Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI (1999 - 2001): review, history and specs of an icon

A car so influential, they named a magazine after it? Well, not quite, but the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution still had to be here, didn’t it? Rarely has a car of such humble origins bristled with so much exotic, motorsport-led energy as the Evo VI. 

The Evo VI was the last of the pure homologation Evos – road cars built in specific quantities to qualify for use in motorsport’s Group A and N categories – and the last based on the smaller, lighter, second-generation Lancer bodyshell. Later cars were faster, and more capable still, but there’s just something about this era of Evo; where rival Subaru had adopted the World Rally Car rule set for ’97, freeing it from links to the road car beyond the most elementary, Mitsubishi stuck with Group A and needed the road car to employ the wide arches, towering wing and tweaks to the front air dam – because Tommi needed them, too. It was also the first Evo to be imported in some form of official capacity, after an agreement between the then ‘Ralliart UK’ business and Mitsubishi UK. The lineage ended with the Tommi Mäkinen Edition (pictured), often referred to as the Evo 6.5, built as a celebration of Mäkinen’s 1999 championship win – his fourth in a row.

> Subaru Impreza RB5 (1999): review, history and specs of an icon

Faster, more expensive and much rarer than the common or garden Impreza Turbo 2000, the Evo has always had a more exotic air about it on these shores, exaggerated by its uncompromising design and notoriously short service intervals. You might find that effect lessens slightly when you jump inside and note the Japanese econo-box interior, but you’ll just as soon note the amazing seats, just-so driving position and, once you’ve churned it into life with its characteristic lazy turn of the starter, the engine. 

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‘Fizz’ and ‘zing’ seem to be words specifically invented to describe the Evo’s 4G63 engine, which sounds thin and digital after the Impreza’s flat-four but more than makes up for it with its frenzied delivery (probably a chunk more than the quoted 276bhp) and ruthlessly sharp throttle response. Everything about this car is so precise, so perfectly in focus, it demands your full concentration, whether it’s the stunningly tactile shift of the five-speed ’box – the envy of most pure sports cars – or the way the Active Yaw Control gives it a sense of hyper-agility. Where the Impreza is far more traditional in its handling balance, the Evo is a freak, seemingly always able to turn in, whatever the corner entry speed, then settling into a neutral power-on stance through and out of the turn. It’s a car that demands and then brings out the best in you, the driver. 

Inflation dictates that today’s Evo VI would be an AMG A45 rival in both price and power, but to see it thus is to sell it so very short. Even today, there isn’t much that can stay with a well-driven Evo  VI on a good B-road: it’s a deeply function-led vehicle with the heart and soul of a true evo icon. 

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI specs

What we said

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI v Subaru WRX STI V, evo 006 (Apr 99), John Barker

‘As well as the visual changes, the Evo VI gets a new ECU, a bigger intercooler, oil-cooler and radiator. Its delivery feels even punchier, more old-school turbo; treading on its throttle from low revs is like lighting a firework and waiting for the fuse to hit the powder. Nothing much happens until the revs rise beyond 3000rpm and then there’s an explosion of power. This glorious burn is sustained right up to the 7000rpm red line, and the engine takes on a beefier, more purposeful bark along the way.

‘The Evo VI’s steering has very firm self-centering which keeps it tracking straight, and a sophisticated ‘yaw control’ system which gauges the attitude of the car when you’ve turned into a corner. It then steers the rear wheels fractionally and juggles the torque in the four-wheel drive system to stabilise it. Once you’ve felt it in action a few times you’re a convert, though when you’re really leaning on the grip the sensation is slightly surreal.’

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Mitsubishi Evo VI TME (20k Heroes), evo 231 (Feb 17), Dan Prosser

‘There’s enough slack in the steering rack off-centre that you can wobble the wheel by a few degrees without provoking any kind of response from the front wheels, but that’s just about the only criticism that can be levelled at it. It’s wonderfully detailed and intuitive, giving a clear impression of what’s going on at road level.

‘With that hint of compliance in the steering and body movements that seem quite exaggerated by today’s standards, the TME can feel a little lazy at first, but in fact the car is super-alert and ultra-agile. It feels so light on its wheels, too, with suspension that soaks up bumps so beautifully that the car almost seems to float above the road.

‘The industry talks so enthusiastically about the advances made in turbocharging over the last few years, but there aren’t many forced-induction in-line engines on sale today that are more exciting than this one.’

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