MITSUBISHI Lancer Sportback Ralliart Review

It's difficult to bring the comfort of our homes inside a car, and it's almost impossible to do so in a car priced below 100,000 Euros. But Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback, which goes around 30,000 Euros with all taxes included, is more than a decent ride and one of the aces up its sleeve is the interior space.

As compared to the sedan version we tested some time ago, the Sportback comes with a single worth-mentioning difference: the rear side which was obviously adapted to the hatch architecture. The result? 1075mm (42.3 inches) front leg room, 915mm (35.9 inches) rear leg room, 1005mm (39.6 inches) front head room, 935mm (36.8 inches) rear head room and a total of 94.5 cu. ft. (2675 liters) of passenger volume, just as we said above.

We won't take a look at the competition, but ergonomics seem to be up to the standards imposed by modern cars. A color touchscreen, criticized by some for its low resolution and bad quality, keeps the whole design plain and simple, keeping the number of console buttons to minimum.

Aside from the display, the steering wheel hosts all the buttons the driver would ever need after turning on the engine, regardless if we're talking about cruise control, audio or mobile phone controls. Plus, the steering paddles behind the wheel which are nothing more than a handy tool to turn what bears the name of a family car into some sort of modern toy for Tommi Makinen.

The interior quality is still up for review, but critics have always stated that Lancer Sportback Ralliart comes with a bit too much cheap and hard plastic for such a high price. While slinging mud at the Lancer, most of them are actually pointing to Golf GTI, claiming that the price you have to pay for a Sportback Ralliart should bring much more than you actually get.

But even so, Mitsubishi spoils its drivers with leather seats and heating function for the front ones, leather wrapped steering wheel, chrome air vents surroundings plus a bunch of other metallic details for the dashboard and the center console.
A customer who visits the Mitsubishi dealership for the first time and is handed the technical specification list of the Lancer Sportback Ralliart will be impressed. A driver who got the chance to take the car for a ride won't be. Why? Well, the difference lies in performance figures.

The Japanese producer says the 2.0 DOHC 16-valve MIVEC (Mitsubishi Innovative Valve-timing Electronic Control) Dual VVT Turbo (quite a long and fancy name, isn't it?) coupled to the so-called 6-speed Twin-Clutch Sportronic Shift Transmission (TC-SST) should push the car to a maximum speed of 220 km/h (136.7 mph), while sprinting from 0 to 62 mph in 7.1 seconds.

The aforementioned configuration generates 177 kW (240 horsepower) at 6000 rpm and a maximum torque of 343 Nm between 2500 and 4725 rpm. Fuel consumption is a little bit unrealistic: 8.1 l/100km (29 mpg) city, 13.9 l/100km (16.9 mpg) highway and 10.2 l/100km (23 mpg) combined.

The grass seems greener in the neighbor's yard, as Subaru's Impreza WRX develops 265 horsepower, while Volkswagen's GTI employes the already iconic 6-speed twin-clutch automatic (DSG) transmission that's said to be more efficient and faster than any other similar unit.

Still, Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart is pretty fun to drive. The two available modes, Normal and Sport, plus the all-wheel control (AWC) with three predefined setups (Gravel, Snow and Tarmac) and the ACD (Active Centre Differential) are all the ingredients to set the car apart from the rest of the segment. Last but not least, the fact that it borrows so many things from the Evo, including the permanent all-wheel drive system that comes from the ninth incarnation of Mitsubishi's high-performance sedan, brings a very special aura over its name.

A professional driver would most likely check the options list for a manual transmission but no such version is available on the Ralliart trim. Instead, drivers looking for a bit more adrenaline from the WRC-like model could use the steering wheel-mounted paddles that would basically remove the transmission lag and allow the driver to push the rev towards the red line and the 6000 rpm barrier.
Gadgeteers won't be bored at all when jumping inside the Lancer Sportback Ralliart. There are lots of toys, not as many as in a kindergarten, but enough to entertain every person that's old enough to get a driving license and step behind the wheel of the car.

All the attention goes this time to the full-color multi-information LCD display with touchscreen support which hosts an army of features: trip meter and odometer, outside temperature, average fuel consumption, and driving distance to empty, service reminder drive mode indicator, A/T position indicator, water temperature warning lamp and low fuel warning Additionally, it provides access to both the audio system and the navigation function, while also providing the interface for browsing among the multimedia files stored on the internal 30 GB hard-disk.

Next there's the impressive 710-watt Rockford Fosgate audio system: 9 speakers including 10-inch dual-voice coil subwoofer, digital signal processor, speed compensated volume and equalization. Although it does offer RCA connectors, so a number of auxiliary sources can be plugged in as well, multimedia files can be easily stored and organized on the integrated hard-disk via the touschreen display. USB connectivity was the main setback of the multimedia system, so there's absolutely no chance to plug in your flashpen, regardless if you intend to play or copy files on the HDD.

Last but not least, we must mention the steering paddles which feel great, especially if you have the chance to put the car up to test on a circuit or something similar (NOT on public roads though). Probably the only issue is that both paddles are fixed on the steering wheel, so after each slight turn, the driver has to place his hands in the original position. Of course, it's only a matter of time until getting used to them, so an experienced driver would have no problem at all.

Both front passengers will be treated to heated front seats, with two available modes, low and high. Other toys in the Ralliart package are the bi-xenon and adaptive headlights, cruise control, keyless entry with panic alarm feature, front and rear power windows, Emergency Stop Signal and Bluetooth support.
In our times, building a car that doesn't manage to achieve five stars in the crash tests conducted both in Europe and in the United States is almost a waste of time, as more and more customers consider safety as a priority when buying a new car. From this point of view, Lancer Sportback Ralliart is a winner, not only because it's full with safety features, but also because it has performed very good in all tests.

First of all, the safety equipment: advanced dual-stage front airbags with occupant seat position sensors, side-impact head protection curtain airbags (for front and rear occupants), front seat-mounted side airbags, driver's side knee airbag, anti-lock braking system (ABS) with EBD, Active Stability Control (ASC) with Traction Control (TCL), Hill Start Assist (HAS), 5mph front bumper to minimize damages of small-speed collisions, active front seat structure to reduce whiplash injury, interior head impact protection, tire-pressure monitoring system, three-point seatbelts and head restraints for all occupants, height-adjustable front shoulder belts with pretensioner, daytime running lights and several crumple zones.

After reading such a long list of safety features, it would be natural to expect top performance in crash tests. Lancer Sportback Ralliart was awarded five stars by Euro NCAP, receiving 29 points for adult protection, 39 points for child occupants and 12 points for pedestrian safety.

IIHS rated the car as “Good”, mentioning that the “driver side curtain airbag deployed during the crash, and the dummy's head rebounded into the side airbag without coming close to any stiff structure that could cause injury.”
Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart is far from the original idea that gave birth to the Lancer. It is far from being a family car and, although it inherits some attributes of this concept and can pretty well do its job in this direction, Lancer Sportback Ralliart is more appropriate for young and sporty drivers who are looking for a cool ride. It's not the typical vehicle a father would buy and it's not even close to what a soccer mom would choose to take her little angel to a soccer game.

The good about the car is actually hidden under the Ralliart designation. The aggressive design, the performance figures and the amount of space are actually its main advantages in front of the competition which manages somehow to stay in the same ranges.

The bad? Probably fuel consumption. But you can't get a 7-second 0 to 62 sprint without sacrificing fuel consumption. Or emissions. Some companies did that, such as the ones in Germany, but Mitsubishi is keen to keep those things that make people really feel they drive a car: powerful engine with a breathtaking sound, steering paddles and, although criticized by many, an automatic transmission.

The only ugly part is the rear side which is actually the only thing that makes the difference between the Sportback and the Sedan. 'So, do you really think the Sedan looks perfect?' you may ask. Well, we actually not, but a hatchback rear, although supposed to make it sportier and more appropriate for a high-performance vehicle, should follow the same design lines as the rest of the car which, in Sportback Ralliart's case, doesn't really happen.