British prices and specs have yet to be announced, but the Mitsubishi is likely to be available from around £30,000
Due to hit the road in the UK in 12 months' time, the Mitsubishi Evo X aims to score 10 out of 10 for speed, thrills and style.
Unveiled this week at the Detroit Motor Show, the model is officially being referred to as the Prototype X, ahead of the production machine's international debut in September. As you can see from our photographs, the latest Evo is only a slightly toned-down version of the highly praised Concept X, which debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 2005.
The Evo's sharp new look is merely half the story, however, and under the skin Mitsubishi has pulled out all the stops with a fresh engine and a sen-sational two-pedal paddleshift manual gearbox. After nine generations and half-a-dozen limited-edition variants, it is clear the firm has decided its cult car needed some serious surgery.
Based on the all-new Lancer, the Evo X is 1.5cm shorter than its predecessor, but also 5.8cm wider and 2.5cm taller. The wheelbase, meanwhile, has gained 3.5cm. Although these changes will allow more leg and headroom inside, overall they translate into additional weight, too, with the Evo putting on around 32kg.
However, engineers weren't going to let that get in the way of building a quicker, better-handling Evo. Convinced that they had taken the long-serving 2.0-litre turbocharged motor to its peak performance in the limited-edition Evo IX MR, they decided that an all-new powerplant was in order.
Consequently, under the bonnet the Evo X gets a newly developed MIVEC 2.0-litre turbo engine with an aluminium block. Another big change is the introduction of a six-speed semi-auto transmission complete with paddle-shifters located on the steering wheel. A conventional three-pedal manual will also be offered, but it will make do with only five ratios.
With the standard power output of Japanese-spec models expected to rise from 280bhp to 320bhp and torque jumping from 400Nm to 441Nm, the Evo X will sprint from 0-60mph in less than 4.5 seconds. What's more, UK variants are likely to be tweaked by the British Mitsubishi distributor, giving even more muscle and performance.
Maintaining the Evo's industry-leading poise and stability has also been a priority. The X's most significant piece of hi-tech kit is its Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) technology. Based on the current car's masterful cornering system, which combines electronically controlled four-wheel drive with Active Stability Control, Active Yaw Control (AYC) and an Active Center Differential (ACD), S-AWC takes the Evo's cornering ability into the next dimension.
The technology now incorporates active brake control, too, and with the addition of active suspension and steering systems on the production Evo X, we can expect even sharper responses and a more composed ride.
Inside, the new cabin will be a huge improvement. Higher-quality materials will feature, and there will be more cutting-edge kit, too. A dash-mounted satellite navigation screen will also display real-time information on the status of the S-AWC system.
The Evo X is expected to go on sale in Japan in September, with the first UK deliveries anticipated in January 2008. British prices and specs have yet to be announced, but the Mitsubishi is likely to be available from around £30,000.
greatest car of 2007 I think , why? price is only 30 000 pounds , , a new mivec engine turbocharged rated around 320hp, sequential transmission, a big boot, 4 people can get in.
![http://ae82oc.mitchee.com/"[img]http:// ... agepw8.jpg](http://ae82oc.mitchee.com/%22%5Bimg%5Dhttp://img179.imageshack.us/img179/7782/ae82ocimagepw8.jpg){kind=link}