YOU SAY YOU WANT AN EVOLUTION; We begin a year with the gentler rally-bred Evo X.(NEWS)

Byline: JONATHAN WONG

Bring up the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX with anyone here on the AutoWeek staff, and most will think about its screaming acceleration, great handling and telepathic steering responsebut tin-can packaging. It wasn't particularly high on quality, comfort or amenities, causing it to strike a chord mostly with hard-core enthusiasts. But for the model's 10th incarnation, introduced for 2008, Mitsubishi altered the Evo's DNA to broaden its appeal, with the goal of increasing sales of its flagship performer.

We needed a replacement for the Mazda Mazdaspeed 3 in our long-term fleet, and the new Evolution seemed like a worthy candidate with its more refined image. To entice a larger group of customers, Mitsubishi improved the interior quality, tuned the car for more comfortable on-road behavior andfor the first timeoffered premium features such as navigation and satellite radio. But the biggest concession to the mass market is the option of getting the Evo sans a third pedal, with a dual-clutch transmission.

Furthermore, the latest car isn't just a rehash of the same platform and engine as the past few Evolutions were. It's new from the ground up. Beginning with the new Lancer's larger platformstiffer than that of the Evolution IXMitsubishi added more structural enhancements to the front and rear suspension areas. The new turbo-charged engine is a reinforced cast-aluminum unit producing 291 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque (up 5 hp and 11 lb-ft over the IX).

On paper, the Mitsubishi fills the Mazda's performance void nicely with a turbocharged powerplant and tight chassis but adds all-wheel drive to the equation. With an active center differential and yaw and stability control, the Evolution's AWD system can adjust the torque split between wheels for maximum performance potential, and it should serve us well when the snow hits.

We ordered our rally-red Evolution MR with the optional technology package, which adds navigation, a Rockford Fosgate sound system, satellite radio and keyless entry and ignition, bumping the sticker price to $41,515. These items join premium standard features such as xenon headlamps, a Bluetooth phone interface and Recaro ...