Ike

Spring of '08 most likely.

JRichter

Overall I think it looks good. I can't wait for a test drive. I like what they've done to the interior. I wonder if anything close to these Recaros will come in the production car...

Ike

They're saying it's about 95% accurate of what the Evo X will be. Put 18s on it instead of 20s, change the tails and headlights a bit to make them DOT compliant. I bet the seats stay, if they don't and they end up being more like the Evo IX seats I won't complain one bit. The Recaros in the 8 and 9 are amazing even if the versions in the VIII aren't very pretty.

Design1stCode2nd

I think I read every article and it seems like it will be in the US early in 2008, I'm just a bit worried on the price. While still a good bargain for the performance almost 40k is a whole lot of change.

Still 4 doors, AWD and the wife could drive it too so that helps.

JRichter

I hope so.

That has to be one of the best looking factory steering wheels I've seen. I hope the lap timer/stopwatch makes production.

Ike

I could see that one not making. Though it seems if they took the time to integrate it into a car that near production that it'll at least be an option.

New Photos.

http://forums.evolutionm.net/showthread.php?t=244305

saturn

My guess is that they're going to ditch the lap timer and then put the nav unit there. Total guess though. They could also relocate the timer somewhere else.

edit: On second thought, they'll prolly stick the nav unit in where the radio controls are like on the base Lancer.

Aipex8

iTrader: (1)

Looks great, first Evo I really like the design of. Those fender vents need to be black with a couple of strakes though

Ike

R&T video

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....rticle_id=4484

Aipex8

iTrader: (1)

In some of the photos it appears to have production ready headlights:

Steiner

It'll be a year before these things hit the streets so I'll reserve final judgement until then. If this prototype is 95% of the production Evo X there are definately some clear-cut improvements over the three CT9A/4G63 platforms that preceded it...

• interior quality
• exterior looks
• side curtain air bags
• DSG
• cruise control
• lighter aluminum engine

The interior and exterior changes are long overdue. Any interior creature comforts are an improvement - whether it be cruise control, heated seats, NAV or all of the above. I really don't know anybody that can honestly say that the Evo VII-IX has better lines than the Evo X either. I can comfortably and confidently say that this a damn good looking car. Considering all of the insurance and highway safety surveys, it's also about g'damn time Mitsubishi offered some supplemental side protection. I've been saying for years, since I walked away from my own side impact accident, that those side airbags will be as standard as ABS eventually. Those techno-goodies to the drivetrain are also cool but we'll see how many of them make it to the USDM. People pay $50k USD for their Evos around the globe but nobody in America will buy a Mitsubishi for even $40k. That's for damn sure. But there are also some things that I see as problematic and/or inhibitive to the performance and eventual tuning potential of the car...

• 200lbs heavier
• turbocharger sits against the firewall
• twin exhaust tips

I'm honestly not sure why keeping the vehicle weight down wasn't a MAJOR priority for Mitsubishi. It's upsetting to me really considering the scope of Mistubishi's (the corporate behemoth, not just the car manufacturer) understanding and advances in metalurgy technologies. One of the great things about the Evo (which is definately no lightweight in its current form) is that, even with an all wheel drivetrain, the developers have always consciencely kept vehicle weight to a minimum since the platform's inception. The CT9A chassis wasn't light but, through the use of aluminum and other lightweight metals, it stayed right around 3250lbs. This Evo X continues to use light weight alloys like forged steel and aluminum but it's fat *** has now ballooned to almost 3500lbs. That's too heavy. That's E46 M3 heavy and 350Z heavy. It's too much weight for a car that's best trait is it's handling and tossability. Just my 2 cents. The location of the turbocharger on the new engine is a bit of bummer from a tuning perspective. It will make installation of even simple things, like a boost controller, a complete knuckle scraping PITA. Forget about a DIY turbo swap. The car will probably have to be up on a lift for something like that. One of the best things about the 4G63 is how accesible everything is. The guy who did my turbo swap at Speed Element had the old turbo off in 10 minutes and the new turbo on in about 15 minutes. That kind of accesibility is a direct result of the WRC influence on the 4G63. Those drivers need to be able to quickly and easily put a wrench on anything under the hood. If you haven't ever looked under the hood of an Evo do yourself a favor and check it out. The simplicity and accesibility behind the engineering is genius. Now that part of the car's lineage has apparently died. Symbolic of that new found tilt of "show over go" are the goofy twin exhaust tips. It's a totally cosmetic move that needlessly adds 4 feet of stainless steel backpressure to the exhaust setup.

I'm not dissapointed with the Evo X. I'd hit it. It's still more car than most people can wrap their brain around. They've done some new, good, really progressive things. Maybe my expectations were unreasonable though. I think I just really wanted a better looking, leather appointed, better performing, OEM tuned version of my own car. I'll have to wait for the retail version to come to market. Until then I'm still looking for my next car. This wasn't the homerun I was hoping for.

Ike

It also has 18" wheels. Many have been speculating that it's a production model. Most likely it's just a car they put together that way so they could legally drive it on the street for the photoshoots and demonstrations. One thing is for sure though, the headlights will need some changes like the ones in the photo above.

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

looks are better - not good enough to turn my head though.

9291150

Steiner, great post. But weight savings is something most people, even most enthusiasts, couldn’t care less about. Nothing you can’t overcome with horsepower or fatter tires they’ll say. Many were raised in the “ground hugging weight” days, or many more believe more weight = more safety. In these days of bigger is better, cars will get heavier. And the fact that it’s cheaper to produce shared platforms or use heavier materials will contribute as well.

Fact is you can’t easily sell low weight. Fact is you can get a heavier car to “perform” better than a lighter car. In these days of electronic aids, it’s even easier. But it’s much harder to get a heavier car to “feel” better than a lighter car – stuff you don’t easily see in skidpad grip or slalom times. To me, light weight = better feel = more control = usable handling = more fun, etc. But most drivers lack the skills to notice a difference anyways between a 2800 pound car and a 3800 pound car.

Even experienced motorcyclists equate higher weight with stability and resistance to winds. They’ll tell you my 585-pound touring bike is less twitchy than my 385-pound sport bike, but ask me which one I’d rather avoid an accident with.

Fact is horsepower and stats will sell cars, especially sporty ones. Weight is, unfortunately an afterthought.

Design1stCode2nd

And keep in mind its 200lbs not 500. I'll take the 200lb hit and have all the stiffness of the new frame as well as improved safety and amenities and the 325hp or so will help too. Anything under 5 seconds 0=60 is more than fast enough for me.

DARKMAZ8

yeah...this car looks pretty sick.....

playdoh43

you guys sound anorexic, the bottom line is how fast can it get around a track. If the stiffer chasis and all the new AWD technologies makes it a faster car then 200 extra pounds seems very justified. Being lighter has its disadvantages too in handling, its a double edged sword. Ether way you go, you gain some and you loose some, the bottom line is how fast will you get around the track?

DARKMAZ8

plus, the car looks to be safer for the street. That is worth the extra weight to me.

r0tor

iTrader: (1)

i like my cars sleek and sexy... this looks like it has an angry dodge ram pick-up truck front end (needless to say i'm not a big fan at this point)

9291150

Really? The time it takes to lap a track is what makes a car great?? And what are those disadvantages about being light???

This and other attitudes just expressed proves my earlier points, that most people care first about stats. Screw feel, or fun to drive, intuitive handling. It's all about stats. Maybe Clarkson is right about the 335i; great car, great stats and performance, but bland as hell to drive.

Kinda sad really. Stats don't put a smile on my face, but a finely balanced car does. I betcha if the new Evo is 3600 pounds, that the existing one will be more fun to drive for "real" driving enthusiasts.

REV_ME_62

The evo gets my vote for 2008 car of the year!

Fundamentally, the car looks looks mean in styling, all the new active suspension upgrades and its upgrade in power (allthough they did not say how much).

Looking forward to see it in the streets.

Nice job for mitsubishi.

Hope Mazda can kick up the notch on the RX model a bit more.

playdoh43

in my experience lighter cars tend to be less stable than heavier cars as speed increases. ceteris paribus a lighter car feels relatively more nervous as a function of weight vs speed. For example, the high speed maneuverability test is ran pretty often on Best Motoring International where they take the cars to 200km/h and beyond around the ring, the heavier cars tend to earn better remarks. For example the bmw 3 series and audi A series was much more stable than the rx8 in that test.

please note that i never said heavier cars handle better than lighter cars, I just said light weight has its own disadvantages. I do however believe that a good lap time does make a car great because tracks are designed to test all facets of a car's performance including handling and acceleration. You cant usually just get a great time with a car that cant handle. an example is the mustang GT ending up slower vs the rx8 in C&D's lightning lap despite the huge advantage in acceleration. A great lap time around the track indicates that a car is not just 1 dimensional, but can handle and accelerate well. More often than not, it does make a car great.

your concept of "fun to drive" is subjective, while a great lap time is not. Plenty of people prefer heavier cars as more fun to drive. you might prefer that being nimble and light weight is more fun to go around the track. Someone else might believe that its more fun to drive a car like the comparatively heavy skyline GT-R (the current reigning Touge Monster in American Touge) and tackle each corner with ruthless efficiency and control. what constitute as "fun to drive" can differ from person to person, while a great lap time is objective and cannot be argued.

Jermey Clarkson is not the be all end all guy. Plenty of professional race car drivers prefer the GT-R style of driving as more fun. No one is wrong or right, Its each person's right to decide for him self what constitute as "fun" or "feel."With that said, I must address again that in my experience, a car that gets a great lap time around a good track is usually very fun to drive and handles very well regardless of its weight.

I don't see how judging car by its weight is any less ignorant than judging a car by its hp rating. I can easily see EVO X being not only the better performer but more fun to drive too thanks to its improved active AWD system and and chassis regidy.
your idea of "REAL" enthusiast seems very ignorant to me.

Winfree

Well, maybe it's like eating broccoli, or camping out and sleeping on rocks, there is sort of a painful pleasure in driving something really fast and really uncomfortable!

Steiner

I didn't mean to start a debate about the car's weight. The Evo X will no doubt handle better and accelerate quicker than its Evo IX predecessor, just as the IX out did the VIII, the VIII out did the VII, etc. I just think the Evo X is the first to do it IN SPITE of its weight, rather than as a direct result of it. I might be wrong. I know there was a 200lb jump in weight between the Evo VI and Evo VII because of the new CT9A platform.

This is a cool website if you want to follow the Evo's 15 year history...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubi...n#Evolution_VI

playdoh43

im not even arguing about the EVO. im just saying that weight is only 1 of a plethora of factors that contribute to how fun a car is to drive. theres plenty of heavy cars thats more fun to drive than lighter cars and vice versa. just because the EVO X picks up 200 lbs does not mean it will be less fun to drive, the technologies in it might very well make it more fun to drive. theres a lot of people on this board that tend to make weight way too big of a deal when it comes to what constitute to a great sports car.