Astoundingly Capable
by David Finlay (05 Mar 07)

Mitsubishi has had a tremendous amount of time to develop this car. The Evo IX is the last of a line which stretches back almost unbroken to the Evo IV, and there have been far more reworkings than that numbering system would suggest. The Evo IX MR FQ-360 brings the run to an end (the Evo X will be based on a different car), but is it also the ultimate model?

It's certainly the most powerful, if you don't count the rare and reportedly fragile 400bhp limited edition of a couple of years back. This latest development of the now twenty-year old two-litre turbo engine produces 366bhp (as ever, Mitsubishi is being modest with the number in the car's title), but any suggestion that this makes it too hot for normal road use can be laid to rest right now.

In fact, one of the truly remarkable things about the FQ-360 - and there are several - is just how tractable it is. It was the FQ-340 (see road test ) that was the difficult one, doing nothing much to speak of below 3500rpm and then letting rip in no uncertain manner. The 360 is awake by 3000rpm, and while this wouldn't be significant on a track day it makes a big difference on the road.

Once the turbo has come in, the 360 becomes a monster. There's something about the way this four-door saloon (albeit a dramatic-looking one thanks to all the competition-derived add-ons) erupts towards the horizon that brings a big smile to your face even though you know you should really be tut-tutting about the waste and irrelevance of it all.

But it doesn't have to feel wasteful and irrelevant. Below 3000rpm the 360 seems quite happy to potter around town in a way that the 340 wasn't. The older car snarled and complained at sensible road speeds, and always felt like it wanted to go much faster. The 360 is much more peaceful when you're not pushing it, as if it's more confident in its abilities and is happy to wait for the right moment to display them.

The 360 is a better road car in other ways, too. It's pretty loud, thanks to that immense exhaust tailpipe, but I don't think the interior noise levels are quite as pain-inducing as they used to be. And the ride is that little bit more friendly - run over a manhole cover and you might sigh with frustration, wishing you hadn't done that, but you won't wince in discomfort as you might have done in the past.

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