The Mitsubishi Lancer represents a wide diversity of compact four-door sedans, starting with the Lancer ES and progressing to anything less than a full-fledged rally car, with midsize models that are sporty.
All Lancers are spacious four-door sedans with comfortable, sporty seats.
The best value, most sensible and most popular model is the Lancer ES, a pleasant sedan with a smooth ride, good handling, and a comfortable, nicely trimmed interior. The Lancer O-Z Rally adds sports appeal to this basic package while still remaining sensible. The Ralliart package turns the Lancer into a true sport compact with its more powerful 2.4-liter MIVEC engine and sports suspension. It’s a lot of fun to drive.
The Lancer Evolution is animalistic, a turbocharged four-wheel drive homologation special based on Mitsubishi’s successful World Rally Championship cars. It is one of the most popular cars on the street, especially on bumpy surfaces or anything that provides less than ideal traction. New for 2005 is an Evo MR named after the Mitsubishi club racing sedan introduced in 1970.
The Lancer ES ($14,299) is the most popular model due to its competitive value and generous equipment. It comes with air conditioning, a tachometer in the tool group, a CD player on the dashboard, as well as forced windows, mirrors, and door locks. The ES comes with a five-speed manual transmission, but a four-speed automatic ($15,199) is available. An optional package ($800) adds remote keyless entry, a 60/40 split rear seatback, a fold-down armrest with cup holders, carpeted floor mats and windshield wipers with variable flashing.
The Lancer O-Z Rally ($16,599) takes its name from the O-Z Racing wheels (pronounced oh-zee), an Italian company that makes high-quality wheels for Formula 1, CART, and World Rally Championship race cars. The O-Z Rally Lancer features a sporty frame fostered through the Lancer WRC race cars, adding front and rear bumper extensions and side skirts. White-fronted tools and a black-trimmed cockpit with plastic panels that look like brushed aluminum give the interior a sleek look. A five-speed manual transmission is standard, a four-speed automatic ($17,499) is optional. Other features come with a sunroof and front side airbags ($1,500), as well as a shipping net and a chrome exhaust tip ($131).
The Ralliart sedan ($18,499) is powered by a 2. 4-liter engine with variable valve timing MIVEC. The Ralliart is popular with a five-speed manual transmission with a short-travel shifter just like the one used in the Lancer Evolution. However, it can also be supplied with a four-speed automatic transmission ($19,399). The Ralliart setup includes four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and EBD, play suspension with stiffer surprise shocks to decrease frame roll when cornering, a more responsive guide box, smoother exhaust. and 16-inch alloy wheels with all-season performance. The car gets the call from Mitsubishi’s Ralliart rally team and features an external appearance package that includes front and side air intakes, fog lights, rear spoiler and Evolution GT-A bucket seats. Side airbags, sunroof, and a 315-watt CD. /The Infinity audio formula can be purchased as a bundle ($1,500).
There are three Lancer Evolution models available, the Evo RS ($28,499), Evo VIII ($30,699) and Evo MR ($35,699). All come with a 271-horsepower turbocharged engine, all-wheel drive, and a sport-tuned suspension. Virtually race-ready, the Evos gain benefits from reinforced frame structures. They all come with a special front fairing, a giant rear spoiler and a rear wiper (useful after hurtling through muddy and snowy special stages at 100mph), as well as play seats. and special interior equipment. The Evo RS comes with 17-inch Enkei wheels and high-grip Yokohama Advan P235/45WR17 tires. In addition to the features of the Evo RS, the Evo VIII gets the benefits of an active center differential transfer and Brembo brakes. with ABS and EBD set as well as other features. The MR Edition adds a close-ratio six-speed gearbox, 17-inch BBS forged wheels and other features.
Safety features come with front airbags and three-point seat belts for all five positions. Front seat belts are supplied with force-limiting pretensioners and height-adjustable anchors, all of which can help reduce belt injuries in the event of an accident. sécurité. Porte-Les. La Lancer’s smart belts have been named “Top Pick” through the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s crash test program. It scored 4 out of five stars in NHTSA’s frontal impact tests, but only two stars in the government’s frontal aspect have an effect on the test.
Crisp styling sets the Mitsubishi Lancer apart from other compact sedans. If not beautiful, it looks aggressive. The wheels are pushed to the corners, giving it a stable stance. Short front and rear overhangs improve weight distribution. The windshield is steeply raked rearward to cheat the wind.
The Lancer has a strong prow with a bold horizontal grille ringed in chrome. Oversized multi-lens headlamps cluster at the corners, while a thick front bumper and air dam thrust forward like a boxer’s chin. The hood has stepped cut-lines that add shape and depth. The flanks look sleek and flat with slight fender flares around the wheels. At the squared-off trunk, the Lancer borrows lines from European touring sedans with a blunt tail highlighted by bold, triangular taillamps.
The ES style seems docile and respectable. The O-Z Rally Edition looks docile and respectable with its bumper extensions, shapely side skirts, and bright colors. The Ralliart versions seem downright daring.
The Evolution looks like a rally car. First up, there’s the giant rear spoiler. Then there’s the competitive front end, a giant front air intake filled with an intercooler for the turbo and a hood with mesh air vents. The square, blistered fins made of W8 smooth aluminum resemble festival gear. The Evo MR is supplied with vortex generators, 8 small one-inch-high longitudinal ailerons at the rear of the roof that generate downforce, similar to that seen on aircraft. For 2005, the MR and RS get a tall heavy-duty metal roof panel that saves both w8 and cutting 3 inches off the car’s roof. Removing the w8 from the top, well above the center of gravity, is a smart thing to do. Add in a roll bar, a giant soft module, mambo fenders and a bunch of stickers, and the Evolution would look like it was fit to tackle the Pikes Peak climb or the Rim of the World rally in California. (Of course, it would take more preparation to build a successful rally car vehicle. )
The Mitsubishi Lancer has a strangely charming interior. For starters, the Lancers have smart seats. The Lancer ES’s cloth seats provide clever side bolstering. The O-Z Rally seats are upholstered in premium fabric with silky embroidered stitching in the center of the same color. Inserts. The side straps on the front hubs are contoured for comfortable comfort. The driver’s seat moves smoothly in 8 instructions and we had no trouble adjusting it to be compatible with long legs and an upper torso. The Evolution GT-A seats feature Ralliart models offer just the right amount thanks to competitive-looking bolsters; They are comfortable to travel with while also offering just enough to drive on a race track and are tastefully adorned in black with orange overhead lights.
The uncluttered design of the dashboard impressed us, as did the look and tone of materials used to dress the cabin. A band of plastic trim stretches across the upper part of the dashboard and divides it into top and bottom sections. The O-Z Rally uses a brushed aluminum color for the plastic trim panel, which blends nicely with the cabin’s black color scheme.
The Lancer ES has a surprisingly nice interior. Our ES came trimmed in light tones. A broad piece of handsome woodgrain plastic trim across the dash warms the cabin and looks richer than what we’ve seen in some of the newest luxury SUVs. The pebbled material used on the top of the dash is nice and the satin finish trim on the center stack, center console, and shifter surround looks good. Lancer ES models have a two-tone dash; the upper dash is a dark color, with a lighter tone below. The mouse fur around the door handle and armrest feels nice, but doesn’t quite live up to the other materials.
The guide column adjusts vertically. We liked the feel of the O-Z Rally’s chunky wheel, which is padded and covered with stitched synthetic leather. The idlers on the ES and Ralliart models we tested were great but looked boring in a modern, different interior. Large, ambitious analog gauges are clustered under the arched hood. Black indicators with white lettering are used on ES models, while the O-Z Rally has white-faced indicators. The Ralliart has an all-black interior with carbon-style accents and white gauges with orange lettering at night. .
The Lancer’s dash design features scooped sections in front of each seat for roominess with a center panel of audio and climate controls that bulges out for easy reach by driver and passenger. Three rotary dials for the ventilation system are large and easy to use. Above the HVAC controls is the audio system, which suffers from tiny dials. The cup holders are big and solid, but there’s only a small amount of center console storage.
The Lancer has spacious rear seats. The rear seats of the Ralliart offer great support and are equipped with sporty headrests.
The trunk of the Lancer sedans offers 11. 3 cubic feet of space, less than that of the Civic and Corolla.
The Lancer Evolution comes with blue and black cloth Recaro racing seats designed to accommodate a six-point racing harness. The Momo three-spoke steering wheel has a sleek appearance with its small airbag package. The center console includes a special button for spraying water. The turbocharger intercooler for maximum power when racing in hot, hilly terrain.
The Mitsubishi Lancer feels really spacious when it’s on the road. It’s narrow but easy to handle and capable of turning a bumpy pavement into a milkshake. Mitsubishi builds the Lancer on an uncompromising monocoque platform with fully independent suspension.
The Lancer ES we drove was very well driven and treated well. The guide responds even if there’s a bit of play in the guide, in other words, a lack of centering feel.
The Lancer O-Z Rally we were driving slipped over the bumpy tar seams. We observed that the cabin was so quiet that two passengers could simply converse in low voices, despite our position in the middle lane, trapped between giant cargo trucks. We drove the O-Z Rally Lancer on narrow, asphalt roads and struggled in corners with the frame remaining relatively flat. A wide track and front suspension with a medium-low longitudinal roll contribute to the car’s predictable cornering stability, while the multi-link design at the rear helps keep the rear wheels in check while cushioning road irregularities. The rack and pinion guide worked as it should, but lacked firmness in the middle.
The Ralliart models have a firmer ride with their sport-tuned suspensions. The shocks have significantly higher damping rates and the front springs and anti-roll bars have higher rates as well, all of which means less body lean in corners and less dive and squat under braking and acceleration. Indeed, the Ralliart leans very little in corners. Bumps are heard and felt and the whole affair feels stiffer, but it’s not harsh.
At 120 horsepower, the 2. 0-liter four-cylinder engine that powers the ES and O-Z Rally models is by no means the most powerful in its class, but Mitsubishi has tuned it to generate more power at low to mid-revs. 130 lb-ft of torque at 4,250 rpm. With this engine, the Lancer feels fast in the city, jumps off the line, and feels downright competitive when shifting into second and third gears. It rides comfortably at top speeds and still has some power left in it. to overtake. And you get fuel economy, getting an EPA city/highway estimate of 28/35 mpg.
The manual transmission has a short lever and shifts quickly. It’s firm and precise, even sporty. The available four-speed automatic transmission uses electronic controls and tailors gear changes to the driver’s individual style. We drove it and were inspired by how sleek and quiet the shifts worked, but we noticed that the automatic transmission dampened the spirit of the Lancer. as automatic transmissions often do with four-cylinder engines. In addition, the automatic transmission reduces fuel economy to 25/31 mpg, estimated through the EPA.
The Ralliart model’s 2. 4-liter engine packs plenty of power at low revs, generating 162 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. With its peak torque, the 2. 4-liter engine works very well with the automatic transmission, making it a responsive combination. When driving in traffic, it temporarily but discreetly downshifts with a simple press of the accelerator. It responds very well in the city and makes 162 horsepower.
The evolution of the Lancer is very fast. We’ve driven Evos on roads and race tracks. The guide is super fast. The Evo turns very fast and takes corners with enthusiasm. The suspension is very firm, very well controlled. The car is solid and fast in the corners with perfect grip thanks to the Yokohama A-046 tires. You feel stuck, stuck on the sidewalk. Its grip allows for strong acceleration when exiting corners. The brakes are perfect. Its all-wheel drive is a great merit when grip is slightly compromised: bumpy roads, rainy roads, snow, ice. A set of second-hand wheels is recommended for winter use (and we propose a set of second-hand wheels to go through with them). ). Also, putting grippy tires on a four-wheel-drive rally car means buying tires a little more often.
The new Evolution MR edition uses a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission, which makes it.
The Mitsubishi Lancer’s length positions it in the middle of a crowded box of compact cars including the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Subaru Impreza, Ford Focus, Nissan Sentra, Mazda 3 and Dodge Neon. Competitively, the Lancer has the longest frame and its long wheelbase produces a spacious cabin with the best front-seat legroom in its class.
Larry Edsall, a correspondent for New Car Test Drive, is in Phoenix; with Mitch McCullough, editor-in-chief of nctd. com, reporting from Los Angeles and Phil Berg in Detroit.
Mitsubishi Lancer ES ($14,299); OZ Rally ($16,599); Ralliart ($18,499); SR Evolution ($27,929); Evolution VIII ($30,699); Mr. Evolution ($35,499).
Mizushima, Japan.
ES Convenience Package ($800) keyless entry, fold-and-split rear seat, rear armrest, rear cup holders, floor mats, cruiser windshield wipers and variable turn signal.