Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X saloon (2008 – ) expert review

It’s not what you’d call pretty but the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo’s spoilers, scoops and vents are present and correct, albeit reined in for a less boy racer look. Mitsubishi wants to take sales from the more elegant BMW M3, Mercedes C63 AMG and Audi S4, which goes some way to explaining the more sober styling. The front end has a big gaping black grille which hides the intercooler for the turbo and the bonnet features functional cooling vents, as do the front wings. The rear end still carries a huge spoiler; and an Evo wouldn’t be an Evo without one.

The interior was something Mitsubishi needed to work on if it was to attract buyers from premium brands, and the Evo X’s cabin has been improved by a country mile over previous models. The dash is a little hit and miss, with clear dials surrounded in a stylish binnacle, but the main dashboard fascia looks bland, and the dark, shiny strip that runs along it looks a little cheap. The Recaro bucket seats look the part, especially with the slots which harnesses would be run through in a race car.

For a big car, the Evo X has a tiny boot, with much of the space taken by the battery and other ancillaries being relocated to the luggage compartment. This means the rear seats don’t fold, limiting space further. More room is taken up by the large subwoofer, which sits on the near-side edge of the boot. There’s a good amount of space in the front, while headroom is slightly limited in the rear. The driver’s seat doesn’t adjust for height and the steering wheel doesn’t adjust for reach, meaning it can be tricky to find a comfortable driving position.

The Evo has always been one of the fastest ways to cover ground this side of a supercar, and the X has lost none of its ability. The Bilstein and Eibach suspension is firm, yet more forgiving than previous models, such as the Evo IX. The steering is sharp, direct and responsive, though the engine is muted in comparison to earlier cars. It has astonishing levels of grip, which can be enhanced further depending on road surface, by selecting tarmac, gravel and snow modes from a dash-operated button.

The slowest of the three engines, the 290bhp FQ-300 will launch the car to 62mph in just 4.7 seconds. The 324bhp FQ-330 will reach 62mph in 4.4 seconds, while the 354bhp FQ-360 will cover the same benchmark in 4.1 seconds. All models have a limited top speed of 155mph. There’s staggering performance from around 2,000rpm, under which the engine can bog down when the turbocharger is off-boost. A twin-clutch unit, like Volkswagen’s DSG gearbox, is available on the FQ-300 and offers fast, snappy gearchanges, rarely getting caught out by unexpected bursts of power through bends.

Emissions, insurance and fuel bills aren’t for the faint hearted. All models fall into the top tax band. The FQ-300 falls into insurance group 19 while all others are in group 20. Fuel economy is reasonable for the FQ-300, with an average of 27.4mpg (26.2 for the SST), but the FQ-330 falls to 25.4mpg, while the supercar-baiting FQ-360 will cover just 19.9mpg. Depreciation is fairly good, with these cars retaining around half their new value after three years/36,000 miles.

Mitsubishi builds solid cars – just look at its reputation in the Dakar rally for proof. As long as the Evo is serviced correctly, it should be the most painless way to supercar speeds. Just budget for frequent tyre and brake changes, and the odd clutch, depending on the sympathy it’s driven with.

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X has been strengthened to cope with its awesome power, and Mitsubishi says extra work has gone into the car to improve its impact performance. The brake pedal collapses in a collision to avoid damage to the driver’s legs, and the driver’s knee is protected by an airbag. Other airbags include dual-stage driver and passenger, which deploy depending on the severity of collision, as well as side and curtain ‘bags. There’s no EuroNCAP crash test data available though.

Two trim levels are available: GS and GSR. The GS comes with 18-inch Enkei alloy wheels, Brembo brakes, a category 1 alarm and immobiliser and a tracking system, folding door mirrors, tinted glass, bright xenon headlamps, climate control, CD/radio, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, Bluetooth, automatic headlamps, wipers and electric windows. The GSR adds a Rockford Fosgate hard-drive-based stereo and sat-nav with subwoofer, MP3/iPod connection, and leather seats (FQ-360 only).

There are few better, or cheaper ways to eat miles quickly. The Mitsubishi Evo X has broadened the Evo’s appeal by being more comfortable, quiet and less in-your-face, while still capable of putting a smile on any petrolhead’s face.