Although a little expensive for a boy racer, the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR combines impressive performance tech and surprising cabin, making a car that is extremely fun to drive.
The Evo made its reputation as a World Rally Car winner and a budget racer. This newest version, the 10th, is pricier than previous Evos, but brings in impressive cabin and performance tech.
This little 2-liter four cylinder engine is surprisingly powerful, putting out 291 horsepower at 6,500rpm and 300 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000rpm. It gets this power from its turbocharger and variable-valve timing.
The Evo is based on the same platform as Mitsubishi's econo-car, the Lancer. Even the body is basically the same, although the Evo gets many more performance touches.
The wing on the trunk is unique to the MR-trimmed Evo, as is the dual clutch transmission. The GSR trim has different aero-work and a manual transmission.
The leather steering wheel provides good grip when you're cranking the car around tight corners. It also offers buttons for the phone and audio system, when you're just cruising.
The SST, or sport shift transmission, is impressive. It's a six-speed manual with two computer-controlled clutches. Its automatic Sport mode did very well in our testing.
The navigation system comes with the technology package. It is hard drive-based, offering good-looking maps and quick calculations. Routes are shown as arrows overlaid on the road.
You can set the system to automatically rip any CDs you insert to the hard drive. There is about 10 gigabytes of space for music. The system will tag CDs from its Gracenote database.
