 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR. Click image to enlarge |
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Review and photos by Michael Schlee
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2012 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Sometimes, it feels like a car was designed just for you. Like a group of engineers huddled around a desk somewhere were staring at a photo of me tasked with the mission: “Design a car aimed squarely at this guy.” That is how I feel after driving the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR. If I were forced to drive just one vehicle for the rest of my life, this Evolution (Evo) is a hatchback body style away from being perfect.
For those who are not avid car enthusiasts, the Lancer Evolution is a vehicle steeped in motorsport tradition. Originally conceived to compete in the FIA World Rally Championship, the Evo has lived on long after Mitsubishi’s official withdrawal from top-tier rally racing, thanks in part to its loyal cult following. Having been on sale internationally for the past 20 years, the Evo is now in its 10th iteration, which Mitsubishi notes by Roman numerals, giving the 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution an “X” designation for this 10th edition. Throughout its, um, evolution, the Evo has always been a 4-door compact sedan equipped with all-wheel drive and a 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder motor.
 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR. Click image to enlarge |
For 2012, that 2.0L turbocharged inline-four develops 291 hp @ 6,500 rpm and 300 lb-ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm, giving the Evo an immense 145.5 hp/L rating. Sending power to all four wheels is through either a 6-speed TC-SST automated manual in MR trim, or a conventional 5-speed manual in GSR spec. As much as I love driving manual transmission vehicles, I did not mind having the TC-SST on my Evo MR test car. The transmission is terrific and the Evo is so quick to respond to your inputs that manually rowing gears would only slow you down.
The TC-SST has three selectable driving modes, Normal, Sport, or S-Sport. Normal mode attempts to simulate a conventional automatic with low-rpm upshifts and downshifts. Here it mostly fails as it is far from smooth in its operation and produces a lot of jerkiness during city driving when coupled to the high-strung turbocharged engine. However, slide the gear lever over to manual mode and select either Sport or S-Sport and the vehicle instantly transforms. Gear shifts become rapid and near instantaneous as you nudge the shifter fore and aft or slap the steering wheel–mounted magnesium paddle shifters. I absolutely loved that the paddle shifters are connected to the steering column and not the actual wheel; they do not turn with the steering wheel and are always easy to find at their fixed positions, left to gear down and right for upshift.
   2012 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR. Click image to enlarge |
An unfortunate side effect of having a highly boosted small displacement engine is turbo lag. Although the Evo doesn’t suffer too badly from this malady, there is noticeable lag off the line before the power comes on like supersonic thrust. However, those inclined to get the most out of their vehicles (at the possible expense of the drivetrain) can use the Evo’s launch control. Hold down the traction control button for a few seconds to fully disable the stability control system. Push the toggle on the center console up once to engage Sport mode, then hold it up to engage S-Sport mode. Stomp down on both the gas pedal and the brake pedal. The rpms will rise to 5500 and hold there. Let go of the brake pedal and hold on. The giant grin on your face is quickly interrupted by the smell of a sizzling clutch; a sad reminder that launch control is not kind to your car’s drivetrain.
On the road the Evo feels solid and planted, almost as if it is one with the pavement. The steering is heavy and direct, offers lots of feedback, and lets you know exactly where the front tires are headed.
The Lancer Evolution comes equipped with 25 mm front sway bars and 23 mm units in the rear. To stop this powerful compact, there are thick Brembo brakes squeezed by four-piston calipers up front and two-piston calibers in the rear. Our test car was still equipped with 245/40R18 winter tires mounted to the stock BBS wheels. The winter tires were a bit of a double edged sword. They offered far less grip than a set of summer tires would, but allowed me to easily, and at legal-ish speeds, play within the limits of the Evo due to their proclivity for disintegration. Take a cloverleaf onramp at speed and it is easy to direct the Evo around using the throttle and the AWC system modulating the vehicle between slight understeer and slight oversteer. For shorter, more abrupt corners, I could get on the gas early and the car would effortlessly drift through the bend making me look far more talented than I am.
