2009 Lancer Ralliart: Remember Me Too? You Know, The WRX-Killer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter YSSMAN
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philly cheese
Don't they still have the Legacy line? Those seem like pretty good cars. And they are selling pretty well back at home, although that is Subaru country. I know they are cars I would consider if I was looking for a car like that.
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^ I also do like the Legacy-series, but not the USDM version. :sly:

USDM
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:yuck:

JDM/rest of the world:
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👍
 
harrytuttle
*I* would. Well, you'd be hard-pressed to get me out of my 2005 STI, but any 2007+ model...well, an Evo fan I'd have to be. Comparing current cars, the Evo -- including the Ralliart -- beats every Impreza in terms of fun. Hands down. And this coming from a long-time STI "fanboy".
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I guess what I was trying to say is that if somebody has their heart set on buying a new STi, they would much rather get a WRX than a Ralliart. Converted fans, like you, people who understand that the new Lancer is far better than the Impreza, will surely go to Mitsubishi.

The Vanishing Boy
^ I also do like the Legacy-series, but not the USDM version. :sly:

USDM

:yuck:

JDM/rest of the world:

👍
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I don't know why. I really like the Outback.
 
YSSMAN
A few months back I talked about how I thought Mitsubishi needed a model to slide in between the pretty-decent GTS and the low-level EVO X GSR. My origional suggestion was just to do a light-boost turbo, good for 200 BHP, and maybe to keep costs down, do it with FWD, and equip it only with a stick. Well, Mitsubishi did me one-better:

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I love it when I'm right. This is what they need, this is what people want to buy. They still could have done it with less power and FWD and it still would have sold decent I'd bet...
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Damn! now there will be no living with you!:lol:
J/K, Nice Mitsu.
Wish I could convince my wife that a car is about more than getting from point A to point B.
 
Gil
Wish I could convince my wife that a car is about more than getting from point A to point B.
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"Since you have to get from point A to point B, why not enjoy it while you are at it."

Meh?
 
If the heater works and it's quiet enough that she can talk on her cell she's happy.
Though lately when I take her car for something the stereo is turned up pretty loud.

She likes her plain jane civic. It does have a sunroof that I don't believe she's ever opened, a resonably loud stereo & power windows.

I want a CD changer, heated leather seats, Sport shift Auto, Traction control, great handling, etc.
But my idea of the "perfect car" is about twice as expensive as hers.
It's also about twice as comfy, and fun to drive.
 
slidesquad#1
See, I'm doubting this. The 4wd GTX 'boxes are prone to breaking if you look at them angrily, let alone start to modify them.
Put it this way, a guy I knew had a fairly potent GTX. He'd blown every single gear except reverse. Multiple times. He got so tired of the reliability issues with the gearbox he bought an FD RX7. He bought a turbo RX7 because of it's reliability compared to the GTX box.
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Now that is sad... :lol:

Then again, I'm only making about 170 horses on my Protege and my third gear is starting to grind something fierce every time the box gets hot... so I'm one to talk about Mazda quality... :ouch:

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Still no real numbers on the car yet? We need an engine bay shot!
 
YSSMAN
A few months back I talked about how I thought Mitsubishi needed a model to slide in between the pretty-decent GTS and the low-level EVO X GSR. My origional suggestion was just to do a light-boost turbo, good for 200 BHP, and maybe to keep costs down, do it with FWD, and equip it only with a stick. Well, Mitsubishi did me one-better:

09ralliart_parkinglot450.jpg




I love it when I'm right. This is what they need, this is what people want to buy. They still could have done it with less power and FWD and it still would have sold decent I'd bet...
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You should like work for Mitsubishi or something! Just be all like 'I totally thought of that car before you made it' cause you're probably the first person to ever think of that before them.
 
Attractive, sporty and affordable. I can't believe Mitsubishi didn't think of this earlier. Subaru can kill off the WRX for all I care.
 
Vasc0
You should like work for Mitsubishi or something! Just be all like 'I totally thought of that car before you made it' cause you're probably the first person to ever think of that before them.
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That'll be the day! Something tells me he would first go to GM, then Ford, then VW.
 
LOLZ @ Vasc0...

I know that I probably wasn't the first person to say something along those lines, but I did say it on these boards months ago. That counts for something...

As for working with GM/Ford and the like, I may give it a shot in the near-future. If I've got some extra cash I may do an internship, maybe...
 
New Official Deets!

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Atuoblog
Mitsubishi has made up for the crimes it perpetrated on enthusiasts with the last two generations of the Lancer Ralliart. In atonement for its sins, it's fitted the new Ralliart with a detuned version of the 4B11T pulled from the Evolution X, producing 235 hp and an unknown amount of torque. Additionally, Mitsubishi has decided to fit the Twin Clutch-SST transmission, pulled from the high-power and high-priced Evo X MR. The TC-SST clicks off the shifts through a set of steering wheel mounted paddles and sends power to a full-time all-wheel-drive system equipped with Mitsubishi's Active Center Differential (ACD).

The exterior is so reminiscent of the Ralliart's big Evolved brother that we're sure it'll be mistaken for the X and in addition to the absolutely boss Recaro buckets, the interior materials and amenities seem several notches above its base brethren.

On a personal note: As the guy that berated the Lancer ES in our recent Garage review, when the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart goes on sale this summer, I'll be one of the first ones in line. It's obvious that the Ralliart is aimed squarely at Subaru's WRX and if they can keep the price around the Subie's (about $25k), the Ralliart stands as one of the performance bargains of the decade. And just think of the mods....
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This car screams WIN! If they can keep the price low, this should sell very well (hopefully). I love everything about it, and oddly that orange color really is a turn-on! I'd opt for the five-speed manual, but the fact that they're offering the dual-clutch box is just awesome.

I wish Mitsubishi the best of luck with it!
 
Brilliant move by Mitsubishi, if you ask me. Hit Subaru hard at their point of weakness, and strengthen the Evo brand. Something is telling me Mitsu has been waiting for Subaru to stumble so they could make this all the more noticeable.
 
I'd like a Galant VR-4.... Turbo V6 with AWD? :D

But this is really cool. It'll probably be affordable too.
 
That Mitsubishi doesn't just scream WIN, it idles win as well. Let's hope it's at a decent price.

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If they can push it out the door for the same price range of the VW GLI (mid/low $20s), I'd be happy. This is going to tear the WRX to shreds, I don't have many reservations about it. Truthfully, it may challenge my previous statements of the Mustang GT being the best-valued "performance car" currently...
 
I believe the GTI may have to give up it's spot in my book as the top performance car in the low $20,000s.
 
I see much redundancy. And no point in the Evo. This has all the stuff you need, like good seats, AWD, and the Evo's engine, except one thing. The Evo's ECU. So for a couple hundred dollars you can have your engine making just as much power as the Evo. And then you'll be able to do all your tuning you want to do to an Evo to this, and probably for less than an Evo costs to begin with.

This is genius, and really, really dumb all at the same time. I mean, it's like the fact that people running around in SRT4 Neons are blowing away guys in the Caliber. And saving money.

YSSMAN
It should be! Same stuff from the Evo X, just detuned a bit...
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I know the "..." means sarcasm, but the turbo is tucked away behind the engine, and they thought it'd be a good idea to route some air to it to keep temps down a little bit. The flow probably helps pull air up from the bottom of the car and out from the cowl.

EDIT: You and your stealth edit! This is not a Subaru!!!
 
Keef
I know the "..." means sarcasm, but the turbo is tucked away behind the engine, and they thought it'd be a good idea to route some air to it to keep temps down a little bit. The flow probably helps pull air up from the bottom of the car and out from the cowl.
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No, not always. I use "..." all the time for reasons other than sarcasm, usually to connect two phrases for efffect and to announce an unfinished thought.

I seriously don't know how much Evo hardware is actually being used here. I'd think derating also includes camshafts, cranks, and other money saving things. The car's also likely to be heavier than the Evo, and the suspension and tires aren't likely to be as good. And, you know, some folks can't be arsed to find an ECU. The Evo's extra power would be more than enough of a lure.

Can I get mine in the same color green as the 2F2F Evo? This car screams for a bright, irresponsible color like that.
 
Keef
EDIT: You and your stealth edit! This is not a Subaru!!!
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Yeah, I'm glad someone caught me... I thought about it for a second and was like "wait, thats not right..." and went back and fixed it. Silly me... This is what I get for talking about something that doesn't have a V8 and RWD...
 
Hey! The car is out now???

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Jalopnik has a review here

All-in-all, I'm under the impression that this is the Lancer to go for. The Evolution has gone mad with power and price while the GTS seems to be lacking a bit of power to compensate for the gigantic weight. At the proposed $27K sticker, the price seems reasonable I suppose. But then you think about how you can get a GLI for a little less and manage similar performance... Just without AWD.

Hey, either way... Its better than the WRX.
 
Would do well in the UK too. Apart from the Evo VII GT-A we haven't had a halfway house between the standard Lancers and the mental Evos before.
 
Turbo Lag
So is this car ever going to be out in Australia? I'm sure quite a few would sell here.
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I honestly don't know. I'm personally under the impression that it would be available worldwide, given that it has parts that are readily available... But, I suppose, time will tell...
 
I've been following this quite closely, and yes, it will sell in Australia, set for a Q4 release at this stage.
I really like it, as soon as its released here I'll go for a test drive. :p
 
It's the rebirth of the Lancer GSR to us Aussies, something we've been dying for since the CE model shape (Evo 4!!). :D We couldn't get Evo's or STi's but we had the CC shape GSR and the MY94 & 95 WRX against eachother back in the mid 90's. :cool:

All they need to do now is price is for around $40k AUD and they will have them flying out the door. I would consider this car for a new ride, if I get sick of my Cressida that is. :trouble:
 
What? NO!

The Cressida is an absolute GEM! Keep her 'till she dies!

===

But more seriously... Really? They're going to price these things at $40K AUD? Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's Commodore/Falcon money. I think I'd rather have the big sedan (that'll likely get the same fuel mileage with a V6) than the little Mitsubishi. But, small differences in preferences aside, yes, the Ralliart will be a sought after car indeed.
 

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