Australian Car Advice | News Blog

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The Super Select four-wheel drive system allows the driver to choose between four driving modes:

• 2H two-wheel drive high range is used for general commuting or highway touring in fine weather and promotes fuel economy.
• 4H full-time four-wheel drive provides added traction in inclement weather, or when the road surface becomes rough.
• 4HLC four-wheel drive high range with locked centre differential delivers power equally to all four wheels.
• 4LLC four-wheel drive low range with locked centre differential is suitable for rough terrain. A rear-diff lock is available as an option.

The new system provides a distinct advantage over its part-time all-wheel drive competitors, offering genuine all-terrain capabilities.

It will be included as standard on all diesel VR, GLX-R and GLS four-wheel drive Mitsubishi Tritons arriving between now and December 2008.

However Mitsubishi’s Easy Select part time 4WD system is retained on GLX 4×4 models.

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It features a choice of three engines in its line-up - a 2.5-litre and 3.2-litre common rail direct injection diesel units and a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine.

The Challenger will also use Mitsubishi’s Super Select 4WD system born from the Dakar Rally which delivers drive torque effectively to all four wheels on all types of surface.

The cabin is available in with 2-row (5-passenger) and 3-row (7-passenger) seating arrangements, featuring water-repellent seats and luggage compartments.

The Moscow debut of the new Challenger is a strategic move on Mitsubishi’s behalf - with the Russian market accounting for over 100,000 sales each year.

The new Challenger will be the third SUV in Mitsubishi’s Australian line-up, joining the Pajero and Outlander.

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Mitsubishi Motors Corporation says the Racing Lance’s mission will be to target victory on next year’s Dakar which breaks new ground in 2009 with a switch from Africa to South America.

For Mitsubishi Motors, not only does the Dakar serve as a platform for the sales and marketing of the Pajero/Montero but it also provides a unique proving ground for powertrains and 4WD transmission systems.

MMC says that in light of the corporate decision to focus the firm’s cross-country rallying activities on the development of a new diesel engine, it is a natural step for the Lancer (known in Japan as Gallant Fortis), a commercially and globally important model powered by the diesel power plant, to take over the competition baton from the Pajero/Montero and the Pajero/Montero Evolution.

It says that the technological expertise accumulated thanks to the firm’s cross-country rally program - which includes the Dakar - will be applied to its diesel engine development, including the new-generation clean diesel that will power the future production cars.

Meanwhile, as was previously the case, the 4WD systems technology will also be carried over to the production versions after their configuration has been optimized as a function of their end-use.

Under its new corporate communication tagline ‘Drive@earth’, Mitsubishi Motors has a commitment to providing the joy of mobility for customers worldwide while at the same time taking a responsible stance on the environment.

Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart will also play an important role as an integral part of the automobile research and development program.

Wondering what MXr09 means? Well MMC says ‘MRX09′ stands for ‘Mitsubishi Rally ‘Cross Country’('X’), plus a suffix for the year in which it competes (’09′ = 2009).

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All generations of Evolutions were represented at the event - grouped by colour, including a few brand new Evo X’s.

“It has taken a small team of MLR members a huge amount of time and effort over the last year to pull this World Record attempt together, but to see it finally come to life on Saturday was incredible”

The event also raised £7,459.27 for the Richard Burns Foundation which provides support for people whose lives are affected by serious illness and injury.

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With an Australian equivalent price tag of less than $30,000 in Japan, the Lancer Ralliart certainly isn’t low on kit - as a matter of fact the standard equipment level is astounding.

Firstly, that Twin Clutch SST transmission we have all heard so much about in the Evo X is standard for the Ralliart - albeit with modified ratios in 5th and 6th for improved drivability at high speeds and economy.

The transmission also loses its Super Sport setting in the Ralliart, restricted to just ‘Normal’ and ‘Sport’.

Don’t think Mitsubishi has skimped on the drivetrain either; the Ralliart receives what most refer to as the Evo IX AWD system - certainly not a compromise by any stretch of the mind.

This incorporates a front helical limited slip differential, an Active Centre Differential and a mechanical rear LSD which are managed by Mitsubishi’s vehicle dynamics control system which incorporates Active Stability Control and Anti-lock Braking.

The ACD system retains its calibrations from the Evo X - featuring TARMAC for dry paved surfaces; GRAVEL for wet tarmac or loose unmade surfaces; and SNOW for snow-covered surfaces.

So naturally the costs have been saved in the engine bay, right? Wrong. The Lancer Ralliart features the same intercooled-turbocharged 4B11-type 2.0-liter 16-valve DOHC MIVEC high-performance engine as the Evo X - although it does use a smaller turbocharger.

Peak power stands at 177kW at 6000rpm and 343Nm at 3000rpm, compared to the Evo X’s 217kW and 366Nm.

Braking performance relies on 16-inch 2-pot calliper ventilated disc brakes at the front borrowed from the Outlander SUV, riding on 18-inch 7JJ alloy wheels fitted with 215/45R 18 89W tyres.

Exterior design changes are arguable, resembling more a built-up Lancer rather than a toned-down Evo, comprising new front and rear bumpers, a lightweight aluminium bonnet with vents to feed the turbocharger and an optional deck-lid spoiler.

The interior is also borrowed from the standard Lancer, featuring a unique instrument cluster with matte black faces, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, aluminium pedals and sports suede-knit bucket seats.

Expect a RRP of roughly $40,000 to compete with the Impreza WRX here in Australia when it arrives.

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From the purposeful stance to the throaty note when you fire the engine, the Evo X – Mitsubishi’s 10th iteration of its rally-bred performance car – is something special.

Not that its humbler origins aren’t apparent in the neatly designed but still a bit too plastic interior that cannot be disguised by the leather and cloth Recaro seats.

But let’s cut to the chase, fire the 2.0-litre, twin cam, four-cylinder engine with its twin-scroll turbocharger that generates an impressive 217kW of power at 6500rpm and 366Nm of torque at 3500rpm, slip the gear lever into first and if you’re lucky enough to have the all-new Twin Clutch Sport Shift Transmission (official acronym TC-SST) at your disposal, simply nail the throttle pedal and hang on – because all hell is about to break loose.

With everything in the right setting performance is quite literally shattering, Mitsubishi is coy about 0-100km/h times but we believe they’ve recorded something close to 5.6 seconds and we also believe that under optimum conditions this car could go close to or under the 5.0sec mark.

Stopping is equally improved with huge Brembo brakes front and rear. Both the Lancer Evolution and MR models employ the same size rotors (350mm diameter in front and 330mm diameter in the rear), and the MR uses new two-piece rotor construction to reduce weight. Both use four-piston callipers in front and two-piston callipers in the rear.

There is so much in this car that is new, innovative or just a little bit exotic – like the aluminium roof, bonnet and front guards - that it’s hard to know where to start.

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Click through for EVO X gallery.

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The research has revealed that 38 percent of Twin Clutch SST buyers have switched over from premium German brands such as BMW, Audi and Mercedes - with a further 31 percent defecting from competing Japanese brands such as Subaru.

Sales of the manual transmission however have been dominated by existing Evo owners, accounting for 40 percent of the total with a further 19 percent from German and 20 percent from Japanese manufacturers respectively.

“This shows that the new Evolution X is certainly attracting people out of German cars, especially into the SST, and that the manual gearbox car is not only attracting traditional Evo customers, but also customers of other Japanese marques.”Lance Bradley, Mitsubishi UK’s Sales and Marketing Director.

In an extraordinary case, a Ferrari F430 was traded in at a dealer for a brand new Lancer Evolution X FQ-300 SST along with a cheque for £90,000.

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With Toyota, Honda and GM leading the Hybrid race, Mitsubishi and PSA felt that cooperation on electric vehicle development and production would be mutually beneficial.

This is not the first time the Japanese giant and PSA have dealt with each other, only last week the companies opened a joint Russian factory, in Kaluga (180 km south west of Moscow) that will manufacture vehicles for both brands.

PSA wants to continue its work on electric cars and produce more green cars as part of its plan for 2010-2015. Although not a well known fact, PSA Peugeot Citroen is currently the largest global manufacturer of electric vehicles, having sold over 10,000 units.

PSA’s expertise will be joined by that of Mitsubishi who plans to become one of the leading car manufactures of electric vehicles. The company has so confirmed the i MiEV electric vehicle for introduction to the Japanese market in 2009 with possibility of it going to Europe and the U.S.

PSA will also benefit from Mitsubishi’s Lithium Ion battery venture with GS Yuasa, which will supply large capacity and high performance lithium ion batteries for the i MiEV.

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