I'll personally be really interested to see if the new B11 is a technological improvement in every way as opposed to a "new for the sake of new" design approach.

For the most part, automotive technology has always been an upward progression, so I don't doubt the new car will be superior to the old one.
However, past records indicate that you should usually steer clear of the first model year of a complete redesign.
The Dec 2006 Issue of SCC made it sound like they were years away from nailing down their new S-AWC system, so I am hesitant to trust the new X when it comes on the showroom floor.

One of the EVO guys from Michigan got some pics of the engine bay. He posted them on Mitsu car club of Canada and I'm posting his link here.

http://www.mievo.net/talk/showpost.php?p=16069&postcount=80

Nice wallpaper , haven't seen it before.

I test drove the new base Lancer on Friday. Seems like a decent car. The sales guy (has about 2 teeth left and no clue about the car or the Evo) didn't tell me it was a CVT. Took me a minute to figure it out. Not sure I could live with a CVT.

Anyway, the car felt nice and tight and quite quiet. Steering and brakes were very connected.

On a side note, I also test drove the BMW 335i. (The 335xi isn't out for another month or so, but should sell for $52,600). That thing is a freakin' train! Man, I had it up over 200kph before I realized it. Hit the brakes at 100 and let go the wheel. Stops hard and straight. The ABS probably kicked in, but I could barely notice. Unlike the horrible ABS in my Subaru that I disable for the winter, which are absolutely horrendous and dangerous, these things barely made any noise or peddle feel. I saw the traction control light flash a couple of times while doing various semi-stupid things, but I could not feel it's interference.

If the Evo is $50k and this thing is $52k, sorry Mitsubishi, you're going to have to bring something else to the party to even get a second look.

(all things above are fictional and imho. ymmv.)

EVO is marketed to a different audience. Younger, more obssessed with owning a 'rally car'. The Bimmer is heavier, and probably doesn't have the raw performance or reliability (relatively) of the Mitsu.

But for 'content'? I'd be right there with you buying a BMW.

With an ECU tune and exhaust, Vishnu has the 335's making 332whp * 348 tq on 91 octane. He said there's probably another 10 hp there with a tune for 93. Hard to argue with that, even if she does weigh a couple extra pounds.

The 335i without AWD weighs 3580 lbs. Since it's rwd, the awd probably won't add that much extra weight. And, the new Evo is going to be +3400 for sure, so not that much difference. But yeah, different audience I guess.

From reading scc it looks like the new evo will be an auto only, and that modding them will be a real pita until someone figures out how to "teach" the tranny when/how to shift with a different powerband/more power.

Depends on what article you read. Some mags are reporting 5 spds, some are saying 6, others say only the DSG will be available.

I seriously doubt they'll only have a DSG without a manual, whether 5 or 6 spd.

That said, the BMW that I drove had the paddle shifting auto. It was so smooth, you could not feel gear changes and they were FAST! If I had to buy an automatic transmission, I would not be disappointed with that one.

Hey guys, it could be worse with the EVO. Check out what the Subaru camp is doing...
New WRX

Looks like Ford/Mazda bought a piece of Subaru.

^^^

Wow. That's just awful.

They should just go back to the hot '99 style.
Things just went downhill stylewise after that model.

I'm with you guys on that WRX, the front grill looks like a Sebring or something......and they are lengthening the WRX? Booooo

Like it says in the article, they don't care so much about enthusiasts. The big money is mainstream buyers. Like Intel making graphics cards. Maybe not the fastest, but they quickly became the richest. And money talks.

I don't think that car looks so bad. Probably better in person...

I do admit I like the older Impreza 2.5 rs 2 door. I think about turbocharging one as a project some day. That's about it for Subaru.

That new wrx is quite ugly from what the article shows imo. The sedan pics look like thye are trying to market it as an upscale evo (again).

What really saddens me is that our next new vehicle will probably be a mini van =\

The ultra rare, overseas only 22b....



So hot.

Beauty and Brawn.
The 2.5RS was gorgeous too, but this one had the serious muscle.
The subaru design team needs to lay off the crack pipe.

WTF were they thinking when they came up with that design I'm finally not minding the current WRX/STI redesign (I'm actually a fan of the big headlight model they did after the round lights) but I don't think I could ever grow to like that

Edit: For those that think the Evo concept looks good in pics, you have to see it in person. I thought it looked pretty sweet in all the pics but when I saw it up close at the autoshow, it was something else. As good as it looks, I'm not sure I would be sold on one unless it was as mod friendly as the current version & came with a std trans.

I would have to agree with you Daren. I saw the EVO X at the car show as well and it looked bigger than I expected. It was still a mean looking machine though. Again the production model will lose a lot of those features that the concept posesses. I.e. the racing seats and the rims and tires that were on it.

The new Lancer is an attractive looking piece of work, definitely an improvement.
If I were to get an Evo, I certainly wouldn't ditch my Talon for it though, the Evo isn't THAT pretty

pfffttt

that thing looks like a corolla with a ood scoop

THAT GC8 looks nothing like a corolla.

If you guys want to see a corolla, check out the new and improved WRX.

^^^
we are talking about the new wrx

That is disgusting. I thought they messed up with the last WRX design... they just trumped that by a mile.

whoops

^^ Imo the pinacle of Subaru. I'll admit I'm sure there have been more recent STI's with better steering etc. but that's one hot car.


Wouldn't give up the talon for one though..

The two rules of styling seem to be, "Always change, even if what you have works," and "Never go back to an earlier style for at least 20 years, even if it looks better."

Unfortunately.

has any one seen the pictures of the Evo8 converted to the EvoX? Looks really cool!
Ill try and find the pictures..

found them







http://www.topline.su/catalogue/projects/LANCER%20EVO/

I think it looked better as the VIII, and even better as the VI...

Holly sh#$t that was a great job.
-Manuel

Dam, the amount of work that went into that!! I think they got the openning a a little too wide, but still thats impressive.....

As for the EVO X in Canada, I wouldn't be soo sure until I see one at the dealership...Mitsu Cars Canada is like less than 1 percent of the mitsu's income, and at the end of the day, its all about money... If they have to R&D the front rebar to fit around the intercooler, its not happening.....

If the intercooler fits, than we'll see it here, but honestly, I'm still a disbeliever.

I can give the guys who did all the work credit for a nice job, but, well why not go for more power before looks? That car looked basicly stock , no?

In a year when all the x's are out, that whole project will be nothing special. They should have gone custom!

EVO X styling with all the proven power potential of the 4G63 motor?
That's something special.

A modded EVO VIII is nothing special - they're everwhere.

True true....but I still see a stock 4g63

They're everywhere? Funny. I've yet to see one...

Just pulled this from Evolutionm.net.
EvolutionM

Should be on sale (at least in the US) this fall.


"Originally Posted by Automotive News
New Mitsubishi to get dual-clutch transmission, stability control

Dale Jewett

Automotive News | 9:29 am, July 10, 2007




The next generation of the high-performance Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution sedan will have a dual-clutch automated manual transmission and an all-wheel-drive chassis upgraded with stability control.

The new sedan, the tenth generation in the Evolution series, will go on sale this autumn, Mitsubishi Motors said today.

The new Lancer Evolution's form follows the Concept-X vehicle shown at the Tokyo auto show in 2005 and the Prototype-X that debuted at the Detroit auto show in January.

Quick shifts

The new car will be equipped with a six-speed transmission that Mitsubishi calls Twin Clutch SST. In the transmission, the odd-numbered gears are fixed to one input shaft, and the even-numbers gears are fixed to a second shaft. Electronics activate the clutches for gear shifts, either automatically or at the driver’s command.

The advantage of the dual-clutch transmission is the better fuel economy of a traditional manual transmission without the need for the driver to step on a clutch pedal.

The Mitsubishi transmission works similarly to other dual-clutch transmissions, such as the Direct Shift Gearbox transmission used by Volkswagen. BorgWarner supplies the VW unit. BWM is also using automated manual transmission technology, and Ford Motor is working on a similar technology.

The Mitsubishi transmission will be equipped with three shift modes -- normal, sport and s-sport. The sport and s-sport modes hold each gear longer for higher engine rpms, and also change gears faster.

Mitsubishi did not name the supplier of the transmission.

Sure-footed chassis

The all-wheel-drive system of the current Lancer Evolution uses anti-lock brakes, an active center differential and a yaw control for high performance. For the next generation, Mitsubishi will introduce stability control.

The stability control uses sensors in the steering wheel and the wheels to compare the driver’s intended path with the car’s actual path. If the car is headed for an understeer or oversteer condition, the system applies brake pressure at one or two wheels to correct the car’s path.

Mitsubishi will market the system as Super All Wheel Control."

Was at Peterborough Mitsu two weeks ago. Word is the 2008 "should" be here in the fall. Be sure I'll be in to test drive one of them "if" they are to be in...

Moi.

I found someone that was able to make the Ariel Atom 2 'street legal' in Canada. Problem is, they won't give me much details. They keep trying to sell me an Atom kit. Looks like they imported the whole thing as parts (has to be broken down pretty good), built it, and then just had it inspected locally as a 'Custom Built Vehicle'. Don't know if this was easier to do for the Atom because of it's size, composition, and the fact that it's not made by a 'known' manufacturer.

So you could always try that to import an EVO III+ if they DON'T end up coming to Canada.

I also saw a Scion Xb here the other day with an NS plate. I wonder how they pulled that off, since it ALSO is on the 'do not import' list...

There was a guy who showed up driving an Ontario plated Atom at an autocross in Burlington a few weeks back. He basically had it taken apart and re-assembled here, and registered it as a kit, like Troy said. He's a lawyer so he may have extra pull, or at least extra knowledge, on how this is easily done.



Scion xB's are legal to import. I've seen a few running around Toronto. Maybe you're thinking of the Scion tC, which is not admissible.

My wife bought me the latest '2008 New Cars' edition of Car and Driver. They have been known to be wrong from time to time, but they had a writeup on the 'New Lancer EVO X'. They mention that the styling is new, the car is heavier, but with 'the holdover 2.0L Turbo engine, don't expect any huge increases in power'.

Sound like they're sticking with the 4G63?

Sidenote on the Scion xB is that they're making a 'Made for America' one now that has more power, better economy, but looks less like an iron and more like a minivan. I don't think Toyota 'gets it', but as C&D says, "probably a better car, but the coolness is gone."

I would expect they're wrong again. Mitsu has said over and over that it's the new MB11 MIVEC, but it's still 2.0-litre.

Ive seen a modded evo, It lives around the corner from me! (yes, in richmond hill )