Over the years, Mitsubishi has tackled the sports industry with a series of television commercials produced. At one point, various beautiful young women sing and laugh and fly around under the twinkling lights of the city and through tunnels lined with some kind of versicolor laser.
Women don’t seem to have a care in the world. They are in town. They have a great time. They act really fast. And the techno-pop tunes are raucous.
Combine that group with young drivers with the same habit of going fast and probably a desire to catch their female counterparts somewhere at the end of the tunnel and you have a captive audience ready and willing to buy a Mitsubishi speed demon; Lancer of Evolution.
Now in its ninth edition and commonly known as the Evo9, the Evolution of the Four Lancers is the most expensive available. and the MR edition, my weekly driver, is the most expensive of the three Evolution editions.
As if its predecessor didn’t fill it in sufficiently, the 2006 Evolution has been given a ten horsepower boost to 286 horsepower, a further boost for the 2.0-liter, turbocharged, DOHC engine. It has a quick six speed manual-transmission and all wheel drive. (Automatic and five-speed manuals are available on other models).
Evolution is simply about speed, and an impressive capacity at that. Prestigious publications have car published as the best-performing car to buy available. And in every situation I drove the car – open, long, flat roads to sudden acceleration to tight turns – the MR is only able to drive legally-legal type of car.
The car is certainly fast, especially after it reaches the 3,000 RPM threshold. Its handling is agile and it offers reliable grip. In addition, the weight of the development has been reduced with the use of aluminum exterior – forged aluminum suspension, aluminum front fenders, aluminum hood, aluminum roof, aluminum pedals, aluminum fiber carbon grip brake and aluminum shift knob. Of course, all of this comes at a substantial price.
And there are other sports car niceties: Recaro front bucket seats, carbon fiber rear spoiler, 17-inch alloy wheels and what one reviewer describes it perfectly as a “vortex generator adding aerodynamic additions to the shark-tooth shapes.
There are, however, issues with Evolution’s most notorious spoiler. It greatly obstructs rear-end views and more than once I had the second thought that another vehicle was very close.
Not many sports cars are known for their smooth rides, but the Lancer Evolution’s ride is terrifyingly rough. The car makes a noise, even in low-level work. Mitsubishi also requires premium fuel for all developments.
There is a community of development around the country that does not lack the praise of the car. They rave about zipping past Porsches and Ferraris on internet sites.
As it is great. The evolution of the car-ber francier is pleasant and can probably wait for the 10th evolution of the redesigned evolution in 2007. Maybe Mitsubishi will put those buyers in the trade.
Drivers Weekly: 2007 Renault Vel Lancer
Safety Features – Dual front airbags.
Fuel Mileage (estimates) – 18 mpg (city), 24 mpg (highway).
Warranty – bumper to bumper, 5 years / 60,000 miles; Powertrain, 10 years/100,000 miles; Corrosion, 7 years / 100,000 miles; Roadside (24-hour) assistance program 5 years/unlimited miles.
Base Price – $35,189.00
