2015 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution: Price Falls by $500

The 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution—expected to be the final high-performance "Evolution" model for the foreseeable future—will go on sale with an MSRP of $34,495. That marks a nice $500 discount over the entry-level version from the 2014 model year, and the 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution also adds a new pair of exterior mirrors as standard equipment; the setup, now standard across the lineup for 2015, is heated and features integrated turn signals.

Perhaps uncoincidentally, the new starting price for the 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is an exact match for the MSRP of the next-gen 2015 Subaru WRX STI, with the Evo also boasting a turbocharged 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine that makes 291 hp and 300 lb.-ft. of torque. The unit is paired with either a five-speed manual (GSR models) or six-speed automatic "Twin-Clutch Sportronic Shift Transmission" (MR models), while routing power to all four wheels via Mitsu's Super-All Wheel Control technology.

The upper-trim 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR also welcomes a more significant upgrade in content, highlighted by a standard 710-watt Rockford Fosgate audio system. However, that's somewhat off-set by an $800 pricing premium as compared to the 2014 MR trim, which, to be clear, opens at $38,995 for the 2015 selling season.

Just remember that the rest of the 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer lineup—recent recipient of a Top Safety Pick Recognition from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)—will carry on in the compact class in both sedan and a five-door "Sportback" configurations. Prices for the Lancer and Lancer Sportback start at $17,395 and $18,595, respectively.