Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X Review

Steel that moves and is 113 kilos heavier. This comes in the way of the usual active differentials, an increased amount of active stability control, a five speed manual and the turbocharged, all-aluminum engine.

The 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X has been strengthened in its entirety. In particular, the chunky firewall that stretches across the entire width of the rear, just behind the C-pillar and back seats. Very little space is left in the Evo's boot, and there is an absence in accessibility of the trunk-passenger compartment.

The Evo X is also the first of its relatively long line of descendants that comes with a somewhat comprehensive entertainment and navigation system, Xenon headlights and very comfortable Recaro seats.

That's exactly what this car is - stronger, more powerful and ironically, more luxurious. Luxury isn't light. It adds weight, lots of it.

More weight means less speed.

Mechanics

The X's all new centre-piece would have to be a 1,998cc all-aluminum 4B-11, of which the naturally aspirated base variant finds its home in the Lancer GT. It weighs 12.7kg less than the beloved, iron-block 4G63 of Evos past, and develops even more (undisclosed) peak power - 291 horses at 6,500 rpm and mind numbing 407 Newton-metres of torque from 4,000 rpm.

In both the GT and the Evo, the preliminary design has been shared, but the inline four on the latter was unequivocally beefed up in the way of a semi-closed deck block, a forged crank, and a slightly raised compression ratio of 9.0:1. Mitsubishi's MIVEC variable valve timing system is now available on both the intake and exhaust lobes, and the 4B-11's cams are now chain-driven.

Mitsubishi has surprisingly abandoned the IX MR's excellent 6-speeder to make way for a strengthened, five-ratio unit. A plus side would probably be that drivetrain lash we hated in the Evo IX during rapid on-off throttle transitions. It isn't a problem in the X.

Needless to say, the Evo X's silver lining is a wider track width of 3cm, bigger Brembos, Super All-Wheel Control with the Active Center Differential (ACD) all-wheel drive system, and of course the Active Yaw Control, all of which give the Evo its famous zero-counter attacks through overcooked corner entries.

The primary method of operating the system isn't very different, with the toggle for "Tarmac, Gravel and Snow" now located on the steering wheel itself.

Driving Impressions

The first thing you'll notice, and perhaps like, is the driving position. No longer do you have to grapple with the lack of steering reach, a problem that I once had with the Evo IX. Those short arms of yours were truly a bad match for the IX, a problem that disappears in the new car.

Then after you crank the engine and slip it into first, you'll find the entire car to be much smoother than any Evo you've driven before in your life, perhaps a little too smooth™

For all of it's weight worth in slickness and efficiency, Mitsubishi happily decided to give the 4G63T's punchy, brutal nature a rest. In previous Mitsubishi Evolutions, acceleration from low engine revs was somewhat of a novelty - you simply plant your right foot down, watch the tachometer swing past 2000rpm, take 5 seconds to wonder where all that power went to, and then pull over on the road shoulder to sign the insurance papers after rear ending that nice Mercedes-Benz in front of you.

In the Evo X, the boost piles on cleanly and in a very, very linear fashion from the lowest of RPMs, an area that the 4G wasn't good at. It is very smooth, and very European.

And also very dull.

You might want to know though, that the rev limiter's fuel cutoff only sets in at 7,600rpm - 600rpm higher than advertised on the Evo X's tachometer. At such giddy heights associated only with normally aspirated engines, the "X" pulls strongly, and never feels like it is short of breath.

You would also like to know that the team squeezed an average of 5.2 seconds for the new Evo's 0-100 km/h timing with half a tank of petrol and with the air-conditioning turned off, as well as excess weight on board (ie. Co-driver and a host of camera equipment) and a poor set of launching skills courtesy of yours truly.

The car breaches the 130km/h barrier in the manner associated with the most powerful, factory Evos of past. Above these speeds though, is where the new one tends to lack a certain amount of luster, and this is where the lighter Evo IXMR might start inching away.

Amongst the few things that have not changed would be the tricky launch technique in an Evo. Maintain 5,200 rpm, feed the clutch in like feeding a lion while anticipating that precise moment to give it the stuff. It doesn't take much to bog it off the line, and you might not want to practice doing this too many times in your new Mitsubishi™

So the inventors of the new Evo should not commit the age-old tradition of Hara Kiri just yet.

Evo Dorifto

Fact: The Evo X makes for good drifts. You'll be tempted to push it hard through every corner, as the new car's handling and weight balance makes it feel extremely chuckable, almost like a rear wheel drive. That alone we believe, is a remarkable feat only accomplished by the likes of the Skyline GTR and it's acclaimed ATTESA-ETS.

It is less prone to understeer at corner entry, and a neutral stance can be more easily maintained throughout an entire cornering sequence from entry to exit, even with a careless pair of hands.

In addition to the more sophisticated Super AYC and AWC system, we might attribute this to the added stiffness of the car's rear end, and the fact that the battery is now placed in the boot instead of the engine bay like other normal cars.

There is a downside to all of this though, and that is, through fast and tight, repeated left-right-left handers. The computer tends to make the Evo oversteer slightly into an abrupt, tight turn and while this isn't actually cause for counter-steering work, it can cause problems when you immediately flick the car the other way.

The additional few centimeters in height might be cause for this offset in performance by the car's increased track width and 18 inchers, so in the end, any increase in cornering performance is marginal.

The more balanced stance of the new Evo also means more fun with the driving experience. Despite the previous Evolution's ability to have one kicking and screaming through corners and on the straights, the 4G powerhouses never felt the part of a fun, nimble drive unless one were to be driving at the absolute limit.

The "X" fixes nearly all of this, and despite the lighter steering load that felt slightly uneasy at high speeds, it actually felt "good" to drive. By this we mean sharper turn in, an increased amount of feedback definition and better compliance from the car's suspension.

The version ten Evo's cornering talents are also not to be undermined in comparison to the IX MR. It pretty much still has it, and rest be assured, it will pull a very, very tight corner of nearly 1g should you feel like doing so.
Would you still buy an Evo?

For $137,000, if you are a fan of Evos past, but don't want to live with their associated in-cabin discomfort, then you might consider this to head your list of road/track entertainment mules.

The tenth Evolution might lack any sort of superficial performance characteristics of a traditional Evo at heart, but when you dig deeper, you will find that this car still is, and will continue to be a devil at heart. The only difference is that it is very slightly slower, but can now be enjoyed by a wider demographic.

Right about now, our local aftermarket tuning garages with their barrage of 'Tomei this' and 'HKS that' would have already devised ways to get around the current weaknesses of the "X".

We wouldn't turn our noses down on this one. Not a chance.