Not satisfied with the performance of the standard issue Evolution X, Mitsubishi has announced the launch of the modified Lancer Evolution FQ-330 SST. Based on the same Evo X that has been on the market since 2008, the FQ-330 model will offer buyers in the UK even more performance.
Mitsubishi engineers have been working on the FQ-330 for the last six months, discovering an extra 36 horsepower and 22 lb-ft of torque under the car’s hood. The power gains were achieved through an updated ECU, a sports exhaust system, new intercooler piping and a high-flow catalytic converter. The end result is 329 horsepower.
Power is sent to all-four wheels via Mitsubishi’s Twin-Clutch Sports Shift Transmission. The improvements are said to lower the Evo’s 0-60 time to just 4.4 seconds.
The FQ-330 also features a long list of standard equipment, including Brembo brakes, 18-inch wheels, Eibach springs, Bilstein shocks, Recaro seats, HID headlights and a navigation system. Available in Cool Silver, Orient Red, Lightning Blue and Phantom black, the FQ-330 SST will list from £35,999. Mitsubishi has no current plans to offer the car in the U.S.



05/21, 12:29 PM
posted by:
Fletch
Oh, they bought a Cobb Accessport?
05/21, 1:10 PM
posted by:
Andre Neves
Take that goddamn boring transmission and throw in a 5 or 6 speed manual for crying out loud. Then, of course, bring it overseas.
05/21, 1:20 PM
posted by:
shane train
Thanks for bringing it to Ameri….. oh wait.
05/21, 1:25 PM
posted by:
Madcapp
Type R, Spec V, JDM, DOHC, Nihon, Dragonball
05/21, 1:34 PM
posted by:
F3INT))AP3X
You can call SST and paddle shifters boring if you want Andre but there is no denying that they are faster and better not to mention they are beyond human error. I don’t care how good anyone is at driving a manual, everyone has missed a shift before; and this car misses none, ever, period. Combine that with the ability to use left foot braking and all of a sudden SST doesn’t sound so boring, and if it does then that just means your a stubborn purist who will be living in the past. I mean it’s always the same argument, “I like manual because I have a mechanical connection with the car and can throw my own gears etc etc.” This is fine and very purist indeed, but is it not also a very purist thing to love going as fast as possible? The SST and transmissions like it cannot be challenged by any manual (provided both drivers are similar in skill of course), so one could argue that to be purist in the sense of going as fast as you can you NEED paddle shifting. I am not trying to clown on the manual drivers in here, I am just wishing that some of you could give dual clutch paddle transmissions their credit instead of just going on and on about how nothing will ever be as good or as fun as a manual gearbox because honestly even if that is a large number of you it still makes you all sound a bit ignorant. I mean you guys make it sound like going fast has had its day already, as if it was only about getting on the road and shifting as many gears by hand as possible. I don’t know about you guys but I enjoy going fast, faster, faster than the other guy; how I do it is mostly irrelevant in the regards to how I control my inputs, paddles or manual or buttons on the steering while like an F1 I don’t care, as long as it is the fastest.
05/21, 2:14 PM
posted by:
Borat
I even don’t know why bother with this article. The car will not be sold in US and aimed at UK (right hand drive). I swear I haven’t seen Mitsubishi in London, I am not saying they don’t exist there, but I have not observed one. So how many do they plan to sell? They sold whopping what 10K cars in all of US last year. They’ll be better off assembling Zero for collectors: more sales and more profits
05/21, 2:55 PM
posted by:
Fromes
I kinda agree with F3INT))AP3X while I love driving stick (both my vehicles are stick) you cant argue that the new Dual Clutch Gear boxes give you many of the benefits of a stick with out many of the downsides too.
05/21, 3:01 PM
posted by:
ricky_b
In the US, manuals are falling off of the radar. DSG style gears boxes make more sense and I have loved everything that I have test driven with that tranny; they’re just so much more responsive.
To those of you outside of US, how is Mitsu doing there? In the US, they’re struggling to keep alive. They’re product offering here would have been competitive 5-6 yrs ago but it’s seriously lagging by today’s standards and I can’t see how they can stay afloat with their sales number dwindling to their current levels.
05/21, 3:50 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
I don’t think it’s time to write off the manual transmission quite yet although it does appear as if more and more manufacturers are being forced to choose between one or the other simply because the money’s not there to offer both.
One other thing regarding DSG transmissions I’m curious about is how much it’s going to cost to fix one when it blows up. Conventional automatics with only 3 and 4 gears can cost a small fortune to overhaul as it is. Things do get old… and they break.
05/21, 4:28 PM
posted by:
Hyperion
dual clutch boxes are where high performance is going but there still isn’t anything like driving a well constructed manual transmission. Unless it’s something like a GT-R, Evo or Ferrari I’d still be more inclined to drive a manual car simply because it’s a lot of fun on the street.
Why do some folks still drive older Packards, Fords, Fiat 500’s, etc. with transmissions that lack synchronizers and require double-clutching?
A manual transmission is prerequisite for me. Don’t offer it and in most cases I immediately lose interest in the car.
05/21, 4:41 PM
posted by:
Bankruptcy2009
Even though not sold in the US I think it does establish a Very Certain Fact AWD Sports Cars Kick Arse.
You can’t deny 0-60 in 4.4 Seconds w/ 329 HP with 3,517 of Curb Weight or the GT-R’s 0-60 run in just 3.3 Seconds w/ 473 HP.
It makes you wonder what the AWD Taurus SHO will do with the Twin Force 365 HP in 0-60 w a Curb weight guessitmation between 3,643 and 3,930. I think it could achieve a similar 0-60 Sprint of the EVO maybe slightly lower 0-60 in 4.2 to 4.6 Seconds! Wow and were not even talking the Henessey Version of the SHO yet!
05/21, 5:36 PM
posted by:
A4
Manuals may have fallen off the mainstream radar in the US, but they havent fallen off the enthusiast radar. Why do you think BMW ended up releasing the kit for the M5 people clamored for and that Aston Martin made a conversion kit for select vehicles as well?
05/21, 5:37 PM
posted by:
A4
and Borat, thats quite a stupid comment, you do know people around the world get the internet, and this is an automotive news site, so why the hell wouldnt they cover this?
05/21, 5:39 PM
posted by:
A4
The SHO will probably have a 0-60 time in the mid 5 second range im guessing as well.
05/21, 7:10 PM
posted by:
02WRXPSM
Do not make the mistake of thinking that all AWD systems are the same, or that they automatically give you better zero-60 times. The domestic implementation of AWD, across the board, has been a pale shadow of Subaru, Acura and Mitsubishi’s much more comprehensive approach.
05/22, 4:51 PM
posted by:
Dante_JoseCuervo
Oh tragedy, what a horrible thing. Such a beautiful car and we won’t get it