Rounding out the Mitsubishi Lancer line this year is the new Lancer Sportback, also in extra spicy Ralliart flavor. It's everything you love about the Lancer plus the space, versatility and convenience of a wagon – the first time since the '80s you'll be able to have your cake and haul it, too. If it weren't for the spoiler, which is aptly called the "rear wing", and the subwoofer in the trunk, you'd be forgiven for thinking this was just another cool little wagon. But thanks to the Lancer Ralliart's turbocharged 2.0L MIVEC engine producing 237 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque and Twin-Clutch SST transmission, you'll soon be able to get those groceries with gusto. And it's the only wagon we know of with an access hatch to the central differential.
Mitsubishi has just released pricing on the all-new 2009 Lancer Ralliart and for $26,490, you can get behind the wheel of the turbocharged, all-wheel-drive Evo Lite. Equipped with the same 4B11T/C as the Evolution X, the Ralliart is putting out 237 hp through a modified version of the Evo IX's AWD system. That includes an Active Center Differential, along with front and rear mechanical LSDs and settings for Tarmac, Gravel and Snow. Active Stability Control is part of the package, as is Traction Control, but unfortunately, Ralliartists have to make due without the Active Yaw Control equipped on its big brother.
The optional Recaro Sport Package will set you back an additional $2,750, and includes front Recaro buckets, HID headlamps, a 650-watt Rockford Fosgate sound system with a six month subscription to Sirius Satellite Radio.
According to Greb Migliore, an Autoweek scribe attending the Ralliart's press launch, the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart will arrive in showrooms this September with a price tag under $27,000. The turbocharged middleweight sedan – aimed squarely at the Subaru WRX – is a clear choice for those that don't want to shill out $40k for its big brother the Evolution X.
Instead, you can get the same 4B11T/C engine (equipped with a smaller turbo) sending 237 hp and 253 lb.-ft. of torque to Mitsubishi's dual-clutch SST gearbox and on down to a modified version of the Evo IX's all-wheel-drive setup. Go crazy with the options, including Recaros, Sirius radio, sat nav and HID headlamps, and you'll be knocking on the $30k ceiling.
However, don't hold Migliore (or Mitsubishi) to that price just yet. The final cost hasn't been determined and will be dependent on currency fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen.
We're eagerly anticipating the debut of the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback and its Ralliart variant in Paris this September, and these recent shots of the five-door making the rounds in Barcelona are just enough to keep us interested. Judging by the German numberplates and a couple of shots that surfaced on Autoweek.nl, we'd guess that the Ralliart Sportback is in the hands of motoring journalists abroad or was on its way to a photoshoot ahead of its launch.
As we've seen previously, the Ralliart hatch takes the Evo-styled front end from its four-door counterpart, along with new side sills, darkened wheels and a subtle rear spoiler. In Europe, the Lancer Sportback will come equipped with either a 1.5- or 1.8-liter four, or a 2.0-liter turbodiesel, while those of us in the U.S. get to enjoy an Evolution experience on the cheap, with a de-tuned version of the 4B11T/C 2.0-liter four, producing 237 hp and 253 lb.-ft. of torque. We like it in red, white or slate grey would be our chosen hue when the Sportback goes on sale in the States early next year.
Mitsubishi's revised strategy for the U.S. market was outlined last month in its "Step Up 2010" business plan that seeks to renew the automaker's focus on competing with the major players in North America. The one bit of information that caught out eye in Mitsu's press release was a plan to offer a hatchback Lancer into its range. While the Prototype-S whet our appetite, there was no definitive confirmation that the Ralliart drivetrain in the concept would be fitted to the five-door when it makes its production debut, likely sometime next year. According to a Mitsubishi spokesperson we talked to here in New York, the wagon is coming, and when asked if it would be equipped with the 235-hp turbocharged four and all-wheel-drive system, his response was, "Probably Ralliart. But you can only speculate on that." Good enough for us, but from what we've heard ourselves, a U.S.-market Sportback is past the speculation stage already..
Autobild spilled the beans over the weekend, and today, Mitsubishi lifted the embargo on its Geneva-bound Prototype S, which is basically the forthcoming Lancer Sportback in light concept trim. Beneath the hatchback's skin lies the powertrain used in in the new US-market Lancer Ralliart -- 240 horses, dual-clutch, full-time AWD, and active center differential. It's anyone's guess whether Mitsubishi will elect to offer it outside Europe, where the body style is sure to be a bread-and-butter seller. We certainly wouldn't turn it away, though; there's always room for more hatchbacks with "go."
German pub Autobild has spilled the beans on the Geneva-bound Mitsubishi Prototype S. The "S" is for Sportback, and this show car forecasts a future production vehicle that will probably carry that moniker. The Sportback is crucial for the European market, where hatches account for the majority of car sales. Up front, you essentially have the Lancer Ralliart's nose, which is dressed up with more ornate, concept-style headlamps and foglights. Head around to the car's rump, and you can almost see Mitsu's people drawing a line in the sand, daring the 5-door WRX to come over and "play." The sloping rear hatch is topped by a large, body-colored roof spoiler, and restyled rear lighting wraps from the lid onto the quarter panels. Dual exhaust tips poke through a diffuser insert on the rear bumper, and stylish split-spoke wheels in a gunmetal finish occupy the lightly-flared fender cutouts. Mechanically, it seems that the Prototype S is outfitted with the same running gear as the Lancer Ralliart. The 2.0L turbo four delivers 240 PS (236 hp) and 343 Nm (253 lb-ft) of torque through a dual-clutch setup to a full-time AWD system with an active center differential. It's cool, we want it, and most importantly, it'd fit -- after all, Subaru markets the WRX here as both a sedan and a hatchback. Come on, Mits. Go tit for tat with them and bring this one across the pond after you give it to Europe.
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).
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According to poster jmk2888 at the EvolutionM.net forums, the car you see here is indeed the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. The poster, who indicates that he works for Mitsubishi in California, says that the car was in the lot briefly but is now "on the way to an auto show." Funny, we happen to be going to an auto show next week, so let's assume the Lancer Ralliart's on its way to Detroit for its official unveiling.
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