Mitsubishi Lancer 2015 Review

These days, the Lancer GSR – which is available solely in the five-door Sportback (hatch) variant – markets itself as a sports hatch. By no means 'hot', think of its competition as the Ford Focus Sport and Mazda3 SP25 and you'll have a fair idea of its intent.

Under that long snout is Mitsubishi's familiar 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. It develops a reasonable 125kW (same as the Ford Focus Sport, only 4kW down on the Hyundai i30 SR) and is coupled to a six-step continuously variable transmission (CVT) with shift paddles mounted behind the wheel.

Priced at $23,990 (plus on-road costs) the CVT-equipped variant sits at the top of the GSR range, $2000 more than the six-speed manual.

The ageing exterior is dressed up with 18-inch alloys, side-mounted air dams and a rear spoiler, along the lines of the now defunct turbocharged Lancer Sportback Ralliart. Inside, there's 'sports' seats and chrome-look pedals to improve the sporting ambience further.

As well as the larger displacement engine the Lancer GSR gains improved specification. A reversing camera is fitted standard for the 6.1-inch full colour touchscreen, although curiously satellite navigation is not. Voice-activated Bluetooth and audio streaming is also included, as is single-zone climate control, privacy glass, rain-sensing wipers, dusk-sensing headlights and iPod compatibility.

There's also a smart key, though you still have to manually turn a switch clockwise through 'accessories' to 'start' to get things going. Oddly the key fob lacks a remote boot release button.

The Lancer GSR Sportback is covered by Mitsubishi's recently-updated five-year / 100,000km warranty. It is also covered under a capped-price servicing arrangement for four years or 60,000km (whichever comes first), with intervals set annually or at 15,000km.

Roadside assistance is also complimentary and is extended for up to five years, with each capped-price service. Each service under this arrangement will cost no more than $260.

Despite the high roof line offering plenty of front head room and solid all-round visibility, the sloping roof angle as it moves rearwards takes a fair chunk out of the available headroom for rear passengers. Thankfully, rear occupants do have masses of leg room and good cabin width… but that's about all they have with no face-level rear vents or even trim details to lift the ambience.

Up front, the theme is dark greys and blacks, with the occasional chrome-look fillet (touchscreen surround and on steering wheel, gear shift surround and HVAC controls) doing its best to brighten things up.

The seats are comfortable in cloth but plain to look at, the driving position serviceable, though the packaging has been surpassed by newer rivals. There are two cup holders and room for water bottles in the door storage compartments, however, the three small storage sections on the centre console are really only of use for spare change or a small set of keys.

Additionally the USB connection is tucked up high inside the glovebox, making it very hard to access intuitively, even when stationary.

Things improve once the Lancer GSR is on the move, the driveline providing smooth, quiet progress. So quiet, in fact, that one passenger actually asks if the Lancer had idle stop-start at the lights. That's quite a compliment.

Under load it remains reasonably quiet, the CVT working intuitively to create progress with minimal fuss. Sure, plant the foot and it whirs then holds the engine at a constant speed, but there's little harshness to it. Opting for the 'manual' shift, either via paddles or sequential shift, actually gives the driver a good degree of control, the transmission reacting quickly and without any jolts.

The CVT and large-capacity motor also appear unstressed in shifting the Lancer GSR Sportback's 1400kg mass (kerb), consuming an average of only 7.3L/100km throughout the test; actually beating Mitsubishi's claim by a substantial 1.6 litres.

The calmness of the driveline is extended to the car's chassis, which offers a comfortable ride and reasonable handling for a small car, without the keenness of the Focus Sport or ride harshness of the i30 SR. It's certainly not sporty, but it achieves its brief far more completely than its far more expensive Ralliart relation (which neither rides nor handles).

Given its age, the Lancer wasn't expected to impress, however, as an exercise in targeting an audience with styling and equipment tweaks to keep relevant, we'd have to conclude that the GSR has done its job, and represents solid value.

Also consider:
>> Ford Focus Sport (from $25,890 plus ORCs)
>> Hyundai i30 SR (from $27,990 plus ORCs)
>> Mazda Mazda3 SP25 (from $25,190 plus ORCs)

Related reading:
>> Warm Hatch Comparison