2008 Mitsubishi Lancer

[Jim Prower]

In the words of Wheezie the Dragon..."LOOOOOVE IIIIIT!"

((Okay, no jokes about how I watch too much PBS children's shows. We have youger ones.))

Any-hoo, I really like the front...It reminds me of, dare I say it, the R34 GT-R. rear...iffy, it seems to make up for lack of trunk space in compact sedans, they're hiking up the rear ends. Still, a japanese imitation of an Alfa-Romeo 156 won't hurt.

 

[inferno]

Year, seriously. I looked at the weight of that thing and uttered a rather naughty expletive.

If i do that again you have express permission to shoot me. haha.

 

[JohnBM01]

I can see where you all would say that the machine has Alfa Romeo styling. I remembered 2001 when Mitsubishi finally decided to give us Lancer fans in America some Lancer love. The version we got was a prissy Mitsu that was nowhere near the beastly power of the Japanese-spec Lancers. The Lancer RalliArt YSSMAN posted in Post #18 does look pretty dull up front. I was okay with its rear. But I get to feeling like the high-end Lancers are the only way to go. The sort of boxy styling of the headlights and the grill kind of remind me of the 1998-ish Diamante. Only this deal is sharper than a Ginzu knife. The overall design isn't that bad. I don't see why you all felt bad about the 2008 Lancer compared to the Lancer concept deal that had 400(?) horsepower and all-wheel drive. This product still looks and feels like the machine Lancer fans were looking for, even if not as outlandish and with left-hand drive. I think there is still hope for a full-on Lancer for true diehards. Still... nothing to be too ashamed about unless you want a full-powered variant of this car.

 

[a6m5]

I realize that this car borrowed details of bunch of cars. But if they were actually copying Alfa Romeo in the back, they did a pretty horrid job. Mitsubishi Motors have come up with some nice looking cars in the past. IMO, if they were trying to produce an Alfa ripoff, they would've done a far better job.

Alfa Romeo cars are some of the finest looking cars in the world. This Lancer...... not so much.

 

[McLaren]

First instance I saw that car, I thought Volvo for a moment from the front, and Mazda because of the tail lights.

It looks ok, as long as it has the rear spoiler though.

 

[Tornado]

First instance I saw that car, I thought Volvo for a moment from the front, and Mazda because of the tail lights.

Volvo! Thanks McLaren. I couldn't place what I was seeing in the front of the car.

 

[YSSMAN]

...The good news is that they are taking a chance, and people are receptive to the change. It is causing buzz, and that is a very good thing, as very few of Mitsubishi's products outside of the Evolution invoke any kind of emotional reaction. If you look at their best-seller list, you see one dominated by the Lancer, the Evolution, and the Eclipse. Given that only one of those products is really worth buying by comparison to the competition, lets hope Mitsubishi has done their homework with the new chassis, new engine, and new everything else to make it a great car...

I wonder if they will bring back the Sportback?

I have to say, it is probably one of the best products Mitsubishi had made in years, and unfortunately nobody bought it. Indeed, 2004 was the only model year in which the Ralliart model was offered, and it is a rare sight around here. I saw one the other day on the way to the Library to drop-off a book, and I nearly flipped. You just don't see them often enough, and it is unfortunately so, as I would love to buy one myself.

 

[a6m5]

I love the station wagon, too. 👍 I believe that they got the Evo in that body style in Japan? Personally, I really liked the outgoing Lancer. Ralliart was very sharp.

 

[niky]

Nice lines. The tail-lights are a terrible affront to my taste, but it's refreshing to see a new compact that isn't a shrunken SUV/CUV (Caliber/Compass/Bizarro) or a blobbery something-something (Sentra/Corolla/Whatever).

About what I'd expect given the looks of the Concept X. I love the Volvo-ish front, but the design might be a little too "traditional" (i.e.: appeals to old-school nuts like us "enthusiasts") to really pull in the young uns'.

Still... love it. But please, oh God, fix those damn tail-lights.

RE: weight: it's about average for the class... no more, no less. The new Focus is about that heavy. Let's hope that weight went into chassis stiffness and sound deadening... the new Focus is a porker, too, but it's got lots better sound insulation and (from initial drives) solidity than the new Civic, which feels more than a little tinny compared to the Focus.

 

[Metar]

Hey, compared to the previous generation, it's a beauty... And they're finally going the way Subaru has, and re-merging the Evo/Regular line into a similar design, which they stopped doing after the VI models. I kinda like the front, and the rear isn't half as bad as what you usually see. Better a weird unique one than the regular bland triangle... It's a nice try, and it's the best-looking Mitsubishi lately (I don't like the looks on the Hunter), but the Alfa still looks better.

 

[Tuuba-A]

First instance I saw that car, I thought Volvo for a moment from the front, and Mazda because of the tail lights.

It looks ok, as long as it has the rear spoiler though.

Definetly! "Volvo" I thought to myself at the first moment I saw it. Looks decent despite the Alfa-tail. It has lost some of its "offroadiness" (or whatever you want to call it)... You get my point?

 

[Vonie]

New Evo Concept Sketches:

When Mitsubishi revealed its 2008 Lancer sedan on Monday, we were left wondering why the unveiling wasn't saved for the upcoming Detroit auto show. As it turns out, the Japanese automaker will use the Detroit show to unveil something more exciting — a concept version of the 2008 Lancer Evolution.

The company has released two sketches as a preview of the new performance sedan, which will be unveiled official in early January. We can't tell you anything about specs yet, but all those details should become available in the coming weeks.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/12/15/mitsubishi-lancer-evolution-concept-to-arrive-in-detroit/

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> I really do like the new Lan's front, it highly resembles to one of the most beautiful Mitsu's ever designed, the late-90's Galant VR-4 (never released in the US):

-> Well, I see Lexus IS from the back:

-> Looks ok, now all we have to do is to wait for the Evo X in which its 6-7 months away.

(:

 

[JohnBM01]

I'll make this quick. If this is the more aggressive Lancer we're going to get, then Subaru needs to watch their asses because the Impreza/Lancer is only going to have the ball in Mitsu's court. Sure like to know how this bad boy will play out.

 

[Sakiale]

Erm... I'm not sure what to make of this... I like it, but it's ugly as hell at the same time..

Now how is that possible ?

 

[godzilla_GTR]

looks like the new comadore to me. When the new comadore came out i thought it looked like a man-racer lancer lol...

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

I'll make this quick. If this is the more aggressive Lancer we're going to get, then Subaru needs to watch their asses because the Impreza/Lancer is only going to have the ball in Mitsu's court. Sure like to know how this bad boy will play out.

^ Yes my friend, the Lancer's on the pics that I provided is the US-spec model. Notice the US-regulatory amber front-side reflectors, enlarged front re-bar, and the Mitsu-licence plate are also US-spec (too small to be a JDM-spec.

-> I bet the front-end on Lancer's for the rest of the world will get a more aggresive (if not radical) design concept, just like the Lancer Sportback Concept from Europe:

^ The styling will be less imposing compared to the Evo X Concept but more with the US version.

(:

 

[harrytuttle]

Non-Evo Lancer? Feh. Who cares how it looks? Non-Evo Mitsubishi's have never really looked good. This has some promise though. It's far better looking than the 2005/2006 model, and given how a few simple changes made the Evo look so much better, I really look forward to the Evo X.

 

[godzilla_GTR]

Non-Evo Lancer? Feh. Who cares how it looks? Non-Evo Mitsubishi's have never really looked good. This has some promise though. It's far better looking than the 2005/2006 model, and given how a few simple changes made the Evo look so much better, I really look forward to the Evo X.

Like getting rid of that gastly wing.

 

[a6m5]

Non-Evo Lancer? Feh. Who cares how it looks?

I do. It's the only kind I can afford. Also, while I can see why some wouldn't like the look of Lancers(kinda funky, weren't they?), I've known quite a few people who likes the look of them. Myself included, of course.

 

[kikie]

I don't like this Lancer. The wheel housing (arch) in the back are too small compared to the rest of the body.

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

Non-Evo Lancer? Feh. Who cares how it looks? Non-Evo Mitsubishi's have never really looked good. This has some promise though. It's far better looking than the 2005/2006 model, and given how a few simple changes made the Evo look so much better, I really look forward to the Evo X.

^ Well they have to release a base Lancer first, without it there will be no Evo X.

-> Actually I like the styling of the base Lancer, its bold and a little bit more "manly" looking. (:

 

[xXSilencerXx]

Oh my god that thing is hideous. I'd rather have the current gen.

 

[harrytuttle]

I do. It's the only kind I can afford. Also, while I can see why some wouldn't like the look of Lancers(kinda funky, weren't they?), I've known quite a few people who likes the look of them. Myself included, of course.

I'm not saying this car is ugly; it's miles better than the previous non-Evo Lancer. But I've never been impressed by anything that doesn't have an Evo badge on the back (or GSX). This time around they managed to shake the econobox look that the previous Lancer had (and earlier US-spec Mirage), and it actually looks like a car with some potential.

^ Well they have to release a base Lancer first, without it there will be no Evo X.

Yes, I'm well aware of that, which is why I said the Evo X holds a lot of promise.

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> I'm not really looking forward of the next Evo too much, thats a given already. What I'm expecting, is the midrange model, a true competitor to Subies regular WRX. Although it was never released here or most parts in the world, this model has a low-output version of the legendary 4G63-T (it may or may not be on the next Evo), and all wheel drive without all the goodies that the Evo has. It was called the GSR, way before the Evo conquered the world this was the performance oriented Lancer. I'm seeing a return model of this long forgotten model as a global designated entry of the Lancer series.

Here's an article from Austrailia

 

[slidesquad#1]

-> I'm not really looking forward of the next Evo too much, thats a given already. What I'm expecting, is the midrange model, a true competitor to Subies regular WRX. Although it was never released here or most parts in the world, this model has a low-output version of the legendary 4G63-T (it may or may not be on the next Evo), and all wheel drive without all the goodies that the Evo has. It was called the GSR, way before the Evo conquered the world this was the performance oriented Lancer. I'm seeing a return model of this long forgotten model as a global designated entry of the Lancer series.

The GSR's actually ran the 4G93T, a 1.8 litre turbo. And they were available in the next gen (i.e. Evo 4-6) shape as well. And the GSR's were always a stepping stone to the Evo. There's never been a GSR without an Evo model sitting further up, as far as I'm aware.

 

[Onikaze]

Wait, aren't they supposed to be ugly?

I never really appreciated Evo's til I was messing around with drifting them in GT4 and EPR, and found just the right way to set them up so I could throw them sideways into a corner, turn the wheel into the corner, stomp the gas and have it crabwalk around, all four tires smoking...

 

[szymoniec]

For me it looks like Galant mixed with Accord and Legacy.
Anyway, it's much nicer then current gen. I hope that Evo will eat Impreza's
<looking for good emoticon but can't find it>

 

[niky]

Oh my god that thing is hideous. I'd rather have the current gen.

You prefer this:

to that?

Remember Lancer =/= Evolution... the Evolution model is coming further down the line.

----

RE: GSR - Yeah, Mitsubishi has all these neat little sub-Evo lancers with lesser engines and turbo set-ups, but they didn't send them to us Left Hand Market guys, and they didn't pit anything directly against the WRX.

It boggles the mind how Mitsubishi could put several different I4s and a V6 in the Lancer... seems kinda wasteful. They should've stuck with a single I4 design and used turbos to differentiate them ...

Yes, I know turbo 4's aren't as smooth as sixes... but the Lancer ain't no luxury car.