Mitsubishi LANCER RANGE
Mitsubishis Lancer Hopes That Some Of The Evo Magic Rubs Off On It. Andy Enright Reports
Mitsubishi is a company that can be deeply hard to second guess. For every slice of brilliant yin like the Lancer Evolution, theres the deeply unexceptional yang of a Carisma. Its almost as if it needs the two extremes to balance themselves out. Having just wowed us with the Colt range of superminis, Mitsubishi must feel the need to counter with a car that will be ignored by many.
Its hard to see the Lancer range attracting much in the way of showroom footfall but if budget stolidity is what youre looking for, heres a car that answers the call.
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The Lancer certainly has keen pricing on its side if not a wide variety of engine choices. Saloon buyers get a choice of Equippe or Elegance models, both powered by the same 1.6-litre engine at prices starting from £9,999. Things get slightly more varied in the Estate version which again offers Equippe and Elegance trims, this time opening at £10,499, but also features a rather incongruous looking 2.
0-litre Sport range topper at £11,999. Quite why we dont get a Sport saloon to sate those who cant afford an Evo is open to question although its difficult to escape the suspicion that the UK market could be acting as an offloading point for surplus Japanese domestic market stock.
Mitsubishi havent been shy when it comes to equipping the Lancer and this ninth-generation car features fifteen-inch alloy wheels, metallic paint, air conditioning, a CD player, keyless entry, colour keyed electrically heated and adjustable door mirrors and front fog lights. Theres also a height adjustable drivers
seat, 60/40 split rear seat and adjustable rear headrests.
Both the Lancer estate and saloon models are fitted with a colour keyed rear spoiler.
"The Lancer isnt an obvious choice but it is a surprisingly fun steer"
The flagship Lancer Sport estate gets sixteen-inch alloys, a Momo 3-spoke leather trimmed wheel, sports front seats, a CD auto changer, a sportier grille and lowered suspension. Its a lot of car for £11,999, especially when you consider the fact that it packs a 133bhp punch. Solely available with a five-speed manual gearbox, the Sport estate will get to 60mph in 9.8 seconds and top out at 124mph.
If you want to go quicker in a Lancer, the next step is the £23,999 Evo 260. Can it really be twice as much car? You be the judge. Theres a lot to be said for the Lancer. Itll be brilliantly reliable, is very well screwed together and has been developed to a point whereby nothing about the car is intrinsically annoying or ill designed.
The interior is neatly styled although some of the materials arent anything to write home about. The Lancer gets away with that, whereas Evo owners will shrug and point to the fact that if youre interested in rubberised minor controls and silicon damped everything, you should really be pointed in the direction of an
Audi A3 and told to shut up. Somewhat improbably, a sliver of the Evos driving dynamics leaches down into the Lancer. Theres a quick, almost nervy, feel to the steering and the car is happy to change direction very quickly.
Drive the Lancer for any length of time and youll begin to like it. It feels as if youre benefiting from Evo development without paying the bills. Its almost a guilty pleasure. The Macpherson front struts and multi-link rear are standard sports car fare and give the Lancer a firm ride with decent body control.
The brakes arent the crushing weapons Evo drivers are used to but the 15-inch ventilated front discs and 154-inch solid rear rotors nevertheless offer strong retardation albeit without a great deal of pedal feel. Anti lock braking is fitted as standard to all versions and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution backs it up, directing braking power to whichever wheel can best accommodate it. Safety is a key theme of the Lancer range, Mitsubishi recognising that its a key driver for family car buyers and all models come with not only twin front airbags but also side bags, door impact bars and anti-trapping electric windows at both front and rear. The Lancer has proved its crashworthiness and all round visibility is very good an often ignored safety function.
Its a shame there are no diesel models to choose from as this would widen the appeal considerably and the fact that the very good 1.9-litre Direct Injection Diesel as seen in the Carisma can comfortably slot into the Lancers engine bay is a missed opportunity. Nevertheless, the two engines served up both have something to be said for them. The 1.
6-litre unit will power the manual Lancer saloon to 60mph in 11.6 seconds and on to a creditable top speed of 114mph. A combined fuel economy figure of 41.5mpg is not to be sneezed at either.
Opt for the INVECS II automatic transmission and consumption is adversely affected, an automatic Lancer managing only 35.3mpg. The upside is that INVECS II is a very slick automatic gearbox which features software that attempts to learn your driving style, altering gearchange strategies as a result. The Sport model will hit a terminal velocity of 124mph and return 32.
5mpg. If youre looking for a small estate that can serve up a decent supply of jollies, the Lancer Sport seems a surprisingly appealing contender. Mitsubishi will understand if you dont feel the same way, having earmarked the Lancer for a very modest sales target of 3,000 units during 2005. They expect the Lancer Estate to account for fully two-thirds of that figure, although without a diesel option, theyve certainly hobbled themselves.
The Lancer may not be the obvious choice, but if funds are tight, it could well offer a blend of fun and practicality thats hard to turn down.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Mitsubishi Lancer range
PRICES: £9,999-£11,999 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 10-12 [est]
CO2 EMISSIONS: [2.0] 176g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.0] Max Speed 124mph / 0-60mph 9.8s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.6] (combined) 41.5mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ABS with EBD, side impact protection WHO TO SEE: January 6th 2005
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