March 28, 2024

[singlepic id=360 w=320 h=240 float=]Ever since the introduction of the latest Mitsubishi Lancer have we been looking forward to getting our hands on the Evo X. With lots of teaser pictures and motor show presence, we knew it was something different, and when we finally did get our hands on it, we were proven right.

Coming to our fleet right after the iconic Muscle Car Dodge Challenger RT, with its vast amount of cubic inches, brute exhaust noise and intimidating presence, the Mitsubishi was definitely more restrained, more sophisticated, refined… How’s that for a brute rally monster? Yes, it is all that… and then when you drive it it outperforms the beast easily, hands down, so much so that it is almost embarrassing.

Typical picture would look like this: Traffic light is red. The Dodge Challenger drives up, the driver revs the engine dangerously. The lion roars loudly. It wants to jump, it really needs to jump and attack so badly. The Evo just stands there, calm and collected. But then as the light changes to green and the Dodge starts to get going, the Evo is already round the block. The Dodge would not even know what just happened…. and probably would not care, since he gets most of the stares.

That is in essence what is wrong with the Evo. Mitsubishi went out of its way to make this Evo different from the normal Lancer, and the Lancer already looks good in stance and lines. The Evo has not only been given completely new front and hood, even the front and rear fenders, and therefore the rear door panels are unique. It has this bulging, muscular presence over its normal Lancer origin that makes clear it means business.

Sadly, the differences with the Lancer, no matter how substantial they are, look too wel integrated into the design, too wel blended, too well designed, making for a slightly more bulbous and muscular version of the Lancer, but not anything that screams its power out at you, nothing that turns any heads other then thos in the know.

The Evo is outrageously fast, sticks to road like there is no tomorrow, gives proper feedback to the driver at all times, and is the perfect driving machine. Add to this the proper interior with well placed and well executed carbon fiber accents, rally sport seats and pedals and gearbox that are fine tuned for the enjoyment of the serious gamesmen. It is truly an Evo.

I hate to sya this, but the Evo might have been better served with a little less refined, a little more add-on type suit of armor, something that makes peoples head turn, with a nice exhaust sound to boot. This way nobody really knows what is overtaking them at those speeds, which also means they won’t go to the correct showroom to get one themselves. And that is a shame.

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