First Drive Review
One of the most important production debuts of the North American International Auto Show was the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer. Easily the best-ever compact from Mitsubishi, the Lancer also appears to be one of the best compact sedans on the market, period. And after our first drive of it, we can conclude that it is indeed a superb basis for the next Evolution, to be dubbed the Evo X.
We saw two preview concepts of the new Lancer in 2005; in Frankfurt as the Sportback concept and in Tokyo as the Concept X, the former which featured a sexy hatchback body which is certain to surface shortly after the sedan's debut. Exactly when Sportback-based hatch or the Evo X will surface Mitsubishi wouldn't say. The styling of the new Lancer clearly takes inspiration from the attractive, shark-nosed, previous-gen (1999—2003) Galant, with a little bit of Lexus IS thrown in for fun. The Lancer will be available in three levels of trim and driving dynamics: base DE; mid-grade ES, which gets body-color door handles, mirrors and five-spoke 16-inch wheels; and the sportier GTS, which adds aggressive lower bodywork, a rear spoiler, lowered sport suspension, beefier Outlander-sourced brakes and sweet-looking 10-spoke 18-inch wheels.
Chic Interior
One of the Lancer's best attributes is its chic and truly spacious interior, which features clean, stylish aesthetics, terrific ergonomics, impressive technology, and a huge rear seat. In character, it comes close to matching the trifecta of zest, comfort, and refinement embodied by competitors VW Rabbit and Mazda 3. And in terms of feature content, the Lancer even surpasses the vaunted 3 with a long list of standard and optional equipment including an optional 30-gig hard-drive-based touch-screen navigation system and keyless starter on GTS models, and a 650-watt Rockford/Fosgate sound system for both ES and GTS models. Side curtain and driver's-side knee air bags will be standard on all Lancers, while ABS will be come on the ES and GTS only. Stability control will not be offered on any 2008 Lancer.
