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First Test: 2010 Lancer Sportback Ralliart
Introduced for 2009, the sedan version of the Lancer Ralliart has won plenty of praise from our staffers for being a kinder, gentler Evo and the answer to the Subaru WRX that Mitsubishi never had. The Diamond Star is taking things a step further for 2010 with the Lancer Sportback Ralliart, its latest offering that has the WRX hatch squarely in its turbocharged sights.
Unsurprisingly, the spec sheet reads remarkably similar to that of its Ralliart sedan sibling. Under the hood is the same 4B11T 2.0-liter turbo-four, tuned for the same 237 horsepower and 253 lb-ft, mated to the same SST twin-clutch automatic. It's almost the same size too, at just 0.4-inches longer and 1.0-inches taller. The Sportback is barely heavier too, weighing in at 3539 pounds instead of the sedan's 3463.
Despite the similarities, the Sportback is a much more versatile vehicle thanks to the drastic increase in cargo space. The Ralliart sedan has all of 10.0 cubic feet of it (or 9.1 if fitted with the optional Rockford Fosgate audio system). The Sportback, on the other hand, starts out at 12.1 cubic feet that can be expanded to a cavernous 49.2 cubic feet by folding the rear seats, which also creates a flat load floor. An extra ten cubic feet or so probably could have been available had Mitsubishi opted for a less-sloping D-pillar design like that of the previous-generation Lancer Sportback (which offered up 60.7 cubic feet), but the automaker's decision to sacrifice space for style is understandable given how funky the last model looked. From the rear, the rounded creases of the tailgate and rear fascia look out of sync from the rest of the car's more-angular design, although the combination works better from the side. At the front, the Sportback retains the Lancer family's shark-like nose treatment.
Other than the cargo area, the interior will be familiar to anyone who has been inside any 2008+ Lancer (aside from the giant amount of room in the back). The all-black color scheme does a good job of obfuscating the omnipresent cheap, hard plastics, with the side effect of giving the cabin a dark atmosphere. One noticeable update has been made to the driver information screen, which gets a higher-resolution multi-color display in place of the old pixilated red-only readout. The Ralliart's standard cloth sport seats are comfortable for someone other than a 5'10" 150-pound man, unlike the Evo's stiffly-bolstered Recaros (which are offered as an option). The catch is that the bolstering doesn't do a very good job of keeping you in place once the lateral Gs kick in.
Speaking of lateral Gs, the Ralliart's well-sorted chassis, Evo sourced all-wheel-drive system and Yokohama summer rubber handle turns quite well. The steering isn't as smart-bomb precise as the Evo's and the tires aren't as communicative near the limit as they perhaps should be, but these aren't major complaints. The engine has more torque at low RPMs and exhibits far less turbo lag than the Evo's slow...slow...WHOA power curve. The SST gearbox doesn't have the Evo's brutal S-Sport mode, but you won't find yourself wishing it was there. The Evo's thirst for fuel largely remains, however, with real-world fuel-economy in mixed driving ending in the high-teens.
In testing, the Lancer posted numbers comparable to those of the similarly-powered 2008 Subaru WRX, accelerating to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds and running a 14.2 second quarter mile at 96.6 mph. In handling tests, the Lancer and its Yokohamas were slightly outhandled by the WRX and its Bridgestones, posting 0.81 average g on the skidpad and 27.3 sec @ 0.63 average g in our figure eight test while the 2008 Subie put up 0.83 average g on the skidpad and 27.2 second @ 0.65 average g in the MT figure eight. Unfortunately for the Mitsubishi, the 2009 WRX received a substantial boost in power and a set of Dunlop summer rubber, which making it .7 sec faster than the Lancer in a straight line and 1 second faster in the figure eight. No SST on the Subie, however, for what that's worth.
Then there's the fiscal issue. Mitsubishi hasn't announced the price yet, but says that it will be somewhere around $27,000 - roughly $1400 more than the faster WRX. The Lancer clearly has the advantage in terms of style and cargo room (the WRX hatch tops out at 44.4 cu. ft), but with the Subaru having a substantial speed and handling advantage, the Mitsubishi seems a day late and a dollar short. |
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