2011 Mitsubishi Evo MR Review [video]

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An episode of The Simpsons that aired in 1995 gave us a vision of life in the year 2010, and the marriage of Lisa Simpson to a British aristocrat. Amid talk of World War III, sentient robots and flying cars, Lisa and her fiancé part ways after he tells her she is "a flower that grew out of a pot of dirt". We may not be blessed with Jetsons-era technology, but we are blessed with a Venus Fly Trap of a car, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR, one that truly did emerge from a worm-infested vase of mulch.

Mitsubishi is in a difficult spot, with a lineup that is radioactive to buyers and lacking the resources to do much about it, but that hasn't stopped them from making strides. The new Outlander Sport is a decent effort, but cars like the dismal Galant still loom in the background. Fortunately, the brand has a luminous halo in the form of the Lancer Evolution, a car that does nothing for the company's bottom line, but everything for its image and reputation.

With the Evo comes all the hype of more than a decade of American consumers being denied this car, and it's important to establish the Evo is many things, but refined is not one of them. The interior is still behind the Koreans in terms of quality and finish. The ride is stiff and uncompromising in day to day driving, the Recaro seats, while aesthetically arresting, offer little concessions to comfort or convenience, the trunk can barely hold a carry-on suitcase and a helmet bag (essentials for a track day far from home) and the go-fast bits like the BBS alloys, bright red Brembo brakes and the painfully gauche rear wing (notably absent on our test car) would give one second thoughts about taking the boss for lunch in this car.

Watch the video after the jump.

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