First Drive: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer

Review by Feann Torr - 21/Sept/2007

You can tell a lot about what a company wants to convey with a new car from its choice of launch location. The all-new 2008 Lancer was launched in Canberra, the capital of Australia, a place of centralised power where great changes are wrought by the ruling governments.

Like the political institutions entrenched in Canberra, the new Lancer looks like changing not just Mitsubishi's fortunes, but the entire small car segment. When Mitsubishi talked up a small car revolution at the beginning of its presentation, most people were nonplussed. But now we've poked, prodded and driven the product it doesn't seem quite so far fetched.

The new Mitsubishi Lancer goes on sale in Australia from October 1st this year, and I'm going to lay my cards on the table right now - the new 2008 Lancer is a very good car.

Though it may not unseat the Toyota Corolla from its lofty throne, you can bet your bottom dollar it'll go close. It really is that good. Sure, it may not the most cost effective small car in the market, starting at $20,990 - the Ford Focus is it's only rival that bests this price - but the standard features list is without equal, while the new styling, the new engine and the way it drives all make very strong arguments in the car's favour. Beyond all the marketing hype, ignoring the PR spin, this car just felt good to drive. 

One of the biggest features that Mitsubishi will be spruiking is the inclusion of ASC, or active stability control, on every single model. Yes, even the entry-level ES model. A visibly upbeat Mitsubishi Australia CEO, Robert McEniry, said the inclusion of ESP across the new Lancer range "will change the shape of the small car segment in this country". Bold words, but hey, it's a bold car.

With an improving balance sheet, and vehicles like the Outlander making good inroads into the compact 4WD market, "Mitsubishi is firing on all cylinders, with high octane," beamed Mr McEniry, confident in the knowledge that the new Lancer will deliver another boost to the company that, just a handful of years ago, was struggling.

First things first, and I've got to say that this vehicle is a very attractive car. It's got a clean cut look that is unlike any other in the small car market, and will go a long way to putting it at the top of new car buyers lists. 

Toyota is marketing the new Corolla as it's hottest ever, and it probably is. But the Lancer has a more mature style to my mind, and sits more confidently on the road. Unlike the Corolla, this small car that won't easily blend into the crowd.

It's a larger car than the previous Lancer, sharing the Outlander's platform, which will please blokes who don't like the idea of punting about in a mini-micro car.But as the the chief designer for all-new Lancer, Hiroaki Matsunobu explained, "It had to have very compact body size within the current C-segment size."

Based on the Mitsubishi's Concept X design blueprint, first seen in 2005 at the Tokyo Motor Show, the new Lancer brings the car into the 21st century. The front grille is inspired by a jet fighters air intake while the slim line headlight design adds an aggressive, purposeful element to the front end. It presents a front end look that is measured sportiness and sophistication.

Though there are some European design influences in the new model, there is also an edgy Japanese theme to the design that is most evident at the rear, channelling a touch of Lexus IS250 to great effect. The rear end features a 'chopped' tail (to use Mitsubishi parlance), which is punctuated by the stylish and sporty Lexus-like brake light clusters that sit quite high.

From the side, the new Lancer has a traditional sedan silhouette with subtle wheel arch bulges and relatively narrow windows. But despite the slim windows the view from the interior is surprisingly good. The outward view from the drivers seat is very clear and makes lane changing and surveying roundabouts a piece of cake.

The driving position is pretty good, and cruise controls on the steering wheel make the longer stints down the freeway nice and easy. It's a very welcoming car in that it doesn't shock you with an onslaught of controls, and everything seems to work well.

Looking at the interior of the cabin, it's clear that Mitsubishi has taken the Lancer further upmarket. The centre console and overarching dashboard have a subtle similarity to the design that some BMWs employ - all the controls, dials and buttons have been simplified which creates a pleasant minimalistic look.

Depending on the model grade, there's a large silver or carbon-look accent strip stretching the width of the dashboard that continues as the front door trim, and the instrument dials are suitably sporty. Other than that the interior is fairly devoid of flair. Butin my book this is no bad thing. 

It's an uncluttered interior and because everything's easy to use and within reach, you rarely need stretch to activate or spend time considering where a specific control is. The trip computer is the same item used on the Mitsubishi Outlander and works well.There's no cheap gimmicks in the cabin - it's simply functional, fuss-free and it works well.

There's also a button to the left of the steering wheel that toggles the ASC or active stability control. Standard across the entire range, this will be one of the car's key selling points because as of yet none of its rivals offer a range-wide stability control system. Mitsubishi went to great pains to highlight the fact that even if you wanted it, you cannot get stability control on the Toyota Corolla. 

No prizes for guessing who's in the Lancer's targetting reticule...

The new Lancer range will initially comprise three models, starting with the $20,990 ES, and rising to the $28,990 VRX. It will be joined by the turbocharged Ralliart and Evolution models in 2008, and also by a new Lancer Sportback model later in 2008, a stylish hatch/wagon model that will rival the much maligned Subaru Impreza hatch.

Here's the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer model run down:

ES: $20,990 - Entry level model. Mitsubishi predicts it will take up 55% of sales.
VR: $25,290 - Mid level model. Better equipment, such as 7 airbags. Expected to take 25% of sales.
VRX: 28,990 - Top level model. Bigger brakes, stiffer suspension, smart key. Expected to take 20% of sales.

Add $2,300 for the automatic transmission on the ES and VR models, and $2,500 for the VRX because the latter gets magnesium steering wheel paddle shifters. All automatic CVTs come with a 6-speed tiptronic shift mode too, and Mitsubishi reckons the automatic Lancers will comprise about 65 to 70% of sales.

At present Mitsubishi sells about 1200 Lancers per month, and predicts this will rise to about 1500 per month but this is a conservative estimate, as is the VRX sales prediction of 20%. Expect the VRX sales to be closer to 40%.

Now we're at the best bit - the drive. To cut a long story short, the new Lancer drives well. But it's not without fault. A few issues surfaced during the launch drive in Canberra, which included tyre noise. Almost every journo agreed that tyre noise was a touch high, which could be due to the Yokohama rubbers that are used across the range.

Also, I found the automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT) to be a bit sluggish at low speeds. It's fine once you get going and provides impressive overtaking abilities, particularly when combined to the new 113kW 2.0-litre engine. But from standstill and through first gear it takes it's sweet time to build up steam.

On the other hand, the 5-speed manual is sensational. The clutch has a quick take up, and shift quality is great: it has a slightly notchy feel that tells you there's something there when slotting into a new gear, and has short throws between gates. It gives the Lancer a very sporty feel and best of all there's no torque converter sapping a fifth of the engines power. 

The manual versions felt much quicker and sportier than the CVTs on the road, and this is reflected in the 0-100km/h sprint times. The CVT models take 10.5 seconds, yet the manual versions are a whole second quicker at 9.5 seconds. Though the Lancer isn't like greased lightning off the line, it's not too slow and the engine sounds particularly sporty, especially when it revs above 4000rpm in the manual models.

Beyond a bit of tyre noise the new 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer is a very nice car to drive. It's easy to master thanks to the wide view you get from the cockpit, the steering wheel is well weighted and with the smallest turning circle in its class - besting even the Toyota Corolla - it's effortless to manoeuvre and turn into tight spaces. I performed a couple of U-turns on a deserted country road and it really was impressive how little space it needed to turn right around.

As mentioned the ride is very smooth despite the cars body being stiffer than its predecessors, thanks to improved levels of torsional rigidity via the adoption of higher quality metals in the frame. The car tracks over bumps in the road without transferring too much movement into the cabin, which was evidenced over the uneven roads near Queanbeyan in the Australian Captival Territory. 

Though it's 35kg heavier than the previous model, it feels far more refined to drive and the brakes feel much stronger too.

When we encountered a few corners the VRX model proved to be the vehicle of choice as it's stiffer suspension tune and 18-inch wheels provided better grip, feel, and stability than the ES and VR models. There was a touch of body roll in all three variants but overall the new Lancer has a very progressive feel to the way it drives, and should be an excellent base for the forthcoming banzai Evolution X model.

Getting back to the engines, and the new 2.0-litre mill replaces the outgoing 2.4-litre unit. The new 4-cylinder engines deliver the same power from their smaller size, which helps to reduce fuel consumption. The power and torque figures are also best in class:

Power: 113kW @ 6000rpm
Torque:  198Nm @ 4250rpm

It's rivals can't match the power nor the torque levels of the new Lancer, with the Mazda3 closest at 108kW, followed by the Ford Focus rated at 107kW, the Honda Civic at 103kW and the Toyota Corolla with 100kW.

We found the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer to be quite frugal too, and despite what the official figures say about the CVT it can return low figures if driven smoothly. The ES is the most frugal 5-speed manual model drinking 7.7L/100km, while the VRX manual drinks 8.1L/100km. The CVT fuel figures range between 8.2 and 8.5L/100km.

ES Manual: 7.7L/100km
VRX Auto: 8.5L/100km

The 2008 Lancer has grown considerably since it's last outing, mainly due to the sharing of its platform with the Outlander. It's 60mm wider, and 35mm longer, which improves ride quality slightly, but mainly opens up more interior room. Indeed, the interior has improved in almost every dimension, and it feels bigger.

Head room is ample, as is leg room, and even rear seat passengers get more leg room. Thankfully 60/40 split rear seats have been implemented and there's a large 400 litre boot with the standard issue space saver spare wheel. A full sized spare wheel costs $200 and reduces boot space to 315 litres.

So, the engines are better, the ride is better, the handling of the new Lancer has been tweaked, and there's no doubting that the exterior and interior designs have been significantly updated and improved. Yet one of the most impressive elements to the new 2008 Lancer is it's bafflingly high levels of standard equipment.

Stability control is a standard features across the range and this is going to cause headaches for every other small car in Australia, because none of them offer this. "Mitsubishi is going to shake up the small car segment with the Lancer," says CEO Robert McEniry.

With stability control as standard across the range, Mitsubishi is marketing the Lancer safety as the safest car in its class, and is also the first to include knee airbags on all models. Yep, even the $20,990 ES model. Other standard safety features include traction control, ABS, EBD, and steering wheel cruise controls on all models.

Mitsubishi is confident that the new 2008 Lancer is well into 5-star safety rating with both the Euro NCAP and ANCAP safety benchmarks - the highest possible scores.

All models come standard with power steering, air conditioning, cruise control, power windows and mirrors, CD/MP3 player (but no AUX audio jack), stability control. The entry level model gets three airbags - driver and passenger head airbags and driver knee air bag - while the the mid and top level VR and VRX models gets seven airbags, including curtain airbags. It's an $850 cost option to get the full seven airbag complement with the entry level model.

The mid level VR models get 16-inch alloy wheels, front foggies, seven airbags, climate control, dusk sensing headlights and rain sensing wipers. There's only one option for this$25,290 model, and that's the sunroof ($1600).

Our final stop is the $28,990 VRX model, which is a bit heavier and thirstier than the other models but buys you plenty of premium features. It sits on sporty 18-inch alloy wheels and features a full body kit with a rear spoiler, sports suspension with a strut tower brace, and bigger brakes. 

Inside it gets sports seats, and paddle shifter if you opt for the automatic transmission, plus true Bluetooth that stores your phone numbers in the car. There's alloy pedals, plus a cool proximity key fob that means you don't have to take it out of your pocket to open the doors and start the engine. There's even soft touch buttons on the front doors and boot to lock the car without reaching for the key fob. Sexy and smart.

The VRX model gets only two options - the aforementioned sunroof and a thumping 650 watt Rockford-Fosgate premium stereo system that's pretty good value at $750. The 6-disc CD system features an attractively installed 10-inch sub woofer in the boot, plus eight other speakers and an AUX audio input for an iPod or similar audio device.

Conclusion

Cruising through the Canberran hills in the new Lancer brought a certain clarity to things. When Mitsubishi first released images of this new model, we all knew it looked stylish. But now that we've driven it we can confirm that it feels good. It's a refined car to drive and barring some tyre noise - which should be easily remedied - there's very little for me to complain about.

It's also the safest small car in its class, with active stability control and knee airbags fitted as standard across the entire range; Mitsubishi has stuffed the new Lancer full of features, many of them from the premium car sector. When thechief of Mitsubishi Australia talks about increasing owner pride and building brand trust he's not just reading a speech - he means it. This car has a big future, make no mistake. 

It's competent on every level, and lacking in very few.

The first Lancer came to Australia in 1974 - as a rear wheel drive car back then - and has since sold more 250,000 units in this country. More than 30 years on and Mitsubishi appears to have hit the nail squarely on the head with this new small car. It's attractive, it's feature packed, and it's safety credentials are second to none.

The Mitsubishi badge has been through some tough times in the recent past, but with its new global car platform underpinning the Outlander and now this, the impressive 2008 Lancer, expect the marque to bounce back. And who knows, perhaps the Corolla's days at the top of the table are numbered?