2010 Mitsubishi Evo X MR Part 2: Driving Impression
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. As I mentioned in that previous post, Mitsubishi loaned me the car to drive 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 some time 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, 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.