Why Suzuki is out of the car market in the USA, and why Mitsubishi is next.
Posted: April 25, 2013 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: Automotive Insights, Independent, Japanese, Mind over motor, Mitsubishi, Recession, Recovery, Suzuki, Underperform, Underwhelming 4 Comments »
The recession had a serious effect on the American automobile market. We all know what happened to the Big Three. However, there are a few small Japanese companies that are definitely worth mentioning because they seem to hang on either by a thread, or by a sizable rope, in the US domestic market. Subaru, Mazda, Suzuki, and Mitsubishi are the four non-major Japanese players in the US market. Well, they were. One of these four announced late on November 5, 2012 that they were pulling their automotive arm from the US market. So, allow me to say…and then there were three. But soon, I think there will be two. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart
Posted: June 28, 2012 Filed under: Cheap Fun!, Road Review, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 2.0, 237, 270, 275, 280, 4B11, baby, clutch, cylinder, DCT, different, Drive, Dual, Evo, evolution, four, How, hp, Japanese, Lancer, Liter, Market, Mind, Mitsubishi, motor, Nick, Over, owned, Pre, Ralliart, review, SST, Test, Transmission, turbo, Used, Walker, whp, x Leave a comment »
The Lancer Ralliart is the second born of the Mitsubishi clan, overshadowed in many ways by its older brother the Lancer Evolution. The Evo has made a huge name for itself in automotive performance over the years, and the Ralliart is clearly riding that wave in the market. It is placed to compete with Subaru’s WRX, but Mitsubishi waited 3 model generations into the US market before they finally produced a true, turbocharged competitor for the highly successful Subaru. What you see here is that car, the supposed “baby Evo”, but I will tell you right up front, that the Ralliart is far from that. It is something all its own, and it should be more widely recognized as such. This Ralliart belongs to my friend Josh, and he agreed to let me take the wheel for an afternoon to discover what it’s all about. Read the rest of this entry »
Street Wars 8
Posted: April 23, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES, Photography by Dan Valanzola | Tags: 302, 350Z, 4G63, 8, AC, accord, airbrush, AMG, Art, Atlantic, Ball, Boss, C63, Camaro, Chevrolet, city, clean, Dan, drag, Dragon, euro, Evo, evolution, FD, Ford, GC, Genesis, Geo, GTI, GTR, Hatch, Honda, Hot Rod, Hyundai, import, Impreza, intake, Integra, Jersey, Lancer, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes, Miata, Mind, Mitsubishi, Modded, Modified, Monster, motor, Muscle, Mustang, new, Nick, Nissan, NJ, Over, Photography, race, racer, Rotary, RX7, slam, slammed, slicks, Stance, STi, Street, Subaru, Supercharge, Track, Truck, tuned, tuner, turbo, Valanzola, VIP, VW, Wagon, Walker, Wars, WRX, Z 1 Comment »
Photo by Dan Valanzola
We were in attendance for Street Wars 8. The show was a lot smaller than last year due to organizational issues, but there were still plenty of quality cars to see. Photos are by both myself and Dan Valanzola. Enjoy the gallery. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8
Posted: April 19, 2012 Filed under: Road Review, TEST DRIVEN, Used Gems | Tags: 2.0L, 2003, 2004, 2005, 280, 4G63, 8, all, BC, boost, Car, coilovers, controller, Domo, Drive, Dunlop, Enkei, Evo, evolution, Lancer, Mind, Mitsubishi, Momo, motor, Nick, Over, Pampena, racing, Rally, recaro, review, seat, Starspec, steering, Test, tires, tune, turbo, Walker, wheel, wheels, whp 1 Comment »
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8
The Evo 8 was the first version of the famed Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution to hit US shores back in 2003, following the success of Subaru’s WRX Imprezas in years prior. The Evo was a different sort of animal though, offering 271hp to the WRX’s 227hp as well as a higher level of technology in its all wheel drive system. The Evo became the car to beat in 2003, so much so that Subaru decided to bring its WRX STi to the US for 2004. The Evo offers a simple but effective package; on the surface it is just a tweaked version of a Japanese economy sedan, but in its day it could also rival many serious performance cars like Porsche’s, M3s, and Corvettes. My friend Pete, has a 2005 Evo 8, and every so often he lets me get behind the wheel, so after a recent drive I finally felt like I had enough to put pen to paper on the car. Read the rest of this entry »
3 years on, are the Japanese still lost in the dark?
Posted: February 24, 2012 Filed under: MEDIA RESPONSE | Tags: Baruth, Big Three, GT86, Honda, Jack Baruth, Japan, Media Response, Mind over motor, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opinion, Profit, Reputation, Sports, Subaru, The Truth about Cars, Thoughts, Toyota Leave a comment »
Back in the Eighties, Toyota was making stuff like this iconic AE86. Thankfully the GT 86 might bring back the glory of yesteryear, but what about the rest of Japan?
Back in 2009, The Truth About Cars editor Jack Baruth wrote an article on how the Japanese auto industry is losing its heritage to the point where its products are a shell of what they used to be. He talked about how Honda had lost its roots as a maker of cars with flair and engineering excellence, and how Nissan and Toyota were becoming too close to one another on retail lots. He reposted it on their website (thetruthaboutcars.com) and I found it to still be relevant today. But, in these three years, a few things have changed in the market. My question is this: Does Baruth’s argument still hold water, and is there any more evidence to support his side of this debate? I took a look into what the market is like today, and there are arguments for both sides. Read the rest of this entry »
Seconhand Saint: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8/9 (2003-2007)
Posted: February 21, 2012 Filed under: Secondhand Saints, SHOWCASE | Tags: 2.0, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 350, 35R, 400, 450, 4G63, 5, 500, 6, 600, 700, 8, 800, 9, 900, advice, all, awhp, bargain, boost, Buying, cam, Car, consumer, controller, Drive, Evo, evolution, GSR, guide, hand, High, Intercooler, IX, Lancer, manual, Mind, Mitsubishi, MIVEC, motor, MR, Over, owned, Performance, Pre, Rally, recaro, RS, saint, seats, second, secondhand, speed, T67, turbo, Used, VIII, wheel, whp Leave a comment »
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
These days the Evo is one of the most respected cars on the road. In stock form it is one of the ultimate rally bred, point-to-point missiles money can buy, and Evos that are modified easily have the potential to give Ferrari owner something to worry about. Yet despite their hardcore performance they are also just normal Japanese sedans on the surface, making an Evo one of the best overall daily drivers out there. Obviously all of this makes these things quite a hot commodity on the secondhand market, so lets look at the details. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X MR
Posted: October 27, 2011 Filed under: Sports and Executive, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 10, 4, 4B11, aftermarket, all, Car, charged, cornering, cylinder, DCT, Drive, evolution, four, Inline, Lancer, Mind, Mitsubishi, modifications, motor, MR, Over, paddle, Rally, review, Sedan, shift, Test, turbo, wheel, x 3 Comments »
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X MR
The great Evo in all of its glory, is not a car most dealers will let people test drive. I however lucked out and played the situation to my advantage and was able to get behind the wheel of a gorgeous dark gray Evo X MR equipped with the Dual Clutch SS-T transmission. This particular Evo also had some light mods including a gutted cats and a chip, but was otherwise stock. Read the rest of this entry »
2011: The Thinning of the Herd, and why I’m so happy some cars are going away.
Posted: August 30, 2011 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS, INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 2011, 2012, Buick, Cadillac, Car, Chevrolet, Dead, Discontinued, Dropped, Final, Ford, GM, Lincoln, Mazda, Mind over motor, Mitsubishi, Panther, Thinning Herd Leave a comment »
Sorry, Gramps. They don't make it anymore.
This year, a pretty significant number of cars are hitting their last year of production, or are officially dead. A good number of these models should have been dumped eons ago, and others don’t deserve to die. Here’s a few of my thoughts on some of the cars that are either dead or dying. To make life easier, I’ll group them by brand or by configuration. I’m not sad to see most of them go, but I am sad to see one or two in particular go away. Read the rest of this entry »
The Clutch Pedal’s Decline
Posted: August 2, 2011 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: 5, 6, 7, an, automotive, Balboni, box, clutch, decline, Drive, driving, DSG, end, era, Evo, evolution, F1, Ferrari, fun, gear, Lamborghini, Lancer, manual, Mazda, Miata, Mitsubishi, MX5, of, paddle, pedal, purist, sequential, shift, skill, SMG, speed, technology, to, Transmission 1 Comment »
For the entire existence of the automobile, the manual transmission has been the choice for maximum performance and efficiency. It was the enthusiast’s choice because it gave the driver much more control over a car than did an automatic. The manual transmission has served the same function for around a century, but now things are changing big time. Read the rest of this entry »
Evo Magazine’s 100 Greatest Driver’s Cars
Posted: July 26, 2011 Filed under: MEDIA RESPONSE | Tags: 100, 340R, 4, 6, Article, BMW, British, Cars, Caterham, clutch, Driver, Driver's, driving, Elan, Evo, F, F50, Ferrari, Flat, H4, Hatch, Hot, Lamborghini, Lotus, Magazine, manual, Mazda, Mercedes, MF5, Miata, Mind, Mind over motor, Mitsubishi, motor, MX5, of, Over, Pagani, pedal, pleasure, Porsche, Rally, Roadster, Seven, STi, Subaru, Supercars, thrill, top, Transmission, turbo, UK, V10, V12, V6, V8, Wiesmann, Zonda Leave a comment »
Top 4 on their list
Evo Magazine, a British publication focused on the thrills and pleasures of driving, has been my favorite automotive medium ever since I picked up my first issue. They have a special sense about them of truly genuine enthusiasm for automobiles and driving. It is a magazine that focuses on how a car makes you feel rather than how many cup holders it has or how many centimeters of legroom you get in the back seat. I have basically grown up reading Evo, and I am perfectly in line with how they see cars as things to be experienced rather than just used in a mundane fashion. They also have some of the best photography seen in any automotive publication which just adds even more to their appeal. Read the rest of this entry »
Cars 101: Adding Power With Modifications
Posted: July 13, 2011 Filed under: CARS 101 | Tags: Blower, Car, Cars, Cars 101, engine, Forced Induction, Forged Internals, Horsepower, I4, Mind over motor, Mitsubishi, Modded, Modification, Modified, Nissan, pistons, power, Subaru, Supercharger, Toyota, turbo, Turbocharger, V6 Leave a comment »
GTO Judge...... maybe with a tiny supercharger added on
So you want some more hitch in your car’s giddyup? Here are some of the universal basics. Read the rest of this entry »
