First Test: Mitsubishi Evo X vs. Evo IX
Although we tried to get our hands on a topline Evo X MR, replete with a new Getrag six-speed dual-clutch "TC-SST" transmission, Bilstein dampers, Eibach springs, 18-inch forged BBS wheels, and two-piece front brake rotors, the timing of our test and vehicle availability meant we got dealt a preproduction, base GSR. With a standard five-speed manual, a KYB suspension, cast Enkei wheels, and one-piece front brake rotors, the GSR is the less polished of the two Evos, but it still boasts all the X's essentials-a 295-horse (estimated) 4B11 turbocharged aluminum-block engine, Brembo brakes with larger discs (+1.2 inches front, +1.0 rear), and the Super All-Wheel Control system that encompasses an Active Center Differential, stability control, Sport ABS, and, new for this year, AYC, which apportions torque between the rear wheels. A close illustration of a production example, our early-build GSR did suffer from one "handbuilt" niggle: an asthmatic engine that seemed to suffer respiratory attacks near redline, a symptom Mitsubishi says was most likely an engine-control gremlin that would be sorted by production. Under normal driving conditions, the four-banger, as well as all the mechanicals around it, performed flawlessly, but as the tach needle tickled 7000 rpm, the engine came down with a soft wheeze, a symptom that most likely cost the X a 10th or two at the track and dragstrip.
Still, the X proved quick, needing just 5.4 seconds to dash from 0 to 60 and only 14.0 at 96.9 mph to consume the quarter mile. But quick is a relative term and compared with the IX GSR, the X could be best described as sluggish. Powered by the proven iron-block 4G63 turbo-four making 286 horses, the IX eclipsed both marks in 4.7 and 13.4 at 102.2, respectively. Seeing that the old GSR weighs a substantial 331 pounds less than the new one yet sports a near identical horsepower rating, not to mention a similar torque output-289 pound-feet versus the X's 300 (estimated)-it's not surprising that the IX was the brisker of the two.
So how exactly did the X come standard with a sumo wrestler in the back seat? For the lack of superfluous details, he's there to add safety and structure. Utilizing similar weight-saving techniques as the previous IXs-forged-aluminum suspension bits, an aluminum roof, and lightweight wheels-plus an aluminum engine that weighs 27.5 pounds less, the X had to become a modern sport sedan: It needed a robust structure and up-to-date equipment to boast strong safety scores and thus broaden its appeal. So in lieu of the IX's paltry two airbags, the X features seven, including front and rear side curtains and a driver's knee bag. And encasing those new curtains are side structures that use high- and ultra-high-strength steel-materials not used in the IX-that translates to safer barriers.