Despite Mitsubishi’s claim that the suspension settings are unchanged from other Evo VIIIs, the ride is a revelation. A combination of the new Bridgestones and the extra weight make the 260 less jittery both around town and on the motorway, with no loss in body control.
Inside, the 260 feels instantly familiar to an Evo driver. A handful of miles are all it takes to spot the various little differences: the speedometer is now legible, the mirrors no longer fold at the touch of a button, there’s conventional air-con in place of climate control and, worst of all, the Evo’s trademark rear wiper has gone. Also gone are the buttock-pinchingly tight bucket seats, replaced by some new Recaro items that mate excellent lateral support for the back and shoulders with a welcome dose of extra comfort.
In the back, legroom is generous and there are now individual head rests, a trio of three-point seatbelts, Isofix child seat mounting points and cupholders in the arm rest. Add the 430-litre boot to the mix and you get a surprisingly practical saloon – with the new spoiler you can even see out of the back window.
The 260 might lag behind the Impreza STi against the clock, but its ride, balance and torque make it both a quicker and more satisfying B-road tool. And at £23,999, it undercuts the Subaru by £996, including CD player, air-con and a raft of security features (alarm, Mighty Dot tagging and locking wheel nuts).
Unfortunately, like any Evo, it’s never going to be cheap to run: our touring figure of 36.9mpg was achieved with a particularly light foot and sparing use of the turbo – the average of 19.3mpg is more revealing. And though CO2 emissions are down from the old 280’s 334g/km to 258g/km, it’s still in the top 35 per cent company car tax bracket. Worse still, there’s the usual Evo headache of 4500-mile service intervals.
