Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X

One thing hasn’t changed with the arrival of the latest Lancer, and that’s Mitsubishi’s liking for long and convoluted names. Luckily, if you simply utter the words ‘Evo X’ any car enthusiast will know exactly what you’re on about.

Although only officially on sale in the UK since the Evo VIII arrived in 2003, the Lancer has quickly built a strong reputation, based on the car’s incredible roadholding and brutal power. Now Mitsubishi is tampering with that formula, trying to take the Evo upmarket and improve refinement without spoiling its addictive personality.

That’s a tough task, but the Japanese firm means business – witness the strong new shape. It looks great in the metal – much more modern and dynamic than the Impreza. It’s just a shame that Mitsubishi didn’t go the whole hog and ditch the rear spoiler in favour of something more subtle. The bulky wing blocks rear visibility, too.

Nevertheless, we don’t think Mitsubishi will have any trouble shifting a projected 1,250 Evos in the UK this year, 65 per cent of them with the grandly titled Twin Clutch Sport Shift Transmission (SST) tried here. This is only available in top-spec GSR trim, and although it’s pricey at £31,999, there’s plenty of kit on offer inside, including standard sat-nav with a 30GB music hard drive.

The rest of the interior is less inspiring. OK, the hooded dials look good and the small-diameter steering wheel is lovely to hold, but cast your eye around and you’ll notice the cheap plastics, nasty orange lighting and downmarket switchgear. Even though it’s well assembled, the Evo X is a long way from luxurious when compared to the S3.

Rear seat space is generous – the Evo is the longest and widest car here – but the shallow boot doesn’t look anything like as big as the 400 litres Mitsubishi claims, and there’s no split-fold option. That’s because the engineers wanted to strengthen the frame as much as possible. And it’s worked, as the Evo X is 56 per cent stiffer than the Evo IX.

However, as a result it’s 190kg heavier than its predecessor at 1,590kg, and that gives the engine a lot to do – economy and performance both suffer. The SST doesn’t allow such an aggressive launch as a manual gearbox, so the Lancer’s 0-60mph time of 5.2 seconds lagged half a second behind the Impreza’s, although from 30-70mph there was little to separate them. Short ratios gave the Evo X an advantage in-gear, but on the road it simply doesn’t feel as punchy or rapid as the Impreza. What’s more, the four-cylinder turbo unit sounds rather flat and dreary – quite a lot like the rotary-engined Mazda RX-8, in fact. It’s effective, but not that charismatic.

The same applies to the SST gearbox. It’s more like a fast automatic than a snappy manual. Even in the most aggressive of the three gearbox modes, the shifts are slightly slurred – very smooth, but in a car like this you expect them to pop home instantly. If this is indicating that the Evo isn’t as hardcore as it once was, then you’d be right. From the word go it feels more refined, secure, solid and stable. Noise levels are lower – although tyre roar remains excessive – and it’s a much easier car to live with on a daily basis.

But the Evo’s real genius lies in its suspension. The ride is no longer crashy, and although not plush either, it never jars or jolts – unlike rivals.

It has been perfectly honed. There’s barely any roll or suspension movement, yet we can’t think of another car that glides as effortlessly or flows better over the rough roads of mid-Wales. It’s also beautifully balanced, has a sublime 4WD system, scalpel-sharp steering and stunning body control. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely.

Details

Price: £31,999
Model tested: Evo X SST FQ-300
Chart position: 1
WHY: The tenth Evo promises to be the best-ever to drive, while being more refined than its predecessors.

Economy

The engine has been updated, but it’s still thirsty. It averaged 17mpg, and the Evo’s modest 55-litre tank means you’ll be filling up every 200 miles – far more often if you have a heavy right foot. On one tank it returned less than 10mpg.

Residuals

Mitsubishi is anxious to take the Evo X further upmarket and distance it from the Subaru. However, the market analysts aren’t convinced the firm will succeed – its retained value of 46.7 per cent is only three per cent up on its predecessor.

Servicing

Older Evos were notorious for their hopeless 4,500-mile intervals and costly maintenance. The new model doubles that to 10,000 miles and introduces a £400 Service Plan that covers 30,000 miles of motoring.

Insurance

Under the latest 50-band insurance groupings, the Mitsubishi comes out the worst of this trio, its group 42 position resulting in a £1,043 annual bill. That’s not the only hefty cost involved – overall running costs are the highest here at 118 pence per mile.