From the ArcaMax Publishing, Automotive Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/automotive/s-559682-525976
The Mitsubishi EVO began life as a quickly hashed-together, hopped-up
economy car. Like a bottled blond, its lowly Lancer roots showed
through sometimes - but overall, the car packed one hell of a punch
for not too much money.
Today's EVO has become a separate model in its own right - not just an
optional equipment package on the Lancer. It is vastly more
sophisticated now - and even faster than the original. But the price
has gone up accordingly - $38,290 for the MR with the new dual-clutch
automatic* transmission.
That means it's no longer an alternative to pricey performance cars.
It is a pricey performance car in is own right - in particular, the
pushing $40k MR version. Which means it must be judged on equal terms
with similarly expensive cars.
WHAT IT IS
The EVO is a high-performance compact 4-5 passenger sedan with a
turbocharged, intercooled four-cylinder engine and a standard
all-wheel-drive system.
It comes in GSR ($32,990) and MR ($38,290) versions. Primary
competition has traditionally been the functionally similar Subaru WRX
STi - but the EVO's escalating price range has kicked it up the food
chain to the point where it is now in the same league as prestige
brand AWD performance sedans like the BMW 330i xDrive ($42,000) and
Audi A4 3.2 Quattro ($40,000).
Moreover - and ironically - the EVO's current pricing structure has
turned the tables completely, transforming established performance
cars like the V-8 powered, 315 hp 2010 Ford Mustang GT ($27,995) into
the "bargain alternative" for those looking to go fast on a budget.
WHAT'S GOOD
Cornering grip that's tighter than Darth Vader's chokehold; a 0-60
time that will humiliate most '60s V-8 muscle cars. Room for five.
WHAT'S NOT SO GOOD
If you are over 30 you will look silly driving one. Getting up there
price tag.
WHAT'S NEW
The EVO is no longer a "tuned up" version of the Lancer econo-box but
a separate model in its own right. It's possible a new Sportback
(wagon) version of the EVO will be released in 2010, which would give
the EVO an answer to the wagon-only Subaru WRX STi.
ENGINES & PERFORMANCE
The EVO is the modern-era equivalent of what a Pontiac GTO Judge was
back in the late '60s - a thinly disguised street racer, built to turn
heads, burn rubber and rack up tickets. Under the EVO's scooped hood
is one of the most powerful four-cylinder engines ever put into a
street car. Though displacing just 2.0 liters, this DOHC, turbocharged
and intercooled engine pounds out 291 hp.
To appreciate that figure, consider the current Chevy Corvette's 6.2
liter V-8. It produces 430 horsepower - which is very impressive. But
the 'Vette's engine is also more than three times as large - with
twice the number of cylinders. In other words, three EVO fours (six
liters' worth of displacement) would generate a total of 873
horsepower -* or more than twice the output of the Corvette's V-8 from
the same amount of engine displacement.
The EVO's four also produces plenty of torque - something not many
engines this small (such as the Honda S2000's four) manage. A solid
300 ft.-lbs. is available at 4,000 RPM - which gives the car both
bottom end grunt on top of its high RPM power (which peaks at* 6,500
RPM). This car is extremely quick, capable of 0-60 runs in the 4.9
second range - with a top end well over 140 mph.*
The GSR comes standard with a conventional five-speed manual
transmission; the MR version features Mitsubishi's new twin-clutch
six-speed automatic, which offers the speed shifting capability of a
manual with the ease of use of a conventional* *automatic.
Both versions come standard with a driver adjustable AWD system with
multiple modes (Tarmac, Gravel and Snow) designed for hooligan street
driving and fully capable of weekend track day duty.* On a skidpad,
the EVO can pull nearly 1 full "g" of lateral acceleration - which
means its grip in a high-speed corner is supercar tenacious.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS/RIDE & HANDLING
The EVO is a hard-riding beast, even the supposedly "softer" MR
version. Serious enthusiast drivers will love it; if you're not - or
you're older and your back's not what it used to be - occupying the
EVO for more than an hour at a time is a kind of automotive Abu
Ghraib.*
While there are lots of cars out there with big wings bolted to the
trunk and the pretty boy strut of the "Fast & Furious," the EVO's one
of the few that's as serious as an old Marine's thousand yard stare
about function - and that includes reducing body lean to nothing, even
if means the thing rides like a Nextel Cup stocker. Which it does. But
it's also one of the few street cars that probably could outhandle a
Nextel Cup stocker, too.
To get a sense of how serious this car is, note the little sticker on
the driver's side door - which warns you to expect a short service
life out of the 18 inch ultra-performance "summer" tires - and that
you ought to consider swapping them out for something more reasonable
if you plan to drive the thing in winter weather.*
The standard Recaro sport buckets are also firmer than poured concrete
- but they are extremely supportive during high-speed cornering.
Compared with previous EVOs, this newest model is, however, much more
comfortable at very high speeds (100 plus). The older versions - which
were after-the-fact juiced-up versions of the pre-existing Lancer
economy car and not purpose-built for extreme performance, as this new
EVO is - tended to get darty over 80 mph, requiring both hands on the
wheel (and frequent little course corrections). The '09, in contrast,
is perfectly composed at speeds that will get you locked up if caught.
If they can catch you.
I spent a week in the MR with the dual-clutch automatic and while this
transmission cannot be faulted objectively (it delivers extremely
sharp, perfectly timed gear changes and is probably much faster than I
am, as well as more consistent) I still very much prefer the
old-fashioned five-speed manual with a clutch that I control in the
GSR.
If you're racing for money, ok - I see the merit of the dual-clutch
auto. In that case, all that matters is being the quickest and the
most consistently quick, by whatever means necessary.
But if you're driving for fun - and isn't that what a street
performance car is all about? - then you miss not being able to handle
the clutchwork for your own self. It is part of the experience and
without it, acceleration becomes passive and clinical. You push down
on the gas pedal, point the car in the right direction - and that's
it. With the dual-clutch automatic, you're more passenger than driver.
The other thing is price. Mitsubishi wants $38,290 for the MR with the
dual-clutch automatic - which is nearly six grand more than the GSR
with the 5-speed. That is a lot of money to pay to give away one of
the most enjoyable aspects of owning a high-performance car. Also, the
MR's pushing $40k price puts this car perilously close to BMW, Audi,
Lexus and Mercedes-Benz land. $40k for a Mitsubishi? I dunno... .
STYLING & UTILITY
As a sedan, the 5-passenger capable EVO is a lot more doable as a
daily-driver than any two-door coupe - one of the biggest draws of
four-door performance cars. Trunk space - at just under 7 cubic feet -
is vastly less than the Subaru WRX STi's big-car sized 19 cubic feet
(44 cubic feet with the second row seats folded) but that's due to the
STi's wagon layout. However, the fact that the STi is a wagon - and a
wagon only - may be a downside for those who'd rather have a small
trunk and a sedan than a lot of cargo space and a wagon body.
Like the STi, the EVO's AWD system, though set up primarily for
high-performance driving and high-speed handling, gives the Mitsu an
edge in rainy/wintry weather - at least, compared with rear-drive
performance cars, which are much worse than average on
wet/snow-slicked roads.
Styling is as obstreperous as a 250 pound drunk. Huge airfoil on the
decklid (the MR gets an even bigger one), glowering front end
treatment with massive intercooler clearly showing behind the grille,
huge - and red powder coated - Brembo brake calipers clearly visible
on each corner. You can't miss this car - or mistake its intent. That
is what the younger crowd that buys cars like the EVO wants - but it's
a mixed bag, if you're old enough to know that owning a performance
car gets less and less enjoyable the more visible it is to cops who
seem to get a special kick out of ticketing drivers of cars like the
EVO for doing 38 mph in a 35 zone. That gets old quickly.
It would be great if Mitsubishi offered a "delete" package that left
off the calling-all-cops wing and toned down the exterior
manifestations of the high-performance that lies underneath - as Ford
does with the Mustang GT, which can be ordered without a hood scoop,
rear spoiler and so on - so that it looks to the casual observer just*
like a regular V-6 rental car special. Viva the Plain Brown Wrapper,
sez me.
QUALITY & SAFETY
The EVO's roster of standard safety equipment (and crash test
performance) is more than up to snuff for a car of this type, compared
with others in its class. It even comes with a driver's side knee air
bag - which is surprising at first until you reflect that the EVO has
become a pricey car and so must offer the kind of equipment one
expects to find in a car that can push $40,000.
Quality (or the history thereof) is the car's main weak point -
Mitsubishi's, too. Earlier EVOs tended not to live as long as Subaru
WRXs. Mitsubishi itself has had more than the average number of
problems with its cars, too - some minor, some major.
The current EVO is all-new, and one of the specific things addressed
by the engineers was to build a ground-up new high-performance car
instead of taking an existing econo-box (the Lancer) and hot-rodding
the thing. So, the new EVO should be a better bet than previous ones.
But Subaru - and the WRX STi - still enjoy the better rep for quality
and durability.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The only car on the market that offers anything directly in
competition with the Mitsu AWD system and high-pressure turbo four is
the Subaru WRX STi. Both cars offer a very similar driving experience
and comparable power/performance. However, the Subaru is currently
offered only in wagon form - and you may not want a wagon.
The GSR version of the EVO ($32,990) is also about two grand less than
the least expensive version of the STi ($34,995), a not-small chunk of
change.
So, bang for the buck-wise, the EVO (the GSR version, anyhow) is still
hard to beat - because it can beat the paint off just about any
performance car - sedan or coupe - priced anywhere near it. Just
remember that the Eyes of the Law will be upon you.
========
www.ericpetersautos.com or EPeters952@aol.com for
comments.