The brilliance of the Evo X is in no small part due to the brilliance of the new Lancer. Mitsubishi has finally brought a viable candidate to the podium. Previously the Lancer gave it's owners an experience as far removed from the Evo as a Ford Fusion is from a Nascar Fusion. Number ten is indeed the perfect number because after ten generations of the Lancer it finally gives its drivers a realistic idea of what an Evo would be like to own. In fact, to go out on a limb, the Lancer offers about 80% of the Evo's handling (.84g's) and chassis dynamics while offering a more resilient ride.
The percentages only fall when you pop the hood to reveal the Chrysler world car engine living beneath. Now at 152HP and a 0-60 time of 7.8 seconds the engine delivers very confident numbers that match up very confidently against Civic and Corolla. I don't know what Mitsubishi has done with this engine, but in this application it just sounds sweeter and delivers better numbers than in the Chrysler or Hyundai products that also get their go from this mill. The exterior is just as handsome and chiseled as the Evo, which also signals a change from past Lancers that always looked quite "wanting" parked next to it's Evo counterpoint. With a few bolt ons this Lancer could easily be a dead ringer for the Evo.
The same accolades continue inside where a ,refreshingly simple sports oriented ,dash welcomes you. The seats are supportive and attractive and interior room is good at all four seating positions. Now before you spend the ten grand the Lancer saves you over the Evo, keep in mind that as good as the Lancer it simply can not compete in the elite pantheon that the Evo competes in. To better understand the relationship between the two think of two state of the art computers. Both look the same, but one uses a slower processor with less memory while the other uses a state of the art system with the newest operating system. One is loaded with basic programs while the other is loaded with the most advanced programs available. Both look alike, both can handle many of the same tasks, but at the end of the day the superiority of the more advanced computer prevails. So don't let the look fool you ,the Lancer is no Evo ,but it is the best Lancer ever made and at price that hovers around $22k fully loaded it offers a lot of bang for your buck topping the Nissan SE-R and coming close, but falling short ,of the Honda SI. But then again for those that like the idea of paddle shifts on the steering wheel for tearing up those country roads in manual mode while using the nice big "D" notch on the floor shifter in traffic instead of continually shifting back and forth as you must with the Si, the Evo may take the upper hand in the end for many. The Lancer puts a lance through the hearts of the competition while smartly allowing enough room between it and the Evo that neither infringe on each others turf. Indeed the Lancer finally reminds us of the spirit that seems lost at Mitsubishi, a spirit that gave us an AWD gallant and a turbo charged Eclipse, a spirit that hopefully will continue down through the entire lineup.
The brilliance of the Evo X is in no small part due to the brilliance of the new Lancer. Mitsubishi has finally brought a viable candidate to the podium. Previously the Lancer gave it's owners an experience as far removed from the Evo as a Ford Fusion is from a Nascar Fusion. Number ten is indeed the perfect number because after ten generations of the Lancer it finally gives its drivers a realistic idea of what an Evo would be like to own. In fact, to go out on a limb, the Lancer offers about 80% of the Evo's handling (.84g's) and chassis dynamics while offering a more resilient ride. 
