Test Drive Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII 2000 - 2003 Sedan
Three steps of evolution
Even extreme can be spurredThere are people whose body requires increased blood adrenaline. They jump from the rocks or skyscrapers with a parachute, descend from snow-covered vertices on skiing, seek the largest ocean wave. Or buy Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII after tuning. If you try to use the full potential of this car on the road, then the jump from Tarzan in the CPCC, Gorky will seem like a children's prank.
Car for any road
Let's not rush behind the wheel, reader. We will look at the world of sports cars available to the ordinary consumer, and we divide them conditionally, of course, into two types. The first one can attribute such magnificent sports-rs like Ferrari or Lamborghini. They look amazing, standing almost a condition and do not have competitors on the roads with a good coating. However, it is difficult to imagine the owner of such a car that decided to silence with the breeze on the dirt road, in the snow or on ice. Sporter will look like a ridiculous as a Zaporozhets in the front entrance of the Grand Casino in Monte Carlo.
The second type of sports machines can be defined as all-season, universal carbillars. Most often, such cars are created on the basis of serial models. Their indisputable benefits are the possibility of year-round operation and not too critical to road surface. Until recently, on the Russian market, the most vivid representatives of this type of machine were Subaru Impreza WRX and Mitsubishi Lancerevolution. However, now the WRX designation on Impreza ceased to mean the rally version, the model lost harsh sports asceticity, became noticeably comfortable and not so demanding to the driver (this is not at all bad, it's just a fact). Therefore, we can say that the palm of the championship in the discharge of purebred rally cars intended for sales has moved to Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII.
Take a look at the exterior: massive bumpers, bloated wheeled arches and a huge spoiler on the trunk lid, as the trained muscle of a professional fighter, give the potential of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII and talk about the true purpose of the car. Essentially, this is a copy of the rally of another car prepared for the World Cup. Even a serial, non-charged version can virtually no additional training to participate in competitions in group N. For such machines, the refinement of the appearance or decoration of the cabin is important, and the technical characteristics that give the opportunity to rapidly accelerate and quickly pass the devices, that is, they are created for So that the driver worked, and did not resist. Therefore, for example, in a tested car, there is not even an audio system. Nothing should distract human driving.
In general, there is nothing superfluous in the cabin, no hint at the high cost. Recaro's real sports chairs have a minimum of adjustments: just back and forth and even the ability to change the angle of the backrest. The chair itself is rigid, but you sit in it like this. After tuning the car received four-point seat belts with pretensioners. The steering wheel is aluminum, very small in diameter, made by Momo and nevertheless there is a airbag. It is adjusted only by vertical. At the same time, if it is correct to sit down, then the steering wheel will be located exactly as it requires a quick ride in Tommy Meakkinen.
The equipment of the car is minimally four electric windows, electrically adjusted heated mirrors and air conditioning. In general, the interior almost completely repeats the Standard Lancer salon, but there is something new. The most important flap of instruments. The central place in it is assigned a tachometer marked up to 8000 rpm. Speedometer is located on the left and digitized for some reason in miles. To the right of the tachometer fuel level pointers and engine temperature. After tuning on the center console, there were three additional sensors, bounded chromium: turbocharging pressure, oil pressure and its temperature. Under them turbotimer device, I must say, indispensable on this car. Lancer Evolution is equipped with a high-pressure turbine, so it is impossible to join the engine immediately after active ride: the turbine bearings must calm down, for which the motor needs to work for a couple of minutes at idle. In order not to wait in the car until this time passes, and the turbo-timer was installed: even if you pull out the key from the ignition lock, the engine will continue to work and turns off the engine after itself later. Moreover, the turbotimeter installed on the Evolution test is considered almost the best in the world. It automatically determines how much the motor is necessary to work after turning off the ignition. In addition, it has a huge number of additional features, for example, is able to serve as a stopwatch or speedometer, to report when the critical engine turnover has been reached, or determine the state of the battery.
Near the manual brake is a small button of the turbocharging intercooler. It has automatic or manual mode. It is noteworthy and a select button of one of the three types of road Tarmac, Gravel and Snow. Depending on the type of type, the setting of the full drive and the proprietary electronic system of stabilization of AYS is changing, to rely on which an inexperienced driver I would not advise.
Slowly does not work
After the adjustment in the company, the Sport Mobile power of the standard (280 hp) of the engine rose to 320 liters. With. This is achieved due to the installation of the zero resistance air filter, the silencer of the company NK5 and the full replacement of the fuel system. In addition, the serial grip is replaced with a metal ceramics, fully corresponding to the increased power of the motor. So it first at first and gave me the most trouble. With the first attempt to touch the car in generally stalled. As long as I do not understand that at low speed, the car does not go at all. If you want to move smoothly, it is necessary to constantly twist the engine, smoothly leave the clutch pedal. In urban traffic jams, this is a rather tedious occupation, from which it can be concluded that for everyday ride on the damn Machines MEGAPOLIS LANCER EVOLUTION is hardly the most suitable option. The second way to start movement (more precisely to say to shoot) in the city and is perhaps unacceptable. It is to unwind the motor thousand to five revolutions, and then quickly release the clutch pedal without dropping gas. At the same time, it is not worth worrying about slipping: the all-wheel drive transmission immediately gives all the energy of the motor with all four wheels. But there should be many places ahead.
In general, the character of Evolution VII, and especially after tuning, explosive. The car stubbornly does not want to accelerate while the tachometer arrow does not reach 3000 rpm. The turbine turns on and an energy will be released: you are pressed into the seat with a terrible force, no less than in an airplane coming to take off. Moreover, if on time and clearly switch the transfer, and this is not difficult to do this with a mechanical 5-speed lever with a short switch, the rapid acceleration will not stop down until the maximum speed is 253 km / h. Steering wheel stone. Reactions to its turns are clear, fast and sharp. Rebuild from a number in a row anyway that overlap from one foot to another. This can be done instantly, without a hint of bodies. The suspension is truly tough, all the irregularities of our roads are clearly felt by the spine. So it is necessary, it is called to feel the car with the whole body.
And the devices?! It is delight, a lot of pleasure, it is only worth going to any calm near Moscow road. The neck is not the side of the side overload, and there is no hint on the skid. However, it is best to put the car sideways before turning and passing an arc in elegant slide. Control is not lost. Remember the AYS system? So, she allows you to make such things even on dry asphalt.
Landscape outside the window absolutely does not care. Everything you see is the road before your eyes and madly groaning from frequent shift gear tachometer arrow. The rest does not matter, you no longer care about anything in the world, you just can't think about anything but the next turn. The car requires limit concentration and errors practically does not forgive. And no music! All that is needed is the sound, no victorious march of the exhaust system. From one of this reva pedestrians stop in advance in transitions, drivers shake into the right row, as if from the plague. None of the motorists have arisen to compete, even from the traffic light. Moreover, even when the green lights up, the neighbors were waiting until I tried from the spot. And, in general, correctly did.
Of course, the brakes fully correspond to the temperament of the machine. Red calipers inrembo allow you to clearly dose the effort on the brake pedal. ABS is configured in such a way that allows you to brake up to blocking the wheels, and enters into operation only with frank drifts.
However, it should be said to be able to manage Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII, and even after tuning, only a professional or well-trained driver should be. The point is not even that only he will be able to evaluate the steep temper and at the same time the obedience of the car. The error price may be too large. Therefore, for example, my friend who has long dreamed of riding behind the wheel of this car, came correctly. He drove everything with a kilometer, stopped, got out of the steering wheel with wet back and honestly said: this is the only car that made me feel a full kettle. I do not know how to ride it, and I will not risk it ...
Car not for everyone
If you have thought up to acquire the Lancer Evolution, listen to the words of my friend. Soberly appreciate your capabilities or pass pre-special courses of the proposals now quite a few.
Of course, and I have repeatedly seen the Lancer Evolution on the streets and did not stop wondering when a man was sitting at the wheel in a strict suit, forcing the car to move at no more than 80 km / h. But the Lancer Evolution is not a symbol of welfare, and it is impossible to drag in the right row. Perhaps on weekdays he is the place in the garage, in any case in Moscow. But on the weekend, and even away outside the city, where there are few machines and policemen, there can be frozen. But only one day it is to do how to pull it, as if to drug. Starting, I would advise with the serial model. The next step is, which these notes were devoted to. Such a lancer, by the way, costs 55 thousand dollars.
Well, if over time she wants something for the clouds, you can order tuning the second stage. Then you will get the beast with a motor with a capacity of about 400 hp. And the corresponding temperament and this is not enough? Well, in this serious case the third degree of evolution is black, according to the expression of sportsmob specialists. 500 hp And absolutely uncompromising characteristics are just a monster capable of repeating the hunt for jumping with parachute. How much does it cost? But does the money still matter? ..
Andrei Osipov
