“DELUSIONS of adequacy” and “dysfunctional dynamics” were both quotes that were used to describe Lancer’s performance in the July 2005 WASP tests. We also said in that report, “Mitsubishi’s bean counters and product planners deserve uppercuts.”

What a pleasant surprise it is that the new model tested here cries out for no such harsh criticisms. It’s a rare case of advertising imitating truth: the new Lancer is, as the commercials allege, better. Substantially so.

CVT transmissions might take the market a while to adapt to, but there are advantages to engines being continuously on-song. With Lancer’s CVT, you open the throttle and it’s all there at the right revs and the drop of a hat, confirmed in cold, hard data by the Lancer’s blinding overtaking result. The CVT four-potter ripped up the virtual wrong side from 60-100km/h in just 118.4 metres and there were only the hot sixes – Aurion, Commodore and Territory – ahead of it.



The high-speed lane-change test was where the Lancer really hit its stride – dead-heating the razor-sharp Mazda 3, and beaten by only Focus and Aurion. This result smacks of a spot-on ESP-assist for Lancer, which has it standard across the range. Most people think ESP ‘merely’ prevents loss of control, but in reality if it’s tuned right it helps cars swerve severely, too.

When the driver makes a rapid steering input, ESP interprets this as an urgent request for evasive response, and reacts by selectively braking inside wheel(s) to induce yaw more rapidly than steering alone can. Lancer’s ESP obviously gets this right.



Thing aren’t so rosy in the slalom, however. And the Lancer on 10th isn’t quite as sharp as direct competitors Corolla, Mazda 3, Astra and Civic – though, frankly they’re all pretty close, with the top 10 split by just 0.8 seconds (under nine percent).

Least justifiable is perhaps Lancer’s reversing vision result, with safety caving in to style (in the absence of regulation on the issue). Here the Mitsu, at 12th, got smashed by everything except RAV4, delivering 5.3 metres more real estate than the test-winning Astra does in which to lose a two-year-old child.