Well, the RIV site is updated and the Evo is still inadmissible to Canada. The STI is, now, admissible. Hopefully Cdn pricing will be released on these cars shortly.

Hum, maybe we'll get the USDM Evo after all....


From Thursday's Globe and Mail

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January 3, 2008 at 12:00 AM EST

Transport Canada has acknowledged that the safety benefits of its eight kilometres/hour bumper regulations — a higher speed than allowed by the United States or Europe — does not justify the cost, and will look at various changes to come down as early as this summer.

"From a cost-benefit perspective, Transport Canada has been unable to justify why the Canadian bumper standard should continue to be more stringent than those of the United States or the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe," wrote Transport Canada in a proposal to change the bumper standards, which appeared in the official Canada Gazette. From that proposal, it's clear that Transport Canada officials are hoping to make a change.

"In the absence of evidence that the benefits of the Canadian bumper standard exceed the cost to society resulting from it, maintaining the standard unchanged would not appear to constitute an appropriate solution," wrote Christian Lavoie, director of standards research and development for Transport Canada.

The logical change would be to move the standards closer to the four km/h U.S. standard mandated, wrote Lavoie, because the current system makes it more expensive for auto makers to sell cars here (costs that are passed on to Canadian buyers in the form of higher prices) and also delays or limits the import of some vehicles, usually limited volume but highly desirable models. "The end result for consumers is a potentially smaller consumer choice and an increase in car purchase prices," Lavoie wrote.

Canadian standards are meant to ensure that suspension, engine, headlight and brake components that are key to a vehicle's safe operation are not be affected by low-speed parking bumps. Yet the government says there is ample evidence that aligning the Canadian bumper test speed with that of the U.S. National Highway Transportation Administration standards would not make Canadian cars less safe.

"In terms of safety, a ... report prepared by NHTSA in 1987, indicated that the change in the bumper standard from 8 km/h to 4 km/h in 1982 had not affected the protection of the safety related parts," wrote Lavoie. "Thus, the Department believes that it is time to revisit the Canadian bumper standard and determine whether it is justified to maintain or amend the standard."Evidence suggests that Canada's unique bumper rules reduce repair costs over the lifetime of the vehicle, but they also increase costs and fuel consumption, wrote Lavoie.

Transport Canada finished a consultation period on Dec. 31 on a number of proposed bumper changes focused on aligning the standards.

Given the furor over Canadian vehicle pricing compared with similar models in the United States, and the increasing number of Canadians buying south of the border, the relatively unsexy bumper issue may get a lot more attention this year.

First guess? That's a load of hooey that the Canadian Politicians have bought hook, line and sinker... Prices will not go down, but their profits will most likely go up...

And it'll cost taxpayers more for the government to make all these changes to their procedures and methods.

Well, it'd be one less barrier to cross border shopping which should, in theory, cause prices to level.

Personally, I agree that every car should be able to survive an 8 KM/H bump unscathed, but it's nice to see them admit that it was a losing battle.

BTW, it looks like the Lancer Ralliart (EVO lite!) might be unveiled at Detroit.

The bumper standards in Canada weren't to have a car sustain ZERO damage in an 8km impact. They were that they'd sustain no damage to the actual drivability of the vehicle. ie. engine, steering, suspension.. I read that after following a bunch of links when that article came out the last week. I thought it was supposed to be zero damage as well.

Evo lite seems pretty cool. Using the same engine and the SST. I wonder how hard it'd be to upgrade to 300 hp?

"According to poster jmk2888 at the EvolutionM.net forums"

The sources don't look so great for that one Jeff but it would be amazing if it were true. The best poorman's evo in some time, I'd definitely consider buying one if they ever came into production.

Kevin,

The WRX fighting Lancer ralliart has been rumored and discussed for a long time. One of the Mitsu executives in Australia even talked about it in an interview a few months back.

So while "some dude on the Evo forums" is a pretty sketchy source to be sure, thankfully it's not the only source!

His picture shows a car that's not the EVO and not the base Lancer, so I'd say it's pretty promising!

The Detroit auto show starts in just over a week so we'll see soon!

I'd consider the EVO lite as well. With a few mods it would be just as fast as its sibling.

You can get a 2 to 4 year old WRX with fairly low k's for under $15,000 which is a good deal for what you get.

I don't think I'll ever buy new unless its simply a convenience/lease type thing.

*rubbing hands together*

Have my plane ticket in hand! woo hoo! next week!

Looks like there's going to be lots to see at the show this year.

The RallyArt looks promising, and would fill a nice hole in the model line up.
With those type of specs, the RallyArt would no longer be a poser Evo, and actually have some credibility.

My hopes are still on the Concept RA.

I agree with you Adam.....about the new purchase.
However, I have to say that after leasing my first brand spanking new car ever, there's something to be said about being able to be the first one in the car, and to have all the warranty all to myself......not to mention the smell.....

The Evo is nice, but not $40K+ nice......and to buy one used would be silly IMO, because it's probably going to have been beat on.

As opposed to your average modified AWD DSM?

My DSM was a " a little worse for wear" lease return from Quebec when I got it, and it's most certainly been a labor of love.
I feel fortunate enough to have gotten one that wasn't too badly abused, but there was some silliness under the hood that was due to driver ignorance.

The replacement will be factory fresh, and mine right from the very start.
I won't be dropping hard earned money for someone's hand me down.

Official pricing for the EVO in the U.S.

$32,990 for the GSR, that's not too bad IMO. Hopefully the Canadian price won't be too far off.

And yet, still no official word on the top line MR.

Mitsubishi must be trying to break the bad news to the public in small doses, to try and get people to eventually accept the massive price the MR will be.

I think it's possible that the Evo and Sti will follow the same fate as the legendary beasts of yesteryear: the Supra, the 300ZX, the RX-7, the 3000GT VR4.....those awesome cars just priced themselves right into oblivion.

I'm not so sure you'd really want the MR. I did a test drive of a base 5-speed Lancer & a GST with paddle shifters. The paddles are boring.

So if the Evo would become admissible, I'd go for the GSR with no regrets.

Subaru appears to have released the price of the new STI. It's ~$3k cheaper than the outgoing model and includes NAV. But, only the top of the line model is released.

Rafal you do realize the paddle shifting gearbox in the base lancer is far different from that of the evo. The GTS just has a glorified automatic CVT. The EVOs paddle box is a true manual box with electronic shifting. This is the ultimate IMO. A true manual mode for having fun then flip it into auto when feeling a bit lazy.

After driving the A3 around town with the DSG transmission, I can honestly say I don't want another car without this type of gearbox.

If Mitsubishi's SST ends up being just as good, then that's all I want.

Lancer Ralliart unveiled.

235 HP, AWD, including the Active Center Diff and Dan's Recaros!

I'd say this is more like the car us DSMers have all been waiting for.

I concur.

Definitely a respectable alternative to the $40K+ Evo.
I like the Evo, but it has stuff I would never need in my daily commute. This "detuned" version is a good compromise....
Hopefully the price will be good.

But again, my eyes are on that RA.....holee crap...THAT is a dream come true.

wow. May be tempted to trade up the vw..

You guys sound like a bunch of kids from the early '90s. "We don't really need the fancy AWD TSi... The standard DS model should do us fine..."

Hey what's wrong with the DL!

Honestly though, I think Jeff hit it dead on. Basically it'd be like buying a brand new DSM with a 100,000km warranty most of us would void shortly after making the purchase.

I'm afraid this is going to be one of those things I really get my hopes up for and it never happens but I can't help it, I'm pretty pumped for this.

Sorry Nathan. But when it comes to a true manual, a clutch (pedal) and stick shift has to be involved. A manual that can be put into auto is just another glorified automatic transmission, usually for tired old men or wannabes that can't drive stick but wish they could.

I admit, I never tried the DSG, but without the fun of heel and toe, and just pure joy of shifting fun, its ..boring. I guess I'm just a purist. ....Which is a little saddening that the new GT-R only comes with paddles. I'd be grief stricken if I actually had enough $$$ to afford it !

Down with flappy paddle gearboxes! Give me a stick shift any day! If this is the future of transmissions, i'll just have to keep my DSM's forever

Guess you can call me a 'tired old man', then.

My Passat is a 5 speed, of course... But have you ever really DRIVEN a GOOD modern car with a GOOD manu-shift transmission? Even the experts are agreeing they wouldn't cry if they were stuck with them. I agree. Heck, a really good system will allow you to pay more attention to braking and throttle modulation than to shifting.

And I wouldn't say no to the F1-style Ferrari box, either. If it's good enough for Michael Schumacher, it's good enough for me. But I guess he's a 'tired old man', too.

It's a moot point anyway. Cars on public roads will be legislated as computer-driven only within the next decade or two...

Nope I haven't driven a good one (apparently). But it still doesn't bring back the fun of a stick and clutch. As for braking and throttle modulation. Get an automatic, then you can REALLY pay attention to your brake and gas pedal, cause you'll have nothing else to do.

Speed and accuracy isn't everything. There has to be more driver involvement. Sooner or later they'll be self driven cars or robot racers that will be 10x more accurate and precise than us. How fun and exciting will that be ??

And just who are these "experts" anyway ? Sounds like a bunch of gray haired men, a year or two away from a wheel chair and a retirement home.

Give me a 6 or even a 5-speed and I won't care if I come in a fraction of a second less than gramps in his 6 or 7 speed auto. At least I'd have put some work into getting my lap time.



Yes he is old and Re-Tired !!

Hey, what is up with you young guys!!!

I'm the old (no gray hair yet) close to retirement and I'd still stick with a true Manual Gearbox, screw those Paddle Shift. So gay!!!

Ghislain.

I agree with Giz the wiz on this. Unless its a ferrari f430 where the option for a manual just doesn't exsist. I would want a manual. Plus I get real bored driving with out the clutch and shifter.

ADHD ftw!

Don't knock it till you try it....

Unless you've actually done some seat time with a good twin clutch DSG set up, then you don't know what you're missing.

I love my manual as much as the next guy, but I certainly appreciate giving my left foot a rest when I drive the A3, and let THAT thing do all the work for me.........and a fine job it does.

If you disagree, you are wrong.

Next topic please. ;P

Im not trying to say its bad. If you get into a good paddle gear box they shift faster and get more power down. But I will still always prefer manual. Not to say I would never buy the "flappy paddle gearbox" in my life. Just prefer.... =]

They really come into their own when you're sitting in rush hour traffic. Not much chance for fun then.

And think about it, Rafal. I'm sure people said the same thing when they started putting synchros in the transmissions, introduced power steering, etc...

Yeah, but just how far are you willing to go ? Thats the question.
Sure some can argue that theres too much technology in cars nowadays, and ABS, power steering detract from the driving experience. ...And I see their point (to a degree). I drive without working ABS, but I'm not sure if I'd go without power steering.

You should try it sometime. It sucks when your power steering doesn't work, but you can't beat a pure manual rack for control and road feel. Once you get moving, it's not that much more effort.

There's a small percentage of us that have no need for these aids, except as a 'standby' when hustling a really expensive fast car through some tight corners when the unexpected happens. They just increase your chances of coming out unscathed. But there's the majority that, when they're covering their eyes and stomping on the brake as they hurtle towards the side of your car, I'm glad have them...

My wife is the kind of person that thinks if she can't do something, then you can't either. The people that make the laws usually think along the same lines.

...and ...only comes with the flappy paddle gearbox. I confirmed it now with a couple of Mitsu's employees.

..So its back to the Lancer GTS for me. And its kinda sad. I just came back from seeing it in Detroit (Ralliart), and it DOES LOOK GOOD. Definitely better than any posted pics I have seen. The front end looks great ! And at $26 U.S. it would still be in the (high) affordable range (for me anyways).

Oh well. I was able to get a $500 rebate from the Mitsu booth for a new car purchase. My 08 Lancer just got $500 cheaper

The Evos are in. I just got a call from a dealer, Dixie Mitsu and they apparently jut got a white GSR on their lot, if anyone's interested in taking a closer peek.

I think I got my girlfriend convinced to buy an EVO in black, but she will probably back out. It would be sweet if she went through with it, I don't care what model. Its that or a new Toyota Tacoma.