In the real world environment, the Evo VIII is the scruffy headed, trouble making kid with attention deficit disorder. It lags a tad off the line with a tallish first gear - there's another bomb hole below the cruising fifth - but in four tightly bunched gears there's no disguising the fire hose surge and manic cog snatching urgency of this turbomotor's mid range.

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The Mazda's six slot box has the best shift action of this bunch, being lighter, shorter and quicker than the Mitsubishi's firm five speed

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On the road the Evo VIII has only two states of being : ***** out, or unzipping in readiness. It's a shiv hidden in a running shoe.

... the steering has zero sneeze factor, and turn-in is outrageously immediate - helped, sometimes spookily, by a sensation of rear roll steer , largely the work of the active Yaw control rear differential.

... the Mazda RX8, the most low slung and lightweight of the three. It feels it, too, combining a broad and confident footprint with consistently weighted steering and great grip. The softish but stable chassis can be wheeled away late into corners and will simply scrub off speed in the turn in, then hold its line. It also boasts the best brake feel here, if not the outright stopping power to match the Mitsu ...

Pete McKay rates the Evo as the slightly better drive, with a fun factor equal to RX-8’s.

Grabs you early and firmly. Not an abundance of power, but has a beautifully balanced chassis, devoid of any obvious vices. Quicker than it feels, which is a sign of competency. Great front end, with little understeer. Neutral through most of the cornering exercises, with no clear urge to snap into oversteer. The Bridgies seem nicely mated to mature dynamics. Brakes feel strong. Slalom confirms good balance while skid pan reveals nothing but excellence – flat, settled suspension and little requirement for throttle adjustment. Hip-hugging seats round out an impressive package.