FirstDrive/Mitsubishi Evo X:There are just two examples of the Lancer Evolution X in Europe right now and Shane O' Donoghuewas lucky enough to take one to the Wicklow Mountains
December: the very mention of the month conjures up images of hurried, last-minute Christmas shopping and a rush to celebrate the end of one year and the start of the next. For motorists, it's a particularly challenging time. Schemes such as Operation Freeflow attempt to ease the pain caused by the mass consumerism, but nothing can be done about the weather.
If the cold doesn't prevent your car from starting, then it'll try to trip you up on your way to work as already damp roads are transformed into treacherous ice rinks. December is not the time of year in which to test a supercar. But the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X is no ordinary supercar.
Although the Evolution series is often associated with boy racers in this country, the truth of the matter is that it offers ballistic supercar-baiting performance for about the price of a mid-range compact executive saloon. Not only that; while owners of cherished Porsches and Ferraris wrap their pride and joy up in a warm cotton wool cocoon for the winter, Mitsubishi Evo owners come out to play and revel in the car's all-weather ability.
The 10th edition in the series goes on sale in Ireland next year and the hype surrounding the car has been tremendous, including a long drawn out revealing of the showroom-ready model throughout the past 12 months.
Japanese-spec models have been driven in its home market, but as yet the European specification is not completely finalised. However, Motors has been lucky enough to get its hands on one of only two pre-production cars available in Europe for a brief drive.
On the way down the choked M50 to the deserted, open roads around Sally Gap in Wicklow, the new car draws less interest than expected.
It may be thought of as odd to describe a car with a huge boot spoiler as subtle, but the new Evo is a far less aggressive design than some of its predecessors. The new Lancer saloon is a great looking car, so the Evolution doesn't need to be significantly different.
However, taking a closer look reveals that more panels have been replaced than first suspected. Along with the more bulbous wings, a vented bonnet, new bumpers and wheels we noticed that the roof has been reprofiled too, featuring two longitudinal edges not found on the regular Lancer.
We can only assume that these are intended to channel air to the rear spoiler.
One of the major criticisms of the last couple of iterations of the Evo was of the low rent interior.
Better things are expected of the Evo X though, especially as the new Lancer features a thoroughly modern cockpit.
The Evo's interior is remarkably restrained, featuring excellent Recaro bucket seats, a new sports steering wheel and a few different buttons to the regular car.
Starting it up is a normal key turning process too and at idle there's nothing to betray the motorsport aspirations of Mitsubishi's new 2.0-litre turbocharged engine.
Indeed, where the old car juddered and made itself known by a blaring exhaust (even at town speeds), the new car potters along as smoothly as any normal car.
We did have a few issues with gear selection in the five-speed manual box, but it's unlikely that such things will make it through to the final production car.
Gear shift aside, even at sedate speeds it's obvious that Mitsubishi has got the driving controls right.
The steering is not particularly heavy, but it's weighty enough to let you know what the front wheels are doing and is deliciously direct.
Likewise, the brakes are perfectly modulated, allowing precise and smooth speed retardation.
Finally the road opens up and the traffic disappears. Despite the wintry conditions, the Evo is in its element and it takes just a single surge of acceleration through the ratios to dispel the feeling that the new Evo could be a bit ordinary. Straight line speed is, unsurprisingly, impressive, but more so is the engine's flexibility.
Although there's a noticeable increase in thrust as the turbocharger gets up to speed, the engine's new variable valve timing ensures that meaningful acceleration is still available at lower engine speeds.
The only criticism of the power plant at this stage is the lack of any charisma in the noise it makes.
The Evo's party trick has always been its chassis and first impressions suggest that Mitsubishi will continue that trend with the X. Needless to say, there is precious little body roll while cornering, nor dive while braking, but perhaps more impressive than all of that is the new found comfort.
Where previous generations of the Evo tended to crash over our typically rutted roads, the new car absorbs the bumps and cossets its occupants - relatively speaking.
Time was short, with the test car due to be in the UK a few hours after the drive, so there was no chance to experiment with the various chassis settings available, but this first tentative test suggests that the Evolution X could be the most complete car of the series so far.
Roll on February, when we drive the finished product. February is a good month for testing supercars . .
Factfile
ENGINE:1,997cc turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with intercooler, putting out approximately 300bhp and 422Nm of torque @ 3,500rpm
TRANSMISSION:Choice of five-speed manual or six-speed Twin Clutch Sport Shift Transmission (SST). Super All Wheel Control, Active Stability Control, Active Centre Differential, Active Yaw Control, Sport ABS
PERFORMANCE:0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds (estimated), and a top speed of 240km/h (estimated)
PRICE:€62,000
ON SALE:May 2008