A history of Mistubishi's sporty wagons

Any petrolhead who knows a thing or two about weird japanese cars will recognize what’s pictured above: the Japan-only Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX Wagon, but did you know that the brand made four also JDM-only predecessors to this? And that three of those were minivans? Let me show you what I’m talking about…

1- Chariot Resort Runner GT (1995)

It all started with the second generation Chariot (Space Wagon in Europe, Expo in America), a small MPV based on the Lancer, it featured a lot of room inside and it had three rows of seats. To say that this is a boring car is an understatement, my parents own one and oh boy it’s slow, the worst part is that it will be my first car.

Anyway, the one to look for is the Resort Runner GT model produced from 1995 to 1997. The GT came with the 4G63T 2.0L turbo four-cylinder and the AWD system from the Galant VR-4. The five speed manual made 230HP and the four speed auto around 220. It supposedly accelerates from 0-60 in 6.8 seconds and could do the quarter mile in 15.1 seconds. Not bad for a minivan.

Compared to the regular Chariot, the GT offered a higher roof with a panoramic-like glass bubble and a front bumper bar. It also got 5-lug hubs, maybe because it has improved brakes but I’m not sure because there’s so little information about this car. It was produced on a very limited run so it’s a hard to find model.

But after all, it’s a pretty sick sleeper…

2- RVR: Super Sports Gear Turbo (1995) / Hyper Sports Gear-R (1997)

Next we have the RVR, a shortened version of the Chariot with a sliding door. This one had two sporty trims. In 1995 the Super Sports Gear Turbo appeared with off-road looks: spare tire mounted on the hatch, front bars and slighty lifted suspension. It came with the same mechanics of the Resort Runner GT: a detuned 4G63T with AWD and 230HP mated to a five speed manual.

The real deal is the Hyper Sports Gear-R from 1997, it had a wild bodykit with a very aggresive front bumper, side skirts and rear spoiler, and graphics that scream nineties. Again it was powered by the 4G63T with AWD, but this time the inline-four made 250HP with the manual transmission and 230 with the auto. It also came with a front mounted intercooler unlike the GT and SSGT which have top mounted ones.

Like the Chariot GT, this models are very limited, specially the HSG-R, which is my favorite of this list.

3- Airtrek Turbo-R (2002)

Then it came the Airtrek, sold as the Outlander elsewhere. A compact crossover based on the Lancer that was a clear competitor to the Subaru Forester. In 2002 the performance model was launched, called the Turbo-R.

As usual, it borrowed a detuned version of the Lancer Evo’s 4G63T producing a very respectable 240HP to all four wheels. The downside of this model is that it was only offered with a five speed automatic. It would be a more interesting model if it was offered with a manual transmission though.

4- Lancer Evo IX Wagon (2005)

And after many years of putting the Evolution’s mechanics on minivans and crossovers, in 2005 Mitsubishi finally did the right thing and converted the Lancer wagon into an AWD Turbo groceries hauler.

Based on the ninth iteration of the mytical saga, it was offered in GT, GT-A and MR trims. The GT-A had a five speed automatic and used the non-MIVEC 4G63 sourced from the Evo VII with a smaller turbo. GT and MR trims had a six speed manual and MIVEC engine with the Evo IX’s turbo. All models were rated at 280HP like the regular sedan.

A total of 2924 wagons were produced and only 15% of those were sold with a manual transmission, the GT-A was the most manufactured trim. A very nice and practical unicorn in my opinion.

Honorable mention: Legnum VR-4 (1997)

And since we’re talking about sporty wagons from Mitsubishi, I can’t left the Legnum VR-4 behind. It was based on the third generation Galant VR-4 and it competed with the Subaru Legacy Turbo Wagon.

It was powered by the Twin-Turbo 2.5L V6 6A13TT producing 280HP and 367Nm of torque. It had AWD and it was offered with a five speed manual or a five speed auto-manual. Two trims where to choose: Type-S and Type-V. The Type-S had the Lancer Evo’s AYC (Active Yaw Control) as an option.

And that concludes this article. Hopefully if the brand decides to get their sh*t togheter again we will see another model like this in the future. Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments.

Cheers!