Skip advert
Advertisement
Long term tests

Mitsubishi Evo MR 340

Already the Evo looks likely to be pressed into action more regularly than my old VX220 Turbo. Along with the Audi S4, it's the most practical car on the fleet and photographers love it. Now, as a general rule all car photographers have a Senna-esque turn of speed and unshakeable self-belief, so putting them into a 345bhp Evo means any hope of staying in close pursuit is lost. I keep telling them it's just the car, no reflection on their driving ability...

Already the Evo looks likely to be pressed into action more regularly than my old VX220 Turbo. Along with the Audi S4, it's the most practical car on the fleet and photographers love it. Now, as a general rule all car photographers have a Senna-esque turn of speed and unshakeable self-belief, so putting them into a 345bhp Evo means any hope of staying in close pursuit is lost. I keep telling them it's just the car, no reflection on their driving ability...

Anyway, when it's not loaded up with cameras and tripods it's proving as entertaining as expected. The revisions to the MR are spookily effective, particularly the even cleverer active yaw control unit. It seems impossible to wrong-foot the Evo; once the front tyres are hooked up, the rear jinks slightly to keep them nailed on line, and just as you hit full power and expect to need just a tiny correction, the angle stabilises and the Evo rockets out of the corner, totally neutral and completely devastating.

The only cloud on the horizon is that the superb Yokohama AO46 tyres on which the MR was developed and which complement the chassis perfectly, aren't available in the UK (other than fitted new to an Evo VIII). For now we'll make do with the Yoko AVS Sports on which our car was delivered but I'd like a more extreme solution to unlock the MR's full potential - I'll be having words with Yokohama!

Running Costs

Date acquiredSeptember 2004
Total mileage6682
Costs this month£0
Mileage this month1059
MPG this month20.1
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8
Mercedes-AMG G63
News

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8

Some of Affalterbach’s range-toppers are swapping eight cylinders for four, but the AMG G-class retains its V8 for 2024
26 Mar 2024
Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader
Land Rover Defender OCTA – front
News

Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader

The OCTA promises to be the fastest, toughest and most capable Defender yet when it launches later this year
26 Mar 2024
The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?
Toyota GR Yaris Gen 2 – front
News

The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?

Our early impressions of the Gen 2 GR Yaris suggest that it’s an improvement in every area that counts, but can it be worth £18k more than an i20 N?
27 Mar 2024