Is this supposed to be a competitor for the Mazdaspeed3, WRX, etc? It will be interesting to see how it compares in class, especially in price and performance. The Lancer is a heavy beast for a compact car, so with AWD and only 230-240hp, might be a bit underpowered.

Underpowered? It will no doubt be turbo charged to get those numbers, which will make it really torquey. My brother in-law has a Civic Si sedan, and that thing is fast enough and it’s only got 198hp and even less torque. I think this thing will be killer.

Funny … since when was 230 hp in a 3000 lb vehicle low, ‘jay’? Look at the Si, as mentioned, and it pales in comparison. Sure, it may not have the Speed3’s 260ish hp but 230 is more than enough in most any vehicle not made for the track.

In the past Mitsubishi’s attempt at making the the non-evo Lancers be sporty vehicles have been more of a joke. This however looks promising. If it’s priced right in its segment, although it’s going to have stiff competitiion from the
Mazdaspeed 3, Subaru WRX, Caliber SRT-4, and Cobalt SS Turbocharged we’ll see how it competes.

AWD and 230-240hp aren’t going to help it if it weighs like a mother. If it happens to have a beefed up GTS engine with a turbo or a de-tuned EVO setup yeah I agree with snoboardguy21 that having a high torque capability will help it, however that won’t be enough.

Also snoboardguy21 I don’t know what your definition of fast is with the Civic Si, because I’ve raced both the new Si coupe and sedan and let’s just say it didn’t even look like a race.

This is a direct competitor to the WRX, so all it has to do is beat that car’s 224 HP to do it’s job. Mazdaspeed3 could also be considered and the Caliber SRT-4 but they’re not AWD. And yeah, since when is 230 HP crappy? Especially compared to the 152 HP base version.

For maybe around 25K that much HP for a sport compact isn’t that bad considering what the competitions are in today’s world. I’d say fairly priced and a nice car for a college kid.

The thing is the SI weighs just shy of 2600 lbs with 197hp. The regular Lancer weighs 2922. Add the AWD drivetrain and the turbo components and it’ll be around 3300lbs (or close to whatever the new EvoX weighs). Si gets .075 hp/weight while the Lancer gets .071 hp/weight. Add in that the regular Lancer’s suspension and chassis are pretty “flexible” and you have a porky, sluggish sport compact.

The NAIAS Can’t wait. Detroit. CCS.

SI is just shy of 2900 lbs, not 2600.

My fault. I was going off of auto.consumerguide.com instead of Honda’s web site. Funny how they pack on 200 more pounds between the EX and SI.

Horsepower is not indicative of performance. Horsepower addresses the top speed of a car. Torque and its curve are main culprits of acceleration. And there is a little thing called “handling”. Civic Si has superb handling, even so MazdaSpeed probably faster all around. In the past Mitsubishi relied a lot on electronic gadgetry from sister divisions and handling was not on par with its horsepower.

Man this Ralliart looks pretty promising and I think will do very well if done up right. I dont think that it is really right to compare it to a lousy Civic Si because they arent nearly in the same category. But even though it might weigh 3300 it should still be capable of a 0-60 in the 5.7 area which is right in the runnings with the speed3, caliber srt-4 and new cobalt ss. Only time will tell but I cant wait to see how this one turns out.

The new Evo is much quicker than the old one and the new Lancer is as well; I suspect Mitsu will continue the trend in the Ralliart. Even if it turns out to be not quite as good as the competitors mentioned above, It really boils down to personal preference. 230-240hp is enough to do anything you need on the street so unless your a huge stickler about who has a .4 second faster quarter mile, looks are important. I would much rather be seen in this than the new WRX (eww), and the Mazdaspeed3 although probably the best performer of the group, is overplayed and has become a commonplace for many drivers. The Civic Si with its playful coupe exterior and its stylish little wing is neat but will gain you no respect as it is a Honda and as such is shunned from any meets besides JDM. All in all I think this car is cool enough to be seen so 95% of the time you drive it your going to be going slow anyway.

good points F3INT))AP3X.

I’ve always preferred the Lancer over the Impreza. Like I mentioned before Mitsu’s attempt at the last gen Lancer Ralliart Edition was a joke. If anything it was more of a poser EVO. This however sounds like it’s going to have the goods to back it up. In my earlier post I also mentioned the competition of the WRX, SRT-4, Mazdaspeed 3 and Cobalt SS, and also now that we’re mentioning it the Civic Si for a reason.

Yeah if you compare apples to oranges then this Lancer Ralliart would be a direct competitor to the WRX like snork said. Comparing it’s weight and HP figures of 230-240hp would make it faster and give it an advantage over the WRX.However on the street and at the meets, most people aren’t selective in racing strictly AWD vs AWD or FWD vs FWD cars, anyone races anyone. Although for those of us that are smart enough not to try those heavily modded EVO’s or STI’s they typically roll only with eachother.

If you look at the subcompact sport class it’s pretty large, just to name as many as I can think of off the top of my head the Sentra SER, Mini Cooper S, VW GTI, Mazdaspeed 3, Caliber SRT-4, Cobalt SS/SC or the new 08/TC, Focus SVT(dead) and Scion TC. These are your typical FWD competitors, the only AWD competitor the Lancer will have is the WRX so yeah this Lancer will probably be stacked up against it’s FWD competition.

Seeing that the 280hp the SRT-4 makes and the 250-260hp the Mazdaspeed makes and with just FWD, AWD won’t give this Lancer the advantage if it has just 230-240hp and weighs in at between 3300 and 3800lbs.

If you look at the Cobalt SS/SC and now dead Neon SRT-4’s they weighed in at 2991 and 2800lbs which gives them a major advantage and with the Cobalt SS/TC moving up to 260hp you better bet that it’s not joking with it’s improved straightline exceleration and further improved “gring” track tuned suspension to really step up in this market, the Lancer Ralliart is going to need more than just 230-240hp

I can’t wait for the NAIAS. Last year was a little dissapointing but this year should be way better. I’ll definitely stop by the Mitsu exhibit and see this.

Like I said it is personal preference, if it’s raw performance your looking for then save for the Evo or whatever tickles your fancy. The cars in this segment are not meant to be sports cars by any means and as such should serve other purposes than trying to be fast like economy, conformity, and reliability as well as looking good on the outside and in. If you want to go really fast then buy a car that is made to do it, not a base Lancer, WRX, GTI, TC, etc. I’m not saying that speed and horsepower are not important just because these are not sports cars, I just do not think 20-30 horsepower is a big enough difference for someone who likes how the Lancer looks over the others to change their mind. If all else fails buy it without leather seats and you can gain the hp in aftermarket parts easily with the difference =p The main point is that there are different segments of cars for a reason; trucks haul **** around, sedans and SUVs haul people (also sometimes referred to as ****) around, and sports cars are made for speed obviously. For people to expect these cars to be something they are not is stupid, I think it is ludicrous to quarrel over small amounts of horsepower in a segment that is mainly about the switch from 2 to 4 doors. The most ironic part of all of this is that the segment leader, the Mazdaspeed3; is the biggest fattest one of them all with the most doors as well. Allow me to state that my daily driver is a 93 Taurus GL 3.8L with 50k miles and I still get plenty of respect out on the road, and thats because of not how cool my car is or that I have 20 more hp than the other guy or w/e, but how I carry myself on the road. It is the same with this Mitsu and its competitors, drive like a pro and people will treat you like one, if it’s horses your after then buy a car more fitting to your needs than a 4 door sedan.

seems like it should have more power.

Interesting. That Mitsu grille has really grown on me. It’s not that bad really. The Japanese angry-headlights look has got to go though

This car will do just fine. Mitsu’s only benchmark for this is likely the WRX and on looks alone it wins, in the majority of people’s eyes. People in the market for one will be those that can’t afford an Evo or don’t want a tricked out base Lancer. And with how this looks and the perceived numbers (like LLN said, this is from an employee who is probably just spouting out w/e they can make up) this will steal a good portion of WRX sales. If Mitsu really wants to make a name for themselves they need a GSX Eclipse (350Z competitor), possibly a revived 3000GT (A cheaper alt. to a Skyline, and I’d buy one and a second), and a coupe edition of the Lancer, RWD though, possibly a VR4 edition?? The lineup would wreck Subie, as long as they can get the Galant up to par, IMO they should start from scratch, name and all. Oh and I’d just like to add in, Evolander, please.

‘F3……’, I agree.

OMG yes please! on the Evolander, if they made that, then everybody who needs a more family oriented car but still likes to drive will buy up. I was going to get an EVO awhile back and on craigslist the majority of EVO ads were husbands who had recently had kids and now have to make the switch to a family car. The Evolander would be the ultimate compromise, not to mention it looks totally badass!

This is going to be the best NAIAS ever!