2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Review

2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS
Mitsubishi gives entry-level a raise.
Mention the name Mitsubishi Lancer and thoughts of a fast, sinister-looking, sinfully fun car might spring to mind - just so long as the word "Evo" is in there somewhere. Unfortunately, the Lancer family has so far been a deeply divided one in which lesser models were left to languish with standardized styling, hand-me-down engineering, and few points of distinction. Factor in a lack of brand recognition and it's no wonder the Civic, Corolla, and Mazda 3 have blown compact car dust in Mitsubishi's face for six straight years.
The 2008 Lancer represents a determined effort to spread the excitement throughout the line. Under the Lancer's hood sits Mitsubishi's most original and high-tech four-cylinder engine in years, and the company's first-ever Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) comes with it. The Lancer's steering and suspension got tightened up, the packaging team dug up some extra human room in a new jazzed up cabin with more safety features, and new high-end electronics head the options list. Finally, the term "flame-surfaced styling" may be taken, but the new body looks hot just the same. Here in the land of Lancer, the minimum wage is now a living one.
Still, the interest of putting one's best foot forward motivated Mitsubishi to hand us a Lancer in top-dog GTS trim. In addition to its upgrades over the mid-line ES model - mean 18-inch alloy wheels, sport suspension, front strut tower brace, bigger brakes, Sportronic manual shifting, fog lights, spoiler, chrome exhaust, sport seats, six speakers, leather steering wheel and shift knob, automatic climate control, and Bluetooth phone connectivity - our test car was all teched out with the $1,500 Sun & Sound Package (sunroof, Rockford-Fosgate stereo, 6-disc MP3 CD changer, MP3 input jack, Sirius satellite radio) and the $2,000 Navigation & Technology Package (touch-screen navigation system, 30 GB hard drive, digital music server, and FAST Key entry). Ahh, just the way we like em: racy and rich.
Ride and Drive
Mitsubishi has been touting the "racy" part lately, and a few minutes of seat time backed it up in some ways. Low-flow power steering keeps the wheel nice and hefty in the enthusiast tradition. The new 2.0-liter motor takes a 27% quantum leap over the first Lancer to kick up 152 horsepower, and its vocal nature means you'll hear those horses charging. Unleash them however you wish; steering wheel shift paddles let your index finger summon any of six speeds on a whim. What an idea: an involving compact car.
And a capable one. Acceleration to 60 MPH takes 9 seconds (okay); braking back to a standstill takes 118 feet (great), and the tires hang on for 0.86g of grip in the corners (excellent). Accurate steering and predictable tire breakaway allow confidence in pushing the Lancer to its limits, and the transmission's CVT nature gives the paddles true trigger-finger response.
Yet the Lancer's sports car aspirations feel half-baked - possibly because the chef mixed up some ingredients. Steering stiffness may be at hand but true road feel is kept at arm's length, and the engineers mistakenly believed the engine's sheer loudness could compensate for its sounding like crap. Moreover, the Lancer is the latest evidence of Mitsubishi needing a new corporate diet plan. Our test model outporks the last-generation Galant by clocking in at 3,126 pounds, which explains why so many of those extra horses feel like they jumped the fence.
The Lancer also has quirks that hinder everyday enjoyment. The CVT seems to allow a fairly whimsical relationship between engine and road speed - a problem compounded by the way its throttle response starts out dead and then lunges ahead. Top it off with grabby braking action at low speeds and you have a daily driver with a fair share of spikes, surges, and dips. The high road noise and snappy, clompity ride specific to the GTS don't help impressions, either.
Still, one senses that the Lancer would ride comfortable on its sophisticated multilink rear suspension with different wheels and tires. Feelings of solidity and stability are present at all speeds, possibly because the Lancer's new body has been markedly stiffened. Standard antilock disc brakes (except on DE models) are rare for the class and stop the car in reassuringly short distances. The ability to score 28 MPG despite the GTS's aero add-ons and soft-compound tires is impressive (it got 24 overall), and the big new 15.3-gallon fuel tank allows 350-mile treks before lighting the Low Fuel light. The Lancer has its strengths; just know that most of them don't have much to do with sport.
Inside and Out
Yet Mitsubishi takes more stabs at sport on the inside. Like the Mazda 3, the Lancer dares to be different, filling the dash with all sorts of shapes and bulges while laying on the black-and-metal look that's so en vogue. These eyes find the effect a bit jarring, but the number of "cool!" remarks consigns me to the minority.
We can all agree that the Lancer's controls work well. Most controls follow standard Mitsubishi logic, making them easy to reach and read; Lancer also fares fine in the storage space and cupholders department. A feeling of fairly high quality can be found in most items (excepting the sun visors, which feel like Styrofoam-stuffed coathangers), FAST Key makes for easy access to doors and trunk, and finally, Mitsubishi deserves love for letting drivers row their own gears via both the steering wheel shift paddles and the standard transmission lever.
Lancers with navigation lose a few ergonomic points. This is one of those touch-screen systems that usurps the stereo controls, making you frequently search for the right menu and dig deep to make inputs. Its control and menu logic deviates a little from most Japanese systems, and the decision to line 12 flush buttons along the perimeter of the screen calls for too much eyes-off-the-road time.
But a slightly screwy interface in no way spoils the effectiveness of either system. The Lancer's 6-disc, MP3-compatible Rockford-Fosgate comes armed with no less than nine speakers and 650 watts, endowing it with great clarity, crisp highs, and bass that's sufficiently thunderous for the most underaged of ears. With a little more sonic "warmth" to go with all this sheer force, it could knock the Scion tC's Pioneers off their perch.
The navigation system could use a semester at grammar school and a bit more detail at any given magnification level, but it's pleasant enough to use and understand; its hard drive-based nature makes for quick computations; and rarest of rarities, it can be programmed while driving. Huzzah!
Comfort paints a similar picture: despite some minor footnotes, the Lancer's got the basics covered. The steering wheel and armrest seem a tad far and a tad low, but the driver's seat adjusts six ways, comes swathed in a nice felt-like fabric, and feels fine after five minutes or five hours. The back seat has a case of the high-beltline blues that gives the illusion of sitting in a hole, but rest assured, it feels better to the body than the mind. It's got you covered with decent legroom and footroom, even more hiproom than in front, and a cushion that's thankfully mounted higher than it was last year (it could be higher still). The reclined backrest angle will be more to some tastes than others.
Breaking It Down
So when all is said and done, has the Lancer's radical revamping changed its standing in the crowded compact class? Among sport compacts, we vote no. Compared to this Lancer GTS, the Mazda 3 s has more power driving fewer pounds, a more polished engine and transmission, and just a more fun "feel" while scoring just as high in all matters practical. Throw two-door cars in the picture and the same can be said of the Scion tC.
It's better to bet on the Lancer's mid-level ES model, whose comfort-oriented chassis is tuned more in line with the car's natural demeanor. Yet even against the good old Civic and Corolla, the Lancer's unharmonious powertrain still counts against it in refinement, and its fuel economy falls short of both by a few MPG.
That leaves the Lancer to fight back in other ways. First, it's the gadget guru. At present, only Scion can match the Lancer in the audio department, and only Honda and Mazda have navigation systems. Next, Mitsubishi's supreme warranty (5 years / 60,000 miles basic, 10 years / 100,000 powertrain) beats everyone in the industry save Hyundai and Kia, and its track record suggests it will be more reliable than either. Finally, the Lancer has one of the most competitive prices in the class, as the ES model's $17,515 sticker stands a thousand or two lower than the class leaders.
Last Word
Add it all up and the Lancer might be a decent buy for those who buy cars on cost and conveniences, but until Mitsubishi works on the Lancer's polish, poundage, and personality, that's the best recommendation we can give.