Anyone who's driven one of the first nine iterations of the Mitsubishi Evo is bound to approach the tenth with an odd mix of very high and very low expectations. Sure, the engine and chassis are bound to be top-notch. But will the ride quality and interior materials again conspire to kill the love? Will a look-at-me rear wing make any adult driver appear, well, silly when tooling about the burbs with a child or two in tow?

Note: my review of the Lancer GTS is here, and that of the 2003 Evo is here.

Styling

The new Evo has the exterior bit handled. With strong similarities (in profile) to the Acura TSX and Volvo S40, the exterior of Mitsubishi's compact sedan has moved from least to most upscale in the class. The Evo adds a huge black inverted trapezoid of a grille, fender vents, rear wing, and body kit, but these don't scream "teenage toy" when combined with the new sheetmetal. It helps that Audi has made the world safe for gargantuan grilles, and that overpriced body kits are now common on overpriced German machinery. It helps even more that Subaru thoroughly fumbled the ball with the restyle of the Impreza.

The old Evo's interior, chock full of rattly budget-grade polymers, would have seemed cheap in a $10,000 transportation appliance, much less a high-performance sedan listing for over three times that amount. The new Lancer's interior-which is barely modified for the Evo--is good enough for an $18,000 car. Considered in isolation, the more stylish but still quite plasticky interior would disappoint in a $36,000 car.

But anyone who found the old interior unbearably low-rent might well celebrate that the interior is at least passable. Low expectations help here. A grand spent at an upholstery shop to replicate the Alcantara interior of the Prototype X concept would help even more.

Accommodations

One nit an upholstery shop can't fix: the semi-swoopy exterior yields a distant windshield base, which can make the driver feel less connected to the car. Well-bolstered, comfortable front seats compensate.

The rear seat will hold a couple of adults or three children. As in just about any other compact, the cushion is too low to the floor to provide thigh support.

The trunk is about average in size for a compact. But in the interest of structural integrity the rear seat does not fold to expand it.

On the Road

Like just about every car in recent years, the new Evo is bigger and heavier than the old one. Yet unlike Subaru, Mitsubishi has refused to forsake the WRC's 2.0-liter rule in their rally car's production variant. Two liters of displacement and 3,500 pounds are usually not a good combo.

Well, they work just fine here. You won't get the shove you will in an STI, but the engine pulls strongly once over 4,000 rpm on the way to 291 horsepower at 6,500, and it revs so freely that getting there is not a problem. Boost lag is also not an issue if you keep the revs up. When I drove the non-turbo 2.0-liter Lancer, I thought: good car ruined by an engine that simply isn't up to the task. Well, this has been fixed, and then some, with the Evo.

Missing--and missed: a sixth ratio in the GSR's manual transmission. The engine spins nearly 3,000 rpm at 60. Shift feel is good, but not great. Mitsubishi appears to have focused its efforts on the dual-clutch automated manual standard in the uplevel MR this time around.

The driver-adjustable all-wheel-drive system employs a pair of trick electronically controlled differentials. Let's just say that whatever these systems are supposed to do, they apparently do, and without drawing attention to themselves. For a 3,500-pound nose-heavy compact, the Evo feels superbly balanced, agile, controllable, poised, and planted. Like the best driver's cars, it makes you feel like a better driver than you really are. Point the car where you want it to go, and it goes there, confidently, smoothly, and quickly.

The only flaw: a tug at the wheel when digging into the throttle on turn exits.

The steering isn't as quick and sharp as before, but compared to just about any other sedan you can buy-including (especially?) BMW's new M3-it's quite quick and quite sharp. Whether going, turning, and stopping, the new Evo has an eagerness that's all-too-uncommon in the post-Lexus age. Mitsubishi's supercar remains a blast to drive, even in typical suburban driving, while feeling much more polished and controllable than before. You don't have to push it hard to enjoy it. And if you do push it hard you'll enjoy it even more.

With the old Evo, if the interior didn't kill the deal, the ride quality often did. Here, as elsewhere, Mitsubishi seemed to be vying with Subaru for an extreme score-just extremely low in this case. As with the interior, the new Evo does much better here. The car's certainly no Lexus, but it's not punishing, either. Some BMWs ride worse.

Mitsubishi Evo Price Comparisons and Prices

The Evo's price starts at $33,600, and can top $40,000. You won't find a more expensive compact without a premium badge...

...except for the Evo's archrival, the Subaru WRX STI. The STI starts $2,000 higher. Adjusting for differences in standard features, though, cuts the gap to about $300.

Upon seeing the Evo's price, many people suggest, "Why not get a BMW for that kind of money?" Well, the BMW 135i is about $3,000 more. Not a large enough difference, given the BMW's higher grade interior and more prestigious brand? Maybe not.

Prices change frequently, and differences will vary based on feature level. To quickly generate these and other comparisons with the specific features you want, visit my Web site, TrueDelta.com. (It's the only site that provides true "apples-to-apples" price comparisons.)

TrueDelta's page for the Mitsubishi Lancer and Evolution:

http://www.truedelta.com/models/Lancer.php

Last Words

With the new Evo Mitsubishi has eliminated the old car's failing marks, without killing the joy. The fun remains, but it now comes in a livable, non-embarrassing package. The major downside: price. The hardware might seem a steal for $35,600, but that's premium compact territory, without a premium compact interior, or a premium compact brand. Those who can't see themselves spending thirty-five large for a mainstream compact taken to the extreme, or who simply don't have a BMW-sized budget, might be happier with the new-for-2009 Lancer Ralliart.

A Note on Mitsubishi Evolution Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've been collecting my own data. Results are posted to TrueDelta.com, with updates every three months. Unlike other sources, TrueDelta clearly identifies what difference it will make if you buy an Evo rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" stats.

To report results, TrueDelta needs reliability data on all cars--not just the Evo--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants will have to pay an access fee.

Details here:

http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php

Alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews, including the Lancer GTS and previous Evo, can be found on my profile page.

Amount Paid (US$): 35,665
Model and Options: Evo MR with package