On The Road In The Mitsubishi Evo FQ400
£50k for an Evo? Ouch. We find out if it's worth it...
On first glance it appears to have had an accident with the Halford’s parts department and come out with lots of garish plastic add-ons. On second glance you’ll notice wings on wings, carbonfibre front spoilers and a centrally mounted rectangular exhaust. This is not a car that blends into everyday traffic.
Inside the FQ400 there is less of the add-on garishness, though the bass box of the Rockford Fosgate sound system in the boot is carried over from the other highly specced Evo X models. But analysing the looks and wincing at its appearance is not the point of this car; it is about pure A-to-B speed, and boy can it do this well.
As a massive rally fan growing up with the North York Moors and Dalby Forest as my playground I have a natural predisposition for this sort of car. But I was always one to fall on the Subaru side and, with them being the most recent factory team competing, I still stick with that bias. Off the special-stage, Subaru’s last road car that really hit the spot was the RB320 and I really loved that car. It would take something special to top that, and our old long-term FQ360 never managed to outpoint the RB320 in my rally-nutter affections.
The suspension has been lowered and the track widened, livening up the chassis response and leaving you more engaged in the driving experience. The steering response feels more accurate than the FQ360’s, and this gives you more confidence to attack roundabouts (or any other non-straight bits in your way) much harder than you’d think possible. The roll that was found in other Evo Xs has been eradicated and, with highly rigid, lightweight Bilstein dampers and Eibach coil springs on each corner, the car has the predictability that lower-spec versions really could do with.
Point it in a straight line, flex the right foot and you are bounding over tarmac as quick as many supercars. Hitting 60mph in 3.8 seconds feels quicker with the accompanying soundtrack from the four-cylinder, turbocharged 2.0-litre lump. Add to it the lower ride and some sticky Toyo Proxes R1Rs and this has to be one of the quickest vehicles over UK’s miles of B-roads.
It may save you money on fuel but the initial outlay won’t do. I always equate cars to their potential purchase if my lottery numbers ever appear. This car is one I would have to shortlist for a first trip to the dealers when the cheque arrives, but – and this is a big one – I think I would have to have multi-millions to justify spending £50,000 on an Evo X with bits cut out. In my non-lottery garage I would still choose the Impreza RB320.
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Perhaps the Evo would be quicker to 60mph, but while we were 'pressing on', I was chasing in the M3 and repeatedly had to back off on the straights. And the FQ400 driver was flat to the boards.
Also, everything about the BMW is better: interior, engine, ride. It's a better car, pure and simple.
The way I see it is this (and should explain why I was so disappointed by the FQ400):
The rule of thumb with Evos has always been that they would scare a car that costs twice as much. Ten-fifteen years ago, a £30k Evo would really put the s
ts up a £60k Porsche. My problem with the new FQ is that it can't even get near the performance of a car that's the same price, never mind the 911 Turbo, which is what it should be scaring. Just to be clear the FQ400 wouldn't see which way a 997 Turbo went, in any situation, on any road.That's why I don't like it.
For the record, I do think it looks great and it does make a ridiculous noise. That said, it's not as ridiculous as the noise an M3 makes!
Amusingly, it's designed for the kind of people who have been so vehemently defending it on this thread: Mitsi fanboys. Well, Mitsi fanboys with deep, stupid pockets.
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