Well, now there's another, the FQ-300, an official European model which slots into the line-up just above the regular Evo VII, comes with a few tasty extras as well as a very substantial power-hike, and could just be the best of the lot.

Officially the FQ-300 is not a car at all, more a 'performance pack' which you have fitted to your standard Evo VII after registration; but since Mitsubishi says that most Evos are being ordered with the package, it's pretty certain to become known as a model in its own right.

FQ? Mitsubishi would like us to say that it stands for 'Flipping Quick', which is at least half right. And the reason it is so indecently rapid is hinted at in the second half of the appellation. In fact '300' is a rounding-down, because the freshly fettled version of the 2-litre in-line 16-valve turbocharged four is actually rated at a very useful 305bhp. I guess FQ-300 just sounded snappier.

Under that duct-tastic bonnet Mitsubishi has modified the turbo, increased the capacity of the intercooler and added a three nozzle water spray too, so the engine gets fed cooler, denser air, which means bigger explosions. The intake manifold has been reshaped to speed up air-flow, and on the exhaust side the pipes have been 'straight-lined' to reduce back pressure. The whole exhaust system is now bigger-bore, stainless steel too, and to finish it all off there's the mother and father of tailpipes. The Victorians used to send boys up smaller chimneys than that.

The end result of all this improved gas-flow is almost 30bhp more than the standard Evo's 276bhp. The improved breathing is also reckoned to reduce turbo lag and beef-up the low-down torque, which rises to a thumping 300lb ft at 4500rpm. All of which takes the FQ-300 mighty close to the awesome RS Sprint's 320bhp and 327lb ft. In fact it feels even closer than that. Subjectively, in pure accelerative terms, the FQ-300 gives little or nothing away to the Sprint, which we clocked at 0-60 in 5.1sec. With minimal lag and extreme prejudice, the merest flexing of your right foot has you riding a storm of turbocharged torque, fairly slamming you along the tarmac. Supercar performance for the common man. What's more, it just keeps on coming, while the bigger bore exhaust gives that dohc turbo unit a wonderfully growly and characterful voice, not unlike a classic Cosworth BDA.

Inside you get a good-looking carbonfibre panel that runs across the facia, and all the right branded bits, including Recaro seats and leather-wrapped Momo wheel. Those seats and that wheel feel great; there's a tight, positive gearchange, good brake feel and pedals perfectly placed for heel and toeing. There are also enough creature comforts and sufficient refinement to make long hauls relatively painless - always excepting the frequent stops to fill up with super unleaded (the Evo's range remains pitifully short). That apart, it's an Evo you could happily live with day to day.

And on the right day and right road it would thrill you and challenge you like few other four-wheel-drive supersaloons; like few other performance cars, full stop. That 305bhp gives the 4wd system a real workout, Active Yaw Control and all. Even driven at seven or eight tenths you can feel the chassis working and responding, and as you begin to push towards the limits of grip it feels wonderfully alive. It's not as edgy as the lunatic RS Sprint, but you can tell quite early on that there's a natural bias to oversteer when you get hard on the throttle, especially out of tighter turns.

You really don't need any more power than this, and on Yokohama Advan AVS rubber, the balance of grunt to grip is well-judged, at least in the dry conditions that prevailed while we had the car. This is a chassis that has something for everyone, and it's the final ingredient in a very appealing package.

In fact there's only one snag. The RS Sprint costs ί¿½26K; the FQ-300 costs a whopping five and a half grand more, which is a pretty hefty premium. But if you can afford it and you want the best all-round Evo there is, equally happy to play it straight or go slightly mad, then you'll probably want one of these. PFQ.