The main issue with the slow EVO X lap times must be the ridiculous curb weight of this car! 3647 POUNDS!!! With only a 291 horsepower 4 cylinder to lug it around? Randy Pobst is a race car driver so I am sure he only weighs 160 pounds or so. So with Randy in the car you have a tested vehicle weight of 3800 pounds, or the same as the Mitsubishi 3000 GT VR-4 land barge! At least that oink tanker had a V-6 and 320 horsepower to get it moving. The Evo X weighs the same as a new V-8 M3, Audi R8, and 100 pounds more than the 997 TT and 240 pounds more than the Dodge Viper ACR! No wonder the Evo X is having trouble keeping up with the Chevy Cobalt SS which weighs 700 pounds less and has 260 horsepower.

Time for Mitsubishi to get back to the drawing board and release a XI with 360 horsepower and try to trim 100 pounds out of this car if possible. Also how about the regular 6 speed from the IX making an appearance as an option on the MR edition as well while we are at it. This current Evo X is more like my old Galant VR-4 than an Evolution series vehicle. Heavy, pretty fast, kind of nondescript looking compared to the Evo 4/5/6 and a great "sleeper" car. I hope Mitsubishi can bring some more fire and brimstone back to this Evo line and soon. For $40,000 there is a lot of cars out there that are mighty appealing, new or used:

2006 BMW E46 M3
New BMW135I
2005 Corvette Z06
2006 Porsche Cayman S
2007 Lotus Exige S
2004 Porsche 911

That is a tough crowd to play with and I hope Mitsubishi can get some more performance for the $$$ for the XI model.

 

Once again you bring up the very same predjudice that has been thrown at the evo and sound hypocritical. Most ppl could care less if a cobalt or evo had 1000hp at the end of the day its still economy cars with a lot of hp and I'm not sure the Eco can be considered economy with 16/22mpg compared to 30mpg from the cobalt

 

+1, Cobalt SS are you kidding me? I know its supposed to be much improved but that must have been a pre-production car with some extra tid-bits. There should be no way it could hang with the Evo X on those stock tires.

 

LOL...of course if they turn off the stability control on the GTR there's going to be less stability and then they complain about oversteer and give it less points. What a bunch of knucke heads at Motortrend. They are so bias, that everything they say should be taken with a grain of salt.

 

Polish a turd, it's still a turd.

 

so i have a friend that owns an rx8, i will never stop hearing about this!!!

 

yes you can stop it, just take him out the local race events and drive around him.
Then go for a quick lunch, and ask him how come if your car is a far better handling car, and i'm still a winner? Maybe i'm just a way better driver? And then look his face long enough , until your wounds are healed.