talons/eclipses are esi/gs (no turbo, fwd), tsi/gst (turbo, fwd) and tsi awd/gsx (turbo and awd). the tsi/gst is actually a little faster stock because they don't have the weight and don't have enough power to really over power the tires if you an drive (modified boost and the like, the awd becomes VERY import). they do however have enough power to make torque steer a serious issue. and can make launching tricky.
no offense, but i have a hard time believing your friend can drive. launching fwd cars is a tough skill (even the gs-r can be tricky and it has 13 ft/lbs of torque
). getting a car like a crx rolling is much easier than a tsi.