09.07.2009
The Evo X has been criticised for being too soft, too compromised compared to its loony-tune ancestors. Not any more. The new FQ-400 is suitably bonkers. Problem is it’s now BMW M3 money…
Now read the feature magazine and then let us know your thoughts.
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20 Comments
DriversRepublic (The DR Team)
July 9, 2009Posted on DR: New Feature: BMW M3 v Mitsubishi Evo X FQ-400 http://bit.ly/UCCtv
DriversRepublic (The DR Team)
July 9, 2009Posted on DR: New Feature: BMW M3 v Mitsubishi Evo X FQ-400 http://bit.ly/UCCtv
Asad
July 10, 2009great feature jethro! so is this DCT gearox a better driving experiance than the manual? and how the new i drive like compared to ur old longterm m3′s! looking to buy m3 soon!
Asad
July 10, 2009great feature jethro! so is this DCT gearox a better driving experiance than the manual? and how the new i drive like compared to ur old longterm m3′s! looking to buy m3 soon!
Asad
July 10, 2009great feature jethro! so is this DCT gearbox a better driving experiance than the manual? and hows the new i drive like compared to ur old longterm saloon m3′s has it got more features and screens and stuff or is it just easier to control that is the differance? looking to buy m3 soon!
ps keep up the goodwork and hope you take the m3 coupe dct on the silverstone time attack lap
pps your a great driver
Asad
July 10, 2009great feature jethro! so is this DCT gearbox a better driving experiance than the manual? and hows the new i drive like compared to ur old longterm saloon m3′s has it got more features and screens and stuff or is it just easier to control that is the differance? looking to buy m3 soon!
ps keep up the goodwork and hope you take the m3 coupe dct on the silverstone time attack lap
pps your a great driver
JethroBovingdon
July 10, 2009I’m not sure if it’s better than the manual or not, but the fact that it’s such a close call is a surprise to me. I thought I’d take the manual ever time, but there’s no doubt that M DCT gives you more access to the performance and the shift itself is GT-R like (ie mechanical and yet instant) rather than PDK (slurred and a bit too automaticalike).
I still think that the saloon is better on the road than a coupe. It rides with more composure and seems a tiny bit more progressive – the coupe is quite a wild ride in damp conditions with the traction control off or in M Dynamic mode.
I’m so used to the old iDrive that I prefer it to the new simpler one! Of course all these systems need an element of learning and I think journalists are a bit too quick to criticise after just a few hours or days when an owner is in the car every day for months/years. I suspect this system is easier in the long run.
We’d like to do the M3 coupe at Silverstone, too. Especially with the Cup+ tyres (this one was on PS2s). Hopefully we’ll manage that soon.
JethroBovingdon
July 10, 2009I’m not sure if it’s better than the manual or not, but the fact that it’s such a close call is a surprise to me. I thought I’d take the manual ever time, but there’s no doubt that M DCT gives you more access to the performance and the shift itself is GT-R like (ie mechanical and yet instant) rather than PDK (slurred and a bit too automaticalike).
I still think that the saloon is better on the road than a coupe. It rides with more composure and seems a tiny bit more progressive – the coupe is quite a wild ride in damp conditions with the traction control off or in M Dynamic mode.
I’m so used to the old iDrive that I prefer it to the new simpler one! Of course all these systems need an element of learning and I think journalists are a bit too quick to criticise after just a few hours or days when an owner is in the car every day for months/years. I suspect this system is easier in the long run.
We’d like to do the M3 coupe at Silverstone, too. Especially with the Cup+ tyres (this one was on PS2s). Hopefully we’ll manage that soon.
Asad
July 11, 2009Thanks for the quick reply jethro!
i did a msv m3 master trackday experiance on bedford autodrome last month thats where i sampled the MDCT gearbox in the 09 white coupe(which looked superb) and i thought it was great gearbox (it was manual all the way for me first like you)plus the whole display on the screen was better with HDD sat nav and HDD music storage etc on the idrive2 abit like the new 7series, so it made the whole car feel more modern and upmarket!
so which would you go for jethro with ur own money, A used 57 -08plate manual m3 or nearly new 09 MDCT with all the new stuff inside??? basicly is it worth the extra outlay? thats my dilema mate hope you could help!
Asad
July 11, 2009Thanks for the quick reply jethro!
i did a msv m3 master trackday experiance on bedford autodrome last month thats where i sampled the MDCT gearbox in the 09 white coupe(which looked superb) and i thought it was great gearbox (it was manual all the way for me first like you)plus the whole display on the screen was better with HDD sat nav and HDD music storage etc on the idrive2 abit like the new 7series, so it made the whole car feel more modern and upmarket!
so which would you go for jethro with ur own money, A used 57 -08plate manual m3 or nearly new 09 MDCT with all the new stuff inside??? basicly is it worth the extra outlay? thats my dilema mate hope you could help!
JethroBovingdon
July 11, 2009Hmmmm, I think you’d be happy with both. However, sounds like you’re bought-in to the new iDrive and the DCT ‘box, and I reckon if you are you’d always regret not spending the extra money on the newer car. Sorry, maybe not the answer you wanted to hear!
JethroBovingdon
July 11, 2009Hmmmm, I think you’d be happy with both. However, sounds like you’re bought-in to the new iDrive and the DCT ‘box, and I reckon if you are you’d always regret not spending the extra money on the newer car. Sorry, maybe not the answer you wanted to hear!
Asad
July 12, 2009i see where ur coming from jethro thanks for ur advice! the best thing is il just test drive both specs on the road and go from there but there is around a 10k gap though!
i drive a 350z with all the NISMO parts on it, and in terms of handling balance and how progressive the rear end is in sliding and catching can u explaine wots the differance between the e92 m3 and 350z please in those departments on the A & B road driving!
ps im a longtime subscriber with Autocar & EVO magazines and i must say ur articles & features are on another level compared to all other writers! always great to read and highly detailed info which u allways provide!!!
Thanks, keep it up!
Asad
July 12, 2009i see where ur coming from jethro thanks for ur advice! the best thing is il just test drive both specs on the road and go from there but there is around a 10k gap though!
i drive a 350z with all the NISMO parts on it, and in terms of handling balance and how progressive the rear end is in sliding and catching can u explaine wots the differance between the e92 m3 and 350z please in those departments on the A & B road driving!
ps im a longtime subscriber with Autocar & EVO magazines and i must say ur articles & features are on another level compared to all other writers! always great to read and highly detailed info which u allways provide!!!
Thanks, keep it up!
Scotty
July 12, 2009Gday Jethro,
Just reading the article and noticed the Evo is running on Toyo R1R’s. Interested in your thoughts on these as they are THE tyre to have for the elite level of drifters and having seen them in action they seem to have pretty crazy traction capabilities. How do they compare to the usual cup level rubber and do they make a noticeable difference to the Evo’s capabilities?
Also surely the better value lies in buying the stocko model then adding the requisite aftermarket gear? Yes you forgo a warranty and factory development but thats a LOT of money for an Evo.
Scotty
July 12, 2009Gday Jethro,
Just reading the article and noticed the Evo is running on Toyo R1R’s. Interested in your thoughts on these as they are THE tyre to have for the elite level of drifters and having seen them in action they seem to have pretty crazy traction capabilities. How do they compare to the usual cup level rubber and do they make a noticeable difference to the Evo’s capabilities?
Also surely the better value lies in buying the stocko model then adding the requisite aftermarket gear? Yes you forgo a warranty and factory development but thats a LOT of money for an Evo.
JethroBovingdon
July 12, 2009R1Rs were very good, I thought. Didn’t get to try them on track, but on road they were excellent. Seemed to work well whatever the temperature and when warm they made a pretty big difference to grip levels compared to, say, an FQ-330. Better still they were much, much quieter than 888s/Cups etc and would be easy to live with day-to-day.
I think the FQ-400′s great problem is the price. It’s getting back to what an Evo should be like… and at £35k you’d be able to make a strong case for it. At £50k it’s just a bit mad. Especially when a GT-R is only about £56k, too.
But it did rekindle my love for Evos… have been looking for an Evo VII RS2 ever since!
JethroBovingdon
July 12, 2009R1Rs were very good, I thought. Didn’t get to try them on track, but on road they were excellent. Seemed to work well whatever the temperature and when warm they made a pretty big difference to grip levels compared to, say, an FQ-330. Better still they were much, much quieter than 888s/Cups etc and would be easy to live with day-to-day.
I think the FQ-400′s great problem is the price. It’s getting back to what an Evo should be like… and at £35k you’d be able to make a strong case for it. At £50k it’s just a bit mad. Especially when a GT-R is only about £56k, too.
But it did rekindle my love for Evos… have been looking for an Evo VII RS2 ever since!
Neville Contractor
July 15, 2009It’s amazing that only a few years ago a top spec Evo was a chunk of money less than a M3, and from the few higher quality twin-tests I read, the Evo’s shortcomings – especially the aesthetic quality and tactile build – were balanced out by its significantly lower price. The FQ-400 of today still has some minor shortcomings by the sounds of things, but now costs as much as the M3!
In saying that I’m glad that the FQ-400 is a marked improvement over the first of this new generation – hopefully these alterations will start to seep there way through the lower echelons of the Evo range.
Would be interesting to take both a manual and M DCT equipped M3 over the Yorkshire moors for a couple of days…
Neville Contractor
July 15, 2009It’s amazing that only a few years ago a top spec Evo was a chunk of money less than a M3, and from the few higher quality twin-tests I read, the Evo’s shortcomings – especially the aesthetic quality and tactile build – were balanced out by its significantly lower price. The FQ-400 of today still has some minor shortcomings by the sounds of things, but now costs as much as the M3!
In saying that I’m glad that the FQ-400 is a marked improvement over the first of this new generation – hopefully these alterations will start to seep there way through the lower echelons of the Evo range.
Would be interesting to take both a manual and M DCT equipped M3 over the Yorkshire moors for a couple of days…