But let's be honest here: People don't buy Evos for the luxury accoutrements; they buy the cars for their outright speed. And yes, the Evo X is fast. We got to drive a U.S.-spec Evo 9 MR and a new Evo X back-to-back at Mitsubishi's proving grounds in Tokachi, Japan. The Evo 9 MR was lively and fun to fling around the track, and in true Evo fashion, offered one of the purist driving experiences around. The Evo X did feel a bit numb by comparison, but thanks to its increased power and new stability control systems, it was much easier to drive fast than the Evo 9 MR.
We absolutely suck at shifting with our left hand. Outside of one high-speed run in the manual Evo X, we spent our time flogging the TC-SST-equipped car around the proving grounds. We kept the car in S-Sport most of the time, and found it to be perfect for the facility's race track-like mountain roads. This performance-oriented shift map held the gears for just the right amount of time and shifted exactly the when and where we wanted it to without any input from us. We did notice that the TC-SST is hesitant to shift from third into fourth on high-speed straights. This isn't a huge problem, but it does further highlight the fact that S-Sport mode is for off-road use only.
Even with the odd sensation of driving from the "wrong" side of the car, we found that the Evo X is a very easy car to drive to and past the limits. Though quieter and softer than the Evo 9, driving the Evo X made us feel like Super GT heroes, and we feel ourselves wanting the Evo X over any Evo that came before it. Maybe it's our old age talking, or maybe these crazy thoughts are coming from the fact that we have a daily 70-mile round-trip commute in heavy L.A. gridlock, but the thought of owning a fully capable, auto box Evo is very appealing. We know that the old-school Evo guys will laugh at our transmission; but we'll be so far ahead of them on a race track, we just won't care. Does the Evo X mark the end of an era? It sure does, but it also marks the beginning of a promising new one.
That New Car Smell
'08 Mitsubushi Lancer
Evolution X
The Sticker: TBD
Under the Hood: 2.0L DOHC
16-valve 4-cylinder turbo
The Power: 295 hp @ 6500 rpm (est.), 300 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm (est.)
Scale Tipping: 3,344 lb. (JDM-spec GSR), 3,388 lb. (JDM-spec MR)
Layout: Front engine, AWD
Gearbox: five-speed manual transmission (GSR), 6-speed TC-SST (MR)
Stiff Stuff: Front: independent MacPherson strut (inverted strut) with forged aluminum control arms; Rear: multi-link with forged aluminum control arms. (MR package gets Eibach springs and Bilstein struts.)
Rollers: 18x8.5JJ Enkei cast aluminum alloy (GSR), BBS forged aluminum alloy (MR); 245/40R18 Yokohama ADVAN tires
Stoppers: 4 sensor, 4 channel Sports ABS with EBD; 13.8-inch ventilated front and 13.0-inch ventilated rear discs; 4-piston front and 2-piston rear calipers. MR gets lightweight 2-piece calipers
At the Pump: TBD
The Pack: Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Audi S4
Deep Thoughts: Don't let the auto transmission fool you; the Evo X is a true performance car. Consider it to be the Evo for grown-ups.