The Mitsubishi Evo: the world's maddest car just got madder

The Mitsubishi Evo X FQ-400 is the latest version of the super-fast saloon, and this one's even faster than its predecessors, says Ben Barry in Car. It delivers 403bhp, a 0-62mph time of 3.8 seconds, and a top speed 155mph.

But who needs an even quicker one, you may well ask? Barry had similar thoughts himself until he drove it. Then, "I was converted". This is not just faster, but "quantifiably better and quite possibly the best Evo ever".

Speed alone isn't the point of this car "it's the way that power is delivered". It pulls hard from very low revs, then "really picks up its heels from 2000rpm, then blitzes to the horizon from 3000rpm onwards".

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To achieve this, the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, 16-valve turbo engine has been tweaked by well-respected Japanese tuner HKS; the chassis features new dampers and springs for a 30mm lower stance; and the brakes are much improved. It's "a brilliant drive" and, "if you want the ultimate Evo, this is it".

The car is "so much more exciting" than the numbers alone would suggest, says Jamie Corstorphine in AutoExpress. It really feels like driving a rally car, making all the right noises and staying tightly controlled through the corners. "It is completely over the top, but then what do you expect from the maddest version of an already pretty mad car?"

It's visually more aggressive than previous models, and faster than a Ferrari F430, Aston DBS and Porsche 911 Turbo, says Top Gear. All from a two-litre engine. That's "frankly beserk".

The only bugbear is the price: £50,000 when it goes on sale in the UK next month, edging the Evo close to Nissan GT-R territory. "Then again, it's close to GT-R performance and if you order one, you're more likely to receive it before, say, 2018."