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- 1. 22 I TOTALEVO I July 2007 23July 2007 I TOTAL EVO I I Feature The Result of Natural SelectionThis is the fastest Evo yet, and it upholds Mitsubishi honour until an all-new car arrives in the autumn. ANDREWNOAKES drives the Evo IX MR FQ-360, and finds it’s in a class of its own. R ain batters the windscreen of the Evo IX MR as we dodge the articulated lorries lumbering east on the A14. We’re heading for a disused airfield - somewhereinCambridgeshirewherewecangive this final evolution of the Evolution a chance to showwhatit’smadeof,butprogressisslow.When a gap opens up in the stream of coast-bound trucksanddawdlingcommuterstheEvocanhint at its potential,but even a car as quick as this has its work cut out in rush hour. Trundling along with the traffic, it’s an uncomfortable,irritablecompanion.Theride >>
- 2. 24 I TOTALEVO I July 2007 I Feature 25July 2007 I TOTAL EVO I iswoodenandthecabindrab,liveneduponlyby a fine Momo steering wheel and Recaro seats. Noise levels inside are high, the engine note is uninspiring.It doesn’t have the flexibility to pull sixthgearcleanlyunder2000rpm,butdropacog or two and you have a different problem - all too easily the Evo is into its 3000 rpm-plus working zone and dashing headlong into the traffic. Lifting off, or dithering with the throttle, brings with it untidy drive-train shunt.This is not a car that likes to queue. Open roads – and even better, the wide open spacesof ourairfield–areamorenaturalhabitat. Mitsubishi’s claim that the Evo IX MR will dispatch the benchmark 0-62mph sprint in just 3.9secondsiswhollybelievable,andthatputsthe Evo into a select class populated by the likes of Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini. Closely- stacked ratios in the six-speed gearbox make it easy to keep the engine spinning hard, and mid-range acceleration is never less than brutal. But the Mitsubishi can’t match the supercar exotica for outright speed - as was the case with its predecessors it is electronically limited to ‘only’ 157mph. A familiar engine provides all this urge. As with every Evo since 1992, the MR is powered by the four-cylinder 4G63 unit which appeared in normally-aspirated, single-cam form in the 1970s and made its turbocharged debut in 1980. The most significant development in recent times has been the introduction of MIVEC variable intake valve timing in 2005, though there have been continual detail changes. Japanese-market Evos are still claimed to deliver 276ps, but UK-bound have long been reworked todelivermoreandforthe2006EvoFQ-360and the 2007 Evo IX MR that work is entrusted to Ralliart, Mitsubishi’s in-house tuning division. “We wanted to deliver the best possible Mitsubishi’sclaimthattheEvoIXMRwill dispatchthebenchmark0-62mphsprintin just3.9secondsiswhollybelievable ThisspaceforaThisfor acaptionThisspacea caption Thisspaceforacaption Thisspaceaspacea captionThisspacefora ThisforacaptionThis spaceacaptionThis spaceforacaptionThis spaceaspaceacaption ThisspaceforaThisfor acaptionThisspacea caption >>
- 3. 26 I TOTALEVO I July 2007 27July 2007 I TOTAL EVO I drivingexperience,ratherthanconcentratingon a headline-grabbing power output,” says Ralliart’s Paul Brigden. “We’ve worked hard to optimise the FQ-360’s driveability.” To that end the MR sports a revised turbo with titanium/aluminium alloy fins and a smaller compressor inlet diameter, which is said to improve engine response throughout the rev range. Fat alloy induction pipes from HKS provide a freer-flowing path into and out of the intercooler (which still has water-spray cooling, complete with a gimmicky manual over-ride button). HKS also supplies a high-pressure fuel pump and the ‘Super Dragger’ exhaust system which incorporates a low-loss sports cat. A remapped engine-management ECU completes the mechanical changes, which boost power to no less than 366ps at 6887rpm. Torque rises to 363lb ft at 3200rpm,even more than the special- edition FQ-400 of 2004. There are more changes outside, but it takes a sharp eye to spot most of them.A subtle carbon fibre lip now sits at the bottom of the front bumper/airintakemoulding,andthere’sa‘shark tooth’ vortex generator over the rear window (carried over from the FQ-400) which is said to reduce drag and boost rear downforce. Out go the10-spokeEnkeiwheelsandincome11-spoke Speedline Turinis which mimic the style of Mitsubishi’s British Rally Championship cars. Bilstein dampers are carried over from the regular Evo IX, but the MR has stiffer Eibach springswhichlowerthecarby10mmatthefront and 5mm at the rear. The MR also benefits from an uprated‘Super AYC’ yaw control system. Super AYC transfers torque between the rear wheels to alter the car’s attitude in a corner, effectively minimizing understeer. In the MR, the system has a torque- transfer capacity approximately 10 per cent greaterthanbefore–andtheretunedsuspension is also said to improve its effect. Evos have always been criticized for their stiff ride, but the problem is really the way they struggle to cope with potholes, cambers and Thefrontendrunswideonlyuptoapoint, thenmagicallyholdsitslineasthe electronicsdotheirstuff Thisspaceforacaption Thisspaceaspacea captionThisspacefora ThisforacaptionThis spaceacaptionThis spaceforacaptionThis spaceaspaceacaption ThisspaceforaThisfor acaptionThisspacea caption >>
- 4. geared steering. Butsafe, predictable understeer is the dominant characteristic, and as you accelerate hard through a bend you can feel the Super-AYC yaw control system feed more power to the outer rear wheel to keep the understeer in check - the front end runs wide only up to a point, then magically holds its line as the electronics do their stuff. On track, only the brakes let the side down - a dozen hard go-stop- turn cycles for our cornering shots left the pads wilting,thoughthatmighthavebeenasymptom of our press car’s previous abuse. Even so, for 29July 2007 I TOTAL EVO I28 I TOTAL EVO I July 2007 jointsinthetarmacwhenyou’repressingon.The advent of Bilstein dampers on the last of the Evo XIIIs largely solved the problem, but the stiffer springs of the MR bring back that nervous, unpredictable character which makes for a less confidence-inspiring machine when the road surface deteriorates. But get it onto a smooth track and it’s transformed. As long as the surface is friendly, the Evo is stable and sure-footed. Lift-off mid-bend – or worse still, hit the brakes – and the tail will step out,needingaswiftcorrectionthroughthehigh- serioustrackdayusetougherpadsorbiggerdiscs would be a worthwhile upgrade. But it isn’t the Evo’s outright ability on track, good as it is, which makes it so memorable. The impressive bit is that the Evo combines that shattering straight-line performance and scorching track pace into a practical package with four doors, four seats and a sensible boot. And it all comes at little more than half the cost of a Porsche 911. Which is slower, anyway. Just 200 examples of the Evo IX MR FQ-360 will be built before the all-new Evo X is announced in the autumn. The next Evo promises to be a very different machine, with a more mainstream appeal.Which means the Evo IX MR FQ-360 is not just the last of its generation – it’s also the end of an era. There might never be anything like it again. << SPECIFICATIONS MitsubishiLancerEvolutionIX MRFQ-360 ENGINE Turbocharged4G63in-linefour, transverselymounted;HKS inductionkitandexhaustsystem POWER 366psat6887rpm TORQUE 363lbftat3200rpm SUSPENSION MacPhersonstrutfront,multi- linkrear;Eibachsprings;Bilstein dampers BRAKES Ventilateddiscsallround; Brembofour-potcalipersat front;SportsABSandEBD WHEELS&TYRES 8x17inSpeedlinewheels, YokohamaADVAN235/45ZR17 tyres PERFORMANCE 0-62mph:3.9sec,Topspeed: 157mph ECONOMY combinedcycle19.6mpg PRICE £35,539 TheEvoIXMRFQ-360isnotjustthelastof itsgeneration–it’salsotheendofanera Thisspaceforacaption Thisspaceaspacea captionThisspacefora ThisforacaptionThis spaceacaptionThis spaceforacaptionThis spaceaspaceacaption ThisspaceforaThisfor acaptionThisspacea caption