Sorry if posted before....
Teasin’ time is over. Here are the first official pictures of the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution—or Evolution X as it is known back home in Japan.
Mitsubishi Motors mixed a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down in Tokyo, releasing first images of the production version of the high-performance sedan in conjunction with the automaker’s financial results (which actually reflected the first profit in four years).
The only figures we care about: an expected 300 or more horses from the new high-performance 2.0-liter turbocharged MIVEC engine. This lightweight mill has an aluminum cylinder block (the Lancer Evolution RS has an iron block and aluminum head). The new engine is part of the Global Engine Alliance, for which Mitsubishi jumped into bed with Hyundai Motor and DaimlerChrysler for four-cylinder offspring.
Power will be driven through a six-speed automated manual transmission. The sequential manual transmission coming—a dual-clutch and DSG setup similar to that in select Audis and Volkswagens—might make Mitsubishi one of the first brands outside the VW family to offer the quick-shifting technology. We applaud the move wholeheartedly, much preferring the smooth and fast-reacting dual-clutch to BMW’s jerky and much-slower single-clutch sequential manual.
Central to the global four-wheel-drive sedan is Mitsubishi’s S-AWC traction and handling system that integrates drive-torque distribution and braking. Having driven a prototype, we can attest to the prowess with which the super-active yaw control interacts with the AWD. The fancy rear differential reminds us of Acura’s system, the way it overdrives the rear wheel. But, unlike the Acura system, S-AWC also aids braking in throttle-neutral situations. We can’t wait to throw the production Evolution, based on the new, more rigid, Lancer platform, around a handling track.
Mitsubishi Motors mixed a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down in Tokyo, releasing first images of the production version of the high-performance sedan in conjunction with the automaker’s financial results (which actually reflected the first profit in four years).
The only figures we care about: an expected 300 or more horses from the new high-performance 2.0-liter turbocharged MIVEC engine. This lightweight mill has an aluminum cylinder block (the Lancer Evolution RS has an iron block and aluminum head). The new engine is part of the Global Engine Alliance, for which Mitsubishi jumped into bed with Hyundai Motor and DaimlerChrysler for four-cylinder offspring.
Power will be driven through a six-speed automated manual transmission. The sequential manual transmission coming—a dual-clutch and DSG setup similar to that in select Audis and Volkswagens—might make Mitsubishi one of the first brands outside the VW family to offer the quick-shifting technology. We applaud the move wholeheartedly, much preferring the smooth and fast-reacting dual-clutch to BMW’s jerky and much-slower single-clutch sequential manual.
Central to the global four-wheel-drive sedan is Mitsubishi’s S-AWC traction and handling system that integrates drive-torque distribution and braking. Having driven a prototype, we can attest to the prowess with which the super-active yaw control interacts with the AWD. The fancy rear differential reminds us of Acura’s system, the way it overdrives the rear wheel. But, unlike the Acura system, S-AWC also aids braking in throttle-neutral situations. We can’t wait to throw the production Evolution, based on the new, more rigid, Lancer platform, around a handling track.
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