2008 EVOLUTION MR

Better late than never: The Lancer Evolution is already in its 10th generation but is only now available in Canada. On the outside, features such as air dams, a rear wing and 18-inch wheels distinguish the Evolution from the other Lancers. Inside, it’s mostly the Recaro sport seats and aluminum pedals that set the Evolution apart. The Evolution is offered in three trims: GSR, MR and MR Premium.

Interior and trunk

Pronounced side bolsters on the Recaro seats combined with wide and easily dirtied doorsills make entry and exit difficult. The seats are very comfortable, even though they don’t have adjustable lumbar support. The well-defined bolsters at both trunk and thigh level hold the occupants very snugly in place. Heavily built people may find the fit is tight. Headroom and legroom are adequate for most users. The driving position is very good but would be better if the tilt steering wheel telescoped as well.

Getting out of the back is harder than getting in because of a lack of room between the B-pillar and seat cushion. The bench seat comfortably accommodates two adults. Legroom is good, but headroom is tight for tall people. The seatback not only doesn’t fold, it doesn’t have a pass through.

The battery and windshield washer fluid tank are housed in the trunk and drastically reduce luggage capacity. The tank is hard to fill without a funnel. The trunk opening is average in size.

Convenience and safety features

The cabin is very well finished throughout, and the quality of materials is relatively good. However, we heard some creaks in the dashboard area of our test vehicle, particularly during warm-up. Soundproofing is acceptable for the type of vehicle. There are several small storage spaces, but overall capacity is unimpressive.

Gauges and controls are well laid out, but most controls, and the glove compartment, are not illuminated at night. The heating system is a bit slow. The turn signals are inaudible.

Photo: Mitsubishi Safety features include dual front, side and curtain airbags and an airbag for the driver’s knees, four-wheel antilock disc brakes, good headlights and five head restraints. The rear restraints don’t adjust high enough for tall people. Visibility is good in all directions except on a three-quarter-rear angle, because of the wide C-pillars. The big rear wing restricts the rearward view enough to hide a following vehicle. With or without a rear wing, it is hard to judge distances properly when backing up. There is a near-constant dash-top reflection in the windshield, and a constellation of lights creates a dance of luminous dots in the windshield at night.

In U.S. government tests, the Lancer obtained five out of five stars for driver protection and four out of five for front-passenger protection in a frontal impact. In side-impact tests, it earned five stars for front-occupant protection and four for rear-passenger protection. It scored four stars for rollover resistance. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the Lancer a Good rating, its highest, for driver protection in an offset frontal collision and for all-occupant protection in its rear and side crash tests.

Engine and

The 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged engine outputs 291 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque. Needless to say, with this much power on tap the Evo provides very energetic and instantly responsive acceleration and pickup at all times. Even though maximum torque only occurs at 4000 rpm, you don’t have to wait to feel the turbo engage. This engine is sufficiently flexible for normal driving in that the engine doesn’t have to be running at high rev speeds to obtain decent acceleration. However, we’d like the accelerator to be more linear. This four-cylinder is noisy in strong acceleration. It meets strict Tier2/Bin 5 emissions controls standards. With a 55-litre fuel tank and an average consumption of 12L/100 km, during our test, fuel autonomy was rather limited.

As to transmissions, the big news this year is the six-speed Twin-Clutch Sportronic Shift Transmission (TC-SST), which can select two gears at a time. One gear is engaged by one of the two wet multi-plate clutches and the other is pre-selected, waiting to be engaged by the second wet multi-plate clutch. The gearshift is done manually or automatically, depending on the mode chosen by the driver and occurs with no perceptible delay. There are three modes: Normal, Sport and S-Sport. In Sport mode, gearshifts take place at higher engine speeds when the transmission functions automatically. S-Sport mode is racetrack suitable in that it shifts gears, in automatic mode, only when engine speed hits the redline. In this mode it even blips engine speed before it downshifts. This transmission generally shifts smoothly but in cold weather, until it warms up, gearshifts can be abrupt. There’s even a note in the owner’s manual indicating that at -30oC, the driver will probably have to let the engine run for 10 minutes before engaging the transmission. You can shift gears manually either with the shifter or the wheel-mounted paddles. In both modes, automatic and manual, gearshifts are ultra- rapid.

Feeding power to all four wheels is Mitsubishi’s Super All-Wheel Control system (S-AWC) that not only controls torque distribution but is also integrated with an active vehicle control device. The all-wheel-drive system divides torque between the front and rear wheels as well as between the rear wheels, to improve road grip. In turns, the system transfers more torque to the outside rear wheel to better pivot the vehicle. A toggle switch positioned on the dashboard lets the driver choose between three traction

modes: Tarmac for dry, paved surfaces, Gravel for wet or rough surfaces and Snow for snow-covered roads. The system is very efficient, in all situations.

On the road

The four-wheel independent suspension is reinforced in relation to the other versions, and the Evo also gets Eibach springs and Bilstein struts. The Lancer Evolution offers a very civilized road experience. Evidently, with a reinforced suspension and 40-profile tires, some bumps set off a firm, even very firm reaction, but it is perfectly acceptable for such a sporty car. Actually, there’s only one place to explore the capabilities of a vehicle like this, and that’s on a racetrack. On the magnificent Mont-Tremblant circuit, we found that the vehicle is quite well balanced (under-steering when pushed hard), easy to drive and highly capable, and that the double-clutch automatic is a real gem that proves irresistible even to hard-core fans.

The power steering is well weighted, stable, precise and very quick. It transmits a bit of road sensation and has a large turning circle. The four-wheel, Brembo cross-drilled disc brakes are powerful and resist well to fade. Hopefully, they’ll also prove durable, because they’re very expensive.

Inspection

Our inspection at a CAA-Quebec technical inspection centre showed that the Lancer is sturdily built and well protected against corrosion. The ball joints are integrated into the front and rear A-arms and presumably quite expensive to replace. The ABS braking system is very well wired. The engine’s overhead camshafts are chain driven.

Conclusion

To acquire this vehicle your need wherewithall and conviction. The Evo is not for everyone. You have to accept a rather stiff ride, a tiny trunk and a non-folding rear seatback. On the other hand, performance and the fun you can have on a racetrack are an interesting payback.

PROS: high-performance engine, comfortable front seats, efficient , superior handling, solid structure, very good warranty

CONS: windshield reflections, non-folding seatback, small trunk, difficult front entry and exit, several controls not illuminated, rear wing restricts visibility

2008 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION

Engine: 16-valve, 2.0-litre 4-cylinder, turbo Horsepower: 291 hp at 6,500 rpm Torque: 300 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm Transmission: 5-speed manual; 6-speed automatic Suspension: fully independent Brakes: disc/disc : 265 cm Length: 454.5 cm Width: 181 cm Height: 148 cm Weight: 1,600 to 1,635 kg

Tires: 245/40R18 Maximum towing capacity: forbidden Airbags: dual front, plus two side, two curtain airbags, one airbag for driver’s knees

Fuel consumption with automatic transmission: Natural Resources Canada rating: City: 12.7 L/100 km (22 mpg) Highway: 8.9 L/100 km (30 mpg) Test result: 12 L/100 km (24 mpg) Test temperature: -20°C to -5°C

CO2 emissions: 5,280 kg/20,000 km

Fuel tank capacity: 55 litres

Fuel requirement: premium grade gasoline

Acceleration 0–100 km/h: 6.5 seconds 60–100 km/h: 4.7 seconds

Competition: Chevrolet Cobalt SS, SRT4, Mazdaspeed3, Sentra SE-R, Subaru Impreza WRX, GTi

Warranty ‚ Full basic coverage: 5 years/100,000 km ‚ Powertrain: 10 years/160,000 km ‚ Surface corrosion: 5 years/100,000 km ‚ Perforation damage: 5 years/unlimited km ‚ Emissions control system: 5 years/100,000 km (full coverage); 8 years/130,000 km (catalytic converter, electronic control module, onboard diagnostic system).

Factory replacement parts: ‚ Rear bumper: $1,283 ‚ Front brake disc: $349 ‚ Brake pads: $441 ‚ Muffler: $624 ‚ Front fender: $777

Price according to trim level: ‚ GSR: $41,498 ‚ MR: $47,498

Main options: ‚ Premium Package: $4,000 (MR)

Price as tested: $51,498

Freight and preparation: $1,560

Dealers: Quebec: 20 Canada: 65

© December 2008. All rights reserved, CAA-Quebec