Tekknikal
04-26-2007, 12:19 PM
This is one of those cars. A benchmark. An experience. An addiction. With a following...no, a cult. Well, the waiting is over. No more teasing. No more spy shots. Here it is: the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.
<img src="http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t193/streetseen/Mitsubishi/EvoX/lancerevo08_01s.jpg" />
Here's what we know:<!--more-->
The car will feature an all new 2.0L Aluminum block MIVEC3 equipped engine carrying the designation 4B11T. Modified from the base lancer, the bore and stroke are both 86mm and the engine rebuilt to handle the added stress of boost. Horsepower rating is unknown, but we expect it to be around 300hp- Mitsubishi said that this car will be the most powerful Evo yet.
<img src="http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t193/streetseen/Mitsubishi/EvoX/lancerevo08_03s.jpg" />
Traditionally, one of the Evo's strengths has been its advanced All Wheel Drive system, which in prior Evos was neutered in its conversion for the US market, losing its Active Center Differential and Active Yaw Control. This time around though, expect an completely revised AWD system including a new S-AWC system, which integrates steering with braking and drive torque control to deliver predictable handling and top tier response and stability. Although a book could easily be written on this AWD technology, just know this: Mitsubishi has taken one of the world's best and near magic-like AWD systems and made it better. Expect braking to be business as usual. That is to stay, excellent. Look for Brembo calipers to grab on upgraded rotors.
<img src="http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t193/streetseen/Mitsubishi/EvoX/lancerevo08_06s.jpg" />
On the inside, we look for Recaro seats keeping the driver planted during aggressive driving and a driver-oriented gauge setup. Apparently, Mitsubishi has a six speed dual clutch transmission in store for the Evo X... with paddle shifting utilized for gear selection.
Sounds like they ruined a good thing, right? Not so fast. Dual clutch transmissions (DCTs) are normal stickshifts at heart: they use a friction based clutch to lock the flywheel and a set of gears to the final drive and ultimately the ground. There are two key differences between a DCT and a normal six-speed: First, as the name implies, there are two clutches. This is because there are two transmission shafts. One clutch handles the even gears while the other handles the odd gears. So while one clutch is holding the gear you're currently in, the second clutch is preparing to grab your next gear- which is on the other transmission shaft. This allows the gear change between gears to be very, very fast and completely fluid- there's no power interruption as in a manual. That is, if you could operate it...which is the second difference: Instead of you pushing a pedal (or two, in this case) to the floor and moving a shifter, a computer does it - electro-hydraulically. Sounds fancy but all it means is that when you pull on the paddle, you send a signal to the computer (electro-) and the computer then uses hydraulic force to disengage the current clutch and engadge the next clutchwith your next gear preprepared (-hydraulic).
While there are cars such as BMW's M line and Ferraris that offer single clutch electro-hydraulic transmissions, few offer the dual clutch variant. This is the most advanced type of transmission on the market today. It's far from a "slushbox autotragic": when accelerating, the Evo X can maintain boost even through millisecond shifts. In many ways, its better than stick.
<img src="http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t193/streetseen/Mitsubishi/EvoX/lancerevo08_04s.jpg" />
<img src="http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t193/streetseen/Mitsubishi/EvoX/lancerevo08_07s.jpg" />
If you ask Mitsubishi, they'll say this about the new car: "(It represents) the zenith of the Lancer badge’s performance development, a rally racing story that began over 30 years ago in the deserts of the Safari Rally, later saw dominance on the WRC stage in the 1990s."
That's a lot of words for "bad-ass." Look for the car to go on sale in the first few months of 2008 with a stateside MSRP in the $30k range.
<img src="http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t193/streetseen/Mitsubishi/EvoX/lancerevo08_01s.jpg" />
Here's what we know:<!--more-->
The car will feature an all new 2.0L Aluminum block MIVEC3 equipped engine carrying the designation 4B11T. Modified from the base lancer, the bore and stroke are both 86mm and the engine rebuilt to handle the added stress of boost. Horsepower rating is unknown, but we expect it to be around 300hp- Mitsubishi said that this car will be the most powerful Evo yet.
<img src="http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t193/streetseen/Mitsubishi/EvoX/lancerevo08_03s.jpg" />
Traditionally, one of the Evo's strengths has been its advanced All Wheel Drive system, which in prior Evos was neutered in its conversion for the US market, losing its Active Center Differential and Active Yaw Control. This time around though, expect an completely revised AWD system including a new S-AWC system, which integrates steering with braking and drive torque control to deliver predictable handling and top tier response and stability. Although a book could easily be written on this AWD technology, just know this: Mitsubishi has taken one of the world's best and near magic-like AWD systems and made it better. Expect braking to be business as usual. That is to stay, excellent. Look for Brembo calipers to grab on upgraded rotors.
<img src="http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t193/streetseen/Mitsubishi/EvoX/lancerevo08_06s.jpg" />
On the inside, we look for Recaro seats keeping the driver planted during aggressive driving and a driver-oriented gauge setup. Apparently, Mitsubishi has a six speed dual clutch transmission in store for the Evo X... with paddle shifting utilized for gear selection.
Sounds like they ruined a good thing, right? Not so fast. Dual clutch transmissions (DCTs) are normal stickshifts at heart: they use a friction based clutch to lock the flywheel and a set of gears to the final drive and ultimately the ground. There are two key differences between a DCT and a normal six-speed: First, as the name implies, there are two clutches. This is because there are two transmission shafts. One clutch handles the even gears while the other handles the odd gears. So while one clutch is holding the gear you're currently in, the second clutch is preparing to grab your next gear- which is on the other transmission shaft. This allows the gear change between gears to be very, very fast and completely fluid- there's no power interruption as in a manual. That is, if you could operate it...which is the second difference: Instead of you pushing a pedal (or two, in this case) to the floor and moving a shifter, a computer does it - electro-hydraulically. Sounds fancy but all it means is that when you pull on the paddle, you send a signal to the computer (electro-) and the computer then uses hydraulic force to disengage the current clutch and engadge the next clutchwith your next gear preprepared (-hydraulic).
While there are cars such as BMW's M line and Ferraris that offer single clutch electro-hydraulic transmissions, few offer the dual clutch variant. This is the most advanced type of transmission on the market today. It's far from a "slushbox autotragic": when accelerating, the Evo X can maintain boost even through millisecond shifts. In many ways, its better than stick.
<img src="http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t193/streetseen/Mitsubishi/EvoX/lancerevo08_04s.jpg" />
<img src="http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t193/streetseen/Mitsubishi/EvoX/lancerevo08_07s.jpg" />
If you ask Mitsubishi, they'll say this about the new car: "(It represents) the zenith of the Lancer badge’s performance development, a rally racing story that began over 30 years ago in the deserts of the Safari Rally, later saw dominance on the WRC stage in the 1990s."
That's a lot of words for "bad-ass." Look for the car to go on sale in the first few months of 2008 with a stateside MSRP in the $30k range.