Normally we try to bring you head-to-head racetrack shootouts that pit similar types of vehicles against each other. But every once in a while, it’s fun (and surprisingly informative) to step outside the industry’s definitions and categories, by testing two vehicles with utterly different approaches to going fast. There probably aren’t too many people out there cross-shopping the Ford Mustang Boss 302 and the Mitsubishi Evolution MR, but perhaps our test results will inspire a few folks to broaden their definition of what “fun and fast” really means and look beyond the categories and sub-categories the industry’s marketing nerds have been corralling us with.
FAST FACTS | Lancer Evolution
1. A turbocharged 2.0L 4-cylinder makes 291 hp at 6500 rpm and 300 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm.
2. MR models feature Eibach springs, Bilstein shocks, 18-inch forged aluminum BBS wheels, lighter Brembo brakes and a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission.
3. GSR models start at $34,695 with our MR test car at $37,895 plus $795 delivery.
Sports car, pony car, nimble car sport compact – who cares? If you’re an enthusiast-driver looking for something that’ll put a smile on your face, whether it’s at the race track or down your favorite winding road, the real questions should be: how fast is it, and is it any fun to drive?
THE ODD COUPLE
On paper the Boss 302 and the Evolution X MR couldn’t be more different. Where the Mustang uses a brawny 444 hp 5.0-liter V8 to motivate its rear wheels, the Evo is equipped with a tough little 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-banger that sends 291-horsepowers to all four wheels. This obviously puts the Mitsubishi at a significant power disadvantage, though the Evo is almost 100-lbs lighter despite having two extra doors.
Still, this is not a contest the Evolution X is going to win on power-to-weight ratio, but what it does have in its favor is a whole host of high-tech grip-enhancing features including an Active Center Differential that sends torque to whichever wheel(s) have the most available traction. The Active Yaw Control system is just as impressive, which uses a rear limited-slip differential and a pair of clutches to split torque between the rear wheels, dialing out the understeer normally associated with AWD vehicles and replacing it with a machine that’s amazingly neutral. The dual-clutch 6-speed flappy paddle gearbox in the MR model is also a technological marvel, providing impossibly fast though rather harsh shifts in either direction.
FAST FACTS | Mustang Boss 302
1. A 5.0L V8 makes 444 hp at 7400 rpm and 380 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpm.
2. Compared to the GT, Boss 302 models gain a custom exhaust, new clutch, 3.73 rear end, adjustable shocks, stiffer and lower springs and Brembo brakes with upgraded pads.
3. An optional Track Key adjusts 600 parameters including cam timing, spark maps, engine braking, fuel control and throttle response.
4. Pricing starts at $42,200 plus $795 delivery charge
By comparison, the Mustang uses technology from the Stone Age, the solid rear axle somehow surviving the engineering process despite the fact that the horse and carriage is no longer a popular form of transportation. Though not independent, the business end of the Boss 302 has been upgraded to a 3.73 axle ratio along with a carbon clutch-type limited slip differential (or an optional Torsen LSD which has been strangely grouped with upgraded Recaro seats). The one piece of high-tech gadgetry Ford did bless the Boss with is an adjustable electric power steering system, which we set to Sport for enhanced feedback and feel.
CONTRASTING PERSONALITIES
As you might expect, given the utterly opposing approaches to engineering these two machines feature, their on-track personalities share very little in common. The first thing you notice in the Boss 302 is the fabulous sound of its highly tuned V8, which breathes in through a unique “runner in the box” intake manifold and out through a quad exhaust system that has both side pipes and rear mufflers and tailpipes. The pace at which the Boss 302 accelerates is also pretty stunning, as is the rev-happy nature of its 5.0-liter motor (which redlines at 7500 rpm). Parts of Boss 302 may be rather low tech compared to the Evo, but its engine is an utterly modern design, featuring forged pistons, revised connecting rods, sodium filled valves, and high-lift variable-timing camshafts.
FAST FACTS | Lancer Evolution
1. A turbocharged 2.0L 4-cylinder makes 291 hp at 6500 rpm and 300 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm.
2. MR models feature Eibach springs, Bilstein shocks, 18-inch forged aluminum BBS wheels, lighter Brembo brakes and a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission.
3. GSR models start at $34,695 with our MR test car at $37,895 plus $795 delivery.
Sports car, pony car, nimble car sport compact – who cares? If you’re an enthusiast-driver looking for something that’ll put a smile on your face, whether it’s at the race track or down your favorite winding road, the real questions should be: how fast is it, and is it any fun to drive?
THE ODD COUPLE
On paper the Boss 302 and the Evolution X MR couldn’t be more different. Where the Mustang uses a brawny 444 hp 5.0-liter V8 to motivate its rear wheels, the Evo is equipped with a tough little 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-banger that sends 291-horsepowers to all four wheels. This obviously puts the Mitsubishi at a significant power disadvantage, though the Evo is almost 100-lbs lighter despite having two extra doors.
Still, this is not a contest the Evolution X is going to win on power-to-weight ratio, but what it does have in its favor is a whole host of high-tech grip-enhancing features including an Active Center Differential that sends torque to whichever wheel(s) have the most available traction. The Active Yaw Control system is just as impressive, which uses a rear limited-slip differential and a pair of clutches to split torque between the rear wheels, dialing out the understeer normally associated with AWD vehicles and replacing it with a machine that’s amazingly neutral. The dual-clutch 6-speed flappy paddle gearbox in the MR model is also a technological marvel, providing impossibly fast though rather harsh shifts in either direction.
FAST FACTS | Mustang Boss 302
1. A 5.0L V8 makes 444 hp at 7400 rpm and 380 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpm.
2. Compared to the GT, Boss 302 models gain a custom exhaust, new clutch, 3.73 rear end, adjustable shocks, stiffer and lower springs and Brembo brakes with upgraded pads.
3. An optional Track Key adjusts 600 parameters including cam timing, spark maps, engine braking, fuel control and throttle response.
4. Pricing starts at $42,200 plus $795 delivery charge
By comparison, the Mustang uses technology from the Stone Age, the solid rear axle somehow surviving the engineering process despite the fact that the horse and carriage is no longer a popular form of transportation. Though not independent, the business end of the Boss 302 has been upgraded to a 3.73 axle ratio along with a carbon clutch-type limited slip differential (or an optional Torsen LSD which has been strangely grouped with upgraded Recaro seats). The one piece of high-tech gadgetry Ford did bless the Boss with is an adjustable electric power steering system, which we set to Sport for enhanced feedback and feel.
CONTRASTING PERSONALITIES
As you might expect, given the utterly opposing approaches to engineering these two machines feature, their on-track personalities share very little in common. The first thing you notice in the Boss 302 is the fabulous sound of its highly tuned V8, which breathes in through a unique “runner in the box” intake manifold and out through a quad exhaust system that has both side pipes and rear mufflers and tailpipes. The pace at which the Boss 302 accelerates is also pretty stunning, as is the rev-happy nature of its 5.0-liter motor (which redlines at 7500 rpm). Parts of Boss 302 may be rather low tech compared to the Evo, but its engine is an utterly modern design, featuring forged pistons, revised connecting rods, sodium filled valves, and high-lift variable-timing camshafts.
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