i was in the same boat, bro. got my self an 05 berlina in july and have been smiling since.

 

That was a fun thread. I should really correct my spelling of "overlize"

Most of the Evo owners are not mature. At least not the ones posting regularly on EvoM. There are at least 20 threads in the trash (most trashed by me) where the "Evo is god" crowd ridicule a person for choosing the S2000 over the Evo.

That said - The Evo8/9 is an absolute blast to drive. The acceleration, braking, and handling are all a notch up on the S2000 (acceleration maybe more so). It has a good sized trunk, room for 4 (5 is tight), and makes for a good 4 seasons car if you actually get 4 seasons. If you like to mod, the Evo is where it's at - a few thousand dollars and you can push the 4g63 reliably to 300+ WHP. Downsides? Well, it's ugly. Mitsubishi sucks and will void your warranty for just thinking about modding it. It draws a lot of unwanted attention - every riceboy, cop, and redneck will be drawn to the car with the desire to race, arrest, and harass you, respectively. Mitsubishi sucks. You can't put the top down when it's 75 and sunny. Doesn't have cruise control . Did I mention Mitsubishi sucks?

Essentially, I think the cars are a perfect pair. If you're buying new, something to consider - a used '03 Evo and a used '01 S2000 could be had for $35-40k total. If you have the garage space of course

If you have to choose one, I can't really help you, I like both for different reasons. Ask yourself which is more important - a bit more speed or a bit less roof.

 

I agree on the part where you should try the STI. But just because something is more sophisticated and unique doesnt make it nessecarily better. The STI's awd system is pretty cool, but the evo does handle better. The Sti's engine is fantastic out of the box, but the evo's engine is much more mod friendly or rather, it takes much less $ to make the evo quicker/faster. BTW, subaru made a huge mistake with the 06 restyle (IMO). And I think the general consensus on NASIOC is the same. On the flip side, at times i feel like i am driving a lancer when I am in the EVO. The Sti has a really nice interior and seems much more refined. Also the quality of interior materials seems to be superior too! The STI does seem to have a better resale value also.


"I guess the bottom line -- Evo is certainly a great sports sedan, but make sure you test drive an STi for yourself before deciding anything -- it's a worthy comparison to the Evo.

BTW, I used to own a WRX and have done the "AWD sports sedan" thing. The S2K is about a zillion times more fun and rewarding to drive."

I totally agree with these statements!

 

I owned an STI before my current s2k. I missed my little red s2k so much I ditched the STI, took a loss on it, and got back into 2000 s2k. Motor Trend did something other magazines haven't done yet, they put the STI and Evo on the same tires, instead of just using the factories, then went around a few different tracks. What they came out with is the Sti is better in adverse weather conditions like rain and snow. The Evo is better on tracks with many tight turns and few straight aways, but the Sti is a hair faster on tracks with turns with good straight aways behind them.

That said, the evo is an amazing car all things considered... but like most evo owners who'll say they like the s2k, but are sticking with thier Evo's... I like my S2k and am staying with it..

 

Most people seem to be saying that the S2000 has the advantage in looks and fun factor and the Evo has the performance advantage. From those that have driven or owned both, are you saying that the Evo has a performance advantage (stock to stock) across the board in every category? Given two equally experienced drivers, which car would be better around a twisty track or autox course? What advantage does the S2000 have given that the Evo is a highly modified family sedan and the S2000 is designed as a sportscar from the ground up?

About rain and winter driving, from what I have read, the Evo doesn't have much of an advantage over the S because tires are much more important than AWD vs RWD. Any car, even an AWD car, will handle like crap in the snow with summer tires. Put some winter tires on either car and you'll be fine.

 

Just to let you know, the Evo and Sti are both in the same stock class as the S2000 for SCCA auto-x. Neither is competitive against the S2000. The S is just more nimble and it doesn't understeer.

This is common knowledge.

 

Acceleration: Evo, Hands down.
Top End: Draw. Both have lousy aerodynamics.
Braking: Evo, slightly. Both are very good, among the best you can get for reasonable cash.
Low speed (<30) handling: S2000.
Mid speed (30-100) handling: Evo.
High speed (100+) handling: Draw, though the Evo is much more reassuring in this domain.
Combined accel/decel + turning: This is probably the area the Evo excels in most. AWD is nice in certain areas and this is one of them. The S2000, especially stock '00-'03 models, has a few nasty characteristics with trail braking.

Tight track/auto-x: I'd probably favor the S2000 here. The Evo has a large turning radius (a side effect of the AWD system) and does not do tight turns well.
Normal (1-2.5 mile) track: probably a draw. An average driver will be faster in the Evo.
Long track (road america, etc): Evo.
Canyon carving (lots of sweepers and elevation change): Evo is faster but the view from the S2000 is better.
Drag racing: Evo, especially if you mod it.
Rally: No comparison

Inclement weather: The Evo will always be better assuming you equip them similarly. The A046 is a disgustingly grippy (and expensive) summer tire, like the S02, that doesn't work so well in the rain and hardly at all in the snow. Put the right tires on and the benefits of all 4 driving are there. An S2000 on snows will be better than an Evo on Summers or all-seasons, of course.

Modified family sedan vs ground up design: The biggest benefit of the former is that a lot of costs are offset, which can be applied to areas like the engine, tranny, etc. And while the car is a modified Lancer, it's also the 7th evolution of a rally-bred race car.

 

I would say that this is 'common knowledge' to people who auto-x, not to the public in general.

Anyways, what I was really driving at was why does everyone seem to be saying that the Evo is a better performing car across the board (acceleration, handling, etc.) when it isn't even in the same class as the S for auto-x?

 

Nice comparo WestSideBilly.

 

Auto-x seems to magnify the Evo's worst characteristics (large turning radius and mild understeer, a brutal combo when cone dodging), which just happens to be an area where the S2000, Miata, and similar cars (light, short wheelbase, fast steering, good balance) excel.