Evo MR demands respect

It’s been a long time since a car could be referred to as “mister.” The first was a Toyota, the MR2, known almost universally as Mister Two. Now Mitsubishi has a “mister” car, the Evolution MR, and it deserves respect.

No, it demands respect.

I first drove the Evo in the summer, on dry roads and on a very fast, twisty road course track. I remember thinking “Wow! Wow! WOW!” or something equally evocative.

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I came away with a huge grin plastered on my face and a lot of respect for Mister Evo.

This is a street-legal, eye-catching, ear-pleasing purpose-built rocket of a car that’s born to go fast…in straight lines, on twisty corners, on pavement, on gravel. It’s even a blast to drive on snow.

Mitsubishi Canada sent an Evo MR for testing. What timing! When my test period came up, it was snowing – hard and it seems it’s been snowing ever since.

No matter; Mister Evo was wearing the latest fashion in winter rubber and he is an all-wheel-drive sedan, after all. On top of that, he comes from a long line of rally-bred machines totally at home when the going gets slippery.

Handling was exciting in dry conditions and downright awesome on slippery winter roads. The car’s Super All-wheel Control has settings for tarmac, gravel and snow (selected by a steering-wheel switch). It’s a dynamics control network that reads driver intent in real time and regulates drive torque at each wheel by controlling a network of systems including Active Centre Differential (ACD), Active Yaw Control (AYC) rear differential, Active Stability Control (ASC) and Sport ABS.

That’s a lot of stuff, but it all works magnificently making Mister Evo one of the most sure-footed vehicles I’ve ever driven. There’s just enough slip to let you have fun in the corners, but not enough to get you into any kind of trouble. Over-cook a corner and the system is going to intervene to keep you safe.

Lift the hood and there’s not a lot of real excitement to be found. Can this little engine be the source of all that power? Yes, it can.

Variable valve timing and turbocharging gives the 2.0-litre engine an impressive output of 291 horsepower at 6500 rpm and a neck-snapping 300 ft.-lb. of torque at 4000 revs.

It puts power to all four wheels through a spectacular six-speed twin-clutch Sportronic Shift transmission. If you’re one of those people who think they’re super-shifters with a stick and can beat any automatic, you’re living in the past.

I’m pretty quick with a stick, but this twin-clutch system can downshift three gears faster than I can get down two…and it will do it without upsetting anything. If I could have a shifter like this in any car, I wouldn’t think twice about ditching the stick.

There are paddle shifters if you want to make your own gear choices. I still don’t like the idea of having one hand do the downshift and the other make the upshift, but if you have to do that, Mister Evo has the right setup. Rather than mounting the paddles to the steering wheel, they are mounted on the steering column, meaning the extra-long switches are always in the same place no matter what position the steering wheel is in.

Okay, I like the exterior and I love the handling and the power. What about the inside?

As you might expect from a performance-oriented vehicle, it’s rather minimalist, although there are all the amenities you’d like in a car: power everything, handy well-thought-out controls and, best of all, Recaro front bucket seats.

There are some shortcomings, however.

Those Recaro seats contribute to a visibility problem compounded by the C-pillar and big rear wing. You need to use your side mirrors correctly to eliminate blind spots.

If you’re going to carry folks in back, the rear doors are small and getting into the rear seat is a bit of a chore, although once you’re in, the perch is comfortable enough. You won’t see much in front unless you lean toward the middle of the car. The front seats block the view.

But who cares to see what’s coming up in front? You will see soon enough as the MR blasts past the slowpokes. You can always look back under the wing and watch them disappear.

Trunk space is limited and there’s no fold-down seat to expand carrying space, so you have to plan your luggage needs if you’re going on a long trip.

Those three issues wouldn’t be deal breakers for me. Mister Evo is just too much fun to travel with.

This is definitely not a case of hear no Evo; see no Evo; speak no Evo.

You will hear Evo…its exhaust note is attention-getting, even if it is produced by a 2.0L four-banger. You will see Evo…its aggressive stance, big wheels and large rear wing stand out…and you will speak Evo…one drive will have you talking.