We recently had the opportunity to drive the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, courtesy of Jim Russell Racing Drivers School. Our instructor was the hilarious and talented Paul Gerrard, who, besides knowing a thing or two about bending an Evo around a track, is able to eloquently and anecdotally describe the high-cost addiction that is racing (if you meet him, ask him about the driver who funded his automotive lust by robbing banks). Your author, never having driven a track on par with the famed course formerly known as Sears Point, was understandably thrilled at this opportunity.
In this issue of Winding Road, we drive the all-electric version of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG stealthily around Norway to see what the silent Gullwing is made of.
In the world of cute utes, the Mitsubishi Outlander flounders in relative obscurity. Overshadowed by the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Ford Escape, the Outlander trundles on as the oddball choice, which is a shame because Mitsubishi’s small SUV is actually a pretty decent alternative.
We just took delivery of the new Evo-inspired Mitsubishi Outlander GT. Our Outlander came fully loaded with heated leather seats, a satellite navigation system, Rockford Fosgate stereo, a 230-horsepower 3.0-liter V-6, a six-speed automatic, and Mitsubishi’s Evo-derived Super-All Wheel Control system.
In this issue of Winding Road, we drive the 2011 Aston Martin Rapide, and find out why a four-door could be a big hit for the prestigious brand. Plus, this newest issue is full of other great stuff, including 2011 Infiniti M56 S, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR Touring vs. Audi S4, 2010 Porsche GT3 RS, and much more.
We just took delivery of a slightly frostbitten Evo today. We will see just how enjoyable 291 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque is on our freshly snow covered roads. This is the MR Touring and is supposed to be more tolerable on a day to day basis compared to the other members of the Evolution family.
This year’s North American International Auto Show featured a street sign-labeled area titled Electric Avenue. The cars featured there were not produced by big, well-known automakers, but rather startup electric car companies with a vision of cleaner future transportation. Underneath the main floor in the large basement of Cobo hall, there was a small track offering drivers the chance to test drive some of the electric cars. Of the cars offered were the CT&T eZonem Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the Think City, and by far the darling of the test fleet, the Commuter Cars Tango.
Even though WindingRoad.com still has that new website smell, our magazine hasn’t missed a beat. Issue 53 of Winding Road is now available to read online, or you can buy and download a PDF.
In automotive terms, a “sleeper” is a car that doesn’t look like it’ll do much damage, but once it hits the road, it’s a real performance dream. Think of the Mazdaspeed3 or BMW 335d—two cars that don’t look all that vicious but are really stunning machines to steer. These cars, however, are just the opposite.
Mitsubishi has announced that it will begin production of a new small crossover, dubbed RVR, which will go on sale next spring in Japan. And while we’re very accustomed to the idea of Mitsubishi releasing JDM-only products, the three-diamond folks have confirmed that this little cutie will be coming to North America at some point next year.
We’re fresh from the driver’s seat of the newest addition to the Lancer Evo fast family, the mildly more grown up MR Touring model. Mitsubishi has got a lot happening at its event in Palm Springs, California this afternoon (stay tuned for much more from this desert trip in coming days), but we felt we’d be remiss if we didn’t check in with a few quick thoughts about the new Evo.
We had a chance to drive several Hyundai Genesis Coupes this week at Hyundai’s launch event outside of Las Vegas. Our summary: The Genesis Coupe is both intriguing and confusing; kind of like a girlfriend you probably had once (or have now).
Over the past couple of years, we’ve noticed a trend that more and more performance cars are steering away from traditional manual transmissions in favor of high-tech dual-clutch setups. For 2008, the top-dollar Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR features a six-speed paddle-shift transmission, and while some of us would rather have a stick and a third pedal, there’s no denying that this tranny is really, really good. Still, at nearly $41,000, some of us would rather just stick with the softer Evo GSR, which has the same performance specs but at a lower cost.
We’re just back from a day of participation in what Mitsubishi called its Lancer Family Road Show, where the main event was our debut drive in the new center of the range, the 2009 Lancer Ralliart.