Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X : WACKY RACER

June Neary tries Mitsubishi's wild Evo X

The phrase `gender specific' usually means `female-orientated'. Not here. The Mitsubishi Evo X is the most `gender specific' car I know, in the sense that you're as likely to see Kylie reading the news as a woman driving one. Why should that be? After all, I like power and traction every bit as much as my male colleagues. Perhaps it's because the fairer sex are more sensible. If we're going to pay £30,000-£40,000 for a performance saloon, we want something rather more than a road-legal rallycar. That, after all, was all previous Mitsubishi Evo models were. With the Evo X however, we're told that things are a little different. Let's get this into perspective; it still isn't an Audi RS4 or a BMW M3 saloon. But it's a lot more the kind of car you could happily use on a day-to-day basis, yet still storm down your favourite B road in late at night when all the dawdlers have gone to bed. On that basis, I thought that the Evo might make some sort of sense for me. In short, I couldn't resist trying one.

One of the good things about the Evo being based on a relatively cheap family saloon is the fact that it retains most of that car's inherent practicality. Very few cars capable of this kind of performance can happily seat four or carry a reasonable amount of luggage. The exterior lines of the Evo are bang on message for the target market. The blackened maw of the front grille and intercooler are flanked by slit-eyed headlamps. Walk round the side and the rising waist line of the car shouts aggression. The detail features are slicker but they don't scream originality, the vents on the trailing edge of the front wheel arches and the big rear diffuser both owing a debt to the Renault Clio 197. Certain Evo trademarks continue, however, the three-box silhouette, big rear wing and gently blistered wheel arches all signalling the Mitsubishi's intent.

High performance BMW or Audi models tend to hide the fact when you fuirst get behind the wheel and accelerate off for the first time down the road. This car is different, pinning you back into your bucket seat from the very first. You can never forget what it's all about, something you'll either love or hate. Rest to sixty takes just 4.1 seconds in the FQ-360 variant I tried but the Lancer Evo was never a car that was defined by its straight line sprinting ability. Instead it amazed with its astonishing grip and cornering agility and the Evo X is no exception there. The Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) system features an Active Centre Differential (ACD) and Active Yaw Control (AYC) which is not dissimilar to the Evo IX, but the latest car adds Advanced Stability Control (ASC). With this riot of acronyms weighing the Evo X down, it would take a very special kind of idiot to punt one into the scenery. ASC features a middle setting between fully on and fully off that permits a degree of driftability but intervenes if it thinks you have relinquished control of your vehicle. Perhaps the most interesting design feature is a technical one. Alongside a standard five-speed manual gearbox, Mitsubishi is also offering a six-speed SST Sports Shift Transmission. This is a sequential twin-clutch manual gearbox using similar technology to Audi's acclaimed DSG system. The SST system can be marshalled via a fore/aft gearlever or wheel-mounted paddles or it can be left to do its own thing, holding gears through corners and blipping the throttle on downshifts as you brake. Truth be told, the software seems quite a bit smarter than Volkswagen/Audi fare, and although it might sound heretic to leave an Evo in automatic, it's still devastatingly effective.

The Lancer Evo X opens at £27,499 for the FQ-300 model in GS trim. If you want the twin clutch SST gearbox you'll need £31,999 for the FQ-300 in the higher GSR trim level. The more powerful FQ-330 starts at £30,499 and the top Evo X derivative is the FQ-360 GSR for £37,999. The standard specification gives you 18" alloy wheels, Bi-Xenon headlamps with the Adaptive Front Lighting System, Recaro seats, Bluetooth compatibility, automatic headlamps and wipers and remote central locking. If you upgrade to the GSR model, the Evo X starts to feel quite luxurious. Satellite navigation, a 30GB hard drive to store your favourite music and an upgraded Rockford Fosgate 650watt stereo system to play it on are all included, as is an advanced vehicle data system incorporating a trip computer and numerous other features. In many ways, the less gear you put inside your Evo, the more sense it makes. Even though the latest generation car is a good deal more mature, with a few rough edges chamfered off, it's still no smoothie like an Audi A5. It is what it is.

I loved my brief taste of Evo X motoring. Could I live with it day-in and day-out? That's less easily for me to decide upon. One thing's for certain. This car get's closer to being a useable day-to-day supercar than an Mitsubishi Evo to date.