If you can leave your carbon conscience at home, it's hard to resist the ultimate road-going rally car that has evolved to be even meaner and hungrier, writes Michael McAleer, Motoring Editor.
HOW FAR have we evolved in the last 15 years? Sitting behind the wheel of the latest Mitsubishi road-going rally car, you'd have to say we're a very different nation now.
Back then, dole queues approached 300,000, peace in the North looked like a pipe dream and we were winning Eurovisions.
There was no such thing as WiFi or broadband and talk of a Celtic tiger was only relevant in the context of Dublin Zoo. How far we've come since 1992.
So, too, in its way, has the Evo. Ten iterations of this racy Lancer have been launched, each better than the last, and culminating in this, the latest warrior from the Japanese clan.
The technology has clearly come on in leaps and bounds. We're far safer, yet faster, in this Evo X (the Roman numeral, not the letter).
It's still the poster car for petrolheads, but we are now a nation that can afford such cars. Fifteen years ago, their budgets barely stretched to a used Ford Escort Mark II, dressed up to look like an RS2000. Anything more precious usually came with UK plates and carried the successful immigrant home for Christmas or summer visits.
These days we don't bat an eye at the sight of a Golf GTi or a Porsche Boxster. One simple fact sums it up: Ireland is home to more race-prepared World Rally cars than any other nation. We've always been petrolheads at heart, but in the last decade or so we've been able to take our dream cars off the wall and put them in our driveways.
It's time to come clean: this column has a seriously soft spot for the Evo range. The outgoing version would definitely have been in our driveway, had those Lotto numbers come up. True, it would have been just one of many on a very long driveway, but it would have had its place.
Few cars symbolise the world of the high-octane petrolhead louder than a Mitsubishi Evo. From the moment you approach it, this car offers a menacing - rather maniacal - grin. From the large darkened front grille to the enormous wing on the back, there is nothing discreet about it. That's long been the way with Evos. They're house-trained and playful with the neighbours, but step out of line and they'll have your arm off. It's the sort of car that would beat up a couple of Fiat Pandas during the night and rob their petrol.
In terms of evolution, it's hard to see where Darwin would place this car. Is it a worthy symbol of society's developments? And what of the creationists? Is the Evo created for good or evil? One thing is for sure: it's created for fun.
It takes a little imagination to picture an Evo on a school run, but it's actually quite possible. The back seats are as comfortable as any mid-sized family saloon, although the rear spoiler seriously impairs visibility and the turning circle is not amenable to those tight city spots.
Then there's the boot: a small cubbyhole fit for a couple of schoolbags and little else. Certainly the golfing fraternity won't be rushing to buy this car. But Evo buyers aren't the sort to get their kicks chasing a small white ball around a field.
The quality of the interior is some way off what you would expect for a car in this price bracket. Recaro seats and a leather steering wheel can't overcome the naked metal and horrid plastic and those not in the know will think you've been had when you tell them what it costs .
But then you start the engine . . . and even the most anti-car ignoramus will realise that this is no regular family car.
It's not just the exterior that's had a makeover: this 10th-generation Evo has had some major changes under the bonnet.
This latest version features a new, lighter engine - the first complete replacement in the car's 15 years - but keeps the 2-litre four-cylinder twin-cam format. The benefits are a more compact package and significant weight savings of 12.5kg. The engine is positioned 10mm lower than in the outgoing model, thereby having a lower centre of gravity. Of course, it also produces more power (295bhp) and torque (366Nm). All in all, it's a better package.
Our test car was the SST version, which has Mitsubishi's new 6-speed twin-clutch transmission. It's the Japanese response to Volkswagen's DSG package and comes with steering-mounted paddle shifts.
As with the system used at VW Group, Mitsubishi's SST uses two clutches: one to engage the gear in use, the other to pre-select the next gear required. Like many of these paddle-shift systems, it's difficult to decide whether they are added for aesthetic or practical reasons. Certainly you'll use it more often than you would on a diesel Audi A4, but it's not as smooth as the DSG system and we'd still prefer the manual box.
A switch at the base of the gear selector allows the driver to choose between Normal, Sport and Super Sport modes for optimum shifts in a wide variety of situations, from urban driving to maintaining a tight line on a winding road.
Given its rally pedigree, the latest Evo retains Mitsubishi's all-wheel-drive system; it has a system called Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC). This offers the choice of switching to "snow", "gravel" or "tarmac". Plus there's an active centre differential to regulate the speed variation between front and rear wheels, enhancing steering response and traction.
The result of all this is a car that grips the road and bounds around bends with seemingly no recognition of the laws of gravity. Just as important, a great set of brakes tames the beast.
Let's be honest, your first impressions are probably right. If they're good, this is a car you need to test-drive. If not, don't. The new Evo is no wolf in sheep's clothing: it's an angry wolf with a very bad temper.
Yet, for all that, it is a car you can live with. Of course the suspension is rather stiffer than the regular Lancer, but it's not back-breaking in the way some of these highly tuned cars are. Similarly, the boot may not be up to much, but the rear seats are the same as any mid-sized family saloon. As long as she doesn't dwell too much on the exterior, you could still carry your granny to bingo in it without too many complaints.
In summary, then, we can't get enough of the Evo.
Yet it's hard to see its place in today's ever-green environment. As carbon footprints, global warming and skyrocketing petrol prices vie for news coverage, a raw racer that averages 15mpg and churns out 250g/km of CO2 is hardly going to be the motoring icon of our times.
Yet the fact is that it's a superb piece of engineering.
It seems to rebel against every tenet in the politically correct agenda. It's lightning quick at a time when everyone is being told to slow down; thirsty when we're meant to be frugal with fuel; and brash when recession discretion is the order of the day.
Has the Evo evolved? In terms of motoring ability, yes. It has built upon the brilliant foundations of the outgoing car.
In terms of its place in society, the answer is less positive. With Ferrari talking about greener cars and Porsche reducing the CO2 emissions on its new 911, the Evo seems like a warrior from an earlier age.
The good news for Mitsubishi is that there remain many fanatical petrolheads who have not evolved into eco-warriors. For them, the Evo remains the ultimate road-going rally car. Its nearest rival, the Subaru Impreza WRX, is some way off it (and the Evo's new styling is better than its Japanese rival).
A price tag of €65,000-plus is obviously a little high for many petrolheads, and an annual road-tax bill of €2,000 is unlikely to soften the blow when used versions hit the market.
However, recessions don't last forever and we can't all drive electric shopping trolleys. Hopefully society will evolve enough to welcome the Evo without too many complaints from the neighbours.
CC: 1998 295 Consumption: 10.8 L/100km Price: €67,385 (pre-July: €62,400)
Factfile: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution SST
Engine:1998cc turbo-charger 16-valve DOHC MIVEC. Max output: 295bhp @ 6,500rpm and 366Nm of torque @ 3,500rpm.
Specification:Dual front and SRS side airbags; curtin airbags for front and back; driver's knee airbag; ABS with EBD; all-wheel control; 18" alloys; Brembo braking system; coil springs; shock absorbers; bi-xenon headlamps with Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS); leather steering wheel; electric windows front and rear; air-con; radio/CD with 6 speakers.
0-100km/h:6.3 secs
Max speed:242 km/h
L/100KM (mpg):urban: 19.1 (14.8); extra-urban: 8.4 (33.6); combined: 10.8 (26.2)
CO2 emissions:250g/km
Annual road tax:€2,000 (up from €590 before July 1st)
Price:€67,385 (pre-July - €62,400)