It's not like me to forget to do my homework, but I did on this occasion. I usually try to make time to read up about a car before I use it, but for whatever reason that didn't happen.
So there I was with a new shiny blue chariot parked outside, knowing nothing, or very little anyway, about it.
Maybe that's not a bad thing though! Getting into a car with no preconceptions might be the best way to approach a review. In this case I definitely think it was, because my views and opinions changed and swung several times over a week.
Evo PedigreeThe Mitsubishi Lancer has an impressive pedigree. The souped-up Evo versions are the talk of the ghettos and motorsport wouldn't be the same without its presence on the scene. However, this blue beauty wasn't an Evo, so any thoughts of throwing it around the Nurburgring had to be dismissed. From the front it looks very impressive and stylish: smooth, clean lines and a grille reminiscent of a shark's jaws. The car appears quite long and this was borne out when manoeuvring in confined car parks. Nowadays, when the hatchback, or even flat-back is the norm, having a traditional saloon with the boot brings back that parking challenge. On more than one occasion my estimate of 6 inches turned out to be closer to three feet!
The Lancer's interior is comfortable and spacious, if a little spartan in its design. However it carries off its no-frills approach very well, and at no time did its simplicity make me yearn for more. There is plenty of front and rear legroom and a good range of adjustment on the driver's seat. Radio and phone controls on the steering wheel ensure that concentration isn't interrupted for those minor 'things to be done'. The boot is huge, and swallows up boxes, bags and other bits and pieces with ease – even our old office chair, which had to be dragged back to from whence it came because of a wheel blowout, fitted in there, albeit with a bit of jiggling back and forth.
On the road, first impressions of the Lancer don't disappoint. I refer back to my complete lack of research prior to driving it, resulting in a completely fresh approach to what it was and how it performed. Nowhere within 5 minutes gave me the opportunity to do anything other than crawl the suburban roads with their recently acquired rash of frost-induced potholes. Even these were soaked up effectively and smoothly, so it looked good so far. On to the main road – again, so far, so good! Quiet, smooth, beautifully responsive steering – almost like you're on rails. Now onto a semi-rural A-road – Ooooh! Very nice. The bends are followed religiously and I then had the chance to burn some fuel and see if it could bring out the little boy in me for a while. Until.... you guessed, round the next bend was a little Suzuki WagonR whose driver had huge hairy sticky-out ears and a tweed cloth flat cap. Even the blue badge in the windscreen was prominent from behind. Streams of traffic from the opposite direction rendered overtaking impossible, so I patiently settled for 28 mph in a 60 mph limit for the next five miles. Lesser mortals would have been sectioned for excessive rage, but one day I'm going to inherit the Earth, so I put it down to experience and waited for another day.
Motorway DrivingThe next journey to be done was a much longer one, involving several hours on the M4 and A34. This is where my first impressions were diluted somewhat. The Lancer impressed me on the slower and windier roads. It had a precision and sure-footedness that struck home immediately. However, on the long straight motorway the first thing that struck me was the fact that I had to raise my voice to make myself heard. It was really surprisingly noisy at 70. After two and a half hours at 70 it was positively wearing.
However, let's not dwell on this because I have subsequently had a chance to give it a more varied 'throwing about' and I am actually impressed with the solidity, confidence and refinement of the car's handling. It is light and easy to drive and proved to be very economical over the week. It is a good solid workhorse and would be ideal for those whose driving habits didn't involve too much long distance motorway driving. Remember that this car comes in at the same price bracket as versions of the Fiat 500, the Ford Fiesta, the Vauxhall Corsa, and the Citroen C3, so it offers a fantastic package pound-for-pound. My overall impression at the end of the week was a very positive one. That of a very good value for money, solid, well-built, economical and stylish car. It's not a high-performance car, and doesn't pretend to be. The experience was marred only by the surprisingly high ambient noise when cruising at motorway speeds. For those who rarely make such journeys though, this really is a great option worth considering.
Nigel Crawford
February 2010
Model Driven Mitsubishi Lancer 1.5 SE 4dr
£12849 OTR |
The Ford Kuga
