for their cars as competition, since they had quite a revelation about their quality problems.
jonstew, sorry for offending you. Most of people finish high school in 3-4 years, except in your family. It not your fault, evolution missed your family tree. Live long and drive Evo.

To Okano, You buy your car with CLASS (because 30-40K certainly won’t buy much unless you don’t have too much to begin with and since you can’t use proper English I doubt you have too much) and I’ll buy the Evo with performance. You and Autonut are comparing apples to oranges and you need to read the article instead of just the comments…The base price is 32K while the top MR is 39K and my point is (since you seem to not know how to interpret what you read) is: People interested in this car are not going to look at FWD V6 cars, C30’s, or overweight RWD V6 powered cars at the end of their design cycle. I guess you and Autonut got in the wrong line when god was handing out I.Q.’s.

Keep trying with the insults Autonut, but don’t worry I am not offended. However I am tired of reading your worthless posts and your poor attempt at the English language. Heres an idea for you; if you are going to “try” to insult people make them good and use proper english when you do….it makes you come off not looking a complete fool (of course your posts take care of making you look like a fool) Go get your Accord and drive it….keeping in mind the killing you make will on resale. You apparently have never driven a real performance car if V6 Accords make your list.

The once “performane bargain” is now creeping further and further away from its roots. This can also be said for the STI.

I really hate that front end.

Hehe Mitsubish…..you forgot that I!