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 told us way back in June that it would debut the five-door Lancer Sportback and Sportback Ralliart at the Paris Motor Show in October. They were close, as images of the two models have surfaced on the web today just a week before the big show in Paris. The new Sportback model adds all the versatility of Subaru's similarly shaped 5-door Impreza models, which should be a big hit in Europe where they'll go on sale first. The base Lancer Sportback models will come with your choice of a 1.5L or 1.8L four-cylinder or 2.0L turbodiesel, and the Sportback Ralliart that serves up a side of practicality with your main course of performance, will be powered by a 2.0L MIVEC turbocharged four-cylinder making 237 horsepower and 253 lb-ft of torque. It will also come with Mitsubishi's new Twin-Clutch SST transmission, an Active Center Differential and all the go-fast goodies found on the sedan version. The Lancer Sportback should hit European showrooms this fall, and we're cautiously certain it will end on sale in the U.S. as well where Suburu already offers the Impreza in both sedan and five-door hatchback versions.
You're looking at the replacement for Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart's venerable rally version of the Pajero sport ute. The Japanese automaker's rally team has just revealed its newest cross-country rally vehicle based on the Lancer, dubbed simply the "Racing Lancer". The Racing Lancer will makes it debut at the 2008 FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup in Portugal at the end of October. There it will show off its new turbo diesel engine, specifics of which have been withheld though the new mill has logged over 8,000 km during testing and limited competition. Mitsubishi's new motor marks yet another instance of diesel power gaining prominence in motorsport just like Audi did in the American Le Mans Series with its oil-burning R8 and R10. And just like Audi, Mitsubishi's decision to use a turbodiesel in the Racing Lancer is part of a larger plan that has but one objective: win the 2009 Dakar rally.
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.
Sources out of Japan suggest that Mitsubishi is considering offering a jacked-up version of the Lancer Sportback to international markets in 2010. The new model would come equipped with a higher ride height, a restyled fascia and protective body panels similar to those found on the old Subaru Outback and Audi Allroad.
Based off the current Lancer architecture, the compact crossover is almost guaranteed to be packing the Evolution IX's all-wheel-drive system, and if Mitsubishi offers the 240hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter from the Ralliart, the Sportback X could be a serious contender in a market filled with bland and dynamically-challenged CUVs.
The purpose-built rally car that Mitsubishi fields in the no-longer-aptly-named 2009 Dakar (the venue for the race is now South America, remember) will shed its Pajero moniker as well as the nominal styling elements that tied it to the Mitsu SUV. Instead, the new MRX09 is the "Racing Lancer". As such, the front end gets the Lancer's "Run for your lives!" gaping maw grille and squinty headlamps. In its press release announcing the updated vehicle, Mitsubishi also reaches for another Lancer tie-in when it points out the happy coincidence that the MRX09's bodywork "is redolent of the Lancer Sportback", which is another way of saying, "it slopes down in the rear." In any case, the Lancerized bodywork is more appealing than the squareback rump the Pajero racer wore. The new race buggy's drivetrain consists of the erstwhile Pajero Evolution's competition-prepped e4WD system and 3.0L turbodiesel producing over 260 horses and 480 lb-ft of torque. Air will be caught, sand will be kicked, and if history is any indication, a trophy will be hoisted when all's said and done.
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.
Some cars look bad-ass, while others have a bad-ass image. The latest Mitsubishi Evo ticks both boxes, and ticks them off with a big X. Despite being based on the run-of-the-mill, work-a-day Lancer sedan, the Evo X has all the attitude you could ask from a performance icon, with the actual performance to back it up.
With the Evolution X now upon us, Mitsubishi has released no fewer than 35 new jumbo images of the beast, which we've added to our ever-growing high-resolution gallery for a total of 89 images to thrash your desktop into submission.
The so-called 'World Engine' used by DaimlerChrysler, Hyundai and Mitsubishi as part of their Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance joint venture has given the world such gems as the powerplants in the current Mitsubishi Evolution and Dodge Caliber SRT-4, and will also power the base version of the upcoming Hyundai Genesis Coupe. Although these turbocharged beasts are what make the heart swoon, the bulk of World Engines engines are much more mundane. With fuel efficiency a top priority these days, the Diamond Star brand will soon be investing some nine-billion yen (US$84.2m) into its engine plant in Japan's Shiga Prefecture, which makes the global four-bangers in 1.8, 2.0 and 2.4 liter capacities. Expect to find these engines underhood in various Lancer and Outlander models.
