Test drove some cars over the weekend (STi, SRT-4...)..LONG
04-19-2004, 10:27 AM
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Test drove some cars over the weekend (STi, SRT-4...)..LONG
I went for my quarterly test driving cars day last Saturday. It's always good to check out the competition 
My intent was to compare, in the same day, an Evo8 with an STi and an R32. I don't plan on getting one - I'm just curious. However, since these cars are relatively rare it didn't work as planned. I could only find one R32 in the local area...and the dealer wouldn't let anyone test drive it. They even had a $5k markup on the sticker. Pathetic. So, no R32 test drive. What kills me is that the very same dealer also sells Subarus and they had no problem letting me drive an STi. So, I took out the STi. Salesguy was actually quite cool and let me rip it up.
Observations (STi): Excellent seats...really grip you...cheesy fabric though. You all know about the styling so I won't rip on that. Short shifter pretty good although the gates are very close to each other so I could see how you might miss a shift. Nice exhaust note. Good clutch and gear engagement. Pedals placed very close to each other...good for heal-and-toeing unless you have big feet. Fast car. Didn't feel much faster than my Stage I AMS (with 99 octane that day) but too hard to compare. Turbo lag not too bad. The gear ratios are suprisingly close. After I shifted at high rpms the tach was still at about 5krpm. I think you have to shift twice before 60mph. Engine vibration is prominent and you can hear that boxer engine all the time. The vibration is enough to make that hood scoop wobble. The most prominent thing I noticed with this car is how sensitive it is to any input in steering. It's so quick to respond...almost alarmingly so. If you over-react (like when startled or something) I could see how you could get into trouble. The car is fairly neutral around broad turns but wants to oversteer when you make quick/sharp adjustments. It seems like it would be a blast on the track. Overall, great car for fun/track use but too "raw" for a daily driver.
Went to drive an Evo8. Sat in the car and just as I asked the salesguy to test drive the manager came out and told me to get out of the car because he had just sold it to this kid who was waiting in the lobby. Apparently, my sales guy didn't notice his manager was making a deal. Kid drove it off the lot. Bummer. However, the same dealer sold Dodges so I asked to test drive an SRT-4.
Observations (SRT-4): Suprisingly fast car. It pulls fairly hard. I can see why many people have "problems" with this car when they race. Aside from that, a complete P.O.S. The exhaust note is pathetically ghetto. The interior is just like the base Neons (with boost gauge added). The seats are HORRIBLE - the lumbar curve is so off that you keep trying to adjust yourself in the seat. You have absolutely no traction around corners - inside front tire lights up even with subtle throttle inputs. Suspension is crap - car leans and bobs. Brakes seemed OK I guess. Overall, if you want cheap straighahead speed then this is the best bang for you buck. Just don't ask it to do anything else for you. I supposed you could put some $$ into changing that (new seats, suspension, exhaust, etc.).
So, that's the scoup. I'll try the R32 and Evo8 again next weekend. I do like the Evo8 styling better than the STi but I guess that's personal preference. Oh, and I took a peak under the R32 chassis and notice that it's a pseudo dual exhaust. It's dual from the engine to the cats and then merges to a single then splits back to a dual at the back (has a Porsche Boxter like muffler). The weird thing is that they pancacked the exhaust pipe to what looks like 1/4" tall and 2"wide at one point in order to get it to fit under the rear drive axle. I bet that hurts performance.
My intent was to compare, in the same day, an Evo8 with an STi and an R32. I don't plan on getting one - I'm just curious. However, since these cars are relatively rare it didn't work as planned. I could only find one R32 in the local area...and the dealer wouldn't let anyone test drive it. They even had a $5k markup on the sticker. Pathetic. So, no R32 test drive. What kills me is that the very same dealer also sells Subarus and they had no problem letting me drive an STi. So, I took out the STi. Salesguy was actually quite cool and let me rip it up.
Observations (STi): Excellent seats...really grip you...cheesy fabric though. You all know about the styling so I won't rip on that. Short shifter pretty good although the gates are very close to each other so I could see how you might miss a shift. Nice exhaust note. Good clutch and gear engagement. Pedals placed very close to each other...good for heal-and-toeing unless you have big feet. Fast car. Didn't feel much faster than my Stage I AMS (with 99 octane that day) but too hard to compare. Turbo lag not too bad. The gear ratios are suprisingly close. After I shifted at high rpms the tach was still at about 5krpm. I think you have to shift twice before 60mph. Engine vibration is prominent and you can hear that boxer engine all the time. The vibration is enough to make that hood scoop wobble. The most prominent thing I noticed with this car is how sensitive it is to any input in steering. It's so quick to respond...almost alarmingly so. If you over-react (like when startled or something) I could see how you could get into trouble. The car is fairly neutral around broad turns but wants to oversteer when you make quick/sharp adjustments. It seems like it would be a blast on the track. Overall, great car for fun/track use but too "raw" for a daily driver.
Went to drive an Evo8. Sat in the car and just as I asked the salesguy to test drive the manager came out and told me to get out of the car because he had just sold it to this kid who was waiting in the lobby. Apparently, my sales guy didn't notice his manager was making a deal. Kid drove it off the lot. Bummer. However, the same dealer sold Dodges so I asked to test drive an SRT-4.
Observations (SRT-4): Suprisingly fast car. It pulls fairly hard. I can see why many people have "problems" with this car when they race. Aside from that, a complete P.O.S. The exhaust note is pathetically ghetto. The interior is just like the base Neons (with boost gauge added). The seats are HORRIBLE - the lumbar curve is so off that you keep trying to adjust yourself in the seat. You have absolutely no traction around corners - inside front tire lights up even with subtle throttle inputs. Suspension is crap - car leans and bobs. Brakes seemed OK I guess. Overall, if you want cheap straighahead speed then this is the best bang for you buck. Just don't ask it to do anything else for you. I supposed you could put some $$ into changing that (new seats, suspension, exhaust, etc.).
So, that's the scoup. I'll try the R32 and Evo8 again next weekend. I do like the Evo8 styling better than the STi but I guess that's personal preference. Oh, and I took a peak under the R32 chassis and notice that it's a pseudo dual exhaust. It's dual from the engine to the cats and then merges to a single then splits back to a dual at the back (has a Porsche Boxter like muffler). The weird thing is that they pancacked the exhaust pipe to what looks like 1/4" tall and 2"wide at one point in order to get it to fit under the rear drive axle. I bet that hurts performance.
04-19-2004, 10:39 AM
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cool, i test drove the s2000 and the evo8 this weekend...
S2000: first impression when i sat inside; seats really hug you! no torque but gotta love that high end and the quick response between shifts, being that its all motor (with v-tec) love the drop top too, nice for summers
Evo8: wasn't too excited didn't have that kick in the *** as my APR stage 2 did. Car does handle very nice though. Waiting for the Evo MR to come out. Its suppose to hit 0-60 in 4.3 seconds. Now that is crazy!
Evo8: wasn't too excited didn't have that kick in the *** as my APR stage 2 did. Car does handle very nice though. Waiting for the Evo MR to come out. Its suppose to hit 0-60 in 4.3 seconds. Now that is crazy!
04-19-2004, 11:38 AM
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did you drive the Evo8 hard? cause that car is pretty darn fast
when I drove one, it felt very quick and nimble. A stage 2 S4 might only edge out on a race at higher speeds.
If you're quick on the shift and hard on the gas, this is a very fun car to drive. The interior is not thing to rave about but the engine is sweet.
If you're quick on the shift and hard on the gas, this is a very fun car to drive. The interior is not thing to rave about but the engine is sweet.
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04-19-2004, 12:41 PM
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Yeah, some Evo's are just slower than others as well.
You will stock trap speeds anywhere from 96 mph to 104 mph. I drove a couple of stock ones and the one I bought was significantly stronger than the other. My service manager also noticed the difference.
