Car Hall Of Fame: Mitsubishi Evolution

The first induction was a shoe-in: the Mitsubishi Evolution.

There is a reason that this is the first car we plan on talking about – The Evolution was by far, hands down, the best all around bang for your buck in its prime from 2003-2006 (Evolution VIII & IX). This car, with its price tag of around $30,000 USD, was the best performance you could get out of a stock car, not to mention all of the aftermarket performance sellers who saw the possibilities with the Evolution.

Equipped with all-wheel-drive, the Evo, along with the Subaru WRX STi, collectively set a new standard for all around automotive performance. Sure the usual American muscle cars can offer great pricing on performance, but the Mitsubishi and it’s cousin are more than just “straight-line” cars. The Evolution put down jaw dropping numbers – tested stock when it came to slalom, braking, g-pad, and track lap times.

The sad news is that after 2006 Mitsubishi decided that it was time to revamp the Evolution for the tenth time. It could have been worse: Subaru decided that they would revamp the WRX STi, and decided that people should not have to choose whether they want a hatchback or not. Subaru felt it neccessary to make that decision for you. In 2008 ( and hopefully only 2008 ) the WRX STi will only be offered in the hatchback style. The Evolution X wins 2008 by default. Here it is: The Mitsubishi Evolution X

Some people like the X better than the VIII or IX. We are not those people. Based on looks alone the X is nowhere near where the 8’s or 9’s were. Also the X is slightly heavier and a tad slower. This is not the end of the Evolution by any means, but as for us – we’ll stick with the golden age (2003-2006)