After nine generations, Mitsubishi's cult car has an all-new chassis platform and an all-new engine. Even Mitsubishi's all-wheel-drive hardware has received a high-tech makeover.

It takes just one glance at this car's sleek exterior to realize that it's no longer business as usual in the Mitsubishi's design studio. Gone is the souped-up look of a Tokyo taxi and in comes a lean, purposeful shape with great proportions. Though it's disguised by projector-beam headlights and fast-acting LED taillights, this is a new sort of Mitsubishi, far more European in character than ever before.

There's plenty of aluminum in the bodywork, including the hood, roof and the distinctive square-section fender blisters. Twin exhausts are an Evo first, and help improve the look. A tall rear wing has quickly become an Evo trademark, so it's no surprise that it continues here (although it's no longer made of carbon fiber). The same goes for the aerodynamic diffuser that peeks out from underneath the rear bumper.

The 20-inch wheels seen on this car won't make it into production and will be replaced by 18-inch rims.

The Evo uses the new Mitsubishi Lancer chassis, itself founded along a platform originally highly-developed in partnership with DaimlerChrysler. The Lancer is actually 0.6 inch shorter than earlier, just the wheelbase has been stretched 1.5 inches to 103.7 inches. The car is 2.7 inches wider and 3.8 inches taller. The chassis is more rigid in bending and torsion has improved more than percent, but it's unluckily too about TWO HUNDRED pounds heavier.

Mitsubishi engineers hope that associate in nursing all-new turbocharged inline-4 will provide adequate power to meet the extra weight. Designated the MB11, this all-aluminum, DOHC 2.0-liter design has symmetrical piston chamber dimensions, which should redeem free-revving carrying out. Mitsubishi's MIVEC variable-valve-timing applied science has been applied to both camshafts to broaden the king band. Mitsubishi has also done its charles herbert best to railroad engineer this aluminum-block, open-deck locomotive engine to withstand the punctuate of turbocharging as well as the former iron-block 4G63 design.

Mitsubishi is remaining tight-lipped about king and torque figures from the turbo MB11 for now, but we expect horsepower to increase to 320 hp from 286, while torsion will climb to 325 pound-feet from 295. This office should enable the Evo to dash to 60 mph lesser degree 4.5 seconds.