[vaBooM]

When we were looking for a AWD turbo beast, we happened to look at the Lancer Evo before the WRX STi.

I seen the Ralliart, and I knew I needed a daily commuter. So I test drove it. EWWW. How could you even justify saying its in the hatchback/sedan category. First off, it wasnt very responsive. Cornering sucked, compared to the Matrix I drove that morning. The interior was so-so... another BIG complaint we had with the Evo. Seats were nice, a little mushy.

The exterior does look appealing, but its not for me.

Oh btw, we ened up with the WRX STi at the very end.

 

[vaBooM]

avro - if you didnt notice, all of Mitsubishi's cars (sedans) have the similiar interior. We are not putting the 3 against the Evo. We are just saying, if you gonna spend $30k, would you want the same interior as the $15k younger brother?

$30k cars open up a whole new world. We ended up with the STi because of sheer performance. We didnt get the WHALE spoiler or anything of that nature. Hell, my brother recommends going RWD, ha.

Back to the subject, for the money, the build quality on the new 3 is a sure winner. Keep in mind I did, personally, drive what was available in the price range.

Overall, this is how I rate the cars based on driving them:

Mazda3
Matrix
Civic SI hatchback
Jetta Wagon/Jetta
Lancer Ralliart
PT Cruiser
Vibe GT

Dont even think about the CorollaS or the Civic EX, this is the wrong category for them. This list is personal preference. I didnt use any hp or tq figures. I drove them all in a 3 day span.

And besides... I could drive any of them. I work on most of them daily.

 

[vaBooM]

Just wondering, how come the Matrix is so high on your list, yet the Vibe GT is last? I thought they are virtually the same car but with different exterior styling. What was so different b/w the 2 IYO that they were not ranked similarly?

The Vibe looks like a cheap POS. The Matrix looks soo much cleaner. They performed the same, but I hate the exterior.

Even tho its the worst car IMO (exterior wise), its still on my list because I did drive it.

 

[vaBooM]

Check this out..

http://edmunds.com/new/2004/mitsubishi/lancer/100369818/VehicleComparison;jsessionid=18fsoFnNUcI1saoWzLPPZ73ZGz3TeY4XNRyj86fLZ82Q1y2W4lF5!-1352771413

Just click the headers at the top of the comparison and you will see the differences.