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Sanctifier
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 Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 7:55 am Post subject: Evolution X: Full Road Test Results... |
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Here's Car & Driver's Road Test of the 2008 Evolution X GSR...
Tested: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR
Slower, But Faster: All-Grown-Up EVO's Array of New Controls Takes It
Through Turns Faster Than Ever.
| Quote: | | BY MICHAEL AUSTIN, PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY BY YOSHITADA MORO AND THE MANUFACTURER November 2007 |
| Quote: | Previews:
Updating an automotive icon like the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is an unenviable task.
After three generations and nine versions�only the last two have been sold in the U.S.
�the ultimate interpretation of a rally-car-for-the-street theme is difficult to improve on
but it�s also getting a bit old. To use the obvious pun, how can the Evolution evolve?
The answer is here in the form of the 10th-version, fourth-generation car, known as the
Evolution X in Japan. In the U.S. it will simply be called the Lancer Evolution
but for the sake of clarity, we�ll use the Roman numeral that signifies all things extreme
in referring to the car.
The Evo X is less communicative, larger, heavier, and slower compared with the previous Evo.
It's the inevitable trade-off that occurs when a car strives for more refinement.
The steering, for one, no longer has that high-tension-wire responsiveness that
made the old car such fun. If you're an Evo fan boy, you can stop reading right now.
If you're still with us, you'll be glad to know that the Evo X drives like nothing else in the world.
You simply point the car where you want to go, and the various elements of the all-wheel-drive
system sort out how to make it happen.
Same but different.
As always, the Evolution is based on the standard Lancer sedan, and it still has a turbocharged
2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. But it�s an all-new powerplant, designated 4B11.
Design changes from the old 4G63 include an aluminum block rather than cast iron,
a timing chain instead of a belt, and variable valve timing on the intake and exhaust camshafts.
The power figures of 295 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque are bumps
of 9 and 11, respectively, and the new engine is lighter by 27.5 pounds.
The body is lighter, too, thanks to the aluminum roof, hood, front quarter-panels, and front
and rear bumper beams. The new suspension uses aluminum as well. But the weight saving is
more than offset by the new car's stiffer structure and 1.6-inch-wider body.
The Evo is due here early next year and will come as the base GSR and the uplevel MR.
The base price for the GSR should hover around $30,000; the MR will be at least $5000 more.
The GSR comes with a new five-speed manual transmission, and the MR has Mitsubishi's new
dual-clutch sequential transmission, dubbed Twin Clutch-SST (Sportronic shift transmission).
The MR gets Bilstein shocks, lightweight Enkei wheels (each 2.1 pounds lighter), two-piece brake
rotors (each 2.9 pounds lighter), chrome exterior trim, and optional navigation and leather seats. |
Evolution X specification sheet:
| Quote: | What Makes It Happen?
The software on the dual-clutch transmission wasn�t fully finished before our preview of
Japanese-market prototypes, so we were only able to test the five-speed.
The 100 or so pounds it gained means the Evo X is slower than its predecessor but not
by much. The 5.0-second 0-to-60-mph time we recorded is 0.4 second slower than the Evo MR
we tested in May 2005 but quicker than the last Evolution Special Edition we tested.
The dual-clutch model won't be quicker off the line than the manual car because the launch
control doesn't use all the available power in the interest of safeguarding the driveline.
But don't judge the MR strictly by its straight-line numbers�the Evo X is much faster along
a curving road than the old car. Contemplate the staggering skidpad number of 0.97 G
from 245/40R-18 tires while we explain all the abbreviations that make it happen.
They start with S-AWC, or Super-All-Wheel Control. S-AWC consists of ACD
(active center differential), AYC (active yaw control), ASC (active stability control), and
Sport ABS (anti-lock braking system). The center differential is an electronically controlled
multiplate clutch. The normalpower split is 50/50 front to rear, but the system can send
up to 80 percent to either end.
Differential Equations.
At the heart of AYC is a trick rear differential that combines a traditional limited slip with two
clutches that correspond to the right and left wheels. The result is that torque can be
routed to either side under any conditions. For instance, the right wheel could have a braking
force on it while the left wheel still receives power.
Stability control and ABS are nothing new, but the key to S-AWC is that it uses all four systems
together to maximize the grip from the wheels and keep the car going where the driver points it.
Combine that with the superaggressive S-Sport mode of the Twin Clutch-SST, in which gears
are held right up to the redline and downshifts are timed better than if you use the paddle
shifters, and the Evo X is the real-world version of a video-game simulator.
The way the Evo X goes around corners is nothing short of incredible. You steer into the turn
and well, that's about it. There's no sawing at the wheel and no midcorner correction,
unless you intentionally pitch the car into a turn to rotate the back, which the Evo X can still do.
So the Evolution has been forced to grow up, and like most coming-of-age tales,
some of its raw purity was lost along the way.
Sure, we'll shed a tear over what was left behind in the old Evo, but we'll be seeing it from
the rearview mirror of the Evo X. |
Pretty good review IMHO.
_________________
Walk softly... and carry a BIG stick! 
Last edited by Sanctifier on Fri Oct 12, 2007 7:23 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Sanctifier
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Posts: 1794
Location: Good question!
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:56 am Post subject: |
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Okaay!!!... Finally some "real world" feedback.  So what's "New & Improved" about
Evo X PERFORMANCE  That's what  MadMen want to know.
Other than the marketing blurbs about the obvious new engine and drivetrain and stiffer
chassis, this is what we've learnt so far...
| Quote: | OVERVIEW: Evo X BUILD QUALITY & COST:
 It is MORE LUXURIOUS than the Evo IX.
It may ONLY COST A LITTLE MORE than the Evo IX.
OVERVIEW: Evo X PERFORMANCE:
 It HANDLES BETTER than the Evo IX ... more ADHESION due to bigger 245/40 tyres.
 BTW That's the MAIN REASON for the much higher Skidpad Number of 0.97 G
It has a MORE ADVANCED DRIVETRAIN than Evo IX... S-AWC is better intergrated...
Gearchange is much quicker... especially on a circuit/Solodex course...
BUT there are downsides...
 Semi-Auto 6-speed is MORE FRAGILE than the Manual 5-speed.
Engine AND Transmission ECU reflash will be needed before engine mods are possible.
It is HEAVIER than the Evo IX... by about 100 pounds.
It ACCELERATES SLOWER than the Evo IX. |
All-in-all another great Evolution of the breed... BUT I still don't like the following...
| Quote: | Sorry, but I still don't like the styling...I prefer my Evos more "edgey."
Evo X is TOO BIG!... Jeez! It's 4 inches taller... and 2 inches wider than the Evo IX 
... Good Lord! That's almost as big as a "Shark-mouth" Galant!
DAMN IT'S HEAVY!... Evo IX is over 250 lbs heavier than my Evo 6 TME RS2...
Evo X is more than 350 lbs HEAVIER than Evo 6 TME. Almost THREE passengers extra.
Increased DRIVER ISOLATION... According to the test, it's even worse than the Evo IX.
Tuning & Upgrades are going to be more difficult... and EXPENSIVE!
S-AWC is going to lull inexperienced drivers into an even greater false sense of security
at speed... maybe with unpleasant results.
 However with quicker gearchange, better adhesion and handling, more experienced
Evo X drivers will have a significant advantage over similar drivers in other cars on the track. |
My $0.02�
_________________
Walk softly... and carry a BIG stick!
Last edited by Sanctifier on Fri Oct 12, 2007 7:29 am; edited 7 times in total |
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Sanctifier
Zorce Moderator
Joined: 07 Apr 2005
Posts: 1794
Location: Good question!
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 12:57 pm Post subject: |
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BTW how does the venerable Evo 6 stack up against the new Evo X?...
Yup the Evo X is the better car... Now that is out of the way... Read on...
Evo 6 vs. Evo X
| Sanctifier wrote: |  ... Poor milage... Firm ride quality for family use... Not as luxurious...
... Evo 6 RS drivetrain is primitive in comparison to Evo X... Torque transfer is limited...
... but less to go wrong too... Totally reliable drivetrain... Almost Bulletproof!
... Just as fast... 155 mph.
... QUICKER... (0-60 mph in 4.4 sec.)
... More agile... 350 lb. LIGHTER... Better handling (after upgrade)...
... More Driver Control at the limit... Better looking IMHO...
... QUICKER stopping (60-0 mph in 2.5 seconds.)... 
... SHORTER BRAKING distances (70-0 mph in 155 ft! vs. 159 ft for Evo X)
... SHARPER steering...
... CHEAPER to Tune/Upgrade.
... BTW and it's already paid for!  |
Not a bad trade-off IMHO. It looks I'll be holding onto my Evo 6 RS2 for a long time to come.
Aother $0.02�
_________________
Walk softly... and carry a BIG stick! |
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