This review originally published in the November edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin' News published out of Folsom, California--mg
Sacramento, California -- Mitsubishi, which routinely jolts us to attention with a glorious sporty vehicle, has another head-turner in the all-new-for-2010 Lancer Sportback Ralliart.
Here’s a five-passenger car that really should not be called a wagon or a hatchback. Call it a pocket rocket, because that’s the soul of this ride, a blaster that recalls the early Volkswagen GTI efforts.
My black tester was menacing enough with a massive grille opening that looked like its design prototype was a great white shark. Aerodynamic lines roll to the back, where one finds an integrated roof wing. Just when you’re admiring the back end’s airflow advantages, you open up the sloping rear door to discover a wide space capable of swallowing large, oddly-shaped cargo (52.7 cubic feet of capacity).
Very nice. But this car is built to haul something other than cargo.
The Lancer Sportback Ralliart comes with a turbocharged 2-liter in-line 4 with 237 horsepower and 253 foot-pounds of torque. Let me tell you how that worked in heavy highway traffic: Fantastic.
Man, it felt good to blow off a Mercedes or two in my black beauty tester. Throttle blips dusted off most every other vehicle within reach. Engine response was instant, and the Ralliart handled with delightful agility. This is a car you can get aggressive with, and one that might lead you to have a roadside conversation with a highway patrolman. Buyer beware.
Also beware that the Sportback Ralliart is not a car that enjoys anything below 30 miles per hour. In fact, it bucks and snorts in protest at slow speeds. Also understand that the degree of sport tuning is so elevated that engine power dramatically drops down the instant you take your foot off the gas. It’s so pronounced that you’ll get a little shove forward in the cockpit. This will be no surprise, however, to veteran performance car pilots.
Front seats are molded in the style of contemporary race cars, which is to say there are pronounced, rounded vertical edges holding you in place. If you’re the husky type, those edges are going to be a pain in the back, literally.
Back-seat space is tight, with two being the recommended max; I wouldn’t try to fit three folks back there. The one in the middle is likely going to suffer.
Interior controls are nicely arranged, and the creature comforts are fine. I think the Sportback Ralliart is a car best enjoyed by two – two who don’t mind a little G-force as they unwind the Ralliart on the open road.
The starting price is a somewhat hefty $27,590, but gas mileage for this turbo-fired hot hatch is a fairly nice 17 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. Not surprisingly, most of the standard goodies apply to looks and performance: traction control, hill-start assist, stability control, 18-inch alloy wheels, side sill extensions, aluminum pedals and an aluminum hood with a heat-extractor vent to name just a few.
Standard safety features include an advanced dual front air bag supplemental restraint system with occupant sensors, front seat-mounted side-impact air bags and side curtain air bags, plus a driver's knee air bag. The Sportback Ralliart has a built-in anti-theft system with immobilizer key. High-intensity headlamps are available.
Customizers could have a ball with this Ralliart. Lots of sexy angles to work with, and you could hide a Mini Cooper in that front grille. The turbo engine gets pretty noisy at full song, so you might want to deflect some of that engine noise if you’re wanting an audio system upgrade.
All in all, this is a nice offering from Mitsubishi, a company that has been taking its lumps of late. Think of the Ralliart as a nice addition from an automaker that won over a lot of hearts with its Eclipse model.
Sacramento, California -- Mitsubishi, which routinely jolts us to attention with a glorious sporty vehicle, has another head-turner in the all-new-for-2010 Lancer Sportback Ralliart.
Here’s a five-passenger car that really should not be called a wagon or a hatchback. Call it a pocket rocket, because that’s the soul of this ride, a blaster that recalls the early Volkswagen GTI efforts.
My black tester was menacing enough with a massive grille opening that looked like its design prototype was a great white shark. Aerodynamic lines roll to the back, where one finds an integrated roof wing. Just when you’re admiring the back end’s airflow advantages, you open up the sloping rear door to discover a wide space capable of swallowing large, oddly-shaped cargo (52.7 cubic feet of capacity).
Very nice. But this car is built to haul something other than cargo.
The Lancer Sportback Ralliart comes with a turbocharged 2-liter in-line 4 with 237 horsepower and 253 foot-pounds of torque. Let me tell you how that worked in heavy highway traffic: Fantastic.
Man, it felt good to blow off a Mercedes or two in my black beauty tester. Throttle blips dusted off most every other vehicle within reach. Engine response was instant, and the Ralliart handled with delightful agility. This is a car you can get aggressive with, and one that might lead you to have a roadside conversation with a highway patrolman. Buyer beware.
Also beware that the Sportback Ralliart is not a car that enjoys anything below 30 miles per hour. In fact, it bucks and snorts in protest at slow speeds. Also understand that the degree of sport tuning is so elevated that engine power dramatically drops down the instant you take your foot off the gas. It’s so pronounced that you’ll get a little shove forward in the cockpit. This will be no surprise, however, to veteran performance car pilots.
Front seats are molded in the style of contemporary race cars, which is to say there are pronounced, rounded vertical edges holding you in place. If you’re the husky type, those edges are going to be a pain in the back, literally.
Back-seat space is tight, with two being the recommended max; I wouldn’t try to fit three folks back there. The one in the middle is likely going to suffer.
Interior controls are nicely arranged, and the creature comforts are fine. I think the Sportback Ralliart is a car best enjoyed by two – two who don’t mind a little G-force as they unwind the Ralliart on the open road.
The starting price is a somewhat hefty $27,590, but gas mileage for this turbo-fired hot hatch is a fairly nice 17 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. Not surprisingly, most of the standard goodies apply to looks and performance: traction control, hill-start assist, stability control, 18-inch alloy wheels, side sill extensions, aluminum pedals and an aluminum hood with a heat-extractor vent to name just a few.
Standard safety features include an advanced dual front air bag supplemental restraint system with occupant sensors, front seat-mounted side-impact air bags and side curtain air bags, plus a driver's knee air bag. The Sportback Ralliart has a built-in anti-theft system with immobilizer key. High-intensity headlamps are available.
Customizers could have a ball with this Ralliart. Lots of sexy angles to work with, and you could hide a Mini Cooper in that front grille. The turbo engine gets pretty noisy at full song, so you might want to deflect some of that engine noise if you’re wanting an audio system upgrade.
All in all, this is a nice offering from Mitsubishi, a company that has been taking its lumps of late. Think of the Ralliart as a nice addition from an automaker that won over a lot of hearts with its Eclipse model.
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