Very well, since the additions only add about 30 pounds compared with the MR. It still drives like the Evo it is, it just seems to bring a little less craziness than do other Evos (and it can be argued that the normal one brings less craziness than most previous generations of Evos did). In other words, it’s fast, fun, and firm on the road. Retained are the sharp steering, right-now brakes, and very aggressively scooped seats. (We still have bruises on our right butt cheek from the first time we hopped in and didn’t quite clear the structurally reinforced lower bolster.) The turbo whirl and rorty note of the 291-hp four-banger are still present, happily, just not as in-your-face, which should be welcome on longer drives. Indeed, while we probably still wouldn’t choose this car for any “touring” duties, it is certainly the most touring-worthy of the current crop of Evos.
How Does It Stack Up?
If you consider the 305-hp Subaru Impreza WRX STI as the Evo’s only direct competition, the Lancer Touring can be considered the most premium and elegant car in its class. Tee-hee. However, at the Touring’s heavens-to-the-high price, there are many other slick rides that are just as fun—however different in character—including the Mazda RX-8, the Infiniti G37, and the BMW 1-series. We wouldn’t buy a Touring without cross-shopping the others to see which best handles your own brand of touring.
What’s the Cost?
At $41,710, plus a couple grand for navigation, the Evo Touring is a near-$44K proposition. Yikes. And it remains hard to get around that price tag even when bombing around corners with as much hustle as you can muscle. It might be a great used-car deal, however, once the first guy takes the hit, provided the car doesn’t take too many hits itself on its various “tours."
