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Mitsubishi unveils 403hp Evolution FQ-400

05/26/2009, 5:55 PM

By Drew Johnson

Mitsubishi has officially taken the wraps off its all-out Evolution X FQ-400. Word broke late last year that Mitsubishi was working on an extreme version of its Lancer Evolution X, with the full view finally coming into focus on Tuesday. Unfortunately for those residing in the U.S., the FQ-400 will be exclusively available in the UK.

The FQ-400 nameplate is no stranger to the Evolution line, building off the Evolution VIII-based FQ-400. The newest FQ-400 is powered by the Evo’s familiar 2.0L turbocharged engine, but, thanks to a revised ECU, upgraded turbo and new exhaust system, the FQ-400 pumps out 403 horsepower and 387 lb-ft of torque.

Although Mitsubishi’s new twin-clutch SST transmission sounds like a perfect fit for the FQ-400, it simply can’t handle the torque of the upgraded engine. Therefore the hopped up Evo will only be available with a manual transmission, but a standard clutch should make the new FQ-400 more driveable than the last FQ-400 (which used a race clutch).

Those upgrades over the standard Evo translate into a 0-62 time of just 3.8 seconds, clipping the mighty Cadillac CTS-V by a tenth.

To help keep that added speed under control, the FQ-400 will also feature a body kit, larger cooling inlets, six-pot front brake calipers and vents for the rear brakes.

Mitsubishi plans on producing just 100 examples of the FQ-400 – all of which are earmarked for the UK market – with pricing between £49,999. In addition to the FQ-400’s outrageous performance, that price of entry will also land buyers Bluetooth, a CD tuner with 30 gig hard drive and a satellite navigation system.

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05/26, 6:07 PM

posted by:

beemerdude

Why does every new performance vehicle have to have an “X” somewhere in its name?

And… Why does every customer promotion have to include the word “Advantage” somewhere?

When did marketing people start copying everyone else instead of coming up with creative, innovative… and NEW… ideas??

05/26, 6:09 PM

posted by:

shane train

Clipping the CTS-V with a tenth…………….. and half the pistons.

It’s ridiculous and I love it.

05/26, 6:09 PM

posted by:

Terrence the Terrific Train No.3

Not a bad car.

beemerdude,
The “X” in this case denotes the 10th generation Evo. Some car companies use “X” to denote all-wheel-drive (such as BMW and Infiniti).

05/26, 6:45 PM

posted by:

wobbs

price between £49,999 and what

who the F will pay just shy of £50K UK sterling for this ugly POS

ok performace wise – fantastic but in terms of wow factor id take an AMG C63 for about 400 quid more and the od extra second to get to 60

05/26, 7:11 PM

posted by:

idrinorbarsaku

wobbs,
i agree with you completely!

05/26, 7:24 PM

posted by:

acura_el2000

I smiled when I read its only available with a real transmission, not that poser automatic bull****

05/26, 8:15 PM

posted by:

Pazzo Canguri

I love the fact their gonna call it FQ….FAR Q BABY….hhehehehe

05/26, 8:34 PM

posted by:

GayEmoBetch

I can’t wait for the the 30th edition Mitsubishi Evolution. DAMMIT MITSUBISHI YOU BETTER NOT GO BANKRUPT BEFORE THEN OR ILL KILL YOU

EVO XXX

05/26, 9:05 PM

posted by:

dracolnyte

wow, how the heck do you bore out over 400hp with a 2.0L engine?! that has to be insane tuning. imagine with a 3.0L, that would be over 600hp!

05/26, 9:14 PM

posted by:

johnnycanuck

acura_el2000, thank you. I love it when someone else stirs the pot for a change.

05/26, 9:40 PM

posted by:

Hyperion

It sucks for the Japanese market too since these have been UK-only models. It’s downright silly that only 100 will be made though– it’s not a Ferrari.

The funniest part is that the twin clutch SST gearbox simply won’t stand up to another 100 horsepower! The Evo GSR 5-speed is the only good bet in town.

05/26, 9:41 PM

posted by:

atoms

wow, over 200 hp per liter, kudos mitsubishi, kudos

05/26, 9:52 PM

posted by:

leftwingagenda

this thing better also come with a lawyer…

05/26, 9:55 PM

posted by:

American_Cars_Crap

Sweet ride, amazing performance from such a small but bullet proof engine. Too bad Detroit doesn’t know how to build powerfull 4cyl engines. Oh, and if you want to state that Chevy with the cobalt ss and Dodge with the srt-4 build high performance 4cyl motors, keep in mind they use Japanese built Mitsubishi turbo chargers and German made Mahle pistons to deliver that power. If you want to see how crappy american made “sports” cars are, just look at this video of some US soldier who shipped his Camaro to Germany to show off “American muscle” to the Europeans at a race track. The Camaro is such total crap that during an attempt to just simply warm up the tires, our fellow American showed to the Europeans just how bad we are at building “sports” cars. Its a funny video, and the European guys who happened to film it had a good laugh at the GI’s expense. If link don’t work just copy and paste, its worth watching!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTnhvEtslRM&feature=PlayList&p=719E7FACCA054621&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=34

05/26, 10:03 PM

posted by:

spg900

Without starting a transatlantic fight, why do American companies need 8 liter v-10’s and blown 6.2 liter v-8’s ? Can you imagine an M3 with a twin turbo 6.2 liter v-8 instead of it’s 4.0 liter v-8? It would not be a fair fight! Ditto for engines made by Audi,Volvo,Honda,Toyota,Nissan etc.The fact that this Mitsu outguns the mighty supercharged CTS-V shows how unsophisticated these engines really are.

05/26, 10:05 PM

posted by:

spg900

Mercedes being the exception of course with their 5000 pound cars.

05/26, 10:27 PM

posted by:

SG328is

not going to lie, I’m really digging this…

that rear diffuser looks incredible and sits well with the single, centrally located exhaust. Shame they don’t just make more of them as I bet they’d sell like no other…

05/26, 10:40 PM

posted by:

Borat

spg, I got to agree with you, although I am on the opposite site of the pond. Over 400 ponies should shame 4.6L FOrd V8 with 315. This is great engine and it is paired with transmission for real men. One of FIAT family scions was driving manual transmission having only 1 leg. Majority of my countrymen can’t master it with two. I’ll be first to admit that he drove with 1 leg better then I can with 2, although I prefer manual tranny and drive one. Sad.

05/26, 10:51 PM

posted by:

iluvamcars

I would rather take my money and buy a sports car.

05/27, 1:24 AM

posted by:

bigp

wow that better than an m3, rs4, and c63.. and the joke of the class is-f

05/27, 2:06 AM

posted by:

worst 3

good to see a manual only in this one, even if an auto can be faster shifting it just wrong those are some impressive numbers.

to spg900

the German use small displacement do to taxes on large displacement, so most use forced induction to get similar numbers. the no turbo 3.0l for BMW only makes 230 witch is by no means bad but not great. A 6.2L v8 form BMW would not have much more hp, the high rpm that give it all it hp because (ke=1/2mv^2) the lighter mass of pistons give it ability to reach higher RPM’s. it dose not have much torque and get worse fuel economy then the 6.2, the BMW engine is is an impressive none the less. and i believe that most V8 from the big 3 were designed for pickups in mind first the the larger displacement helps with low end torque and pulling, even the viper v10 was based of the magnum pickup engines.

and there are 2.4l v8 force induced that put out 500+ hp but there more then that car, so displament in forced induction is almost irrelevant tho it dose not have much torque

05/27, 10:20 AM

posted by:

key4wheels

American_Cars_Crap …don’t understand how you come to the conclusion that a Camaro on a track is such a horrible thing:
1. How does this video show bad build quality?…it shows a bad driver.
2. How do you know that it’s an American GI driving it? Are you his roommate?
3. How many soldiers do you know can afford to have a car shipped to Germany?
4. How do you even know they are in Germany? (do you recognize the track or is it since the people taping it don’t speak English…must be Germany…?)

The video only shows driver error, a nimrod behind the wheel. A driver as reckless as your assumptions.

As far as this article goes, the Evolution X FQ-400 is a looker, a screamer and most likely a blast to drive…with a proper gearbox to boot.

05/27, 10:51 AM

posted by:

davebo

I know some people feel that having a pedal under your left foot is what separates the men from the boys, but I do look forward to the day when sturdy DSG’s are available on more models from more manufacturers. Being faster than a manual while having some of the rush hour traffic convenience of an automatic is a step forward in my book. It’s not like they’re taking away our shift sticks : P

05/27, 10:53 AM

posted by:

nickkop

i have always preferred the evo IX over the evo X , but this car is downright amazing… it could probably keep pace with a stock R35 GT-R on a track

05/27, 10:56 AM

posted by:

nickkop

iluvamcars …. should i ask what you consider a sports car ?

05/27, 11:36 AM

posted by:

spg900

Borat, I am on the same side of the pond as you… just a little to the north.

05/27, 12:06 PM

posted by:

TornadoGTI

nickkop – a sports car, by definition, has 2 seats, 2 doors, and is RWD. This is a fast car, but no sedan is a sports car but rather a sports sedan.

Also, this car is crazy fast but it is still a ****ty Lancer. They spend 40,000 GBP on the performance and 10,000 GBP on the car. I am POSITIVE that people here in the states are driving faster Evo X’s than this one. Buy a GSR and put $10k in to that and you are rocking this car and only spent $45,000 instead of $70,000 (compared cost of M3 in UK, 50,000 GBP to M3 cost in the states)

This car costs as much as the CTS-V and M3 and the late RS4 yet has **** for an interior. This car is not a car I would drive as a daily driver and the other 3 are. Not a fan of childish tuners and ricers. The “Fast and Furious” trend is over. This car appeals to 16 years olds. For the money. I will take my change to the Germans.

05/27, 1:16 PM

posted by:

leftwingagenda

from dictionary.com:

“sports car
 
–noun
a small, high-powered automobile with long, low lines, usually seating two persons.”

note *usually* ;P

if you require such strict definitions in your world, then you are free to consider that evo a sports sedan and not a sports car…but really that’s a weak semantic argument…and saying that sports cars are RWD is too narrow a definition these days…even lamborghini’s are AWD now…are you suggesting a gallardo spyder isn’t a sports car? really? the old porsche 959 wasn’t a sports car? i suggest you rethink your strict definition…

i wouldn’t spend my cash on this thing either, but at the same time, i respect the engineering for what it is…it’s an impressive car…

05/27, 2:19 PM

posted by:

Speeeed3Z

Is that ugly trapezoid looking contraption under the license plate the exhaust?!?!? That could kill it.

Other than that the car looks great.

Swap the trapezoid for an HKS set and youre in business.

 
 
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