Watch out! Mitsubishi is going to shake up the compact car market with their redesigned Mitsubishi Lancer.
My original plan was to test drive the new 2008 Honda Accord at Markham Honda but I didn't feel comfortable with them insisting on keeping a copy of my license for their records.
I was disappointed not to test drive a car so I thought of test driving the new Mitsubishi Lancer at the nearby Mitsubishi dealership:
Markham Mitsubishi
4611 Highway 7
Markham, ON L3R 1M6
905-415-0080
(missing photo)
I was greeted by Dominic Chow as soon as my car pulled into the dealership parking lot. I told him I was looking at the new Lancer so he gave me a brief overview of the car. You need to test drive a car before you buy it (unless you're getting a super car). He quickly brought me to the back to the test car as soon I mentioned test drive.
A red Mitsubishi Lancer GTS with sun package
The side view of a white Mitsubishi Lancer GTS
It looks fast. But with a 2.0L inline 4-cylinder running at 152HP @ 6000rpm and 146lbs-ft @ 4250rpm on a 1410kg car, you're not going to get anywhere fast. I wanted the paddle shifters so I could keep the revs high for better acceleration so the GTS is the only trim I would consider. The engine is harsh and not very smooth but shifting is smooth but a tad delayed. The best aspect of the car is the handling of the car with a tight turning radius and confident pose at high speeds. There is reasonable wheel feedback and with supportive seats. With a low base price, the Lancer is priced lower than a similarly equipped Honda Civic.
If you're looking for the high powered Impreza WRX STi fighter, then you'll be sad to know that this year's allotment of 500 cars has already been sold, according to Dominic:
We can only dream.
This is the most accurate Starscream transforming toy ever created. Faithful to both an actual F-15 and the cartoon Starscream. You better believe it's amazing!
