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EVO
V or EVO VII: Calum and Tricia testdrive it for myevo |
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experience |
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First , I started with
the V, on my own, taking a road that I know very well for about
40miles. Since this is my car on my roads, this is the benchmark.
My feeling is that I would hope for some improvements when I drive
the VII, in the following areas: More oversteer bias from the AYC,
elimination of the small amount of corner-exit understeer, more
stability and more power everywhere from the engine.
So, next we take the VII. My first visual impressions are very
good. The car looks much smaller in the metal than in the photos
you see in the media. The rear overhang is guilty of giving the
impression of it being a much larger car, I think. Overall, for
me, the front of the VII is a real improvement, but the rear is
not. Inside the car, it's like being inside a proper, high
specification normal family car. The shallower rake of the
windscreen gives a more modern feel and although the Recaros look
the same is those in the V, they actually have higher thigh
bolsters, making them feel even more secure.
Only one critisism with the VII inside and that is the fact that
the seat is too low. There is also no adjustment.
Starting the engine and rolling out onto the road again, it
becomes apparent very quickly that the VII is a good deal quieter
than the V. As the speed rises there is also evidence of that
additional stability I was hoping for.
However, this is almost as far as the benefits of the VII extend.
From here on, I notice that the VII "tram-lines" more
than the V. I put this down tothe 235mm tyres being even more
sensitive to the road surface than the 225mm on the V. I remember
back to when I ran the V on winter tyres. These were
205mm and the tram-lining was completely eliminated when using
them. I made a mental note to try fitting 215x45x17 summer tryes
on the V in order to test them. This may not be so important on
the well made roads of Switzerland, but will certainly be a
welcome improvement on the uneven roads of Grampian in the north
of Scotland.
As I press on, through a favorite section of twists and rises, I
notice that the AYC does have a different affect on progess
through a corner. On the V, the AYC makes its presence felt in a
way that is switch-like. Not as abruptly as a switch, but it does
give the feeling that it is playing its card as a corrective
measure, after things have just begun to go pear shaped. Not so
with the VII. It plays its card more as a preventative measure and
is far more progressive and therefore less intrusive. Is this an
improvement? Well, it actually makes progress through the corner
feel more effortless. It's certainly quicker, with the added grip
of the 235mm tyres also playing their part. Overall, I do think
this is an improvement and would welcome this consumate ability on
my V.
The next series of bends are tighter. No real chance to allow the
AYC to do its bit. No, this is where steering precision and
faithfulness come into play. With the V, while it does turn into a
corner very obediently, it also tends to run wide on the corner
exit. I was really hoping that the VII would remain true to the
chosen line better than the V but in fact, the situation is at
best, the same , if not a little worse. It is still a lot better
than your average car, but we are making direct comparisons betwen
the V and the VII here, so I make no apologies for the critisism.
Next, we come upon a couple of cars travelling in our direction.
Here is a chance to see how well the VII dispatches the overtake.
Again, I'm a little disappointed. The weight of the car actually
makes the engine feel less torquey and less powerful. With the V,
I can leave the car in 4th gear and be happy that it'll pull
strongly when I start to pass. I tried this with the VII and was
not rewarded with the stress-free overtake I was expecting.
Had I dropped to 3rd gear, we would certianly have been in better
shape, but it is quite clear that all the work the development
team have put into reducing the weight of the new , larger donor
shell has been insuffieceint to keep the overtaking ability of the
VII at the same level as that of the lighter V.
So, 30 miles later, we stop to ponder, have a cup of tea and relax
before doing it all over again. This time, Tricia drives us back.
Interestingly, she makes negative remarks about the tram-lining as
her first comment. Also, the low seat height leaves her with less
of a feeling of being in command of the car. However, Tricia does
prefer the more comfortable surrounding of the VII to the V.
When we get back to the house, we go straight back out in the V
again. This gives us the opportunitiy to prove or disprove out
findings on the VII. The V is less stable and is noisier, but is
is also more alert, more responsive, tram-lines less and is simply
quicker than the VII. Part of the feeling is not simply weight.
I'm sure the VII must have a wider wheel-track than the V. On the
narrow, twisty roads of northern Scotland, this is a disadvantage
, for sure.
Having lived woith the V for 3 years, I've often considered what
benefit would be gained from an engine tune. I've often considered
it, but at the end of the day the V's performance is such that
I've never actually needed to do it. My impession of the VII is
that it would be absolutely essential.
A healthy injection of additional performance is needed to elevate
the VII's overall ability up to the ranks of the V. Simple
as that.
So, what would be my ideal Evo? I think a low mileage Silver or
White Evo 6 with the HKS Spring Kit as recommended by CoordSport.
This would certainly help with the corner-exit understeer. |
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