Mitsubishi Evolution X King Of The Mountain
December 27, 2008 by Alborz Fallah
Now, the reason I decided to write this story. The Mitsubishi. You see there are some cars that are made for such roads and there are some cars that wish they were made for these roads.
The Ford Focus XR5 is a car that wishes it was made for mountain driving. The Mazda3 MPS is another car that although it has a strong reputation and has performed well across the motoring world, is simply not made for this road (trust me, I’ve tried it). The list of wannabe mountain runners is endless and there is no shortage of Mazda3 and Lancer front bumpers all over the mountain.
There are so few cars that have actually made their way up this glorious road with grace and maintained their dignity throughout the near 60 kilometre drive.
The Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Peugeot 207 GTI (great car), Volvo C30 T5, Lotus Elise/Exige, Audi RS4, BMW M3, Porsche 911 Turbo … but let’s stop there as the list is getting expensive and most sport cars over $150,000 will do a good job.
Under $80,000, the options for enthusiastic mountain driving are simple. Evo X, BMW 135i, Audi S3, Impreza WRX STI, Golf R32 and Nissan’s 350Z. While the R32 recently won CarAdvice’s praise as the best overall small sports sedan for under $80,000, the Evo X is a whole league in front when it comes to grip, composure and extreme limits.
What the R32 and S3 lack around corners the Evolution X has plenty. What the 135i lacks in out-of-corner acceleration, the Evo X provides in buckets. As for the 350Z, unless you intend to install the APS twin-turbo kit to make up ground in the straights, keeping up with an Evo X is simply not possible.
Perhaps its closest contender is Mitsubishi’s traditional nemesis, the STI, but even that fails to inspire the confidence that the Evolution exudes.
Many (including my own colleagues here at CarAdvice) have stated that the Evo IX is sharper and more controllable than the Evo X. Not true! What the Evo X has over the Evo IX isn’t better cornering or grip, or faster acceleration (they are mostly the same). It’s simply a better overall package, and it ought to be, as it’s more expensive.
I drove both the Evo X MR SST and the manual and although I am one to usually pick a manual, the SST gearbox is extremely competent for enthusiastic driving. Engage Super Sport and say hello to unbelievably quick gearshifts, and an unbelievably quick way to empty your fuel tank. The German made SST gearbox is Mitsubishi’s answer to Volkswagen’s DSG, and in my opinion, a better result as well.
I am not going to explain the SST gearbox here in detail, that’s been done countless times in our other Evo X reviews, but if you’re one of those buyers that look down on automatics, then get this straight, the SST isn’t a traditional automatic, it’s a robotised manual gearbox and one that can change gears faster than physically possible in a manual gearbox.
The Evo X is similar to the new Nissan GT-R in many ways. Although the GT-R is inherently the better car (twice the price too), they both share that “when-will-it-lose-grip?” feel. Push, push and push harder and harder and the Evo X will keep going and going with endless grip around the tightest bends.
Drive around Mount Panorama [at the speed limit] and when you drive through the esses and the dipper your car is on 3 wheels as the road drops away from you so quickly. You will feel the car lean and the suspension react to the changes etc..
What the hell has Alborz to appologise for ?
Hes not speeding he driving a car more than capable of the conditions its being driven under and hell what is the point in owning a performance car if you cant drive the car the way the manufacturer designed it for.
Quote “Most importantly and I can’t emphasis this enough – stick to the speed limit. Take it very slow if you don’t know the road. It’s one thing to drive quickly around bends, it’s another to be an idiot and have an accident. Learn the difference between the two and it will save your life or that of someone else.”
So where is Alborz condoning being a hoon ?
The Evo sounds like its a real drivers car ,isnt that what the whole exercise of doing a road test ,sounds to me that the EVO is bags of fun.Except for the fuel bill for the week. You must have really enjoyed the car to have gone through that much ,a great insite to some fab driving areas around Brisbane,I think we all have our favorite section of road somewhere!
Driving from Sorell to Orford in Tasmania {East Coast} is one of mine,some great cornering and a few straights to stretch the legs on. Take your sick bag if your a passenger with me though!hahaha
At the end of the day, you’ve got to drive within your limits. Unfortunately to find your limits you need to exceed them. Thats where a lot of younger drivers go wrong, they’ll find their limits on a road like this where there is no margin for error, and unless they’re very lucky they’ll injure themselves or someone else. For guys like Alborz who have a lot of driving experience, tearing along a windy B road at their limit is still fairly safe and a shite load of fun, but I guess the only issue is that some people might read this article and confuse Alborz driving limit with their own. But we don’t want
to become even more of a baby state where we can’t talk about anything dangerous lest someone copies us. We’ve already got one Harold Schruby in this country, and thats one too many. The solution to the problem is attitude change in young/inexperienced drivers, to one that considers the possibility that something might go wrong. That if you go into this corner too fast and understeer into the next lane, a family wagon might just be about to go around that corner too, and then your bit of fun has caused serious injury to someone else that had no choice but to be a part of it. Now making young people realise they aren’t invincible is near impossible but its the only real way.
As for the XR5 not being capable but the T5 is, well, I haven’t driven a T5 (have driven a XR5, and the handling was thoroughly impressive for a FWD car). But I couldn’t find a single review by anyone in aus or in europe that says that the T5 handles better than the XR5 (or ST). Not one. Often it was said that the Focus ST felt like a T5 Type R, more aggressive, more sporty, gripped harder, rolled less and held its line better. Now you’ve driven both cars so your word has more authority than mine. However when you alone are saying the T5 is a better car, then you probably need to quantify more why the T5 felt better suited, otherwise you will get a lot of people questioning your credibility as a motoring journalist.
Wheelnut, I am actually going to trade it in for an EVO IX next year :)
Great car the Evo 10,its tamed Mt Glorious but can it tame Mt Panorama,we’ll see in feb,at the 12hr.CA you should cover the 12hr and the build up to it. ,after all it is the showroom showdown.
John T, the reason I believe the C30 is the better car is because of its overall build quality and interior design. Handling wise they are similar, however the Volvo simply feels more planted and far more aggressive out of corners. The focus is a little twitchy (but still a good car – just not made for the mountain). But at the end of the day there is a reason rally cars are all-wheel drive hence why the EVO is superior
Alborz, since you are going to get a EVO 10, pliz buy a set of ear plugs as well. as a owner of 2008 VR lancer (after getting rid of Yaris), the interior noise on course road is a pain. Even through the car hasnt got low profile tire (yokohama advan sr34 205/60/R16), the noise is driving me nuts at times as the roads up here in NQ are second rate. Perhaps if you could provide some points in reduction in road noise ie tyre choice, sound dampering etc will be great. looking forward to drawing from your experience.
also inviting other readers for their help or suggestion… by the way keep up the good work Alborz…. looking forward to the next review/article.. :)
Coconut Wireless – I have a VRX lancer, and I have to say that I don’t think it’s all that bad, although i have different tyres then yours being the VRX with 18″ wheels, but i would have thought that would only make things worse?? But anyway if it bothers you that much, and turning the radio up isn’t an option, then you can install aditional sound deadening. Probably speaking to a car stereo installer will be your best bet as they deal in sound deadening quite a bit. Also tyres CAN make a difference to tyre noise, makes perfect sense really considering they are what is making the noise! Only problem is that its a hard task finding the right tyres as tyre fitters generally won’t let you take tyres for a test run! If you find a good tyre fitter though who knows what he is talking about he should know which tyres are better then others for road noise. This won’t get rid of tyre noise, but it may well reduce it to a more tollerable level for you.
Coconut Wireless, just out of curiosity, is your lancer equipped with a CVT gearbox? I drove both the ES and VRX Lancer and the only road noise that bugged me was the constant whining from the CVT.
Might be worth checking the pressure on your tyres?
“pure, pothole free, Volvo free, old-lady free, solid tarmac”
Surely you mean camry-free, aurion-free, corolla-free, tarmac…! All the Volvo drivers of yore have switched over to toyotas these days…
But also a v good article thoroughly enjoyed it!
Nice article mate. Very sensible advice there. I’ve ridden and drive the road a few times and it’s great fun and challenging without needing to speed.
I’ll have to take your word about the C30 being a better drive than the Focus, as I havent driven the Volvo.
If you ever need someone to drive the backup vehicles, drop me a line!
Great road if you know what your doing!! brings back lots of memories for me. I have driven plenty of various types of cars up the mt myself. One of the best in my opinion was a prelude VTIR with ATTS diff. Keep the engine in the vtec zoan and rely on the atts diff to do its stuff round the tight corners, JUST MAGIC!!, more fun than any awd turbo car ive taken up there, maybe not as outright quick as an sti, but the fun factor is definately 10/10..
Very nice article Alborz. Nothing better than spending a few hard earn dollars on a twisty mountain road (responsibly of course).
One thing that bothers me though is your first tip at the end of the article. Lowering your tyre pressure sure increases grip during cornering, but also reduces the tyre’s breaking ability.
Under heavy breaking, an under-inflated tyre will have less road contact compare to a tyre with 34-36psi.
Also Alborz, have you tried the mountain with EVO X with all the electronics off? I wonder how well it will handle…
You could also end up with your car on 3 wheels whilst drivng a road such as the one over Mt Glorious or Mt Nebo -yet sticking to the speed limit is if you were driving either a Trojan or a Messerschmitt.
Coconut ,just reading Matt Brogans review on your car,over all its a pretty good package and one hard to pass up ,however he does say
“Engine and road noise are noticeable at all speeds (and on any surface), whilst the exhaust noise borders on annoying. A loud droning resonance is prevalent under even moderate acceleration and with the rear seats down, rapidly becomes irritating.”
So if you do find it annoying some sound insulation {which maybe an standard on some of the upper ranges}maybe an alternative for you.Under the bonnet under the boot lid and you can also buy it in lengths to put under your carpet in the boot to also decrease noise,if its still bad ,find a car upholster ,they can remove the seats ect take out existing carpet and fit sound instillation under the carpet!
Quieter tyres maybe an option also,most of the tyre places are helpful when it comes to helping choose a tyre that suits,I use a Bob Jane dealer so perhaps try them babe! Hard to get one that suits all needs,good in the wet, dry,braking,cornering quiet,and longevity.Somewhere you may have to sacrifice one for a little more of the other !
Great car in both cases though it seems!
Who cares that the car was up on three wheels or that the speed limit was or wasn’t broken? Who doesn’t? Get over it.
What I’m more interested in is why the photos are so amateur? Tristan, if you’re a budding photographer, great. But here are a few critiques I hope you take on as advice. The motion shots are a blur. While the background is blurry to illustrate movement, the car is also blurry. You need more practice taking shots of moving objects. I’d say get yourself to a grand prix or a ride day at a race track near you for some practice.
The EVO/WRX back to back is off centre. It really takes the effect away from the purpose of the shot.
With a couple EVO shots there is too much background. Don’t be afraid to get close to the car. Take some close ups of just the headlights alone.
I’ve been an avid reader of this site for a couple years now, and have always appreciated the pics with the articles. I’m not sure (bad memory) if you have photographed for CA in the past, but this article’s photos stood out for being very limited and newbish.
I hope you take this as constructive criticism. I’m not having a go, but hopefully helping a fellow photographer and also hopefully allowing CA to continue with great articles with great photos.
Cheers
SteveC
Why don’t people move into the left lane and let traffic pass on our Motorways?
This problem seems to be getting worse.
Don’t see much point in giving Alborz a hard time over this article as we are all masters of our own destiny.
Gary hit the nail on the head!
Good onya Alborz!!
Now that you’ve let the word out about the speed limit on that road, surely some government goose is going to come along now and lower the speed limit…!
BTW readers. Speed doesnt kill…Innapropriate speed does.
I too know this road well and have had the chance to appreciate it with some very special cars. My advice for safe driving on this road is find out what you and your car can handle legally by using the advisory signs on the corners – They are very consistant.
thanks to all for their helpful tips… my Vr is a manual 5 speed model… the tyre pressure is set at 30 psi…. thinking of getting thick sound deading mats and increasing tyre pressure to 34 psi… if no better, then will get dynamat install on the door walls plus floor pan… spoke to someone at a tyre centre – told me that yokohama tyre are suppose to be the quieter tyres…
so far so good with the car, getting 8l/100km with mixed driving.. will update more on the car as more km’s are done..
wishes of a prosperous new year to all of you..
Gave up reading the responses, as it seems there are a lot of persons out there who cannot understand that one can derive a lot of fun from driving without nessecarily breaking the law.
I have driven that road (If you continue on you in the proper circle you will do Malaney & the best road in Aust, Peachester to Beerwah) more times than I care to remember. Yes you get people speeding on it, but articles like this have nothing to do with that, word of mouth is more the problem. I have never seen an article in any publication about street racing down the M1 with rolling blockades, but it happens. Also you have to be out very early because the road is HEAVILY policed with multiple types of unmarked vehicles.
Articles like this that state you can get out and enjoy the road without speeding are more important. The comment of an evo on 3 can’t be done without speeding, that particular corner has an “advisory (yellow) speed sign of 30 kph, if you can do 60 around it safely, even if the wheel lifts, you are NOT speeding!!
Gentlemen & B.M (.)(.) do yourself a favour, find this road, drive it as close to the posted limit as you can and you will enjoy it.
the CVT is ALOT noisier then the manual. I test drove the CVT and found that the engine constantly droned with the CVT because it holds a steady RPM, in the manual the car is actually fairly quiet as far as engine noise is concerned. Tyre noise is definetly noticeable, but i still don’t think its all thaaat bad
Great story. Very unrealistic and silly comment by Alborz stating its a Volvo free drive…..!
John T
I don’t care what you think (even though you have not driven one), my ovla T5 is very nice and fast and black. Not Orange or green or Bogan.
Ablie – I miss the shot of you in the sandals. Cheers.
good article, keep up the good work Alborz…
Ivan of Perth, The EVO tyres are generally around 40PSI standard, so I take them down to about 34-36, I wouldn’t recommend much lower on 235/45/R18.
As for turning of the electronics, I tried that too (in the manual) and it feels very much the same, it hardly ever kicks in unless you really need it too which is exactly why you should leave it on!
Mt Nebo/Glorious, definitely one of the best roads in Brisbane.
Have you tried driving to D’Aguillar from Samford Village Al? There are also some very nice roads. Pity you missed Sunday!
Thought I’d put in my 2c, even thought this thread is a few days old…
Arguably Glorious/Nebo is one of the best driving roads in QLD, but as a couple of people have noted you need to drive to your ability. I’ve had a lot of fun up there, even though my ‘90 Laser TX3 (front wheel drive, unfortunately) isn’t the best handling car in the world. This is where driving ability comes in, and I cannot recommend driver training enough. If you are into driving on roads like this, getting skidpan experience is a must (so you’re aware of how your car will handle in the wet, and you have the ability to correct if your car begins to slide). Additionally you need to have an intimate knowledge of your car and its limitations, particularly its level of grip and any strange at-the-limit handling traits. Courtesy is also a huge must – keep it slow in the built up areas like Nebo township, and move over for faster traffic, including motorbikes. A few slow seconds on the side verge is better than having a Lotus or Yamaha on your rear. Watch for bikes leaning over the centre line as well.
Also have to agree with Sam – the Lions Road is fantastic. I tried it out in my XR4 – slightly faster than the Laser! – and had a ball.
Very interesting article … must have tested a while ago though… the road is full of potholes and creases now.
PS limit in mt nebo township is 50 to the roundabout (those pesky kids and pets might damage your car) and after that 60 to the top of Manorina (more pesky concealed driveways and residents). No mention either of the weekend cyclists (not motorcyclists). No mention of politeness to them.
… forgot to mention too that the road is so challenging that parents drive their kids down to school every day … with 4 wheels on the bitumen. They go shopping too.
I live on this road and really don’t enjoy it being advertised as somewhere to go and test cars. The increase in traffic year after year is unbelievable. Some people drive carefully but others in their little cars with the loud noises are out of control and plain dangerous. Enjoy a safe drive, sure, but do it safely and in a quiet car.
BTW – the “small” 50km/h zone near the school is all through the village with the next zone being 60km/h before the 80 km/h zone further up. Take note drivers and take care.
Wheelnut, yes I still own the TRD. It’s not a bad car by any means, especially since I got a ridiculous deal on it. But it screams out to be a RWD/AWD. Traction control has to be turned off for any decent amount of fun, and if it is a wet day you can forget about spirited driving or else the next car you will be in is a hearse. For a day to day driver, it does the job well, no compromising on space or comfort.
I’ve brought it around Nebo a fair bit too. It’s by far the stickiest FWD I’ve ever driven but it simply cannot compare with a RWD. Lucky it has good brakes or it would have been my bumper that Alborz would’ve seen on Nebo!
I am going to trade it in for an Evo X next year. I only buy cars when I can afford to pay cash.
The speed limit is there but one has to drive at a speed which is safe depending on the road and its condition. Trying to maintain the speed limit around a corner is dangerous driving and will increase the risk of
- Hitting a cyclist!!!
- Hitting a broken down car just around the corner
- Hitting the occupants who have abandoned a broken down car
And what happens when the cops come to such a scene?. They will just say the driver was driving dangerously, causing the accident.
The public road is NOT a controlled environment.
We all know this, but some chose to ignore reality.