Drove the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X MR home last night. It's a very desirable ride in many respects. But my wife didn't agree.
I'd tossed her the keys for a short ride to dinner. Within 20 yards, she proclaimed "I can't drive this thing. I can't see where I'm going!" And no, she wasn't talking about the rear wing. That'd be a problem related to seeing where you've been, and that's been covered already.
She's quite a bit shorter than me, and the Evo's seats sit quite low, rally-style, with no height adjustment. Seeing the line into left hand corners and making left turns at intersections (where's the center divider curb?) was impossibly tough for her because a panoramic blind spot sweeps across the humungous, forward-leaning mirror housing, through the window-mounted mirror base and past the a-pillar. She needed me to spot for her a couple of times.
Her eye line-of-sight is even lower than mine, so she doesn't even get the peek-a-boo glimpse below the mirror housing that you see in the above photo--a photo which hides most of an entire Cadillac. For her, the blockage is even more comprehensive.
And no, she didn't want to drive it home after dinner.
Aren't mirrors there to improve visibilty and reduce blind spots? Just asking.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 4,250 miles
billt9 says:
04:27 PM, 10/ 1/08
My wife uses a chairpad in several vehicles.
Your wife needs to learn her place and use a chairpad or a pillow and drive safely.
The law should require chairpads for persons 5'4" and under. Says me.
subytrojan says:
04:40 PM, 10/ 1/08
Hey Dan,
Would you please try to get f1mom to sample the STI to see if the same issue arises? On one hand, the side mirror is larger than the previous gen Impreza's (the A-pillar is thicker, too). On the other hand, the seat is (manually) height-adjustable. It was an issue I noticed the first time I drove the 2008 Subaru Impreza and tried really looking into turns.
Thanks,
Loren
desmolicious says:
05:07 PM, 10/ 1/08
I dunno, if I was a married dood I would see this as an advantage...
dougtheeng says:
06:11 AM, 10/ 2/08
My Lancer GTS had monstrously large A pillars that limited view.
I can't say if the mirrors on the EVO are the same as on the GTS, but they look similar. I never had a problem with my GTS mirrors, but then again I'm 6'2".
dougtheeng says:
06:57 AM, 10/ 2/08
ps wtf dirty window?
actualsize says:
07:06 AM, 10/ 2/08
Its like this: we go to a local car wash down the street. It's about 1.5 miles away. When you come back into the underground parking garage, you have to roll down your window to swipe your access card.
The window seals are still wet, so they drag schmutz all over the window when you roll it back up. Happens every...single...time. And building management won't allow us a storage locker down there for a roll of paper towels and a bottle of windex.
misterfusion says:
10:15 AM, 10/ 2/08
I feel your pain on the wet-window syndrome, Dan. I was in the exact same situation for a while, and it used to drive me freaking batty. Fortunately, I moved to a building with a remote-controlled gate instead of a key card.
brn says:
10:59 AM, 10/ 2/08
billt9 writes: "The law should require chairpads for persons 5'4" and under. Says me."
The average height for a female adult in the US and UK is slightly less than 5'4". The average height for a male adult in the US and UK is just over 5'9". The US and the UK are taller than the worldwide average.
tantan73 says:
12:31 PM, 10/ 2/08
Just give her a yellowpages to sit on.
problem solved.
adavis2493 says:
05:06 PM, 10/ 2/08
That is what I hate about they ex-rally cars getting transformed into cars for daily drivers; they lack practicality.
altimadude00 says:
05:45 PM, 10/ 2/08
The blind spot will still be there after you wash the windows.
Being that this car is from Japan, wouldn't they be able to identify this shortcoming in driver's vision?
altimadude00 says:
05:49 PM, 10/ 2/08
Oh by the way, nice job on being sexist guys. "Your wife needs to learn her place?" Can I guess that the next place you'd be in if you said that to your wife would be out on the couch?
ibognar says:
07:59 PM, 10/ 2/08
My wife hated this car initially.
She's now driven it 3 or 4 times. The last time she came home and admitted that it had grown on her. "It's still ugly...and way too boyish...but it's oomph is really..um..nice."
Admitting nice oomph was a big step for her.
BTW never marry anyone under 5'7". They look funny when they're pregnant.
dougtheeng says:
05:55 AM, 10/ 3/08
"BTW never marry anyone under 5'7". They look funny when they're pregnant."
lol, and the random comment of the day goes to....