Road Test
Mitsubishi Evo VIII 260
Test date Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Price as tested £23,999
For Steering, grip, handling, relative civility
AgainstGearbox can snatch, short service intervals
The Evo was born in 1992. Mitsubishi wanted to go rallying and had to build 2500 road-going versions for homologation purposes. The Galant VR-4 donated its 250bhp 2.0-litre turbo motor and drivetrain to the smaller Lancer shell and a legend was born.
The Evo II got an extra 10bhp and suspension changes to boost stability. By the Evolution III in 1995, a large front air dam and high-set rear wing had appeared. Power was now 270bhp – enough for Tommi Makinen to win the 1996 World Rally Championship.
A new Lancer led to the Evo IV. Mechanical changes included a power boost to 276bhp and an aggressive aero package. Number V got more aggressive still with bigger wings, brakes, tracks and more torque. 1999’s Evo VI – considered by many the best of all – conveyed Makinen to his fourth rally title in a row.
The 2001 Evo VII was bigger, heavier and more refined. Further tweaks and a new active centre differential kept performance competitive. Last year’s Evo VIII offered more of the same, but with a slightly different nose and a six-speed gearbox. Until recently, it came in standard 276bhp, FQ-300 and FQ-330 form; under Mitsubishi’s new four model alignment, this car replaces the entry-level version, with new officially-imported Mitsubishi Racing 300, 320 and 340bhp models above it.
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