Just test drove an 05 evolution:

[parts007]

I am deciding between an new 05 STi and an new 05 Evo.

I would love to hear, from current owners, comments and criticisms on each vehicle, to help me decide which on I should buy.

Will Mitsubishi be around long enough to honor their warranty? I do not know the current status of their company.

If something happens to Mitsu, what happens to parts availibility. Think about Daewoo and their parts availibility situation. (it sucks)

I heard rumors that Mitsu knows if you autocross a car by checking the registries.

Thanks for you help....TR

[evo_dadi]

bah who needs warranties i autox once in a while.imo stock for stock the evo is for the rugged person who just likes to go balls out daily as for the sti its more of a pimps car who likes it smooth no need to worry about parts since there are other places that will still sell them or just go with an aftermarket.

[CArkid0101]

Both amazing cars, sti's do tend to be harder to upgrade, and evos IMO come a little more track ready, stiffer chassis, better handing, if autox is what u wanna do the evos probably alittle more ready to go. If you want to do AWD drags, sti is you. The sti is a little faster (300 hp) but they also cost that much more. To get an evo to the hp would be the difference in price is what im trying to say. And the evo already takes most saloms, and tracks. B4, I4 your choice.

[Warrtalon]

Originally Posted by CArkid0101

Both amazing cars, sti's do tend to be harder to upgrade, and evos IMO come a little more track ready, stiffer chassis, better handing, if autox is what u wanna do the evos probably alittle more ready to go. If you want to do AWD drags, sti is you. The sti is a little faster (300 hp) but they also cost that much more. To get an evo to the hp would be the difference in price is what im trying to say. And the evo already takes most saloms, and tracks. B4, I4 your choice.

Hmm, no, the STi isn't faster than 05s, and only slightly faster than 03-04s. There also is no big difference in price. Subaru rates the STi at 300bhp, while Mitsu rates the 05s at 276hp, but the 05s are dyno'ing just as much as the STi's. 05s also are pulling faster 1/4-mile times in stock form (12.9-13.1), so the Evo is just as good at dragging, if not better due to the ease of modification.

I agree on the Evo being more track-ready (auto-x), because I beat a modded STi with an experienced driver by over a second last week, and it was my first auto-x ever.

[superflyjmysnk]

I test drove both the 05 sti and the mr, and although i couldn't really get crazy with it with the sales guy in the car(s) the mr felt quicker and more responsive. I may be slightly biased as i've been driving a 300whp eclipse for the last three years and know the old 4g63t like the back of my hand, but the evo feels alot lighter(it's not) and agile than the sti. I ended up getting the MR last week.

[superflyjmysnk]

The only qualm i have with the mr is that an exhaust sound is non existent, it's funny to fly by a car with a muffler/exhaust making all kinds of noise when the loudest sound coming from my car is from the accessory drive belt.

[ldstang50]

If you are lookign to mod or do any type or racing get the evo. If you want "hey look at me" and more comfortable ride to work and you don't care about racing get the STi.

[turbolarry]

Originally Posted by parts007

I would love to hear, from current owners, comments and criticisms on each vehicle, to help me decide which on I should buy..

Evo. Not the strongest clutch, but the you don't have to worry about three cat's, funky headers, and five miles of intake piping when you upgrade.

Originally Posted by parts007

Will Mitsubishi be around long enough to honor their warranty? I do not know the current status of their company.
If something happens to Mitsu, what happens to parts availibility. Think about Daewoo and their parts availibility situation. (it sucks)

They're fine. Shuffle some funds from Heavy Industries and they'll be around.

Originally Posted by parts007

I heard rumors that Mitsu knows if you autocross a car by checking the registries.

Don't believe rumors.

[ldstang50]

Evo clutches are pretty easy to replace. Although for 05s i recomment the dealership do it because they have to reset something in the diff. In the 03s we didn't have the diff so we can do it in our garages,
Warrtalon had the dealership do his clutch and he upgraded to an ACT 2600. They told him that would not void any warranty issues because they did it. So basically what it comes down to is the dealership willing to honor the warranty. Yes its a Mitsubishi warranty not a dealership warranty, but we all know that each dealership is different.

Also with teh STi you have to deal with the TMIC, which personally I don't like and upgrading to a bigger one is a pain in the ass because the piping for it makes an immediate 90 degree turn into the intake from the intercooler which makes putting it on a bitch.

[punisher]

I have an 05' evo and a good friend of mine has an 05' STi. We raced them 3 weeks ago, they were even, niether of us could pull one another, we even swapped cars and raced again with the same results. Off the line the STi is much easier to launch, but once their rolling they're pretty much dead even. We did a roll race on the freeway from 60mph and the evo will slowly gain 1/2 a car length by 120mph. The STi is a good car, it has more low end tourque than the evo which makes it a little easier to drive around town. People say the STi has softer suspension, but they're both rough as hell. The evo is a little more focused, its built like a racecar. It corners better than the STi, the steering is more crisp, and there is no body roll. I personally like the evos seats more than the STi's. They're both amazing cars and you can't really go wrong with either one. Of couse you are at a site with thousands of happy evo owners so all of our views may be a little opinionated.