well, evo magazine calls the 2.5 the "pick of the range," so no need to feel bad about it, either, especially since it's a manual.

as for power increase, racer is the man you need. from what i've seen, he's put everything and anything on the market
that's feasible on to that car if my memory is right, he has about 20hp extra now, is that right racer?

it looks like a major increase will take a major investment, however.

 

Hey and thanks for the plug in Mac
I have a total of about 75 extra ponies and it doesn't come cheap. As for the transfercase, you are right it's weak, but it's holding up as of typing this :-)

I think as long as you don't "launch" the car, it should hold up.

The extrat ponies cost me about 5-6K in parts and engine work, not to mention labor. Not cheap..........

 

I agree the car has the styling and great looks and is very inteminating....but that's about it...most cars smoke by the Jag and not to mention the jag engine limiter prevents it from going past 121mph (US version)
The BMW has it's 300hp rear wheel drive and the jag is no match for it...stock verision that is....and on the top end, past 120 the bmw smokes on past...

My engine work is a combination of bought parts and home tweaking from years of experiance, go to Arden website and get the ECU upgrade to start with, second, exhaust work, true dual exhaust....and engine porting starting with the intake. Extrude-a hone is great, but once again you pay....boch plat 4 spark plugs, new high voltage coil packs, re-locate batt to trunk (re-move spare) and one or two more things that i can't think of right at the moment....all good if you have a few weekends to tweak her up....and some cash...lol

Good luck

 

wow, 75hp! so much for my memory. not bad at all, racer, not bad at all, even if it did cost 5-6k. of course,
you're lucky in the labor department with all the experience; i can't imagine how much it would have been
if someone had to take it to a mechanic for all that.

i'd say that in everyday driving, including sometimes the aggressive/spirited stuff, the car doesn't disappoint. it is true that it looks like much more than it actually is performance-wise, but in my experience so far, with the exception of a bmw (with the second in line engine, the 3.0, i believe) and an actual evo (which zoomed by me in a flash when i was doing 115 or so! must have been doing 140 at least to pass by at that speed), it's been doing quite well on the interstates. not many people will risk 121mph, after all, even if they have a car that can do it, and then not all cars handle as well as this one at that speed.

btw, i checked that $299 OBDII unit you suggested, it looks good, i think i'll wait to find the right price somewhere now

 

The 299 OBDII is a great price for all it does, the only other place you might find one cheaper is on ebay....good luck...(just make sure it has all the features you are looking for....)