Forget the talk; here are the facts.
Let’s just get this out of the way right off the bat, shall we? The Evo X is heavier than the Evo IX, and it makes five more horsepower. Cars have a tendency of doing that as the years pile on. But we wanted to actually drive the thing before joining the herd of naysayers that have never even been behind the wheel. So we did just that, and by the time we were done, we realized that one acronym has the potential to silence everyone’s preemptive complaining. That three-letter acronym is A-Y-C.
Oh sure, you’ve written AYC off as something you don’t need in your Evo IX. “It’s no faster around a track,” you’ll cry, like a baby missing a pacifier. And while that statement may actually be true, it’s also proof positive you’ve never driven an Evo with AYC. This is the system that is single-handedly responsible for all the Evo-raving in the rest of the known world, and the Evo X is your first chance to own it in the US.
If you didn’t know, it stands for “Active Yaw Control,” but in layman’s terms means the complete eradication of understeer. The car’s natural tendency is actually toward computer-controlled oversteer, like when you turn the driving aids on in Gran Turismo. The entire time AYC is working, you’re aware the car shouldn’t be behaving the way it is – but it just turns. Repress any instinct you have to countersteer, or even to lift off the throttle. Just keep ‘er aimed in the direction you want to go, and miraculously come out in a perfect neutral semi-slide.
Then there’s the steering. After hearing Mitsubishi speak of the Evolution IX rack as “litigation steering,” our fear was that that awesome feedback and response would be missing in the Evolution X. Astonishingly, this is not the case. It takes more than a thought to send the Evo X careening across the highway, but that’s not so bad considering the telepathic accuracy is still there and it’s still a ridiculously quick steering ratio by all modern standards.
Compared to the Evo IX, the X feels positively luxurious. But that’s not because the new car is any less of a driver’s car. It’s because the IX is essentially a detuned racecar for the street.
We’re assuming you have all the Evo X details – stiffer chassis, all-aluminum engine, dual-clutch SST transmission, 18-inch wheels… The list goes on and on. But those technological specs can be had easily enough by searching the forum . The question you’re asking is, “How will it respond to modification?” The answer seems to depend on whether you buy an MR or a GSR, according to inside sources. The engines are no different – both cars get the new 4B11 two-liter turbocharged inline-4, which pumps out 291 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 300 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,400 rpm.
As we all know, the 4B11 is all-aluminum and it weighs less than the 4G63 – 27 pounds less, actually. It uses a semi-closed deck with a ladder frame for strength. There’s no balance shaft to speak of and it uses four-bolt main bearing caps. As aluminum blocks go, this one should be fairly stout.
Bore and stroke are both 86mm, making it a “square” engine, with a bore/stroke ratio of 1.0. A timing chain does duty in place of the previous engine’s belt and there’s now MIVEC on the intake and exhaust camshafts – both of which are hollow. But the big innovation up top comes in the form of a direct acting valvetrain, which takes the place of the typical roller-rocker arm configuration, and allows the camshafts to act directly on the valves.
Onto the reason you’ll want to pick the GSR, then. The difference is the transmission. Mitsubishi won’t come out and directly say that the dual-clutch SST transmission won’t handle much of an increase in horsepower, but the bottom line is that it won’t. So that means we’re looking at the all-new five-speed transmission that comes with the GSR. Luckily for us, it’s a pretty slick shifting box, and our sources confirm that it’s pretty much bomb-proof.
We’re not saying the new car will take to modification as well as the old one does, or for that matter that the Evo X will be faster around your local track than an Evo IX is. It’s a different car, with a different mission and a different target buyer. But it’s still pretty damn good at hauling ass. Only a comparison test on the track will tell which is the ultimate super sedan… But we’re not hinting at anything upcoming. Stay tuned.
