Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 2008 Review

While it's not wearing a no.10 badge, the next step from Evo 9 has been developed with customer feedback in mind; Mitsubishi has taken the new, stronger and tauter body and upgraded the drivetrain with a dual-clutch manual gearbox, dubbed the Twin-Clutch Sport Shift Transmission (TC-SST).

The powerplant is an all-new engine for the first time in the Evo's 16 year history, albeit still displacing two litres, but with an alloy block (that sheds 12kg over the old car's engine), variable valve timing on intake and exhaust valves and a timing chain instead of a belt.

Mitsubishi says the new turbocharger is 20 per cent quicker on the uptake in the course of developing 217kW - up from 206kW - at 6500rpm (1100rpm short of the limiter), with torque jumping from 355Nm to 366Nm at 3500rpm, albeit slurping 98RON fuel.

The forced-induction system also benefits from straighter and shorter air intakes

The new Evo range, 60mm shorter overall but 25mm longer in wheelbase, is about 90kg heavier than the '9 despite on-going use of lightweight materials and components.

It has a five-speed manual $59,490 base-model, with the new addition of the new dual-clutch version for $64,490 and the up-spec MR, which Mitsubishi is aiming at the upmarket customer, starting at $71,690.

Mitsubishi is expecting half the 60 units per month will be taken as the Evo with the SST dual-clutch gearbox, while 30 per cent will head for the base-model Evo and 20 per cent will get behind the wheel of the MR.

MMAL president and CEO Robert McEniry said the company's small performance car stable will soon be expanded to include the Ralliart Lancer and Sportback, which would put the range head-to-head with Subaru's Impreza for the first time since MMAL dropped the Lancer GSR.

"The Ralliart and the Sportback are coming, the latter I reckon will open up a huge opportunity for us, it probably carves out a new niche and it's an impressive package.

"The Ralliart models give us the opportunity to start having a crack at Subaru, and an affordable image car for the range, then there are two Evos sitting above that - the Ralliart will be pretty keenly priced when it hits the market with the Sportback around the Sydney motor show," he said.

The entry-level Evo gets front and rear strut bracing, Recaro buckets, a sports steering wheel, automatic climate control, "smart key" keyless entry and start, Bluetooth phone connectivity, automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers, cruise control and a six-CD stacker sound system with wheel-mounted controls.

The MR has the six-speed dual-clutch gearbox as standard, with column-mounted paddleshifts, two piece Brembo front discs, Bilstein dampers, Eibach springs, HID adaptive headlights, 18in BBS forged alloys, fender air outlets and chrome trim additions.

The MR's equipment list also includes heated leather-trimmed Recaros, a Rockford Fosgate nine-speaker sound system (including subwoofer) with a touch-screen panel that also controls the satnav and Bluetooth.

The base-model can also be optioned up with the optional Performance Pack for $5500, which adds the fun bits - Bilstein dampers, Eibach springs, BBS alloys and two-piece lightweight front brake discs - without the luxury extras.

Northern Victoria turned on the rain - no doubt to the delight of the drought-stricken locals - and it gave the Evo a chance to shine in adverse road conditions.

The bull-nosed small car looks aggressive and has presence on the road, but the sensations from behind the wheel are where the Evo makes its mark.

The Recaros in either trim are grippy and locate the driver well, the sports steering wheel directs steering that has decent weight and improved feel - not that the old car was lacking that department.

The twin-clutch SST gearbox seems to be the latest craze but this Getrag-developed unit is a fine example of the technology.

The new Evo's SST gearbox has three modes - normal, sport and super-sport - plus the ability to manually change gears with paddleshifts or the gearshift lever, which is correctly oriented for manual changes, forward for downchanges, back for upchanges.

In normal mode, it acts like an smooth six-speed automatic, with slick and rapid shifts; Sport mode and Super-Sport mode (the latter needing to be selected prior to take-off) quicken up the shifts and give the driver a gearbox that delivers almost constant acceleration when required and doesn't really need to be over-ruled often.

Teamed with the new powerplant's higher outputs, the Evo - which is illogically called X (as in the letter, not the Roman numeral) in Japan, not 10 apparently - the gearbox is an excellent execution of the twin-clutch system.

The all-wheel drive system was already one of the best for a variety of surfaces, so expectations of the new car were high. The active diffs, yaw sensors and other gizmos all team up to provide an exceptional chassis package.

The road drive was completed without serious concern for the traction on wet roads, with a surprisingly good ride for such a sports-machine - something that blighted the '9 - but a wet Winton Raceway in Victoria rammed home the point.

Chicanes, slaloms and the sections of the short circuit were covered with water but it still took plenty of lateral force to break traction in the corners.

Stability control and the all-wheel drive system teamed to make the Evo quick and unfussed, but even with the stability systems off, the Evo remained phenomenally quick - with less lag than its main opposition, and entertainingly controllable.

The only glitch, particularly those going for the up-spec MR model, is the low-rent feel of the plastics in the cabin, something the company says doesn't put its customer clinic participants off.

The Evo has won me over with its twin-clutch gearbox, only time will tell if its gets it right where some other double-clutch offerings fail, in the low-speed maneuvering stakes, but the new Evo gets it right on the track and on a back-road drive.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.

Price: from $59,490 base-model, SST dual-clutch from $64,490, MR from $71,690.

Engine: two-litre 16-valve DOHC MIVEC intercooled turbocharged, requiring 98RON.

Power: 217kW power @ 6500 rpm

Torque: 366Nm torque @ 3500 rpm

Gearbox: five-speed manual or six-speed paddleshift dual-clutch sequential manual, all-wheel drive, front helical LSD, active yaw control centre differential, stability control.

Performance: 0-100 under five seconds, top speed 240km/h.

Fuel consumption: manual 10.2l/100km; SST 10.5l/100km, tank .

Emissions: manual 242g/km; SST 252g/km.

Suspension: inverted MacPherson strut suspension (front); multi-link suspension, dampers (rear); optional Bilstein dampers and EIBACH springs.

Brakes: four-wheel ventilated discs with Brembo four-pot front and two-pot rear calipers, option two-piece discs.

Dimensions: length 4510mm, width 1810mm, height 1480mm, wheelbase 2650mm, track fr/rr 1545mm, weight 1565-1625kg.

Wheels: 18in alloy (optional BBS alloy, std on MR).

In its class:

Subaru Impreza WRX STI, from $59,990.

Volkswagen Golf R32, from $56,490.

Audi S3, from $63,990.

Volvo S40 T5 AWD, from $54,950.

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First drive: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X