THEY CALL THIS ONE 'MISTER'; A faster, more civilized Evolution.(news)(Product/Service Evaluation)

Byline: ANDREW LUU

Just before we jumped behind the wheel of the new Mitsubishi Lancer Evo MR, we were told, "In the first 10 feet, you'll know the car is different.'' Now that's not enough distance to gauge any performance gains-we need at least 60 feet for that.

Besides, our journey to Mission Raceway Park (a small drag strip-turned-road course near Vancouver, British Columbia) began on public roads, so four-wheel launches couldn't have been the difference that was hinted.

As we sipped from a bottle of water and pulled away, the first 10 feet felt no different than your average morning drive. Then we recalled our last run in an Evolution and suddenly it hit us. The water stayed in the bottle and our backside wasn't replicating every inch of suspension travel. The ride was, dare we say, decent.

The MR, which stands for Mitsubishi Racing, is equipped with Bilstein shocks (not found on the RS and VIII) with 30 percent less damping force. At the same time, the softer nature allows the suspension to adapt more smoothly and quickly so that handling limits are actually increased by keeping the tires in better touch with the road.

Extra traction is a good thing, because Evo's 2.0-liter turbo-charged inline four jumps 5 horses to 276 hp and torque grows from 273 lb-ft to 286 lb-ft. The modest gains come courtesy of a larger turbine nozzle in the turbo and a lighter, more circular wastegate valve set to a maximum of 20.3 psi.

An MR-only six-speed gearbox transfers the extra grunt through an active center differential, which replaces the outgoing car's viscous coupling unit. The advantage here is a computer that constantly measures the steering angle, throttle position, wheel speeds and chassis movements to split torque up to 50-50 through a new higher-capacity hydraulic multiplate clutch. Unlike a viscous coupling, this can be done before slip is detected.