by Marty Padgett

(2007-12-20)

High-Res Photo Gallery: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

Since it's Christmas time, we're entertaining wish lists this week at TheCarConnection.com, and finding ourselves the judges of who's been naughty and nice. As a habit we usually pay more attention to naughty. But this time, with the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, we're in the position of having to reward something on both sides of Santa's big book.

It's true--there's plenty about the Evo that's naughty, from its lecherous turbo power and its caffeine-crazed track abilities, down to its investment-grade pricetag of more than $34,000.

But what's nice about the Evo is the same story as its psychographic twin, the Subaru WRX STI. Though the STI hit the U.S. market in 2001, a couple of years before the Evo, they share a mission--to twist the brains of Japanophile drivers with horsepower and grip. Only this time around the STI, and the Evo to a lesser extent, are playing nicer to their owners. Both feel more substantial. Both get richer-looking exteriors and interiors. And both put on a little weight, which seems to affect the Evo a little more than the STI.

The net effect in the case of the Evo is a slightly slower car that's much happier to drive casually than the last version. As Subaru does with the STI, Mitsubishi promises the tenth-generation Evo is a "markedly better car for everyday driving."

Question: is that the kiss of death for the hardcore enthusiasts--or just a huge relief for more relaxed fans who want the look and the speed, without the race-car pains? We took to the track and the road outside Phoenix for a first taste of the Evolution and left wanting more.

A four that feels like more

The Evo's four-cylinder engine sounds like a rehash from the Evo before, and to Ford Mustang or Chevrolet Camaro or Dodge Challenger fans it sounds like a puny punch from a 95-pound weakling. It's neither of those--a new design with all the torque and thrust to match and pass those heritage-bound musclecars.

The Evo's 2.0-liter four-cylinder, its turbos singing and burbling, is an amazing piece of hardware to control. Intercooler strapped to it, the Mitsu four taps out a brassy note through its valves and manifold and exhaust. With a whistling catcall it blasts out 291 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque, up a little from the last Evo. The turbocharger's been tweaked to respond more quickly as well, and that translates into a slick windup of power.

The transmission of choice with the turbo four can be either a manual five-speed or a paddle-shifted six speed. And you might be surprised to read our preference is strongly in favor of the paddle-shifted box.

There's a reason Formula 1 went to paddle shifting - and why it intensifies the video-game immediacy of the Evo. The five-speed tranny, as slick as it is, makes you think more about haptics--blip throttle, brake to clutch, shift. The paddle shifting just gets it does more quickly than most every driver on the planet, and it leaves some brain space for figuring out deep corners like the ones set out for probing at Bob Bondurant's track outside Phoenix.

The "TC-SST Automated Manual Transmission" is philosophically like Volkswagen's DSG transmission, in that it uses twin multi-plate clutches to anticipate gearshifts. One set of clutches handles gears 1, 3, and 5, while the other handles the even-numbered gears. It also has three shift modes--normal, sport, and S-sport--which work automatically or manually, adapting shift points to throttle position, temperature and engine load. It's wise--and an unmitigated blast--to hold the switch at the shifter base for three seconds and engage S-Sport mode.

Then you can spool up the turbo four, corner deeper, wind and unwind the steering and still not overrev the engine while shooting for the kind of numbers the buff books extract from the Evo's performance envelope. Those numbers, by the way, are about 5.4 seconds to 60 mph, compared with the WRX STI's 5.0 seconds. If you're worrying about 4/10ths of a second, you need new priorities.

On-track mind

You'll feel more at ease piloting the Evo on everyday roads but at its rapidly beating heart, the Evo wants to scrub its tires on the track.

There's a technically advanced all-wheel-drive system that sports modes including Tarmac, Gravel and Snow, but it's really all about maximum grip on the road course. The system, dubbed Super-All Wheel Control, is biased toward the front wheels but can send up to 50 percent to the rear wheels, through an Active Center Differential with electronically controlled multi-plate clutch. There's also a mechanical, helical-gear front differential.

The system gets integrated for the first time with stability control and a sport-tuned anti-lock braking system. There's also integral Active Yaw Control, which helps optimize the Evo's balance and grip at the rear wheels by limiting the yaw moment.

And along with these faintly exotic technologies, the Evo also sports a completely revamped suspension you'll never see in a stock Lancer. Struts up front and a multilink suspension in the rear are upgraded yet in a special MR package for the Evo that includes Bilstein shocks and Eibach springs for even more precise handling.

The base Evo isn't completely happy being separated from the high-speed cornering it loves. There's a pistoning feel to the ride on mildly bumpy surfaces, and lots of pattering and suspension noise even in the "base" GSR edition. It may surprise if you've never driven either, but since both the Evo and the STI are tarted-up econocars with exceptional gifts--and since both are developed with rally racing in mind--there's a compliant, even bounding feel in some tight corners. The hammering ride and vector-sharp steering in some sportscars is, in the Evo, a little less decisive but completely controlled.

The MR Evo is noticeably better here; diving into a hairpin hard leaves you with less nth-degree ride motions. Either version will let the rear-biased all-wheel drive have a tail-happy moment before gathering itself up and correcting your path.

Mitsubishi details the Evo with a rash of silent improvements to keep weight down and amplify the tuner-tweaker vibe. The roof, hood, front fenders and bumpers are aluminum. Enkei or forged-alloy BBS wheels are shod with sticky Yokohama tires. The Lancer's inoffensive shape is slitted and gilled and gets a sharklike grille, along with a workstation-height spoiler, perfect for downforce on the track or setting up laptop shop, your choice.

The Evo's interior wears the necessary track gear. Recaro seats are very comfortable in short and long hauls, and gets some electric-blue trim to remind you there's more under your rear than a Lancer. Mitsu promises there's more sound deadening underneath, and  it's an utter shock to see a navigation system planted in the middle of the dash, not to mention the high-luxe feel of the dash's plastics. The back seat's a queasy machine--the only thing occupants should worry about is whether the front seatbacks have barf bags in their pockets. And of course, there are seven airbags including a driver knee bag to coddle you in off-track excursions.

A $5000 question

Once you've activated your common-sense override button, discarded the $35,000 Subaru WRX STI and even the Volkswagen R32, you still have a choice. The Evo comes in two models: the GSR comes with a five-speed manual transmission, along with automatic climate control, cruise control, fog lights and a 140-watt CD sound system. It arrives in February at dealers for a base price of around $34,000.

The MR edition--our clear favorite--adds a six-speed paddle-shifted automatic; BBS forged alloy wheels; Bilstein shocks and Eibach springs; Bluetooth connectivity; HID headlamps; that big rear wing; and steering wheel audio controls. It arrives at dealers just a hair under $39,000 in late spring.

What you'll get with either one is a car that's simultaneously plusher than ever, but still more viscerally charged and raw than the STI or R32. The Lancer underneath is still evident in the low sills, but the Evo bleeds through in the hissing of turbo boost and the dancing around the redline. And now, at least, you can tolerate it for city driving. If you must.

2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Base price: $34,000 (est. GSR; MR, $39,000)
Engine: 2.0-liter in-line four, 291 hp/300 lb-ft
Drivetrain: Five-speed manual (GSR) or paddle-shifted six-speed automatic (MR), all-wheel drive
Length x width x height: 177.0 x 71.3 x 58.3 in
Wheelbase: 104.3 in
Curb weight: 3500 lb (est.)
EPA city/hwy: 16/22 mpg (GSR); 17/22 mpg (MR)
Safety equipment: Dual front, side and curtain airbags; four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes; stability control
Major standard equipment: Power windows/locks/mirrors; cruise control; automatic climate control; fog lights
Warranty: Three years/36,000 miles