Lancer, prancer, dasher, dancer

MITSUBISHI’S Lancer story just keeps getting better.

Classified as a small car, but in fact more of a medium-sized vehicle these days, Lancer last year reached its highest sales in Australia to date, with more than 21,000 being snapped up.

For 2010 it will be even better, especially since safety has been beefed up across the range with not two, four or six, but seven airbags.

Not so long ago, airbags were an option on Mitsubishis.

I rather liked the idea, believing that safe driving and avoiding a collision would spare me a serious biff in the face from a deploying airbag.

But the airbag brigade insisted on them, so we now have seven of them, the seventh to protect the driver’s patella.

There’s also a sturdy passenger cell that the Mitsi people like to call their “Rise Technology” (reinforced impact safety evolution), plus stability control, traction control, ABS with brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution and seatbelt load limiters and pretensioners.

So if you expect to crash, a Lancer would be a pretty good thing to do it in.

It has a five-star rating.

I tend to go a bit the other way, focusing on bits that prevent the car from going into uncontrolled orbit. And the Lancer has loads of them too: The model comes from a strong lineage of motorsport greats, the GSR, Evolutions and the Ralliart connection.

Lancers start at the ES from $21,990, the VR $25,890, the VRX at $29,990, the Aspire at $33,990 and the two turbocharged hotties, the Ralliart and Evolution X, at $43,890 and $61,390 respectively.

On test was a VRX Sportback, with the $2300 option of continuously variable transmission (CVT), a stepless system that gives the smoothest drive.

Standard transmission is a five-speed manual.

Most Lancers get a 2.0litre engine, but the VRX has a 2.4litre with variable-valve timing, which puts out 125kW and 226Nm.

It also gets bigger (18-inch) alloy wheels and has bigger brakes than the ES and VR.

The features list goes on forever, but main attractions include auto climate control, auto windscreen wipers and headlights, Bluetooth phone connectivity, an in-dash six-disc CD sound system with MP3 compatibility and a Rockford Fosgate audio system.

The car also boasts alloy pedals, thick-rimmed steering wheel, cruise control, multi-function computer, tinted glass, pollen filter, rear parking sonar and accessory sockets.

It runs nicely, quiet, stable and can get to 100km/h in 9.0 seconds.

Of course, anyone can go fast in a straight line, but the Lancer has the grip and balance to handle corners with great aplomb too.

The accurate steering keeps the car tracking beautifully and passengers, apart from Aunt Gertrude, will generally be unaware that traffic once breathing down the Lancer’s bootlid on the freeway, have been left far behind on the twisty bits.

The seating is excellent, likewise visibility and there’s a lot of hip, leg and headroom front and rear.

It’s a classy, good-looking number and it comes with the biggest warranty in the business.

It can also easily convert to various cargo needs, with the back seats able to be collapsed via a one-touch system to greatly extend the already generous boot space.

Economy was another strong point. We averaged 10.0litres/100km in our usual city, suburban and highway mix.

The VRX is the rare kind of luxury car that easily slides into a sporty mode and the CVT can be flicked over into sequential shift to instantly convert to a six-speed close-ratio manual.

Or you can use the paddles on either side of the steering wheel.

I like it for its sheer driveability.

Others will buy it for its safety.

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Friday 25 May 2012

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