Mitsubishi's makeover continues apace. The latest renovation is in the small family car market, with the long-awaited arrival of a new Lancer model range due here in late August.
The Japanese marque is reinventing the Lancer range to take on Europe's largest car segment with two very different variations in the model range, a conservative saloon and sportier stationwagon. Mitsubishi's aim is to serve a niche market in an increasingly niche-driven environment. It says it's not out to impress the world, merely to win over a long-term loyal customer base. To do this it needs a reliable and user-friendly range. The new Lancer seems a step in the right direction.
According to Daniel Nacass of Mitsubishi Europe, the strategy is "a 14 chapter product renewal story. One year ago we launched the Spacestar facelift, a foreword of what was to come. Then we had the Outlander which was Chapter one, and chapter two is the Lancer. Next year, in January we'll have the Evo 8, then the Grandis in February and then the long-awaited NCC, the small car taking over from the Colt, but not replacing it." Busy times ahead then.
We put the various Lancer model options through their paces in Finland's lake district, around the city of Jyvaskyla, known for toilet paper production and home to Finnish rallying. Certainly on routes that served as stages in the current 1,000 lakes rally, part of the World Rally Championship, the Lancer 2.0-litre sports model proved a really enjoyable drive, and handled the ever-changing road surfaces with aplomb. Finnish roads can vary from smooth tarmacked surface to muddy gravel track in an instant. Here you can see why they win so many rallies, and it proves a worthy testing ground for cars.
Yet it's for more routine and mundane motoring tasks that the Lancer will find its feet in Ireland and here the more sedate models were capable and spacious. Lancer is one of the oldest model names in the Mitsubishi portfolio, dating back to 1972.
This latest Lancer is in fact more than the next generation, it's the next two: one a saloon aimed at southern and eastern European markets and in keeping with "conservative" tastes, the other a Stationwagon, with more emphasis on design than simple functionality and aimed at more "modern" western tastes.
With three engine options, all carry-overs from existing models, the Lancer will be available with a 1.3-litre (82bhp), a 1.6-litre (98bhp) and a 2.0-litre (135bhp). The 1.3 and 1.6-litre options will feature in the saloon, while the Stationwagon will offer a choice of 1.6-litre or 2.0-litre sports guise. We tested all the power options and found the 1.3-litre slightly under-powered, particularly when travelling with three adults and luggage on the main roads. It took a lot more gearbox work than the 1.6-litre, which cruised comfortably and was a more capable all-round package. As for the 2.0-litre sports model with its sports suspension, this was a very enjoyable drive, particularly on the gravel roads.
While pricing has yet to be finalised, Paddy Murphy of Mitsubishi Ireland is confident the new Lancer will win market share with the 1.3-litre version competitively priced at just under €19,000 ex-works, just under the equivalent Toyota Corolla. In terms of space it will be a runner in the small family race. We travelled with three in the car and a boot full of luggage, and certainly in the 1.6-litre version the saloon offered a comfortable and relaxed ride with ample legroom. The extra power from the larger engine also meant comfortable cruising and an easy drive.
The Stationwagon is a completely different package. With more modern design both inside and out, it is more aesthetically pleasing and well-laid out inside. What's more, coming in 1.6-litre and sporty 2.0-litre format, this offers a far more driver-orientated package, "more in keeping with the emphasis on style rather than utility".
The aim is to sell 8,500 this year, rising to 25,000 next year. Here the aim is to sell about 1,000 Lancers, with the cars arriving in showrooms in late August. Competition will come from the Toyota Corolla, Opel Astra and even the Subaru Impreza. Standard equipment will include ABS with EBD, twin airbags, four-disc brakes, electric windows, tilt steering column, 15-inch wheels, electric mirrors, central locking and height adjustable driver's seat.
This is a firm that wants to position itself between Audi and Alfa Romeo. That's a serious challenge and certainly the Lancer won't cause sleepless nights in either the German or Italian camps. But then again, there's 12 more chapters of this story to come.
