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2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
November 18, 2009 By Jon Alain Guzik, Editor-in-Chief
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer
DriverSide Overview
Few automotive rivalries have been as historically intense as the Subaru STI versus Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution battle. Waged over decades and across innumerable rally stages and production vehicles, the fight has won loyalists on both sides of the battle lines. For 2009, the Mitsubishi camp can celebrate a hard-won mechanical dominance thanks to a few tweaks on their tenth generation Evo, which debuted last year. Laced with enough high-tech wizardry to make even the most novice driver look like a rally god, the Evolution X can deal out domination on just about any road surface thanks to its impeccable all-wheel drive platform, potent turbocharged four-cylinder engine, massive brakes and game-changing dual-clutch SST transmission. The Evo was built with one purpose in mind – to perform. That may be a goal that many cars attempt to tackle, but few manage to succeed at. The Evo is a four-door purebred sports car with rally in its veins, and it’s obvious from the first blip of the throttle that it’s something unique.
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer 
What's to Like
The Evolution delivers world-class performance at a pretty great price. Power is crisp, handling is superb and the fact that it offers four doors puts it head and shoulders above most of its two-seater and coupe competition. The full-time all-wheel drive system is a work of art, delivering going power in even the worst conditions. Also, the dual-clutch SST transmission – an Evo first – is amazing, giving you a Normal, Sports and Super Sport mode. In each of the modes, we were much, much faster around the track than with the manual gearbox. The Evolution is impossibly fast thanks largely to innovations like the super all-wheel control, which changes the torque at each individual wheel to maintain vehicle control.
What's Not to Like
This generation is slightly larger than previous incarnations, which takes away some of the lithe, light-on-its-feet feeling we loved about past iterations. Also, the aggressive design is dialed back. We miss the fire-breathing, boy-racer looks of the 2006 Mitsubishi Evolution IX MR , a modern muscle car classic if there ever was one.
The Drive:
DriverSide Driving Impressions
There’s no mistaking the Evolution for a mere Lancer. Drop the clutch, press the gas pedal and the acceleration is instant and on demand from the 291 horsepower, turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The Evolution begs you to test the limits with each coming corner and tricks such as the super all-wheel drive system help you get massive grip and Porsche-like handling. Braking is close to perfect due to the Brembos. The interior is comfortable – or as comfortable as Recaro seats ever are – but it’s obvious that the Evo is designed for speed instead of long road trips. The suspension is stiff, but manag...