REVIEW OF THE EVO MR.
Borrowed Yingzi's Evo 1-2 weeks back and drove it for a total of four days. It was quite a rewarding & frustrating experience @ the same time. For awhile, I felt like I was back in Perth, where powerful cars were in abundance to drive. But here's my review anyway.
Pros
- Never driven a car easier to drive fast than an EVO. Whether it is in the rain or in the dry, you could corner with one hand without many problems.
-Room for passengers, hard to find a car that delivers this kind of performance whilst allowing you to accomodate your friends.
-Generous boot space.
-Nice gear box, the resistance of the shifting is just nice, its not too soft, neither is it too hard to shift, it's just right. The clutch is very responsive and the turbo delievers power more smoothly than previous versions.
-Nicely weighted steering, like the gear box, the resistance level is just nice for a car of this performance. Good brakes too.
Cons
-A camel in the Sahara drinks less, if you have a heavy right foot, expect to use at least $100, every 4-5 days for petrol, probably more.
-It is damn uncomfortable, the suspension is obviously set up for racing, so you can feel every single thing on the road. Not recommended for people 40 and above. It's even worse for passengers, so I don't think your grandma will like it.
-Cabin noise is unbearable even when you try to cruise. Even at low speeds, there is an everpresent bass which gives you a big headache. The car isn't really meant to be driven slowly.
-While the clutch is responsive, it is also very aggressive, its possible to move off without a slight jerk but you would really have to concentrate, esp in stop-start traffic.
-Almost certain to get stopped at any roadblock.
-Silly wing behind the car obstructs vision and it's not necessary at all.
-Majority of people in Singapore do not know what a turbo timer is, so you have to explain 20 times a day that you DIDN'T FORGET TO SWITCH OFF THE ENGINE.
-Interior is still shit, like every other EVO before it. the STI interior is much nicer.
-Image of the car is not very good and it reflects like-wise on the person driving it. Not as desirable as you think either, most ppl don't give it a 2nd look and only purists would know the difference between an MR and a normal version.
VERDICT
I would drive one in Perth because of the nice open roads with little congestion. Also they have tracks where you could go to use the car the way it was meant to be used. Most people there drive as well, so you don't have to worry about passengers. Fuel is still expensive but bearing in mind the car would cost you half as much in Perth, that's a fair trade off.
In Singapore it would never be my first car and maybe not even my 2nd. Its too hard, loud, uncomfortable, thirsty for roads here. Insurance companies charge a premium the moment they hear "EVO". Driving a manual car in a traffic jam is inconvenient, although i have no qualms doing so. Most critically, you never feel at ease speeding here: No one sticks to their lanes, moron taxis stop without a whim, old people cross the road like every car has brembo brakes.
The only alternative to speeding illegally is to go to Malaysia, which is a relatively safe place as opposed to IRAQ or a Silkair 747. For that, I'm sorry....I'd love to drive the car on Sunday, but I'd hate to own one everyday
Borrowed Yingzi's Evo 1-2 weeks back and drove it for a total of four days. It was quite a rewarding & frustrating experience @ the same time. For awhile, I felt like I was back in Perth, where powerful cars were in abundance to drive. But here's my review anyway.
Pros
- Never driven a car easier to drive fast than an EVO. Whether it is in the rain or in the dry, you could corner with one hand without many problems.
-Room for passengers, hard to find a car that delivers this kind of performance whilst allowing you to accomodate your friends.
-Generous boot space.
-Nice gear box, the resistance of the shifting is just nice, its not too soft, neither is it too hard to shift, it's just right. The clutch is very responsive and the turbo delievers power more smoothly than previous versions.
-Nicely weighted steering, like the gear box, the resistance level is just nice for a car of this performance. Good brakes too.
Cons
-A camel in the Sahara drinks less, if you have a heavy right foot, expect to use at least $100, every 4-5 days for petrol, probably more.
-It is damn uncomfortable, the suspension is obviously set up for racing, so you can feel every single thing on the road. Not recommended for people 40 and above. It's even worse for passengers, so I don't think your grandma will like it.
-Cabin noise is unbearable even when you try to cruise. Even at low speeds, there is an everpresent bass which gives you a big headache. The car isn't really meant to be driven slowly.
-While the clutch is responsive, it is also very aggressive, its possible to move off without a slight jerk but you would really have to concentrate, esp in stop-start traffic.
-Almost certain to get stopped at any roadblock.
-Silly wing behind the car obstructs vision and it's not necessary at all.
-Majority of people in Singapore do not know what a turbo timer is, so you have to explain 20 times a day that you DIDN'T FORGET TO SWITCH OFF THE ENGINE.
-Interior is still shit, like every other EVO before it. the STI interior is much nicer.
-Image of the car is not very good and it reflects like-wise on the person driving it. Not as desirable as you think either, most ppl don't give it a 2nd look and only purists would know the difference between an MR and a normal version.
VERDICT
I would drive one in Perth because of the nice open roads with little congestion. Also they have tracks where you could go to use the car the way it was meant to be used. Most people there drive as well, so you don't have to worry about passengers. Fuel is still expensive but bearing in mind the car would cost you half as much in Perth, that's a fair trade off.
In Singapore it would never be my first car and maybe not even my 2nd. Its too hard, loud, uncomfortable, thirsty for roads here. Insurance companies charge a premium the moment they hear "EVO". Driving a manual car in a traffic jam is inconvenient, although i have no qualms doing so. Most critically, you never feel at ease speeding here: No one sticks to their lanes, moron taxis stop without a whim, old people cross the road like every car has brembo brakes.
The only alternative to speeding illegally is to go to Malaysia, which is a relatively safe place as opposed to IRAQ or a Silkair 747. For that, I'm sorry....I'd love to drive the car on Sunday, but I'd hate to own one everyday
posted by Chris @ 10:59 PM
1 Comments:
At 12:26 PM,
Ken Yeoh said…
Wonderful breakdown and analysis of Mit Evo MR!
Chris, you sorta amazes me with your detailed analysis of that car... My...You sure know a lot. If you say 'no', then I guess I'm ignorant.
Anyway, consider working for car magazines where you can test drive and provide readers clear analysis?
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