New Cars Garage

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has unveiled official details on the new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X ahead of it’s official unveiling at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. There are two models: the Evolution X GSR and the bare bones competition-centric Evolution X RS. The manual version will be launched first, with the Twin Clutch SST version to be available towards the end of November.

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR comes with either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed Twin Clutch SST dual clutch automated gearbox. It also includes the S-AWC all-wheel drive system. The standard wheels are Enkei 12-spoke 18 inch cast alloy wheels with 245/40R18 tyres, but there is an optional premium package which upgrades these to 18 inch BBS lightweight alloy wheels.

The other noticeable difference on the exterior is the oversized rear spoiler on the GSR which uses a twisted-section wing panel with different attack angles at its ends and in the center portion to match the airflow over the body surface.


On the interior, you get Recaro full bucket front seats which also host the optional SRS side airbag. There is also a leather package which uses genuine leather combined with Glanluxe, an artificial suede-finish leather made by Seiren Co Ltd. The steering wheel is of a small diameter for smooth operation and is wrapped with genuine leather. The left steering wheel spoke either hosts the S-AWC mode selector or audio controls depending on what spec levels you choose.

The instrumentation cluster includes a multi-info display which provides the driver vehicle status information such as fuel remaining, Twin Clutch SST mode, and S-AWC operating mode.

The new engine is of course the 4B11T, a 280PS 2.0 liter inline-4 DOHC engine with MIVEC varaible valve timing which has more torque than the previous 4G63 unit - 422Nm at 3,500rpm. It is 12kg lighter excluding auxiliary equipment thanks to the usage of a die-cast aluminium cylinder block, head cover and chain case. The new engine now uses a rearward facing exhaust manifold which improves exhaust and emission control efficiency and allows the engine to be mounted lower as there is now no need for the exhaust piping to pass underneath the engine. This reduces center of gravity.

While the standard suspension is already a sporty setup with MacPherson struts at the front and a multilink setup at the rear, there is an option to take this a step further with a high performance packagew hich includes Bilstein single tube shocks and Eibach coil springs. The standard Brembo brakes are replaced with 2-piece versions which save 1.3kg at each wheel. Tyres are also replaced with ones with stiffer walls and better grip.

Mitsubishi plans to sell 4,000 units in Japan this year. More photos after the jump.

Source: http://paultan.org/