As many things that are outstanding with the Evo X, there are some negative issues that are worth mentioning:
1)Weight. This is the Achilles heel of this platform. A two liter four cylinder engine is just too small of a powerplant to move around a car that weighs 3500 pounds. For an Evo X to be able to accelerate like an Evo IX, it needs more power, to the tune of 25whp. With the stock turbo on this car, there is just not as much potential in the forward thrust department unless you have a larger financial outlay for modifications.
2)Transmission. I’m not going to mince words, the gearbox in this car is not really good. It is compromised with a shorter final drive than the IX to make the extra weight a bit less obvious. The downside of that is poor fuel economy and high RPM on the interstate, making for loud and buzzy travel, particularly with an aftermarket exhaust. The other thing about this transmission that is unacceptable is how notchy some of them are when upshifting to second and third gear in normal driving… It was a borderline gear grind in my first X, but my second one is a lot better.
3)Paint. The overall shape of the sides of the X are concaved like lots of modern cars, but this one allowed tons of pebbles and road debris from the front tires to spray the sideskirts and rear sides, causing several small paint nicks down to primer. Mud flaps in the front and a 3M clear repellant skin were the best workarounds for this. I have Rally Armor flaps only on my current X, and it has seen no damage. My prior X looked sandblasted on the side from the rock spray without these flaps.
4)Interior rattles. I don't expect this out of a Japanese car, especially a new one. There is a glove box door rattle (really common in these), an ash tray rattle, and door rattles.
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4 comments:
In an odd way, I ended up with the Evo for many of the reasons you ended up with the 135i. I drove both cars and agree that both cars are exceptional. The BMW engine is fantastic. I didn't love the lag of the EVO in first gear but have adapted my driving style (eau de clutch?)
My wife would have adored the BMW but ultimately this was my car, not hers. Mitsubishi is terrible as a brand. The dealer experience was like Chuck E Cheese compared to Chez Phillippe when I went from Mitsu to BMW. The Bimmer did smell nicer.
Reasons I went with the Mitsu:
1) The car hides it's weight brilliantly. You may be biased coming from a IX. It's wickedly fast and handles incredibly well. Road feel is better than the Bimmer by leaps. No body roll unlike the Bimmer.
2) Evo really does look angry. I'm your age and am fine ignoring children revving by me. Had the same problem with my S2000 and got over it. I couldn't love a car that continued to look surprised every time it saw me (looking at you 135i.) Also, I've got a beer gut and don't want my car to look like me.
3) It will be rare. This is a good thing. Bimmers are as common as Accords.
4) At the BMW dealer, all the other customers were 40 something men with golf shirts trailed by bleach blond plastic women and 1 to 2 token children. I can't be part of that.
5) I don't race but there is always that feeling that if I did race, I have a car that had all the best bits to win.
In the end, I would have been very happy in the BMW. For now I'm giddy driving my X.
BTW, no tranny issue for me.
Hey, this is an awesome reply. I welcome comments, and please sign your comments so I know who you are. :) I'm glad you are loving your X. I miss the SAYC the most.
I'm also a late 30-something that bought an X recently after considering a BMW 1 & 3, STI, and G8. I wanted something less relaxing than my last car (and the X keeps you on your toes in daily driving if nothing else than avoiding the potholes so you don't break your back). The steering feel is really unbelievable. In fact, if it wasn't for the highway drone and transmission that feels like a stick in a box of gravel, it would be the perfect sports sedan.
I actually believe it will hold value as well since it's quite rare. I live in a midwest city of about 2 million and I have not seen one other X on the road (the dealer told me to their knowledge only 5 had been sold in the region). Another pet theory of mine is that an un-modified X will really hold value since A) when the "ricers"(or insert less derogatory term) are in middle age and looking back on their golden youth the will want one as part of a mid life crisis, B) Mitsubishi will have long pulled out of North America further reducing the supply, and C) there will be something like 1 stock EVO X left in North America with many falling to the wayside from a war of attrition (crashes, etc..). Sort of like the case with old Camaros or Mustangs (or better yet Hemi Barracuda).
Of course it wouldn't hurt my feelings if the wife picked up a 335 in a year or 2 and I drove it on weekends.
Thanks for making this blog. I am looking at buying a BMW 135i and have been comparing with the Evo X for a long time. Both excellent cars but i'm leaning towards the 135i because of the comfort factor, more boot space (back seats fold down unlike the Evo X) and sunroof. No sunroof option here in Australia for the Evo X. I don't know why some people think the i35i looks ugly? It looks pretty damn good to me. I'd get it in white with black leather interior if I was getting one. I would also wait and order the 2009 model due to the upgraded iDrive system. It will cost more once all the options are added but insurance here is a lot less compared the the Evo X and the 135i should hold its value better.
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