I’ve finally had a chance to slide my fat behind into the driver’s seat of Mitsubishi’s much awaited Evo X. Unfortunately, time only allowed a very short blast through mid day Toronto traffic, but it was enough to make a bit of a comparison with the Subaru STi following a similar short trip in that monster machine.
Our ride today was a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR, with the 5 speed manual. The car is a pre production model that is destined for the mandatory crushing that PT units receive after they’ve been flogged repeatedly by anyone who has the opportunity. This particular car has seen media road tests, track days and heavy road use. The clutch is releasing fairly high in the travel due to many, many drivers launching it hard. Still, the drivetrain hooks up and leaves no question as to the potential of the beast. Continue reading →
We’ve all heard of racers who’ve had their quick release steering wheel or shifter come off in their hand. That’s usually the result of some crew member who either didn’t inspect or install a part correctly. I can’t recall hearing of a new car off the showroom floor leaving it’s driver without a go pedal.
One Evo X owner had just that happen, when he brought up the rev’s and popped the clutch in front of an assembled group of Subaru owners. That’s right, right foot goes down, left foot comes up and right foot goes to the boards!
The Mitsu warranty folks apparently have deemed this to be a driver abuse situation and have refused to cover the cost of installing a new pedal. Fortunately, the dealer is stepping up and doing the right thing for their loyal customer. Somehow, I would be surprised if there isn’t some fireworks in the Mitsubishi offices, when the product quality team discover that the warranty people didn’t get that pedal back.
It has been a while since we’ve checked in with Matt and the boys at Garage 419 and their twice weekly brand of hard core car video. In today’s edition, Dirty Gene Sanchez shoots “>Matt Farah while Matt gets up close and personal with the newest versions of Subaru and Mitsubishi’s modern pony car warriors.
Friends of The Garage Travis Allison and Andrew Harvey recently spent a day at the edge of a snowy while a handful of rally teams tested their machines for the upcoming season. The resulting combination of photography and video is very cool. The sequence photos are so smooth they look like video.
Things have been a little crazy here in the real life version of The Garage lately, so I’m more than happy to pass on the promotional efforts of Team ACP. Besides, what could be better on a cold Monday evening than a bit of rally action? This is the latest in a series of action videos offered up by Team ACP, with a little help from friend of The Garage Warwick Patterson.
Since the embargo on photos of the Mitsubishi’s Evo X was lifted on October 4th, there have been a few galleries popping up here and there around the internet. Now it’s our turn to show off the pre production testers that have found their way to Canada. The silver and black/grey cars are wearing monster BBS rims, with giant Brembo brakes, while the red car is shod with more subtle production type rims. I would suspect the red car is the entry level model, while the other two are full blown Evo X road monsters. Mitsubishi Canada actually seems to have 4 cars, with 3 of them plated. Keen eyed Toronto enthusiasts will likely see these puppies cruising the streets of Toronto The Good over the coming months.
Gallery after the break. I obviously need to work on my indoor photography skills before car show season, as these aren’t quite as sharp as our readers are used to, but they’ll do for now! Continue reading →
Earlier this month, Mitsubishi showed some teaser sketches of the upcoming Concept-cX which got the blogosphere buzzing. That buzz seem warranted as more details and photos of the vehicle become available leading up to the Frankfurt Motor Show which kicks off on September 15.
With the angular front grille and headlights, there is no mistaking that the Concept-cX is the little brother of the newly released 2008 Lancer. Likewise, the functional horizontally split tailgate is borrowed from the popular 2007 Outlander. With 19 inch wheels and all wheel drive, the Concept-cX seems like it may have a bit of a split personality as it tries to combine sporty with utility. That’s a good thing.
Getting things under way, at least in concept form, is a clean 1.8 liter turbo diesel mated to Mitsubishi’s new twin clutch Sport Shift Transmission that will be found first in the Evo X. This package promises to deliver performance and fuel efficiency.
More details and photos from the Mitsubishi press release after the break Continue reading →
In it’s latest salvo against rival Subaru, Mitsubishi has dished out the goods on how the next gen Evo will put it’s 300 plus ponies to the ground. With a new Super All Wheel Control system, Mitsubishi aims to take vehicle stability control systems to new heights, while a twin clutch sport transmission will provide super quick clutchless shifting. What does all of this mean? It means that Joe Average can look like a pro while attacking his morning commute!
The full Mitsubishi press release with all kinds of drool worthy tech details is after the break Continue reading →
This morning Mitsubishi revealed a few more details regarding a pair of new models for the Japanese home market. The Lancer we see here in North America will be rebadged as the Galant Fortis. The official name for the beastly rally sedan is the Lancer Evolution X.
They are still teasing us by not releasing performance figures for the Evo’s drivetrain. Mitsubishi has confirmed that the 2.0 MIVEC engine turn all 4 wheels through a six speed automated manual transmission.
Mitsubishi’s much anticipated Evo X concept has finally made it to the streets for some real world testing and the sharp eyed Jeremy Kupfer was there to sneak a few shots of the bra wearing test mule.
Arriving in the first quarter of 2008, the Evo looks posed to launch before it’s rival, the Subaru WRX STi, which will not be produced as an 08 model.
