The "Evo" for short comes in three different levels of fast. My ride for the week used a six-speed twin clutch Sportronic (tm) automatic and enough adjustability so that I could tailor the car to the road conditions and the way I felt at the moment. The first and most obvious adjustment was to move the shifter from humdrum automatic into sport shift mode. Next on the list was the horsepower button on the center console that changed shifter points again, firmed up the shifts a whole bunch and altered the boost (by the way the car is turbocharged!).
Interior
Inside, the Evo is so different from a regular Lancer that you would never suspect that they come from the same basic platform. The first thing you notice is that Reccarro bucket seats are standard, the steering wheel is fat and the instruments are driver oriented. Steering wheel mounted controls have to do with the engine not the stereo.
Once you get in, the first thing you notice is how firmly the Recaro seats hold you in place. These seats are a serious design intended to hold driver and passenger (rallye cars have a driver and a navigator) firmly in place. On the seat cushion, the bolsters are firm and non-adjustable so one size fits all. Surprisingly enough Reccarro has chosen to hold the upper body in place by providing a good mid body seat and then holding your shoulders in place with shoulder bolsters. It looks a bit unusual the first time you see such a seat, but once you use one, you will agree that there is nothing better.
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| The "Evo" for short comes in three different levels of fast. |
If you survive those dramatic changes, you are ready to start to play with the steering wheel mounted control that alters the all wheel drive torque splits. When you use this button, the display in the center of the dash shows three choices, snow, gravel and tarmac. Each of these settings interacts with the engine settings and the center differential to provide enough power to each wheel so that you can come off a traffic light or head into a corner with a minimum of fuss.
Driving
Should you want to make a fuss, then you just select a setting that puts a bit more power to the rear than the front (like tarmac) and use a lot of right foot going into a corner so that the tail starts to come out in a grand slide. About half way around and just before the tail goes too far out to get back, you select snow and the power shifts to a different split. At this point you have all four wheels hook up and off you go. Needless to say, timing is everything. Get it wrong and it will be expensive!!
Driving
Should you want to make a fuss, then you just select a setting that puts a bit more power to the rear than the front (like tarmac) and use a lot of right foot going into a corner so that the tail starts to come out in a grand slide. About half way around and just before the tail goes too far out to get back, you select snow and the power shifts to a different split. At this point you have all four wheels hook up and off you go. Needless to say, timing is everything. Get it wrong and it will be expensive!!
Interior
Inside, the Evo is so different from a regular Lancer that you would never suspect that they come from the same basic platform. The first thing you notice is that Reccarro bucket seats are standard, the steering wheel is fat and the instruments are driver oriented. Steering wheel mounted controls have to do with the engine not the stereo.
Once you get in, the first thing you notice is how firmly the Recaro seats hold you in place. These seats are a serious design intended to hold driver and passenger (rallye cars have a driver and a navigator) firmly in place. On the seat cushion, the bolsters are firm and non-adjustable so one size fits all. Surprisingly enough Reccarro has chosen to hold the upper body in place by providing a good mid body seat and then holding your shoulders in place with shoulder bolsters. It looks a bit unusual the first time you see such a seat, but once you use one, you will agree that there is nothing better.
 |
| The steering wheel is fat and the instruments are driver oriented. |
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