MITSUBISHI Lancer Sportback Ralliart Review

Back in March 2010, Mitsubishi executives stepped in front of the media and announced that the global recession which hurt so bad American giants General Motors and Chrysler has claimed another victim. This time, it was Ralliart, Mitsu's very own performance division and tuning arm. Though not so active under Mitsubishi's ownership when it comes to higher-performance models, Ralliart managed to set itself apart, mostly thanks to its impressive motorsport history that includes major achievements, such as the WRC driver's title in the 1997 season with Tommi Makinen behind the wheel.

Getting back to Ralliart's dramatic end, the Japanese guys talked about it with a tiny smile on their face. We knew something was up and, after a while, Mitsubishi finally confirmed our prediction skills: Ralliart received a chance to live on as an in-house division that would continue to be used for high-performance flavors of Mitsubishi's models.

So, what we have here is the so-called Lancer Sportback Ralliart model, the one that debuted in 2008 at the Paris Motor Show alongside the standard version. We won't go too deep into its history and we'll concentrate on the reasons why Mitsubishi would want to introduce a model that 90 percent similar to its sedan sibling.

First of all, when the Diamond Star rolled out the Lancer Ralliart, Mitsubishi was pretty sure that it finally managed to satisfy all Evo lovers who'd buy one but didn't have the money for a monthly payment. The car was considered a toned down Evolution that would offer enough power but at a more affordable price.

But Mitsubishi missed one thing: even with the launch of the Lancer Ralliart sedan, Subaru WRX was left all alone to challenge the other hot hatches on the market, including Mazda3 MPS and, if you really want, Golf GTI. It was the moment when the Lancer Sportback Ralliart idea started to take shape.

The Sportback is powered by the exact same engine as the sedan and features the same interior equipment, obviously with a changed rear side. Usually, such a transition, from a sedan to a sportback architecture, translates into more interior space, more luggage volume so, in two words, increased practicality.

Is Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart up to the task of tackling WRX and Mazdaspeed3? Read on to find out our impressions on the 30,000+ Euros model.
We won't make a comparison between the Lancer Sportback Ralliart and its competitors because this isn't the purpose of this test-drive, but the car looks gorgeous. The are a few minor issues here and there but, overall, it has the looks of a model that can proudly sit near a supercar.

Its front side is 100 percent the same with the one on the sedan, with the same Jet Fighter grille that gives you goosebumps if seen during the night. The chrome surrounding is still there, so you can be sure that you'll see your reflected scared face after meeting the Lancer Sportback Ralliart on a dark alley. The grille, the bi-xenon headlights and the hood scoops form the aggressive combo that surely helps the car set itself apart on the street.

Lean your head towards the side of the car and you'll see a completely different car. It's not the front side that catches your attention, but the rear part that seems to be a modern combination of a regular hatchback and a high-performance vehicle. From the side, the car retains the same night hunter looks, although the white paint might recommend it as some sort of an aggressive guardian angel.

Unfortunately, the rear side is the part where most critics feel themselves entitled to comment on the design. And, to be completely honest, they might be right in the sense that the design of the back might fail to match the other aggressive lines but it is far from being ugly. Probably the rounded liftgate and the rear window aren't so appropriate for a pretty angular shape, but it can't be at all considered a handicap in front of the competition.

Last but not least, Mitsubishi turned to multiple eye-catchy and apparently useful high-performance elements, such as the hood scoops, the front air intakes adjacent to the fog beams (used to cool the brakes) and the rear spoiler to add the extra zing to the car's aggressive body.

It measures 4585x1760x1515mm (180.5x69.2x59.6 inches), pretty similar to the sedan (4570x1760x1490mm / 180x69.3x58.7 inches) but, after seeing both, the Sportback makes you believe that you're about to drive a much longer vehicle.

Lancer Sportback Ralliart's interior brings nothing new over the features we've all seen on the sedan. The design is 100 percent the same, with absolutely no change visible on the dashboard, seats or steering wheel.

The interior is the kind of a "hate it or love it" thing, splitting people into two separate groups, one of which claims that Mitsubishi had no design idea in mind when sketching the dashboard. In fact, the whole interior is actually based on simple and clear lines, while the dashboard and the console are centered around the integrated touchscreen display.

Using such a piece of technology has, from the aesthetic point of view, two goals. First of all, it keeps the whole console clear, eliminating unnecessary buttons such as radio controls, and maintaining a nice and modern overall look. Second of all, it lures young buyers, often attracted by technology and for whom top-notch gadgets play a decisive role in the "choosing a car" process.

Leaving the touchscreen display aside, the car uses some plastic parts here and there but this doesn't affect too much the overall rating. The steering wheel, together with the magnesium steering paddles behind it and the metal pedals, perfectly match the sporty attitude boasted by the aggressive front. But again, there are some tiny inconveniences that could make some believe that Mitsu's engineers were in a hurry when sketching the interior lines.

Probably the best example when it comes to lack of... let's call it, imagination, is the AWC button placement. Positioned all alone (actually it's not all alone, as it is accompanied by two other fake plastic buttons) on the center console column, just near the stick shift, the AWC control lets the driver switch between Tarmac, Gravel and Snow, thus adjusting the setup for optimum performance.

Without stepping into the haters' corner and keeping the same positive attitude, let's presume that Mitsubishi's engineers actually thought that placing the button in that position was actually contributing to ergonomics. But really now, how often do you think it happens to change terrain and feel the need to modify the car's settings?
If you're planning to buy a new ride in the near future and you intend to use it exclusively on city roads, you surely won't go for the Lancer Sportback Ralliart. Unless you're not some sort of Van Wilder and all you want to do is to look good while cruising with a couple of friends with windows open and music blasting away to get yourselves noticed.

There are a few things that don't really match the city car idea and you'll understand it in a minute. Although the Sportback Ralliart comes as a more practical vehicle as compared to the sedan, it's not.

Judging by the looks, the car is more of a proud member of the "be a cool driver" segment, rather than a vehicle appropriate for family men who'd use it for going to work, shopping or occasional weekend trips. But the Lancer Sportback Ralliart can pretty well serve as a multi-task car, if you're ready to ignore fuel consumption.

Because yes, fuel consumption might be a problem for everyday drivers, especially if we're talking about crowded roads, traffic jams and many, many traffic lights.

Mitsubishi's own papers claim the car should burn around 13.9 liters of gasoline every 100 kilometers (that's 16.9 mpg), but the best we could get was 14.9 l/100km (15.7 mpg) during a hot summer day, so with air conditioning turned on. Fuel consumption might thus get closer to the official figures if you're ready to adopt an old man's driving style and turn off air conditioning.

The suspension system depends on the driver's options and although optimized for improved performance, similar to those on sports cars, it makes potholes and small speed limiters unnoticeable. The weight distribution however, 59-41%, makes the rear side a little bit vulnerable at this chapter, so rear passengers might feel the suspension setup quite loose. Handling at low speeds clearly goes above the average level, while the adaptive headlights are really helpful on dark city streets.

As for the overall interior space, this is where the Sportback Ralliart really shines: 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. Cargo volume is more than enough - 13.8 cu. ft (390 liters) with the seats in place and 46.6 cu. ft. (1319 liters) with the seats folded down.

What we missed the most were the parking sensors, mostly because it's so hard to find an empty parking spot nowadays that sometimes you have to fight for one just like John Cena does with Batista. OK, not really like that but when all you can get is a tight spot, parking sensors are godsend. Especially when you're driving an almost 4.6-meter car.
Stay legal! This was our motto during the whole trip outside the city. Just stay legal, dude! Don't break any speed record! But it was so difficult that sometimes our eyes were more focused to spot any sign of red-blue flashing lights and less to prevent the obvious dangers. Anyway, we escaped unpunished but remember, driving the Lancer Sportback Ralliart without breaching the speed limit is close to impossible.

The engine feels great and getting the Lancer Sportback Ralliart outside the city is just like setting a beast free. This is where the 240 horsepower hidden underneath the hood test the driver in you.

First of all, the power generated by the engine is basically enough for all overtakes you want to do on country roads or highways without putting your life at risk at all. Left signal, steer left, accelerate (smile to the slower driver), right signal, steer right and you're done. It's actually a matter of seconds.

The comfort behind the wheel of the Lancer Sportback Ralliart is excellent for a car in its class. All seats, including those for the rear passengers, are fairly comfortable, and there's enough room even for taller guys (we've mentioned all interior dimensions above).

Fuel consumption is once again the main topic. A 2.0-liter engine with 240 horsepower plus a 6-speed twin-clutch transmission should help the car achieve, in Mitsubishi's imagination, a fuel consumption rating of 8.1 l/100km (29 mpg) in non-urban environments. Well, we beg to differ, not only because we enjoyed every second of hard acceleration, but because we couldn't go lower than 9.2 l/100km (25.5 mpg) in our very own "Sleeping" mode. On the highway, on the other hand, economy jumped up to 10 l/100km (23.5 mpg) with cruise control turned on and set at 130 km/h (80.7 mph).

We do liked the amount of space which, with the seats folded down, was more than impressive. A volume of 1319 liters should be enough to carry all your luggage when leaving in a journey around the world, a tent, a barbecue, a couple of dogs, your mother-in-law...