2011 Mitsubishi Lancer : Walkaround and Interior

Walkaround

The Mitsubishi Lancer is a lovely car, even with its fish face. Mitsubishi calls it shark-like, but it's more like a largemouth bass. The nose seems to copy Audi's oversize grille, although the body-colored front bumper perfectly splits it up and minimizes the gaping mouth. And if the angular headlights were human, they would be exotic eyes.
The GTS is cleaner than the Ralliart, which outlines that mouth with a chrome ring, like silver lipstick on a fish. But the Ralliart has a cool aluminum hood with an inset scoop for the turbocharger intercooler, and two functional vents that do resemble shark gills. The Ralliart also has flared fenders that house low profile tires. The beautiful 18-inch alloy wheels, a 10-spoke wagon-wheel design, standard on the GTS and Ralliart, add an extra touch of class.
The angular taillamps have that same exotic-eye look as the headlights. They wrap around the rear edges of the car. The rear deck is quite short, and both the GTS and Ralliart have a spoiler wing that's so big it nearly fills up the trunk lid. It's not unattractive, but it is overkill. The GTS has one chrome tailpipe, the Ralliart two.
The Sportback body style has a properly discreet spoiler over the liftgate. Of all the 5-doors, namely Mazda3 and Subaru Impreza, the Ralliart's main rivals, the Sportback has the best-looking lines. The Sportback pulls off not looking boxy. Its silhouette is sharp and tidy, and the overall lines are really nice, unlike the more edgy Impreza. It's very handsome in Graphite Gray Pearl, and Octane Blue Pearl catches the eye. But Rotor Glow Metallic, a bright orangeish copper, is the prettiest color with the most creative name. Although we like Phantom Black too, even for $250 extra.
As for the Evo, the nose borders on brutish, with a deep spoiler that does double duty, shoving the onrushing air out of the way to keep the front tires firmly planted while forcing cooling air past a sporty looking mesh through the intercooler and radiator. Shark eye-like headlamps curl around the fenders in a stylistic optical illusion masking the longish front overhang. Functional, NACA-like ducts in the hood, like the chin spoiler, serve dual purposes, vacuuming hot air out of the engine compartment, both cooling the powerplant and reducing front end lift.

 Interior Features

There's nothing not to like about the interior of the Mitsubishi Lancer. The Lancer ES offers good rearward visibility, although the big rear wing on other models blocks a chunk of visibility out the rear window.
The sport bucket seats on the GTS are comfortable, afford an excellent seating position, and are made of a handsome rugged cloth. The steering wheel has one of the nicest leather wraps we've felt, and is the perfect size for sporty driving. The overall feel for the driver in the GTS is just right. This is another reason the GTS gets our bang for the buck nod.
The optional Recaro seats in the Ralliart seemed to us a bit too tight for everyday comfort. On the track they're terrific, however, so we liked having them on the Evo.
Cubbies and console compartments are good and plentiful, including cupholders between the front seats and in the front door pockets.
The dash design is graceful. The GTS interior is trimmed in faux carbon fiber, stylish and cleanly done. The gauges are tasteful, white-on-black with silver rims. The tach and speedo have eaves, a double-hump visor on the dash, that provide shade for the rectangular digital readout that's between them, so you can read its red letters in the sun. It offers the usual information, miles traveled and distance to empty and such, but it's most immediately useful to show, clearly and always correctly (unlike some), the gear you're in, when you have the 6-speed twin-clutch transmission in the Ralliart.
Both the Ralliart and the CVT are shifted with butterfly paddles behind the steering wheel, which are big enough to reach without moving your hands when you're holding the wheel in the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock position.
Rear-seat room is adequate, relative to other cars this size. There isn't much knee room in the otherwise comfortable rear seat. The fold-down, center armrest in the ES and GTS is more stable than it looks, meaning everyday driving isn't likely to spill the kids' soda pop. In terms of roominess, the Lancer is comparable to that of the other cars in its class. Trunk space is also mid-pack.
The 710-watt 9-speaker Rockford Fosgate sound system sounds terrific; it's been upgraded from last year's 650-watt and 8 speakers and we found it delivered incredibly crisp highs.

*newcartestdrive.com

Posted in: 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer,CAR REVIEWS,Mitsubishi,NEW CAR