[Komenda Fan]

It's true. The mitsubishi 4 is the small block V8 of today, you can get tremendous power out of them quite reliably. The EVO was and is an incredible performance value, and if you don't like the styling of the previous generations, the new one is quite different (EVO X). To me, there is something fantastic about an inexpensive car that can show expensive "supercars" the way around a track.

The FQ-400, however, was a UK only model, and for the EVO IX they dropped the horsepower from 400bhp to 360bhp in order to go to a smaller turbo, and thereby reduce the turbo lag that Clarkson so ably demonstrated.

The only thing I am not enamoured with is that Mitsubishi has decided to offer the EVO X only with the flappy paddle gearbox, which they will tell you is superior (ok, no argument there - it does shift faster than I can) but in reality, they and other manufacturers are in love with it because it takes control away from the driver by allowing the computer to control the clutch and therefore the shock loads to the drivetrain...which cuts down on warranty claims.

For me, that's a deal breaker. I buy cars for fun, and I don't think you can have fun unless you have a clutch under your left foot.