Road Test: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X 2.0 GSR FQ-330 4dr

When the Mitsubishi Evo X arrived in 2007, there was a great fanfare made about the twin-clutch gearbox. The trouble was, you could only get it on the relatively-warm-for-an-Evo FQ300, not a more powerful variant. Mitsubishi has now dropped it into the FQ330, for a £3,500 premium over the manual.

Not a cheap upgrade (a dual clutch gearbox on a VW Golf GTI costs £1,305) but it suits this Evo more than the manual. It flatters you but it's more than that - it's the way the technological feel of the paddles matches the techiness of the whole car with all its trick diffs.

The three modes you can select are Normal, Sport and Super Sport. The harder you drive, the further up the sport ladder you'll want it, but for average road use you'd leave it in normal where shifts are seamless and plenty quick. You're never in limbo while the system hunts for a gear.

You use the manual shift and the paddles more than the auto mode (this is an Evo), but automatic is still decent to slowly trundle in traffic.

The waiting has been worth it. But don't wait for the SST to graduate to the loony FQ400 - it's too powerful. 329bhp will have to do.