Mitsubishi Lancer Evo Final Edition 2015 Review

Evo diehards will recall the Evo X Final Concept that was the star of this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon in January. It was claimed to pack an unprecedented 353kW of power thanks to an upgraded HKS turbo, intake, exhaust and ECU.

That’s an incredible 136 kW up on the 217kW/366Nm Lancer Evo X sold here and the concept also boasted bespoke 19-inch forged wheels with Yokohama Advan Neova tyres, HKS adjustable suspension and a matt-black paint job.

Sadly, for cost reasons alone, Mitsubishi decided to ditch those extreme specs and tone things down for the production Final Edition, which swaps the concept's matte finish for the stock silver or red exterior colours.

What it does feature are leather Recaro seats with red stitching, 18-inch BBS wheels, four-piston Brembo brakes, special Final Edition logos and numbered badging, and Bilstein and Eibach suspension bits. More on those later.

But the biggest reality check came in the performance department. Upgrading the Evo X to generate 353kW was never going to happen. Such performance enhancements would have nearly doubled the car’s price and development process.

So engineers took the Japanese-spec Evo GSR's 2.0-litre turbo four and tweaked it to up power from 221kW to a more suitable 230kW at 6500rpm, while inching up torque from 422Nm to 429Nm at 3500rpm. It remains to be seen what outputs the Australia version will bring.

And given that the company stopped production of the highly acclaimed Getrag-developed twin-clutch SST six-speed transmission earlier this year, the Final Edition is only available with the Evo X’s original five-speed manual.

Heading out onto the 857m long ‘short course’ at Fuji, first impressions were stellar. This Evo, which basically employs pre-2007 technology, is still one of the fastest cornering cars on the planet.

When Mitsubishi built this car, it broke the mold. It had come as close to turbocharged 4WD enlightenment as the product planners and budgets had allowed. So to go out on a high note, its engineers decided simply to take the Evo X and give it more top-end performance and upgrade the suspension for a more compliant ride.

Engineers say they aimed to improve mid- to top-end engine response, so they retuned the engine management system to generate up to 10 per cent more power above 4500rpm. But they also achieved this by employing Natrium-injected valves to aid engine cooling. According to one engineer, the natrium liquefies at around 97 degrees C, thus helping to dissipate heat from the engine and improve performance. After driving the car all we could do was nod. The natrium seemed to work.

Flooring it in second gear from 2000rpm, you feel a wave of torque come online at around 3000rpm and then another extra stronger burst explode from 4500rpm and continue all the way up to the 7000rpm redline.  From 4500, you can really feel the tsunami of torque and the shape of the Recaro seat on your back as you wait for 7000 to arrive so you can snap the next short, sharp gearchange in the  Evo’s old-school but effective five-speed 'box.

Fitted with revised Bilstein dampers and Eibach springs, the Evo X FE's overall balance is less sensitive to quick changes of direction. Not as hard-core as the current Evo X, this new suspension set-up was employed to maintain the Evo’s handling prowess while making it more liveable for day to day driving. Unless you’re an Evo purist, the difference in cornering potential is almost indiscernible, but the improvement in ride quality is obvious.

The Evo X gets its 230kW down to the tarmac via Mitsubishi’s industry-leading all-wheel-drive system — Super All Wheel Control, which incorporates a trick Super AYC (Active Yaw Control) device that uses an active differential to distribute torque to the rear wheel that needs it most, thus maximizing cornering traction.

The Evo X will still understeer at the limits of adhesion but minor adjustments to throttle input will see the Super AYC cut in to bring the rear around in a breath. The Super AWC works hard to keep the car neutral in corners, but switch off the traction control and sideways shenanigans are there for the taking — until the AWD system quickly overcomes the slide and gets you back on the straight and narrow.

Everyone at our test drive got out of the Evo X with a stupid grin on their faces. The Evo X was always a blast to drive. The subtle but effective updates see the Final Edition take it to the next level, thanks to more top-end grunt, more chassis compliance and better interior quality.

It’s a pity the Evo has to retire without a bigger bang, but as one Mitsubishi engineer put it: “We have taken the Evo dynasty as far as it could go."

He added that the Evo X spirit will live on in Mitsubishi models like the Outlander, in a sign of the SUV boom times we live in.

"The times are different now. The market does not want high-powered AWD turbos anymore that struggle to clear stringent CO2 and mileage requirements. We will use the Evo’s 4WD technology on future vehicle like the Outlander and others.”

Just 1000 Lancer Evo Final Editions will be built in Japan, and 150 are earmarked for Australia by the end of this year, by which time they'll likely be sold out – as in Japan.

Given the price premium in Japan is only around 400,000 yen ($A4350), Mitsubishi's last ever Lancer Evo shouldn't be vastly pricier than Australia's standard model, which costs $52,990 for the manual and $58,990 for the MR SST.

2015 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X Final Edition pricing and specifications:
Price: $60,000 (estimated)
On sale: Late 2015
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 230kW/429Nm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel: NA
CO2: NA
Safety rating: NA