In part 1 of my review you got to know what I thought about the 2010 Mitsubishi Evo X MR’s looks and my superficial impressions of the car.  Now I am going to tell you about my experience driving the car.  Strangely enough my first time driving the car was right before I had to leave to go to SEMA.  So my first time driving the car was right before a 4 hour trip into the desert.  I’ll admit it was a bit daunting but exciting as well.

The first thing I noticed when I started to drive the Evo X MR was the power delivery and throttle response.  I was expecting turbo lag but I got quite the opposite.  The throttle response was immediate and the power felt like it was all there at once.  Which can be bad if you aren’t expecting it.  It is really hard to drive the Evo X MR without it kicking you in the ass every time the tip of your big toe touches the throttle.  However with sometime you get used to it and your foot learns how to treat the Evo with respect.

Once you have it down the Evo is a blast to drive.  Open roads are nothing but fun and traffic is a breeze thanks to the Evo MR’s twin clutch “sportronic-shift transmission” AKA ”TC-SST”, AKA sequential transmission.  Speaking of, using the Evo MR’s TC-SST tight and responsive.  Unlike the fake “sport shift” transmissions that seemed to become more and more rampant earlier in the decade.

The real beauty of the TC-SST comes through its three “modes”.  You see, you can take manual control by pushing the gear selector over to the side or by using the paddles behind the wheel or you can focus on steering input and flip the transmission into one of three driving modes.  There is “normal” which really needs no explanation and then if you flip the TC-SST switch up once you go into “sport” mode.  Sport mode gives you the 291 horses sooner and holds each of the 6 gears longer than “normal” mode.  It really feels like a totally different car but in a good way.  If you’re really feeling spicy then simply hold the switch up for about 4 seconds to engage “super sport” or “s-sport mode”.  This officially puts the Evo into full-on “Mr. Hyde” mode and transforms the MR into an all out beast.

When in super sport mode the computer keeps the car it its optimal power band at all times.  The revs won’t go below 4k, at all.  Super sport mode is definitely for track days only.  In fact when pro-drivers like Tlyer McQuarrie and Stephan Verdier use the Evo X MR for driving instruction they almost never use the manual mode.  They simply put the car into super sport mode and let it do the rest.  It seems to know the perfect up shift and downshift points.

The long and short of it is that the Evo X MR is never, ever boring to drive.  It always gives you everything you ask of it and never holds back.  It can be a brute when you want it to be a brute but if you have the courage to tame it you can make it drive as smooth as melting ice cream.  Either way it takes a real man or woman to handle all that the Evo X MR has to offer.  This car definitely wont make a novice feel like Michael Schumacher the way a Nissan GT-R might.  It simply gives you the weapons and expects you to know how to fight.

Next time we’ll go over the Evo X MR’s practicality.  Yes, this is a performance car we’re talking about but unless you have a lot of disposable income, if you buy the MR you are probably going to be driving it every day and that can make a world of difference.  Find out just how much in the third and final part of our review.

Tweet

As I mentioned a little while back Mitsubishi USA was kind enough to loan me a Evolution X MR not only to drive to SEMA in but also to tool around town a bit to see what I thought of it.  I’m going to start off with my impressions on the car’s looks, because well, we’re all a bit superficial in that way aren’t we? Just me? Whatever, let’s move on…

The first thing to note is that this isn’t a “regular” Evo X (AKA Evo X GSR).  This is an MR edition which stands for “Mitsubishi Racing” from what I surmise.  However if anything the MR is more subtle in appearance than its brother.  Gone is the giant wing normally found on the GSR, as well as the contrasting black grille which is color matched on our particular car.  Also instead of the aggressive Enkei wheels found on the GSR the MR features BBS RGR-esque wheels.

The Evo X’s body lines do hold on to some of its inherent aggression which gives the MR trim a sense of reserved strength.  Almost as if to say “I have nothing to prove to you.”  Personally, I dig that.

The interior in the MR that I received was fully loaded with all the options.  There is leather all around, including the SST shift knob and emergency brake handle.  I got the full 710 watt Rockford Fostgate sound system complete with subwoofer enclosure in the trunk and touch screen navigation system, as well as the obligatory Recaro bucket seats.

Based on the price point ($37,995), performance (which we’ll get into in another post), and toned down looks one could assume that Mitsubishi is going after the BMW 335i buyer.  Based on the superficial aspect alone I would say that the Mitsubishi is at least on the same level as the 335i but that is a subjective area.  I love BMW’s but the current 3 series is a bit vanilla so looks wise I’d say the Mitsubishi Evo X MR edges out the BMW just a bit.

In the next post I’ll get into the performance aspects of the MR as well as my experience driving it to Las Vegas and back.  Stay tuned!

Tweet

This post marks a historic occasion for our little site as its our first car review!  The story starts with me hastily packing for SEMA and suffering the poison fruit of my procrastination.  Just when I was begining to worry about last minute travel arrangements Mitsubishi USA swooped in at the last momnet and saved me from the Greyhound by offering up a 2010 Evo X MR.  Over the next few days I’ll be updating you guys with my impressions of the Evo X MR both here and on our twitter page @MotorworldHype (follow us!).  Stay tuned!

Tweet