RE: Mitsubishi Evo IX Wagon: Spotted

RE: Mitsubishi Evo IX Wagon: Spotted

Thursday 19th April 2018

Mitsubishi Evo IX Wagon: Spotted

A performance car that can do it all - from a time when performance cars weren't expected to



It's well known that we have quite the appreciation for fast estates at PH. From the E63 S to the Superb 280 Sportline, anything you can put plenty of stuff into and get plenty of power out of ticks the right boxes for us. The Mitsubishi Evo IX Wagon is one such car and, despite its rarity, will already be familiar to many PHers - a particularly distinctive example having been seen on these pages before.

But while many Evos of this generation have received a tweak or two too many, at first glance this one seems to be in exceptional (and, crucially, very un-messed-with) condition. Externally, the paint looks untarnished, as do the 17-inch wheels, while inside the half leather Recaro seats seem good as new.


Looks are, of course, secondary to the Evo IX's performance though, and there's plenty of that to go around despite its unmodified state. The Wagon made use of the same turbocharged 2.0-litre engine as the saloon, officially putting out 289lb ft of torque and 280hp - although Evo magazine reckoned it was closer to 320hp when they drove it - for a 0-60 sprint of 4.8 seconds. Unlike the saloon, it was also available with an automatic transmission, though thankfully today's Spotted is equipped with the far-superior six-speed manual.

Bilstein dampers all-round with MacPherson struts up front and multi-link suspension at the rear mean the Wagon corners as laser-guidedly as the standard car. The lack of the Active Yaw Control technology found in the saloon not denting its performance in this regard, largely thanks to the extra 70kg of bodywork found above the rear axle.


Performance is still respectable over a decade after it rolled off the production line, then, especially for the £14,980 asking price. And for that sum you'll also get a five-seat estate car capable of transporting the whole family and their belongings, very swiftly indeed. The car's 4,500-mile/ six-month service intervals and thirst for fuel may dent its practicality somewhat, but that kind of automotive ability doesn't come without sacrifices...

With only 2,500 Evo IX Wagons having been made, and none officially designated for the UK, it should be a very rare sight indeed, and perhaps a more prudent investment than a saloon in the long-term, particularly if left unmolested. Its one-owner status and full service history are both positives too, which makes the near year it's spent in the classifieds all the more puzzling. It'll surely find a good home soon, though, just in time for a summer road trip. Could it be yours?


SPECIFICATION - MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO IX WAGON

Engine: 1,997cc, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 320@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 289@3,000rpm
MPG: Few
CO2: Probably not great
Recorded mileage: 84,000
Year registered: 2006
Price new: £29,999 (UK MR FQ-320 saloon)
Yours for: £14,980

See the full ad here.

 

 

Author
Discussion

adingley84

Original Poster:

337 posts

161 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
Damn I just love these!! So many seem cursed with the jap love for autos I can't believe this hasn't been snapped up!!

CooperS

4,500 posts

218 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
Haha 4500 mile or 6 month servicing!

I wonder why these died out....

Butter Face

30,192 posts

159 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
Been looking at these for a while, but you can also get an RS4 for around the same money and I’d wager you’d need biggish balls and deep pockets to run either!

Cool car though.

Alex_225

6,234 posts

200 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
It's such a contradiction in that it's brilliantly practical and kinda sensible being an estate car, yet the engine and performance contradict that entirely.

I'm not even a Japanese car fan as such but I do really like that. Always had an appreciation of the performance of these cars so this example is just that bit different. smile

stuckmojo

2,955 posts

187 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
Oooh I love that. Perfect family car, really. Can a tow bar be attached?

fakenews

452 posts

76 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
adingley84 said:
Damn I just love these!! So many seem cursed with the jap love for autos I can't believe this hasn't been snapped up!!
+1

Crazy cars!

Fastdruid

8,623 posts

151 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
stuckmojo said:
Oooh I love that. Perfect family car, really. Can a tow bar be attached?
+1

I wouldn't though as if I'm going to replace my current car I'd want something newer not older (and while my annual mileage is low the service intervals on that would be a killer!)

Tragically however there is very very little that appeals that's any newer.

Heaveho

5,279 posts

173 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
Great cars. Had an Evo 8 for 15 years now, there's nothing like them for making mental progress. As said, can be eye-wateringly expensive to run. They aren't unreliable, quite the opposite, but heavy on fuel, tyres, servicing. In my view, cancelled out by the fact that it won't constantly want parts replacing like anything German, and will reward more than most on the roads it's meant for. Seriously considered changing to the wagon on more than one occasion, it's one of the cheaper ways to get into an Evo 9.

borat52

559 posts

207 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
As incredible as these are it’s stickyness in the classifieds is surely not helped by the fact that you can get a similar condition forrester sti of the same era for half the price, likely imported and tweaked by litchfield.

RB Will

9,662 posts

239 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
stuckmojo said:
Oooh I love that. Perfect family car, really. Can a tow bar be attached?
Saw one for sale recently with a tow bar on so guess so

unsprung

5,467 posts

123 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all

handsome and with more power than most people would expect


douglasgdmw

488 posts

218 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
stuckmojo said:
Oooh I love that. Perfect family car, really. Can a tow bar be attached?
My friend had a removable tow bar attached to his Evo IX to allow him to attach his mountain bikes :
http://www.watling-towbars.co.uk/import_vehicle_to...

Me, I went down the roof bar route with a Thule rack on my Evo VIII. Not a very good idea when the roof rack came dislodged, mountain bikes went skipping down the road in my rear view mirror !!!




leef44

4,359 posts

152 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
Alex_225 said:
It's such a contradiction in that it's brilliantly practical and kinda sensible being an estate car, yet the engine and performance contradict that entirely.

I'm not even a Japanese car fan as such but I do really like that. Always had an appreciation of the performance of these cars so this example is just that bit different. smile
I think this sums it up well. As an ex Impreza "WR1" owner, I agree the impractical side is its small fuel tank for something which does mpg in the teens, high maintenance.... but the addiction to its performance is sky high.

And this EVO as an estate is uber cool.

TEKNOPUG

18,844 posts

204 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
£5k too much.

Fastdruid

8,623 posts

151 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
douglasgdmw said:
stuckmojo said:
Oooh I love that. Perfect family car, really. Can a tow bar be attached?
My friend had a removable tow bar attached to his Evo IX to allow him to attach his mountain bikes :
http://www.watling-towbars.co.uk/import_vehicle_to...

Me, I went down the roof bar route with a Thule rack on my Evo VIII. Not a very good idea when the roof rack came dislodged, mountain bikes went skipping down the road in my rear view mirror !!!
A bit of a read up and it seems they fall into a grey area. As an import they are not type approved and so the requirements for the car to be approved for towing don't apply.

So you can fit what you want...but that doesn't make it a good idea as they may not be approved for towing domestically (I really don't know how towing approval is done in the JDM).

No Face

252 posts

188 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
CooperS said:
Haha 4500 mile or 6 month servicing!

I wonder why these died out....
I’ll risk my PH membership card with this question; but why are the service intervals so short? I have a 290bhp 4cyl petrol turbo with a 10k/12 month interval, albeit from 2016, but what’s so different?

TEKNOPUG

18,844 posts

204 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
No Face said:
CooperS said:
Haha 4500 mile or 6 month servicing!

I wonder why these died out....
I’ll risk my PH membership card with this question; but why are the service intervals so short? I have a 290bhp 4cyl petrol turbo with a 10k/12 month interval, albeit from 2016, but what’s so different?
What does "servicing" involve? If it's just merely an oil and filter change, then I would expect that to be the norm on any performance turbo car that was enthuisastically driven.

crispyshark

1,261 posts

144 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
TEKNOPUG said:
£5k too much.
This.

You can get a mint FSTI for £10k without the need for servicing every 5k.

Butter Face

30,192 posts

159 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
crispyshark said:
TEKNOPUG said:
£5k too much.
This.

You can get a mint FSTI for £10k without the need for servicing every 5k.
But Evos have always been more than Imprezas\Foresters IMO. The Evo has always had a better rep and (I think) been seen as the more ‘serious’ car.


crispyshark

1,261 posts

144 months

Thursday 19th April 2018
quotequote all
Butter Face said:
crispyshark said:
TEKNOPUG said:
£5k too much.
This.

You can get a mint FSTI for £10k without the need for servicing every 5k.
But Evos have always been more than Imprezas\Foresters IMO. The Evo has always had a better rep and (I think) been seen as the more ‘serious’ car.
This could get interesting...

getmecoat