Evo. Evo. We want Evo.
Evo. Evo. We want Evo.
Evo. Evo. We want Evo.
But the turbocharged 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X won't hit showrooms until early next year. And so the chant continues.
Evo. Evo. We want Evo.
What to do. What to do.
We decided to stop chanting and order a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS. Unlike Lancers past, the family connection to the Evolution X supercar is obvious from any angle. There's good reason to feel like you're buying a piece of the vaunted Evolution, and it just might keep our Evo Jones at bay.
What We Bought
A week spent with the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS confirmed we wouldn't be able to settle for a Lancer in any other trim level. The GTS has a significantly sportier figure and an ability to go around corners that the more plebian models just don't have. That week of seat time also convinced us that the five-speed manual transmission was the only way to go. The optional continuously variable transmission (CVT) isn't our idea of a good time, despite its magnesium shift paddles.
Springing for the GTS over the base DE costs an additional $3,500 but it's worth it. First of all, the car comes loaded. Six airbags, power driver seat, air-conditioning, power windows and mirrors, 60/40-split fold-down rear seat, automatic climate control, keyless entry, Bluetooth and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with redundant audio controls are all standard. Although you don't get a turbocharger, the price hike also includes an aggressively tuned sport suspension, a strut-tower brace, big 18-inch wheels, ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), foglights, ground effects and that oversize rear spoiler.
We also sprung for the Sun and Sound package, which we've enjoyed in our long-term 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD. For $1,500, we got a sunroof and a 650-watt Rockford Fosgate Punch premium sound system with nine speakers and a personal-pizza-size subwoofer. A six-month subscription to Sirius Satellite Radio is also part of the package, as is a head unit that plays MP3s and features auxiliary inputs.
Because we opted for the Navi and Tech package, our in-dash six-CD changer was replaced with a single-CD/MP3/DVD head unit. The navigation is good, but the best part of the package is the 30GB HDD music server, which allows you to rip CDs to a hard drive. Basically it's a built-in iPod and we're already putting it to use. Word is that Senior Editor Ed Hellwig has installed the newest Hives CD, whatever that is.
When the music stopped, the Lancer GTS totaled $21,615, a remarkably low figure considering the car's long list of equipment. And we think it looks pretty tough in our chosen color combination, Tarmac Black (love that name) on black.
Why We Bought It
Because it's fine to hang out with Dr. Jekyll until Mr. Hyde comes around in 2008. The anticipation of the Lancer Evolution X has simply become too much to bear, plus we've learned there's a turbocharged 250-horsepower Lancer Ralliart coming. (Think of it as a Subaru WRX fighter.) So we're looking at this car as a stopgap, a fake-out, a placeholder while we wait for its (much) more serious siblings.
Not that the Lancer GTS is without its own merit. The front-wheel-drive 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer sedan is an entirely new car designed to shed the "econobox" designation with which Lancers have traditionally been branded. This one's bigger, and it just feels better, than any Lancer that's come before. It's also a key piece of Mitsubishi's plan to reestablish itself in the minds of buyers and to broaden the appeal of the company's lineup. If it fails, chances are Mitsubishi will have to break camp and set sail for the homeland.
Underneath the Lancer is the same platform used for the Dodge Caliber and the Mitsubishi Outlander. Having both the 2007 Outlander XLS 4WD and the Lancer in our fleet will provide us the opportunity to test the versatility of the platform. In our full test of the 2008 Lancer GTS, we noted that though the chassis doesn't have a sexy heritage, "...it brings 56 percent more torsional rigidity than before, as well as 50 percent more bending rigidity, and this gives the Lancer GTS a substantial, almost German feeling of substance."
Despite the Lancer's somewhat anemic 2.0-liter engine that makes only 152 hp, later in the same review we wrote, "It's a Lancer made for guys who care about driving."
In 12 months and 20,000 miles we'll see if we still feel that way. Tune in to the long-term blog pages for the results of preliminary testing and driving impressions from the road.
Current Odometer: 1,729 miles
Best Fuel Economy: 25.9 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 19.2 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 24.2 mpg
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Evo. Evo. We want Evo.
Evo. Evo. We want Evo.
But the turbocharged 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X won't hit showrooms until early next year. And so the chant continues.
Evo. Evo. We want Evo.
What to do. What to do.
We decided to stop chanting and order a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS. Unlike Lancers past, the family connection to the Evolution X supercar is obvious from any angle. There's good reason to feel like you're buying a piece of the vaunted Evolution, and it just might keep our Evo Jones at bay.
What We Bought
A week spent with the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS confirmed we wouldn't be able to settle for a Lancer in any other trim level. The GTS has a significantly sportier figure and an ability to go around corners that the more plebian models just don't have. That week of seat time also convinced us that the five-speed manual transmission was the only way to go. The optional continuously variable transmission (CVT) isn't our idea of a good time, despite its magnesium shift paddles.
Springing for the GTS over the base DE costs an additional $3,500 but it's worth it. First of all, the car comes loaded. Six airbags, power driver seat, air-conditioning, power windows and mirrors, 60/40-split fold-down rear seat, automatic climate control, keyless entry, Bluetooth and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with redundant audio controls are all standard. Although you don't get a turbocharger, the price hike also includes an aggressively tuned sport suspension, a strut-tower brace, big 18-inch wheels, ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), foglights, ground effects and that oversize rear spoiler.
We also sprung for the Sun and Sound package, which we've enjoyed in our long-term 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD. For $1,500, we got a sunroof and a 650-watt Rockford Fosgate Punch premium sound system with nine speakers and a personal-pizza-size subwoofer. A six-month subscription to Sirius Satellite Radio is also part of the package, as is a head unit that plays MP3s and features auxiliary inputs.
Because we opted for the Navi and Tech package, our in-dash six-CD changer was replaced with a single-CD/MP3/DVD head unit. The navigation is good, but the best part of the package is the 30GB HDD music server, which allows you to rip CDs to a hard drive. Basically it's a built-in iPod and we're already putting it to use. Word is that Senior Editor Ed Hellwig has installed the newest Hives CD, whatever that is.
When the music stopped, the Lancer GTS totaled $21,615, a remarkably low figure considering the car's long list of equipment. And we think it looks pretty tough in our chosen color combination, Tarmac Black (love that name) on black.
Why We Bought It
Because it's fine to hang out with Dr. Jekyll until Mr. Hyde comes around in 2008. The anticipation of the Lancer Evolution X has simply become too much to bear, plus we've learned there's a turbocharged 250-horsepower Lancer Ralliart coming. (Think of it as a Subaru WRX fighter.) So we're looking at this car as a stopgap, a fake-out, a placeholder while we wait for its (much) more serious siblings.
Not that the Lancer GTS is without its own merit. The front-wheel-drive 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer sedan is an entirely new car designed to shed the "econobox" designation with which Lancers have traditionally been branded. This one's bigger, and it just feels better, than any Lancer that's come before. It's also a key piece of Mitsubishi's plan to reestablish itself in the minds of buyers and to broaden the appeal of the company's lineup. If it fails, chances are Mitsubishi will have to break camp and set sail for the homeland.
Underneath the Lancer is the same platform used for the Dodge Caliber and the Mitsubishi Outlander. Having both the 2007 Outlander XLS 4WD and the Lancer in our fleet will provide us the opportunity to test the versatility of the platform. In our full test of the 2008 Lancer GTS, we noted that though the chassis doesn't have a sexy heritage, "...it brings 56 percent more torsional rigidity than before, as well as 50 percent more bending rigidity, and this gives the Lancer GTS a substantial, almost German feeling of substance."
Despite the Lancer's somewhat anemic 2.0-liter engine that makes only 152 hp, later in the same review we wrote, "It's a Lancer made for guys who care about driving."
In 12 months and 20,000 miles we'll see if we still feel that way. Tune in to the long-term blog pages for the results of preliminary testing and driving impressions from the road.
Current Odometer: 1,729 miles
Best Fuel Economy: 25.9 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 19.2 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 24.2 mpg
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
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