Lancer
Evo X

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Evo X is slower than the previous car
in straight line, but hopefully its stronger handling will claw back
the lost ground...
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Amazingly, it took only 15 years
to go from the first Lancer Evolution to Evo X. If you are not familiar
with the history of Evo, it doesn't matter, you may read the article
"Evolution of Evo" below or our previous report for Evo VII to Evo IX
in the "Graveyard" section. Looking through the evolution of this car
is interesting, as you will find how it got bigger, more powerful and
more sophisticated in the process. However, Evo X is a big departure
from the previous 9 evolutions. For the first time in its history, it
gets an all-new chassis, engine and gearbox at the same time. In other
words, it is virtually a brand new car. Should we still call it an
Evolution ? or maybe Revolution a better description ?
As most of you know, Evo X is built on the new generation Lancer
platform sharing with various Chrysler products. Compare with the last
Evo IX, it is slightly longer, much wider, much taller and much much
stiffer – 39 percent stronger in torsion and 64 percent stiffer in
bending. The extra rigidity benefits handling as well as refinement,
but an inevitable by-product is 130 kg of extra weight. That accounts
for almost 10 percent of the overall weight and adds considerable
strain to the engine.
Part of the weight increment is compensated with a stronger engine.
Codenamed 4B11, it replaces the long-serving 4G63 engine which has been
around since the beginning of the Evo series. Governed by rallying
rules, 4B11 is still a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a single
turbocharger. Its construction, however, is much more advanced than the
old one. First of all, the engine has an aluminum block to save some 12
kg from the nose to help chassis balance. Secondly, it gets MIVEC
intake and exhaust variable cam phasing to improve low to mid range
torque (Evo IX had MIVEC on intake camshaft only). Thirdly, power
output is improved by relocating the exhaust manifolds. Previously, the
exhaust manifolds of 4G63 were forward-facing and routed backward
underneath the engine; Now 4B11 has its exhaust faces rearward and goes
straight towards the silencer, thus the gas flow runs shorter and
smoother and generates less back pressure. Fourthly, as the engine no
longer has exhaust pipes running underneath it, it can be mounted lower
to improve center of gravity.

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The new aluminum-block engine is
smoother and has a better power band. But the progress it made is not
revolutionary...
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As before, the turbine is made of titanium-aluminum alloy to
compensate for its large size – something necessary to achieve a
specific output over 140 horsepower per liter. Officially speaking, Evo
X is still bounded by the (silly) 280 ps domestic voluntary limit
(Subaru no longer follows that in its new Impreza STi), but no one
actually believes that. Considering Evo VIII was known to produce
around 310 horses, the actual output of Evo X could only be higher. How
much higher is difficult to say, but the unrestricted torque figure may
give you some hints – it produces 311 lbft at 3500 rpm, compare with
295 lbft of the last generation car. The torque curve is also
noticeably flatter than before.
Furthermore, the new Evo has its 6-speed manual gearbox replaced by a
new dual-clutch gearbox called SST (note: at the same time a 5-speed
manual is offered as a cheaper alternative). As most of you know,
dual-clutch gearbox is the future of our gearboxes. It employs one
clutch to engage the odd gears and another clutch to engage the even
gears. In this way, it is capable to pre-select the next gear while the
current gear is still engaged. Once the driver make the shift, the
current clutch disengages and at the same time the other clutch
engages, thus the next gear gets into effect immediately and smoothly.
Dual-clutch gearbox was first introduced to Audi TT in 2003 and so far
only the Volkswagen group enjoys its service. However, it will be
increasingly popular in the next few years, as it will appear in Evo X,
Nissan GT-R, Ford Focus, Porsche 911… In the Evo X, the SST gearbox
provides 3 operating modes – normal, sport and super sport – for the
driver to select. Of course, normal is the smoothest while super sport
is the fastest.
These improvements should help clawing back some of the lost
performance. Nevertheless, a kerb weight of 1540 kg is too much to
bear. On the road, the Evo X's engine feels smoother, calmer and less
explosive in the mid-range than the previous 4G63. Car and Driver found
it took 5.0 seconds to accelerate from 0-60 mph and 13.4 seconds to 100
mph, while Road & Track recorded similar figures. Such performance
may be outstanding for the class, but they can't match the old car's
4.6 and 11.9 seconds respectively. It will also slip behind the new
Subaru Impreza WRX STi, which is equally powerful but some 60 kg
lighter. This must be a big disappointment to its fans.
In fact, since Evo V, the Evo series has not really got any faster.
Dictated by the rule of 2-liter single-turbo engine, Mitsubishi could
barely achieve a slight power boost each generation to offset the
weight increment necessary for improving handling and safety. Had the
engine got more capacity and/or a twin-turbo system, or even better
direct-injection and two-stage twin-turbo, it would have produced extra
power more easily. When a car is developed to the extreme, it is time
to rethink its formula and pursue a bigger revolution. Unfortunately,
Evo X was developed when Mitsubishi had serious financial trouble, so
it lack a far-sighted vision.

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The hardwares of ACD, AYC, ASC and ABS
are mostly the same as before, yet the integration among them results
in much better control. It is a matter of tireless testing and software
works.
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On a winding road, however, Evo X is quicker than any previous
generations. This is because its improved chassis and traction allow
higher cornering speed and more accurate control. In Evo IX, the driver
wasted time to fight with road irregularities and under/oversteer by
correcting the steering and adjusting throttle. This might be hugely
exciting to some hardcore drivers, but it did not produce the same lap
time as Evo X, nor did it deliver the same driving confidence. In
contrast, Evo X runs faster in corner yet feels calmer and easier. Its
rigid chassis and longer wheelbase cope better with bumps, resulting in
a smoother ride. Its wider footprints, wider tracks and lower center of
gravity allows it go quicker in bends. Its better front-to-rear weight
distribution (due to the lighter engine and by moving the battery to
the trunk) contributes to a more neutral cornering attitude. Its
steering is less influenced by road irregularities, although some may
regard that as less communicative.
The enhanced traction system is equally effective as the improved
chassis. As before, Evo X employs an electronic-controlled Active
Center Differential (ACD) to distribution power between front and rear
wheels. It also has Active Yaw Control (AYC) to distribute power
between the rear wheels to correct under/oversteer. Also like before,
the ACD and AYC offer 3 modes, Tarmac, Gravel and Snow, for different
front-rear bias characteristics. However, for the first time the
control system of ACD and AYC integrates with ASC stability control and
ABS to form what Mitsubishi called S-AWC (Super All-Wheel Control).
From hardware point of view it seems nothing revolutionary, but on the
road the better integrated system results in vast improvements in grip
and stability because it covers virtually all the situations the driver
may encounter. Storm the Evo X on twisty roads at terrific speed and
you will find the car sort itself out beautifully. You don't need to
apply opposite locks to correct its line. It simply goes where you
point.

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More space, ride comfort and
refinement makes Evo X closer to the previous BMW M3. However, interior
quality is no BMW.
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Some of you may find the Evo X not as involving and
thrilling to drive as the previous car, because its power is less
explosive, because its chassis is more competent and, sorry, because
its electronic brain is cleverer than yours. In fact, jumping from a
1962 Ferrari 250 GTO into today's 599 GTB will probably give the same
feelings. This is an inevitable development trend.
Undoubtedly, Evo X is a better A-to-B car than ever – it is faster
point to point; it is far easier to drive; it is more refined and more
accommodative. To some extent it gets closer to the territory of the
previous generation BMW M3 while retaining its all-weather / all-road
ability. Its faults are minor – its styling is a quite raw, its
interior is a little cheap, it could be lighter and more powerful… but
keen drivers can easily forgive them. As before, the Evo X has no
direct rival except Subaru Impreza STI. Now it is the turn of Subaru to
respond.
Evo X GSR and RS
As before, the Evo X is available in two models: the road-going GSR and
the race-biased RS. The RS is 100 kg lighter due to a bare cabin,
5-speed gearbox, 16-inch wheels shod with 205/60 tires and the lack of
rear spoiler, therefore it is also significantly cheaper. The GSR has
all kinds of equipment, delicious Recaro seats and 18-inch wheels shod
with 245/40 tires. It is also the standard car Mitsubishi offers to
most markets.
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