Evolution Drive Report

[Ruchmate]

Ok So I finally got to drive the Evo after it was broken in and over the course of the weekend I drove it for about 260 miles. I managed to only get 170 miles out of one tank of gas so I REALLY drove it

Anyhoo, the Cliff Notes: THE CAR IS ****ING AMAZING.

So I slide myself into the nice recaro seat and start it up and take off down the road at a gingerly pace and was like whoa, the ride quality is just like my Prelude, the clutch weight is just like my Prelude, even the steering has a similar feel to my Prelude. I was feeling really comfortable straight away.

After it was warmed up I decided to give it some stick and wow, the car just takes off with a loud hiss from the turbo and I was like this is definately not my Prelude. Hard gear changes are accompanied by a pop out of the exhaust followed by yet another surge and a loud hissing noise. So I had established the car was quick.

Driving the car around town is nowhere near as pleasant in the Evo as other cars, the car is not content to cruise in a high gear at ultra low rpms, the 2.0L motor starts to sputter and loses all power, so the transmission needs to be stirred often. On the freeway the car is at first a bit of a handful because the steering ratio is so bloody fast that it feels very very darty. The slightest steering movement causes it to move so quickly. Soon though, you get used to ultra quick ratio and everything becomes that much more clear, the steering feel is superb and nicely weighted. After having a quick drive in the 750iL i was cursing its ultra slow steering so getting used to the quickness means you can't go back to a regular steering rack. Otherwise the rest of the car around town is fine, the ride only becomes a problem on really uneven pavement then it can throw you up and down a bit.

So then the handling must be tested out so I went out to my favourite set of twisty roads and started going at it. At first I was like whoa, my Prelude is a bit better than this car, it felt just slightly tipsy going at slower speeds around turns. Then I started to go harder and harder and the car just came alive, taking a nice set and show amazing levels of grip. Flooring it out of a tight turn in 2nd gear is absolutely no problem, the car just claws the ground and lunges itself towards the next corner. The gear change is absolutely great, very precise and direct. The only transmission problem comes from the 3rd to 2nd downshift where it really requires you to push it left, but once you get used to that its perfectly fine. Heel/toe in this car is soooo easy, the pedals are perfectly arranged and the car responds with delight at the pedal dance. The seats hold you nicely for the most part through the twisties too, they could do with being just a lil tighter for "run" type activities, but they are a great combination of comfort and holding power.

I had a minor snafu with this car on the first night I drove it.... Lets just say the fact that it was black, turbo, awd, and had a high ride height for rally style activities helped me getaway from a certain car that has a bar of lights on its roof that happened to be flashing....

[RacingManiac]

You ran away from a cop car?

Anyhow, sounds like the perfect car to replace Intrepid with.....

[Ruchmate]

Originally posted by RacingManiac
You ran away from a cop car?

Umm who knows.... [confused]

[LanEvo]

[TS1]

i had the priviledge of being driven around during the snafu. It was quite thrilling.

And make no mistake about it, this thing is FAST! It's a savage. Even though its a 2L 4 cyl engine, it feels like it has so much torque that you forget that its just 2L...

Anyways, handling felt really good too and the turbos make that great whining noise...

overall really sweet car...now i need to driven around in a wrx sti to make some comparisons.