Mitsubishi LANCER EVOLUTION VIII RANGE
The Enlarged
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII Range Now Offers Something For Everyone As Long As They Want It Quick. By Andy Enright
Certain rivalries develop naturally - think Ali and Frazier, Coke and Pepsi, Kennedy and Khruschev or Indycar versus CART. Now add to that the ding dong battle that has raged between the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo and the
Subaru Impreza. Firmly entrenched advocacies exist here and the critical tide has repeatedly swung between the two camps. The latest versions of the Lancer Evo VIII aim to swing the balance irrevocably Mitsubishis way.
In many respects, a lot of that momentum was built up the moment Mitsubishi enveloped Ralliart. Formerly an authorised importer, Ralliart became an in-house Mitsubishi sub brand, legitimising the Evo VIII with full factory approval, warranty and servicing. The latest aggressive action from Mitsubishi aims to counter the received wisdom that Evo VIIIs are a good deal more expensive than Impreza WRX STi models. An entry-level Evo VIII 260 opens proceedings at a very reasonable £23,999 and makes a very capable and desirable first rung on the Lancer ladder.
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Recognisable by its slightly less overt rear spoiler, the Evo VIII 260 uses the same two-litre 16v engine as the rest of the Lancer Evo range, this time tuned to generate 263bhp and 262lb/ft of torque. As you might expect, this makes it rather brisk, and the top speed of 152mph means that you wont get left behind in a cross continent blast to the Nurburgring. Most of the Lancer driver aids are featured, including Active Yaw Control, anti lock brakes and electronic brakeforce distribution, although the sophisticated Active Centre Differential is reserved for the next model in the range, the Evo VIII MR FQ.
"There are those who feel that ridiculously quick merely represents a good starting point"
Mitsubishi Racing is a logo seen on certain Japanese market high-performance models and the Evolution VIII MR represents the centrepiece of the Lancer line up. Forged alloy wheels reduce unsprung weight and an aluminium roof panel lowers the centre of gravity. Weight has also been taken out of the cars suspension system to make it even lighter on its feet. The engine has been tuned to offer stronger performance near the redline with competition use in mind.
A full-size rear spoiler and suede Recaro full bucket front seats are fitted as standard, as is a carbon finish dashboard and black headlamp reflectors. Priced at £27,999 on the road, the 300bhp Evo VIII MR FQ also features Bilstein suspension and distinctive MR badging. Of course, the MR is a ridiculously quick road car. There are those, however, who feel that ridiculously quick merely represents a good starting point.
Next up is the MR FQ-320 model with over 320bhp at £29,999. The FQ pack has been developed by Mitsubishi Ralliart Europe and in this case theyve tweaked and massaged the electronics to produce in excess of 320bhp. This, coupled with the fact that the FQ-320 weighs only marginally more than a bugs buttock, endows it with quite astonishing acceleration. Nudge the gear stick into first, dial around 4,000 revs onto the clock and sidestep the clutch and you can fire the FQ-320 to 60mph in around 4.
6 seconds. Naturally youll need minimal mechanical sympathy to recreate these figures but even in everyday situations the Mitsubishi is quite devastatingly quick. There is a slight hiatus as the turbocharger spools up, but keep the engine on song and its almost as if somebody has switched the scenery to fast forward. So incongruous is the rate at which this souped-up saloon gathers speed that youll find yourself laughing in disbelief as the speedometer piles on ever bigger numbers.
Itll keep on going until it reaches 157mph but high speed cruising isnt the Evos forte, preferring instead to squirt out of tight corners and maul roundabouts at scarcely credible velocities. Otherwise theres not that much to differentiate the FQ-320 from its FQ-300 sibling. The huge rear wing and six spoke alloy wheels are similar, just the addition of front foglamps into the headlamp unit and the badging are all that give the game away. Not that too many would try to mix it with the standard car.
Unlike the somewhat bland face of the Evo VII, the VIII features a far more aggressive look with a huge air dam and prominent Mitsubishi triple diamond harking back to more macho looks of the Evo VI. This was the car that really established the Evo legend in the UK and its a canny move by Mitsubishi to give the car the presence its performance deserves. Lancer Evos rarely find favour with shrinking violets. If you need even more extreme power, Mitsubishi offer the FQ-340 model while existing FQ-300 and 320 owners can upgrade their steed to FQ-340 specification.
How much power is it possible to get from a 2.0-litre engine? Well at the moment Mitsubishi can manage 400bhp and for that youll need the FQ-400. It has a sharks tooth rear vortex generator and a 3.5-second 0-60mph time wow.
Its sometimes easy to forget the fact that the Evo VIII can also play a mild-mannered four-door saloon at a pinch. Its difficult to stay Jekyll for too long in a car like this though. Pity poor Charles Darwin. He had to study boring old finches to come up with the theory of evolution.
A dozen laps of the Bedford Autodrome in the Evo VIII brings one to the same conclusions. Survival of the fittest.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII range
PRICES: £23,999-£46,999 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: [Evo VIII MR FQ-320] 334g/km
PERFORMANCE: [Evo VIII MR] Max Speed 157mph / 0-60mph 4.6s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [Evo VIII MR] (combined) 21.6mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags, ABS, EBD, AYC
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