performance: evo>sti
looks: evo>sti
reliable: evo=sti
driver/passanger comfort evo<sti


end of story....

 

The clutch most certainly is the weak point on the EVO, I should know. I had one in between my 2 S2000's... but with that being said, it's that way for a reason. Too many idiots do 7k clutch drops on the EVO trying to make it a drag racing car and blow out the diff, which is a hell of a lot more expensive to replace than a clutch, so Mitsubishi made the clutch more likely to give out than the diff, but it's NOT uncommon for people to have the factory clutch take a lot of abuse at the track and still work fine for over 30k miles. My factory clutch was just fine with handling the 375 whp and 380 lb/ft torque I was making. When you ask Subaru mechanics the number one thing they see STI's in the shop for it's the tranny... mainly breaking gears 2 and or 3... I'll replace a clutch any day before having to replace gears, and personally speaking after driving both the STI and the EVO before buying them, the EVO is hands down the clear choice, but then again I didn't care about a blue alcantara interior that was nicer, I cared about the cars handling and performance. Also, with the price range you're looking at, I would recommend an 05 EVO VIII GSR which is what I picked up. The 05's have the active center diff and a mildly bigger hotside on the turbo than the 03-04 EVO's. Head over to evolutionm.net and do some research, it will do you a world of good. Good luck, the EVO is a great car, but I couldn't stay away from the S2000!

 

I just test drove an evo this Saturday...an '05 so I think that makes it an evo VIII.

Power:
The power was great, but like the S you still had to rev it hard to get decent power out of the engine. Maybe I drove it wrong, but I felt that the power delivery was brutal...but only in first gear, all other gears it was only probably only slightly faster than the S. Its definitely not a slow car but maybe I was expecting too much.

Steering:
The steering was wayyyy too light. I could drive it with one finger...I guess its a personal preference thing but I didn't like it.

Transmission:
The EVO VIII came with a 5-speed MT, it was pretty nice...precise but not as smooth or as short...which should be given when comparing most cars to the S.

Interior:
The one I drove had the recaro leather package so the seats felt nice but the interior was cheap and econo sedan-like...which was pretty much what I expected. The sitting position was weird compared to the S. I felt like I was sitting really high and I felt unstable, but thats also a personal preference

Styling:
This is definitely subjective but I realized a huge dilemma when testing it...I hate the look of the EVO without the rear spoiler but it blocks a large chunk of the rear-view.

Conclusion:
Go drive one yourself and find out! You will be hard pressed to find a mint condition one for a decent price...when I was shopping for the S, every EVO I looked at that was a fair price according to edmunds was either heavily modded or had been flogged to death.

 

my motto: turbo lag is a bitch

 

Yikes... I'm not sure if you've ever driven an EVO with a factory turbo. If you consider being able to hit 26 lbs of boost by 3000 rpm laggy, then I'm not sure if there's any hope for you. EVO's are constantly praised for the quick spool of the turbo because they are a twin scroll design. They are anything but laggy unless you bog the start.

As for the power delivery being brutal, once again I'm lost. The power delivery is quick from down low in the revs up until about 6800 to 7000 rpm, as I mentioned with the ability to hit full boost by around 3000 rpm. The only reason to rev higher is to keep the revs up on the upshift. You could shift at 7800 which is fuel cut, but it's not necessary as the turbo starts to loose efficiency after a certain point.

 

Alright I think its about time for another stupid question...

as far as getting the attention of cops and such...which car is worse?

I know last time I talked to a highway patrol (off duty) he said hey are you still driving that miata? (he didnt know the difference) and in almost the same sentence heard me talking about the STI and said it was the fastest production car ever created...

 

Depends on the color of the car usually... they both have the big rally wings on them, so neither one is exactly going to be under the radar. I'd say that's an even toss up.

 

[QUOTE=otbs2k,Dec 3 2007, 12:51 AM] Depends on the color of the car usually... they both have the big rally wings on them, so neither one is exactly going to be under the radar.

 

i havent but me personally i prefer NA over turbo anyday

 

Yeah, well, you can't really argue turbo lag vs NA when you're driving a car that hits at 6k.