March 28, 2024

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Text and photos by Cor Steenstra

The Mitsubishi Lancer EVO GSR prompted a lengthy exchange amongst my friends on social media. Passionate EVO fans still think this does not live up to the standard set by the last real EVO, the X. Others criticize the EVO GSR for it being dated, having outlived it’s due date by several years.

Notably the EVO GSR’s exterior design does show the hands of time, and in this day and age of quickly changing fashions even in car design, this has indeed been sold well past its sell by date. If notably Suzuki withdraws from the US market despite having much more modern and relevant products, one wonders how Mitsubishi survives.

Driving the EVO GSR is clearly still an experience, for the shear power it does provide after the turbo lag is overcome. That turbo lag still remains a really big issue for me, having noticed how other manufacturors have been able to diminish this so dramatically, experiencing it on the EVO GSR is like taking a step back in time, and not in a fun way.

It does seem, driving this Mitsubishi Lancer EVO GSR, that we are witnessing Mitsubishi’s swan song. From an erstwhile distinguished company with highly innovative products, it has faded into a mere ghost of its former self.

The highly public debacles of financial abuse, and the separation from partners like Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler, clearly ave left the company with insufficient funds to keep their model range up to date, let alone renew it substantially. It is almost a tragedy witnessed in slow motion.

I, and with me I am sure many others, that Mitsubishi will be able to climb out of this and restore it to its former glory. A first step would be to break with face-lifting the current range, and invest in a exciting new product line that lures people to the dealer showrooms, because this Lancer sincerely does not do that, and getting people to go to the dealers is of vital essence.

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