Mitsubishi TMR 380 v EVO IX TMR 220 2007 Comparison

The Tri-Diamond strikes back

As teenage servo till-jockeys go, this one was pretty typical: baseball cap (backwards), T-shirt (graffiti), shorts (long), runners (expensive). His question, when it came, was hardly an earth-shaker. "What'll-it-do?" he asked, eyes roaming over the lowered, gleaming red Mitsubishi TMR 380 on the forecourt. It's a question car nuts have asked each other for decades, but far more pertinent here than servo jockey intended.

Just what will Mitsubishi's attempt at a real sports sedan version of its bread-andbutter 380 achieve? Sales? Kudos? An image change? Will it, in fact, save the company? Of course, our teenage friend is not thinking in those terms. All he's seeing is the fiery paint, NACA ducts, glistening 19-inch ROH wheels, Goodyear Eagle F1 rubber, 60mm dual exhaust outlets, big rear wing and sideskirts that nearly scrape the driveway.

Hidden from his wide eyes is the serious stuff that turns the TMR from motorshow pony to serious production prospect: Sprintex S3/335 twin-screw supercharger bolted neatly to the 3.8-litre 6G75 V6, helical limited-slip differential, ceramic clutch, Koni dampers... Just discernable is the braking system that combines Alcon, Brembo and Ferodo technology.

By now he's outside, walking around the car, running his fingers over its flanks, ogling through the tinted glass at the Recaro tombstone front sports seats, red leather trim and Eclipse multimedia screen.

The 380 has been on sale since October 2005 and in that time it's doubtful anyone outside Adelaide has regarded one with such lust. For Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) president Rob McEniry and his crew this is surely good news, some sort of vindication. McEniry has understood the need for an 'image' model ever since he joined Mitsubishi around the time 380 launched. After all, he's ex-Holden, and Commodore sales ride its sports and racing heritage. McEniry hinted from his earliest Mitsubishi days that something 'sports' was going to happen, but work only began seriously on TMR 380 in August '06.

Adelaide wrote the brief to create a practical, useable performance car, and contributed the bodykit via the imagination of MMAL designer Richard Holden.

Next up, Sprintex was contracted to handle engine development, an obvious move considering the company's supercharged Magna VRX AWD project (Wheels, March 2005). Officially, the result is 230kW and 442Nm, running 0.45 bar boost and 98 RON fuel. This compares to 175kW and 343Nm for the standard 380.

The intake snorkel is larger (borrowed from the US-spec Galant), the manifolds handmade, and the standard exhaust split in two behind the cat in the tunnel. But internals, including the Bosch engine management system, are unchanged. The NACA bonnet ducts do nothing - they're purely cosmetic.

Dandenong-based Team Mitsubishi Ralliart played the key role in suspension and brake development, and assembled the final car. Considering its role as Mitsubishi's official rally team and the depth of prep knowledge - from boss Alan Heaphy down - its involvement made a lot of sense.

TMR 220 EVO IX
Officially, the TMR 220 is an Evolution IX with a little extra; a track version of Mitsubishi's Lancer-based, AWD turbo rocket for those who spend their Sundays competing in hill climbs, circuit sprints and other gentlemanly motorsport pursuits.

Don't you believe it. My skinny white bum may be out of proportion with the rest of the expanding Hawley frame, but it's still connected to my brain. So it doesn't take long to communicate the fact that Ralliart has just raised the bar - not just the boost - with all the things that make the Evo a blisteringly good road car.

Let's start with acceleration. Despite the admonitions of Team Mitsubishi Ralliart boss Alan Heaphy, the best way to get the TMR 220 off the line is give the bugger full revs and sidestep the clutch. The danger is turning that neat little package connecting flywheel to gearbox into a million hot shards, as all four tyres grip and the clutch starts feeding on itself. Fortunately, like other Evos, this one has a 5000rpm rev limiter when drive is disengaged. So it's keep the right foot nailed, lift the left boot and, after the briefest of pauses, the engine bogs momentarily before launching 1410kg of plastic clad Lancer down the chute.

With two people on board and eschewing flat shifts (not as brutal as they could be, given that rev limiter) the TMR hits 100km/h in a tad over 5.0 seconds - that's around 0.6sec less than the standard Evo IX. Dipping below 5.0sec could have been possible if the clutch hadn't been needed for another two days' work. The standing 400 metres goes by in 13.4sec and if you're really interested, 160km/h takes about 11.6sec. They're pretty serious numbers.

But it's the in-gear times that tell a more impressive story. In fourth, the TMR 220 covers 80-120km/h in 3.5sec, a feat few V8s can manage in third. Drop the Mitsubishi a cog and it'll demolish the same 40km/h increment in just 2.4sec. Clearly, if there's an overtaking opportunity on the near horizon, or a catapult from one opening left hander to the next hard right, this car's going to be working with the driver.

The secret to the TMR 220's increased urge is a deceptively simple exhaust modification, delivering an extra 70Nm across the middle of the 2.0-litre turbo's rev range. Using Ralliart competition parts for the exhaust exiting the engine, plus revised pipes and mufflers at the rear, an additional 0.2 bar of turbo boost has been found. No less handy is the raising of power from 207kW to 220kW, developed at the same 6200rpm as the standard Evo.

And there's plenty more to this car, including suspension mods, a revised interior and even more outward aggression than the already bristling Evo IX. All of the gear comes straight from the Ralliart parts bin, via TMR's Aussie outpost in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong. The good news is that rather than being cobbled together from a catalogue, the TMR 220 has full factory approval. It also comes with a Mitsubishi price tag of $78,910 - that's about $22,000 on top of a standard Evo IX. Amazingly, it still comes with Mitsubishi's five-year new-car warranty, removing much of the uncertainty that might accompany the purchase of such a highly strung sedan.

Bigger 18-inch rims with a pewter finish are among the giveaways that this is no normal Evo IX. Get closer, and you'll notice aerodynamic additions like the carbonfibre extension and vortex generators to the already complex air dam. The rear wing has been extended, and the engine - visible through a layer of bonnet mesh - gets Ralliart signage. Anyone worried the styling of the donor Evo IX was a little introverted will welcome these subtle enhancements.

The front brakes - hardly an Evo weak point - have also been upgraded. A TMR-developed package comprising 343mm diameter discs and six-piston calipers replaces the Evo IX's 320mm, four-pot Brembos. Then there's the suspension. Developed with KYB, all four.

TMR 380
The TMR 380 debuted at the Australian International Motorshow last October. The crux of the plan was a looker for mid-$40K, and a goer with style and performance for under $55K. The original on-sale was pencilled for March '07, but that's blown out to at least May. Indeed, official approval still hasn't been given.

Let's hope it is. Despite being generated across three states by three very different organisations, the TMR 380 should not be underrated. Driving the concept through the smoke-laden Victorian Alps, it became obvious that, like the firefighters we shared the road with, the TMR was heading in the right direction. There is ability, something promising, although not yet sufficiently refined for production.

That much is clear from the small things. The way the speedo jerked rather than swept smoothly round the dial, the unacceptable amount of wind noise from the left-hand, Evosourced wing mirror, and the bum electrics that meant the Vbox wouldn't work when we took the car to Calder for the first time.

There were bigger issues. The graunching over bumps and in corners as the left or right front tyres made contact with the inner guards - a result of the wheel offsets being 5mm out (hurried development process is to blame) and the lowering of suspension by 50mm. Made the car look better on the show stand, but sound awful on the road.

Then there's the steering. The standard car isn't that accurate and the TMR doesn't really improve the situation. Instead it delivers noticeable rack rattle and too much feedback, enough to shake the standard sized, leatherwrapped wheel loose from your hands at its worst on big bumps and lumps mid-corner.

But the combination of a TMR-developed front helical limited slip diff, Koni coil-overs with fully adjustable bump and rebound, King springs, TMR-fabricated strut brace, and all that extra rubber works pretty well to produce a flat stance, reasonably accurate handling and a surprisingly liveable ride.

Of course, it's still a front-driver with a big lump of cast iron and alloy hanging over the wheels, so understeer is the natural result of too much entry speed and not enough finesse. But turn in late, exploiting the hugely effective 345mm Alcons, hit the throttle early and let the excellent tyres (even if they do squeal) and graduated response of the diff eradicate push and just feel the car pull along the tarmac. It takes a little getting used to but it works.

Aiding progress is one of the most linear engines you could ever hope to experience. It's no sophisticate, lacks acronyms and, as per the normally-aspirated version, stops producing meaningful returns above 5500rpm.

But, on the tight hairpins that fold and layer their way up from Harrietville to Mount Hotham, it was possible to leave the gearbox in third for all but the most tortuous of turns and simply allow the fat of the torque curve between to handle acceleration. This had the positive side-effect of quelling torque steer, something that got intrusive when big revs were dumped unceremoniously on the front wheels in corners.

The TMR 380 is never razor sharp like the TMR 220 that effortlessly latches onto its tail. But put aside the obvious development issues and it's briskly enjoyable and very liveable. The most frightening thing is fuel consumption, which shot beyond 20L/100km on 98 RON when being full-throttled. The overall average settled at 16L/100km.

In other ways there's something very turbodiesel about the engine's response and abrupt corners get new springs with adjustable platforms to raise or lower ride height - set 20mm lower at the front and 15mm rear as the TMR leaves the factory. Gas dampers are also adjustable for rebound, lending credence to the 'drive-it-weekdays, race-it-weekends' job description of this car.

The upshot is a finely honed version of an already extraordinary performance car, that loses little in driveability and gains plenty in appeal. The acceleration has already been covered, but it's worth adding that away from urban confines (where there's a slightly exaggerated lack of response below about 2000rpm) the TMR works brilliantly. Give the 220 a mountain road and succession of corners that can be linked by shattering mid-range pulling power, and it's in its element.

Short straights are demolished in third gear, but there's also grunt to pull fourth, or even fifth in the close-ratio six-speed box if needed. It's accompanied by a civilised yet growly exhaust note that gives the odd popand-bang on throttle lift - but no tell-tale stuttering whistle of an overboosted engine hitting its dump valve.

Any Evo's ability to get the power down and reward the driver with communicative steering and adjustability on the throttle is intoxicating. This one is barely different. The standard Bridgestone rubber has been replaced by Pirelli PZeros, and this may contribute to a degree of understeer on turn-in that needs a lift of the throttle to correct. The Active Centre Differential, introduced on Evo VII, gives you the chance to choose a balance of torque delivery front to rear but, on bitumen at least, it seems to make little difference to handling balance.

Or it might be that arrival speeds - and therefore possibly corner entry speeds - are that much higher and all four tyres have to cope with higher loads. Then again, the stopping power afforded by the new brakes is so good that washing off speed is simply a dab of the pedal time and again - and on any gradient of road.

As with the existing Lancer Evo, the TMR has similarly high levels of wind and road noise (underlaid by an everpresent engine drone), and the rear wing neatly bisects any rearward vision. The ride is solid and occasionally sharp, but not too uncomfortable given the sheer levels of grip and handling. A revised instrument cluster (including a 300km/h speedo) and swathes of carbon trim do little to lessen the Lancerlike cheapness of the cabin. The seats are fabulously supportive, though, and the driving position perfect. Fuel consumption over an almost 1000km test came to a creditable 12.2L/100km, although in hard driving 18L/100km is likely.

The big question, however, has to be whether the TMR represents 22 grand well spent over a standard Evo IX. The answer is a probable yes for weekend motorsport clubbies, given that Ralliart reckons this car beats the standard version around NSW's twisting Wakefield Park circuit by a good two seconds. It's also a definite yes for those who want the fastest production Evo with the security of a factorybacked warranty. For the rest of us, who stand in awe of the Evo's abilities in the first place, it's almost like too much of a good thing.

WHAT WILL MAKE THE FINAL CUT?
In technical terms, the production version of TMR 380 is intended to be an almost direct take on this concept.

Most likely to disappear will be the Koni adjustable shock absorbers. TMR will probably establish a final setting and fit more affordable dampers. The ceramic clutch is also certain to be replaced by something more liveable. And, obviously, there's work to be done on the front wheel clearance problems, too.

One change made before any outsider drove the car was the switch from straightcut to helical gears in the supercharger to cut noise intrusion. Now its distinctive whine is only audible at cruising speeds.

Cosmetically, some items like the expensive Recaro seats are questionable, while the wheels and tyres are off-the-shelf items bought specifically for the show car.

The other question mark is the name. Will TMR 380 designation stay or go? As of mid-January this was still undecided, but the odds favour its retention.