Mitsubishi LANCER EVOLUTION VIII MR FQ-400
Stop The Ride, I Want To Get Off! Andy Enright Sees Lancer Evo Development Crank Up Yet Another Notch.
It has to stop soon, doesnt it?
Mitsubishi continue to churn out ever more powerful Lancer Evolutions, with seemingly no comprehension of an upper limit for that tough little 2.0-litre engine. This version, the MR FQ-400 boasts a power output of 405bhp and the sort of acceleration that only those who have been blindsided by a wrecking ball will comprehend. Despite this, it looks so docile.
It has four doors and a boot. Just how silly can it be?
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If youre used to Lancer Evos being priced between £20,000 and £30,000, the MR FQ-400s asking price of £46,999 might strike you as faintly ridiculous. Thats the sort of money that will buy a very nicely specified
BMW M3 or even a low mileage
Porsche 911. Sit inside the FQ-400 and youll suddenly think that the Evo has developed ideas above its station, elevating itself into a rarefied atmosphere in which it cant possibly survive. Twist the key, clack the gearlever into first gear and the value proposition will coalesce rather quickly.
A physicist would define acceleration as the rate of change of velocity with respect to time. Give an Evo MR FQ-400 the treatment off the line and this definition will manifest itself as one long expletive deleted, followed by a hushed silence and then spontaneous giggling. Scientific verification requires that the experiment be repeatable, so you should. Again and again until the fuel light blinks on.
Unlike many of the incrementally quicker Evo models to date, the FQ-400 is a serious piece of mechanical rather than electronics engineering. A good deal of work has been done on the internals of the 2.0-litre engine by tuning specialists Rampage, Owen Developments and Flow Race Engines. Its worth pausing to consider the scale of their achievement.
This powerplant generates 203bhp per litre of cubic capacity. By comparison, a
Lamborghini Murcielago manages a pathetic 91bhp per litre. Even a
Ferrari Enzo can only churn out 110bhp per litre. Now youre beginning to see why this
Mitsubishi is so special.
Chop its engine in half and youd have a two cylinder 1.0-litre powerplant good for 203bhp. Now that really would be something in a Colt hot hatch!
"The Lancer Evo MR FQ-400 is not a vehicle to suit the dilettante owner"
Specific capacity is all well and good but the acid test is deploying that power. Again the Evo scores. With a rally-derived all wheel drive system and sticky Yokohama rubber, the Lancer can put its power down with devastating alacrity. So much so, in fact, that it will accelerate to 60mph in just 3.
5 seconds. By contrast a £330,000 Porsche Carrera GT will be left trailing in its wake and a Pagani Zonda would also have trouble keeping pace with the Evo. The BMW M3 most peoples idea of a quick car in this category takes a yawning 5.3 seconds by contrast.
In other words, its not even in the same league as the astonishing Mitsubishi. Otherwise theres not that much to differentiate the MR FQ-400 from its slightly less concussive siblings. Ralliart aero mirrors, a carbon fibre front lip spoiler, gloss black Team Dynamics alloys and red FQ-400 badging will give the game away to the most determined spotter but pride of place has to go to a refinement with possibly the most ludicrous name in the entire motoring industry. If you can come up with a performance enhancement that revels in a more fantastic name than the sharks tooth rear vortex generator then Id love to hear from you.
Ostensibly a set of plastic teeth attached to the trailing edge of the roof, these serve to break up the airflow to reduce rear drag. At least thats the theory. These will probably become an aftermarket favourite merely due to the fact that they make your car look that little bit gnarlier. The interior is surprisingly refined for a car that can show a Carrera GT a clean set of mudflaps.
Theres a beautiful Momo steering wheel and deep Recaro bucket seats. Carbon fibre detailing adorns the dashboard and theres even a numbered plaque next to the gearstick that details the cars production number. Electric windows and mirrors are fitted as standard, as is climate control and a six-speed gearbox. Theres also the invaluable benefit of seating for five and a very capacious boot.
If you want a searing performance car that can be sold to the rest of your family as a practical proposition, the Evo MR FQ-400 could well fit the bill. Practical only goes so far though, and this Evo will rack up some serious bills over a typical three-year ownership period. You wont see anything like 20mpg on a daily basis, itll eat tyres and brake pads with a ravenous appetite and you may need to ask whether your insurance broker is sitting down before you propose your choice to him. As outlandish as the performance seems, if anything, it takes a back
seat to the way the Evo VIIII handles.
A revised Active Centre Differential and a lower centre of gravity combine to give the Lancer exceptional stability. In addition, the driver can switch on the fly between three distinct driving modes, Tarmac, Gravel and Snow, in order to optimise grip. A computer compares the inputs from the Active Centre Differential (ACD) and the Active Yaw Control (AYC) systems, providing better overall stability and performance compared to previous systems where the two processes couldnt talk to each other. Dont be too taken in by the Lancer Evo MR FQ-400s sensible suit.
Beneath that three-box silhouette lies engineering every bit as exotic as youll find in cars costing treble its price and it has the performance to meet and beat some esteemed names. It is, therefore, not a vehicle to suit the dilettante owner. Yes, there may be a three-year/36,000 mile warranty but this Evo requires TLC and a good deal of money thrown at it to keep it in tip top fettle. If you know what youre getting into, get into one.
They wont hang around.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR FQ-400
PRICE: £46,999 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: tba g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 175mph+ / 0-60mph 3.5s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 17mpg [est]
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags /ABS, EBD
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