Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[VIDEO: <i>Fifth Gear</i> pits Ford Focus RS vs. Mitsubishi Evo X]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/12/video-i-fifth-gear-i-pits-ford-focus-rs-vs-mitsubishi-evo-x/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/12/video-i-fifth-gear-i-pits-ford-focus-rs-vs-mitsubishi-evo-x/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/12/video-i-fifth-gear-i-pits-ford-focus-rs-vs-mitsubishi-evo-x/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Click above to watch the video after the jump

Yesterday, we showed you Fifth Gear's take on the new Audi R8 V10 - notable more for their footage of the gorgeous blue test car than for much in the way of actual performance driving and analysis. In an effort to correct that oversight, we've found you another clip of the UK television show that features not just one enthusiast car - but two cars, Ford's stonking new Focus RS and the Mitsubishi Evolution X. Better still, the fearsome twosome tangle on the track in a pair of tests with hot shoes Tiff Needell and BTCC champion Jason Plato at the wheel.

It's a scrap as the touring car scion takes on the rally-bred hero, so check out the front-drive versus all-wheel-drive pocket rocket madness after the jump.


Gallery: 2009 Ford Focus RS (green)


[Source: Fifth Gear via YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Fifth Gear pits Ford Focus RS vs. Mitsubishi Evo X

VIDEO: Fifth Gear pits Ford Focus RS vs. Mitsubishi Evo X originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BTCCevo xevolution xEvolutionXEvoXFifth GearFifthGearFocus RSFocusRsFord FocusFord Focus RSFord RSFordFocusFordFocusRsFordRsJason PlatoJasonPlatoMitsubishi EVOMitsubishi EVO XMitsubishi EvolutionMitsubishiEvoMitsubishiEvolutionMitsubishiEvoXTiff NeedellTiffNeedellFri, 12 Jun 2009 15:29:00 EST<![CDATA[<i>Top Gear</i> Preview: Clarkson and company destroy Mitsubishi Evo on army base]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/04/i-top-gear-i-preview-clarkson-and-company-destroy-mitsubishi/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/04/i-top-gear-i-preview-clarkson-and-company-destroy-mitsubishi/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/04/i-top-gear-i-preview-clarkson-and-company-destroy-mitsubishi/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Jeremy Clarkson kills a Mitsubishi Evo - Click above for high-res gallery

The automotive enthusiast world is waiting with bated breath to see what the chaps at Top Gear have up their clever sleeves for season 13. So far, we know that TG will be cutting back on the fancy a bit, as the wildly popular British car show has been handed a substantial budget cut.

One thing that doesn't cost much at all is creativity, and team Top Gear has free thought in spades. Photos captured during shooting show that Jeremy Clarkson is up to his old tricks, as he takes a perfectly good Mitsubishi Evo and manages to get it torn to shreds in front of the cameras - reportedly with the aid of the British Army. Perhaps the TG gang wanted to go back to the well after the smash hit that was the Ford Fiesta invasion with the Royal Marines. In the end, though, the Fiesta came out no worse for wear, while we can already see that someone or something tried the hard way to convert the turbocharged Mitsubishi into a drop-top. Click on the gallery below for more shots of Clarkson and the hapless Evo.


Gallery: Top Gear Series 13 Evo


[Source: Lancer Register]

Top Gear Preview: Clarkson and company destroy Mitsubishi Evo on army base originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>British ArmyBritishArmyEvojeremy clarksonJeremyClarksonmitsubishi evoMitsubishiEvotop gearTopGearThu, 04 Jun 2009 16:56:00 EST<![CDATA[Tokyo Auto Salon: Mitsubishi Evolution X gets tuner love in Japan]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/16/tokyo-auto-salon-mitsubishi-evolution-x-gets-tuner-love-in-japa/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/16/tokyo-auto-salon-mitsubishi-evolution-x-gets-tuner-love-in-japa/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/16/tokyo-auto-salon-mitsubishi-evolution-x-gets-tuner-love-in-japa/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click the image above for more shots of Tokyo Auto Salon's assortment of Evos.

There were three main show pieces gracing the halls of the Makuhari Messe over the last few days: the GT-R, the new Subaru Impreza STI and Mitsubishi's Evolution X. Autoblog Chinese snapped off a random assortment of pictures showing several different interpretations of the Evo X from a variety of tuners.

From what we can see, some of the aftermarket firms weren't able to get parts fabbed up before the show, but several of the companies featured revised suspensions, strut tower braces, new intake and exhaust components and a few other choice bits. We're sure next year's Tokyo Auto Salon will be far more important to the aftermarket and its customers.

In the meantime, we were able to find out that ARC brought a modified Evo X to the show fitted with a new intercooler, a complete coilover suspension and upgrade brakes. The team of HKS and Camp featured an Evo with an exposed carbon fiber splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser, but, more impressively, Camp integrated its new Computerized Automobile Multi Player, which acts similar to the GT-R's dash-mounted screen that displays a variety of engine parameters in lieu of a row of analog gauges.

Finally, Team Orange's D1 Evo X was on the show floor and at a Mitsubishi Ralliart shindig. The team's all-wheel-drive drifter came sporting a full carbon fiber body kit and wing, a new set of Enkeis and Lord knows what else.

Check the gallery below for more live shots from the Tokyo Auto Salon.

Gallery: Mitsubishi Evolution X at the Tokyo Auto Salon

Tokyo Auto Salon: Mitsubishi Evolution X gets tuner love in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>campevo xevolution xEvolutionXEvoXhksmitsubishi evomitsubishi evo xmitsubishi evolution xMitsubishiEvoMitsubishiEvolutionXMitsubishiEvoXtasteam orangeteam orange evolution xTeamOrangeTeamOrangeEvolutionXtokyo auto salonTokyoAutoSalonWed, 16 Jan 2008 08:58:00 EST<![CDATA[C&D first to drive the slower but faster Mitsubishi Evo GSR]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/24/candd-first-to-drive-the-slower-but-faster-mitsubishi-evo-grs/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/24/candd-first-to-drive-the-slower-but-faster-mitsubishi-evo-grs/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/24/candd-first-to-drive-the-slower-but-faster-mitsubishi-evo-grs/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Our pulpy friends over at 2002 Hogback Road have gotten their hands on the latest version of Mitsubishi's Evo, the Evo X. Car and Driver's November 2007 issue has a preview of the Evo X, and they found that while the new car gives up speed to the outgoing model in a drag race, it kicks it in the teeth if curves are on the menu. Any car that can run a 13.8-second quarter mile is not slow, anyway. Consider that you get that kind of speed for a base price of $30,000, and 295 horsepower from two-liters is impressive. C&D's numbers are from the Evo GSR, and a JDM one at that, but changes for US-bound Evos are down to details.

Putting the 295 horsepower and 300 lb/feet of torque to the ground in a seamless manner is a bucketful of acronyms. There's a new dual-clutch sequential gearbox called Twin-Clutch SST that is bolted to four coordinated systems that get the overall descriptor of Super All Wheel Control. S-AWC combines a center differential with yaw control, stability control, and a rear differential with separate clutches for the left and right wheels. The structure is stiffer and lighter, and in the boy-racer arena, the Evo's always been a sweet driver, which hasn't changed. In fact, the character of the car has become a little less uncouth, which purists may cry about, but the rest of us will just giggle like schoolgirls as the Evo X replicates the video game experience IRL.

[Source: VWVortex]

Thanks for the tip, Chris!

C&D first to drive the slower but faster Mitsubishi Evo GSR originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Sep 2007 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car and driverCarAndDriverevoevo xEvoXlancerlancer evoLancerEvomitsubishi evomitsubishi evo xmitsubishi lancerMitsubishiEvoMitsubishiEvoXMitsubishiLancerreviewxMon, 24 Sep 2007 08:28:00 EST<![CDATA[Mitsubishi's new WRX-rival Ralliart caught testing]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/27/mitsubishis-new-wrx-rival-ralliart-caught-testing/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/27/mitsubishis-new-wrx-rival-ralliart-caught-testing/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/27/mitsubishis-new-wrx-rival-ralliart-caught-testing/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Everyone's attention so far has been on the Evo, but the AWD turbocharged terror won't be the only hot Lancer model in Mitsubishi's updated fleet. Previous reports suggested that a cheaper WRX-rival was in the works, complete with a turbocharged engine and AWD configuration, and this latest Ralliart prototype spotted in California's Death Valley seems to back up those reports.

Like the Evo, this test-mule featured a front mounted intercooler, bonnet scoop and dual exhaust pipes, but missing were the widened fenders, imposing rear wing and the blacked-out bumper insert.

During the launch of the new Lancer late last year, one company official revealed that the Ralliart model would be making a return, this time with a greater influence on performance. With the addition of cut-priced performance cars like this and the styling of Subaru's new Impreza range gone sour, Mitsubishi's new Lancer range is poised to become the next cult classic.

[Source: Winding Road]

Mitsubishi's new WRX-rival Ralliart caught testing originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jul 2007 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mitsubishi EvoMitsubishi RalliartMitsubishiEvoMitsubishiRalliartRalliartFri, 27 Jul 2007 14:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Motor Trend crowns world's best-handling car with most confusing graph]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/11/motor-trend-crowns-worlds-best-handling-car-with-most-confusing/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/11/motor-trend-crowns-worlds-best-handling-car-with-most-confusing/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/11/motor-trend-crowns-worlds-best-handling-car-with-most-confusing/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,


Isn't it obvious who won?

Bringing together the best of the best handling cars from various price classes and axeing those with exorbitant price tags to keep things relevant for those of us in the peanut gallery, Motor Trend came up with a list of 32 contenders for the title of Best Handling Car in the World. After a vigorous battery of road tests, they narrowed it down to just 10: the Honda Civic Si, Mazdaspeed3, Mini Cooper S with the John Cooper Works package, Mitsubishi Evolution IX MR (both from 2006 as the 2007 versions haven't hit the pavement yet), the Honda S2000, BMW 335i, Porsche Cayman S, Lotus Exige S, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and Porsche 911 GT3.

The folks at Motor Trend feverishly tracked on-center feel, skid-pad testing, step-steer, lane-change/swerve stability and ride quality, using gadgets to measure results precisely and not allowing looks, reputation or even emotion get in the way of their final verdict. It's perhaps the most thorough and objective comparison test we've ever seen performed, and as such, it offers a lot of data for the reader to digest. Almost too much, actually, as evident by the graph at the article's conclusion that tries to encapsulate every bit of data for each car in a siezure inducing spider graph (shown above).

Which car won the battle? We don't want to ruin it for you, so click through to find out. [Hint: the winner can be found on page 8 if you're like us and hate surprises]

[Source: Motor Trend]

Motor Trend crowns world's best-handling car with most confusing graph originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 May 2007 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>best carbest-handlingBestCarbmwhandlinghondaminimitsubishi evoMitsubishiEvoporschetechnologyFri, 11 May 2007 10:05:00 EST<![CDATA[Top 10 most and least expensive cars to insure]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/18/top-10-most-and-least-expensive-cars-to-insure/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/18/top-10-most-and-least-expensive-cars-to-insure/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/18/top-10-most-and-least-expensive-cars-to-insure/#commentsFiled under:



Here's a post all the domestic-or-nothing crowd should enjoy reading. Of the 10 most expensive cars to insure as listed by Insurelane, only one is American-made, and it's no longer produced. And on the least expensive list, seven are Big Three branded (nine if you count Volvo and Mazda as Fords).

It should come as no surprise that the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo and Subaru WRX aren't cheap to protect, while GMC Safari and Pontiac Montana owners can probably pay their premiums with the half-eaten Cheerios found in their back seats.

As we all know, lots of factors determine your personal rate (age, driving record, number of cars you've totaled right there in your insurance agent's parking lot, etc.), but imports will generally have higher rates over comparable domestics due mostly to more expensive replacement parts.

See the top five on each list after the jump.

[Source: Insurelane]

Continue reading Top 10 most and least expensive cars to insure

Top 10 most and least expensive cars to insure originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 18 Feb 2007 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cheap car insurancecheap insuranceCheapCarInsuranceCheapInsuranceexpensive insuranceExpensiveInsuranceinsuranceinsurance ratesInsuranceRatesMitsubishi evoMitsubishi evo insuranceMitsubishi evo insureMitsubishi evolutionMitsubishiEvoMitsubishiEvoInsuranceMitsubishiEvoInsureMitsubishiEvolutionSubaru WRXSubaru WRX insuranceSubaru WRX insureSubaruWrxSubaruWrxInsuranceSubaruWrxInsureSun, 18 Feb 2007 17:57:00 EST<![CDATA[Video: Prodrive P2 handles so well, even Clarkson loses his lunch]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/09/video-prodrive-p2-handles-so-well-even-clarkson-loses-his-lunc/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/09/video-prodrive-p2-handles-so-well-even-clarkson-loses-his-lunc/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/09/video-prodrive-p2-handles-so-well-even-clarkson-loses-his-lunc/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Alright... so you've openly lusted after the performance envelopes of road-bound rally cars like the Subaru WRX STi and Mitsubishi EVO IX MR, but you can't get around their frump four-door roots, or their look-at-me aerodynamic addenda. So what's keeping the two firms from building a lighter, more lithesome coupe?  Mitsubishi has little excuse, as it already has the rumptastic (if overweight) Eclipse in its fold, a car that was once upon a time known for its turbocharged hooliganism.

Subaru, however, doesn't have the same luck-- the last time it did a two-door coupe, the interestingly-styled SVX, it was an overweight, slow-selling cruiser, not a true performance car. So while enthusiasts have waited around for some time for the boys and gals at Fuji Heavy to pack their winning mechanicals in something smaller and sexier, it's taken the WRC wizards at Prodrive to deliver.

Seen here is the P2, a car that's been hinted about for some time, and Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear is the first scribe we know of to drive it... as well as suffer its ill-effects.

Based on Subaru's diminutive R1 supermini, but packing the drivetrain from the WRX STi with a bigger turbo, and the attractively 'New Edge with chunk' styled P2 puts 345 brake horsepower worth of smack down. The net-net? 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds, and a top speed of 174 mph.

Better still, Clarkson figures, is the handling. The engineers at Prodrive have not only figured out some sort of indescribably complex anti-lag system for the turbocharger, they've gone and developed a driver-adjustable active center differential. While the latter trinket doesn't sound terribly different from a bog-standard STi's piece, the Subaru's is essentially a mechanical system, while the P2's is supervised and informed by all manner of sensors, including yaw, throttle position, and so on. The end result is a coupe that can be neatly tailored for the demands of the road and the driver-- safe as houses understeer, or tail-out antics. It all works so well that it makes Clarkson sick-- literally.

Sadly, according to JC, ProDrive has no plans to put the P2 into production. 

[Source: TopGear via YouTube]

Video: Prodrive P2 handles so well, even Clarkson loses his lunch originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Jun 2006 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>EclipseEVOImprezaJeremy ClarksonJeremyClarksonLancerMitsubishiMitsubishi EVOMitsubishiEvoProDriveRally CarRallyCarStigSVXTop GearTopGearTurboWorld RallyWorldRallyWRCWRXFri, 09 Jun 2006 11:31:00 EST