Mitsubishi Announce Specs For New EVO X

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Thu, 03 May 2007

Japanese giants Mitsubishi have revealed first details and glimpses of the brand new Evo X. The stunning new rally-inspired model promises to produce better performance than all of its nine predecessors and take the famous name to a new level.

The road version matches the Prototype X concept car that was unveiled back in January at the Detroit Motor Show, with the only difference being the addition of neat circular spotlights in the lower air intakes.

Legroom and practicability has been improved with a 2.5cm increase in height and a wheelbase that's 3.5cm longer. The rally-bred car is also 1.5cm shorter, but 5.8cm wider than its predecessor, giving it an even more purposeful look.

Engineers at the car manufacturers’ have decided to replace the legendary 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine with a fresh 2.0-litre MiVEC unit, complete with an aluminium block, which should deliver a whopping 320bhp and around 440Nm of torque, although no official figures have been released.

A top speed of 160mph is expected along with a 0-60mph time of 4.5 seconds.

The Evo X will feature the latest development of Mitsubishi's Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC), which incorporates Active Stability Control, Active Yaw Control (AYC) and an Active Centre Differen-tial (ACD) that provides maximum grip and acceleration out of corners.

Handling should also be improved thanks to improvements with the car’s active braking, suspension and steering. Customers will get a choice of two transmissions, a conventional six-speed manual and a new six-speed semi-automatic gearbox - which comes equipped with steering wheel-mounted paddleshifters, similar to Formula One cars.

The company claims that the new Evo should be more comfortable, as engineers have worked hard to improve the car's ride quality .

Further changes can be noticed inside the cabin, where quality levels have been improved. The flimsy plastics of the old models have been replaced by soft-touch materials, along with a stylish dashboard design, an MP3-compatible CD stereo, and a sat-nav system.

September’s Frankfurt Motor Show, Germany, will see the unveiling of the Evo X, with models expected to arrive at UK dealers by March, next year. The Evo X will cost around £30,000.