New Car Overview of the 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Compact Sports Sedan

Description: Compact Sports Sedan
Base MSRP Range: $28,679 - $35,189
Invoice Price Range: $27,030 - $33,165
Where built: Japan

This is the street-legal version of Mitsubishi's trophy-grabbing World Rally Championship (WRC) racer. Consider it a high-performance version of the Lancer compact sedan but motivated by a souped-up turbo engine and equipped with all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction, a bulging air scoop on the hood, pontoon-style fenders, high-strength alloy wheels, a carbon-fiber spoiler on the tail and the cockpit fitted with bolstered Recaro sport bucket seats. Big Brembo ventilated disc brakes at all wheels tie to four-channel ABS.

But the heart of Evo is its power-pumping engine. For 2006 the 2.0-liter four-in-line -- turbo-charged and inter-cooled -- gets the Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing and lift Electronic Control (MIVEC) system to deliver 286 hp. Trims are notched as Evo RS, IX and MR. The latter carries a six-speed close-ratio manual transmission, BBS forged alloy wheels, fast-response Bilstein shocks and an aluminum roof that lowers the center of gravity.

The marque of Mitsubishi mounts on four different cars in 2006 for the North American market plus three sport-utility vehicles and a new mid-size truck. Eclipse, the sporty 2+2 coupe, pops out of Mitsubishi's Illinois assembly plant in a bold new design this year, while the truck -- called Raider -- rolls out of a DaimlerChrysler factory in Michigan with V8 power plus Extended Cab and Double Cab versions.