It's A Cultural Thing
Here's a real odd couple that amazingly enough both have basically the same mission in life: pin your butt in the seat and go down the road wickedly fast. In one corner, we have the Chevy Camaro SS. Over theyah, we have the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR. The Chevy has an insanely huge 6.2-liter V8 with 426 horsepower, and a six-speed manual gearbox. The EVO has 2.4-liter Inline Four with a nasty intercooled twin-scroll turbocharger and 291 horsepower. One is a rear-drive American Icon (built in Canada of course), the other sports rally car DNA, All Wheel Drive and tons of serious Japanese electronic tuning and traction technology. One pretends to have a back seat, the other has a surprisingly roomy one. They are as different as chalk and cheese, but both go, turn and stop amazingly well. It's really a great side-by-side, because they are both a barrel of minkeys (see: Inspector Jacques Clouseau) in their own way.
Funny, I love the EVO and have never had the Camaro Gene, even when I was a kid. I fully acknowledge that GM did pretty much exactly what they wanted to do with this car, and for a certain taste it nails all the right buttons. But I find it claustrophobic, a tad clumsy and full of cheap-ass plastic interior appointments. Great Brembo brakes, though.
The Mitsubishi actually approaches being a practical car, in addition to being a highly communicative RoadBeast. I hate Twin Clutch automatics generally, but the MR is getting it down. The doors sounds as tinny as, well, a tin can when you shut them. It drinks gas. It also has steering that is downright telepathic.







