2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Aspire Review
December 20, 2008 by Matt Brogan
2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Aspire Sedan Review & Road Test
Something Aspire-ational!
Model Tested:
- 2009 Mitsubishi CJ Lancer Aspire Sedan, 2.4-litre, CVT sedan – $34,490 (RRP)
Options:
- Metallic Paint $450 (Fitted – Garnet Red); Satellite Navigation & Sunroof $1600 (Fitted)
Luxury ride, privacy glass, good storage space, five-star safety
CVT lag, exposed boot ceiling, inaccurate satellite navigaiton
CarAdvice Rating: 
- by Rose Harris
Class, distinction, comfort, luxury, convenience; there are many flattering ways to describe Mitsubishi’s Lancer Aspire with a list of features as long as your arm.
Modern technology has been crammed into every nook and cranny of this car, starting with the keyless operation and moving on to the rain sensing wipers, dusk sensing headlights and the copious amount of information available through the Mitsubishi Multi Communication System (MMCS).
Truth be told I was really looking forward to taking the wheel of the Aspire, as a relative newcomer to the CarAdvice team, I was considering my allocation of the Aspire my ‘Christmas bonus’ but, as much as it pains me to say it, I was under-whelmed.
Yes, the features are there and in abundance, the luxury factor is certainly present and the Lancer does boast a 2.4-litre engine under the bonnet. Maybe it was the impractical family aspect or it could have been the fact that despite the high-tech nature of the features, they often missed the mark.
Or it could be that I am just way too old fashioned but each time I slid into those leather seats and turned the stove-like knob to hear the Aspire rumble to start the anxiety would start to creep in.
Where to I put the smart card so I don’t forget to take it with me when I get out of the car?; I really hope the kids don’t spill anything on those leather seats, and for that matter their childseats aren’t marking the interior; I really hope no stones fly up from these road works and chip the gorgeous red paintwork; will I make it over these speed humps unscathed? I hope the pram in the boot doesn’t roll into the sub woofer – my mind would spiral on with many worrying scenarios.
But let me step off the psychologist’s couch and get to the nitty-gritty. As I have already mentioned once or twice, the driver’s seat is very comfortable and while the leather interior looks and feels nice, it is adorned with pin hole-like detail which I can imagine would be awfully hard to clean.
While it may not be my cup of tea, the keyless operation is a good gimmick to boast about. The ‘smart card’ detects when you are within 70cm of the front doors and boot and the ignition can be turned on with the card anywhere in the vehicle.
It was fun to use and again amplified the modern nature of the car but I would always forget where I left it and there would be a mad scramble through the pockets, bags and the many storage spots before getting out of the car. It would be good to have a dedicated spot on the dash to put it, but then I guess you may as well just have a conventional key that goes in the ignition.
I really tried to appreciate the woodgrain finish, but I couldn’t get the image of a 1975 vinyl table out of my mind and the reflection of trees flashing past on the passenger side of the trim was quite distracting.
The front storage is great, the leather bound console has an in-built 12 volt socket, and one of the sleek slow-opening compartments under the air-conditioning controls reveals an auxiliary outlet.
For some reason i don’t think the high flying executive type would want to be seen in a mitsubishi lancer
its a decent car, but way overpriced, sorry but this segment is not going to be the new large car. Australians have just realised that most of the time, the family car only has one person in it, and have remedied this with buying swarms of smaller cars.
If i was going to spend this much money on a lancer it would be the ralliart.
Thanks for your comments Rose, however from reading your review, it comes across to me, that the Lancer is a good car, just not for you, and you have mentioned a lot of negatives based on the reasons you might not buy this car. I would imagine, if you have 2 year old kids, you might not choose a car with leather interior. I would imagine, if you have a pram in the boot, you might not choose a lancer with the optioned-up Rockford Fosgate Audio System with sub in the boot. The “stove like knob” to start the cars with keyless syetm is a bit ordinary, but the onus is on you not to misplace the smart key. There are several storage comaprtments you could learn to leave it, if you could not remember to keep it in your pocket or your bag.
Worried about stones chipping you “glorious red paintwork”? That is normal with every car, but if you were worried about it, just get stock white paint. Easy to repair if you so desire.
Further if you do your research thoroughly, you will know that the privacy glass on the rear windows is not UV rated, and shouldn’t provide much heat protection at all, you would need to apply an aftermarket tint to achieve this. And your qualms with the GPS are common to each and every GPS unit available, not specific to the Lancer.
Essentially as you say, if you were a childless executive, you may enjoy the car… perhaps when you review a car, you should do so in the mindset of the target market who may actually want to buy that specific model. You yourself would possibly be more comfortable with the Lancer VR, no leather, normal key, less tech, more plain ans simple. But in the context of this car review, would you with your young family really be looking at a Lancer?
Take my comments with a grain of salt, but if so happens that the next car you review be a Lamborghini, review it in the mondset of someone who would actually buy that car, not someone with a young family who has to cart around kids and shopping etc.
I’m now driving an Outlander XLS as a company car and it seems to share quite a bit of the interior with this vehicle (sans leather) and I have to agree with the keyless entry points you made. I find I always forget to lock the car because I don’t need the key to get in, don’t need it to start or drive and then jump out and forget to find the card to lock it. I would think a better system would involve keyless entry but using a flip key to start and lock the car.
I liked the review, but I would like to ask for a little more focus on the driving dyamics of the car, does it roll much in corners, does it absorb bumps and dirt oads well and things like that. I disagree partly with Lucas’s comments above in that leaving a bit in every review about the car’s suitability for families and how it serves in the real world (ie. the leather that looks like a sieve is hard to clean and the sub in the boot is always a pain when you want to carry things!) is invaluable.
Cheers,
Austin
Oh and Lucas, not every Sat Nav has those problems, I’ve got a new Tom Tom Go 720 and it has very few problems in rural NZ or rural Australia, I’ve even had it pick up roads within our sites and on quarries and mines and on dirt public roads it had no trouble out the back of tarawonga mine near Gunnedah the other day when I’ve seen navmans fall over. It comes down to things like map selection by the GPS manufacturer- so I would argue sat nav performance in the review is a valid point when the sat nav is included in the car.
Austin
as long as you leave the key in your purse or pocket as you leave the car, wouldn’t the car automatically lock once you’re far away enough?
agree with Lucas, this review should be written with the target audience in mind… granted, the author did qualify a lot of her complaints… but reading the review still grated me no end
35 grand for a Lancer? No thanks.
You can pack it with extras and technology but at the end of the day its still a 20 grand lancer.
I know 2 families with 2 small children. Both of them need a bigger car than that. Im not sure what market this car is pitched at. I wouldn’t think it is the high flying businessmen. My best guess would be as a second car for families who already have a 4×4 that dad uses daily…
I don’t think this model will be offered for very long. $26 – $27K would be more appropriate.
i remember they offered the CH Lancer in an Exceed spec…..ive only ever seen about 3 or 4. the ones with the chrome silver exterior handles…
for that kind of money id rather a golf or a pug 308 or if i needed a sedan id much prefer an imprezza or civic
Pablo Says:
December 20th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I don’t think this model will be offered for very long. $26 – $27K would be more appropriate.
———————————————————————————————————————-
Show me any other new car on the market right now with the features this car has that you can get for 26 to 27 grand. Just because you don’t like it, doesn’t mean Mitsubishi has got the pricing wrong. This is no different to a Mazda SP23 which is a Mazda 3 with extra features packed on and which is a similar price, yet it doesn’t have as many features as the Lancer.
This model was brought out because there was enough demand to justify it.
I don’t understand why people say they don’t want leather with kids.. what a load of rubbish leather is BETTER for kids because if the little grubs spill something it wipes straight off! Doesn’t stain like cloth does providing you clean it off within a reasonable peroid of time. I would always prefer a car with leather seats when you have kids
Cheap leather seats scratch easy and look old quick.
Oh, about the Lancer …. no thanks
Lancer says:- I ASPIRE to be…. mediocre.lol
anti-spam word = toyota. Which also = mediocre What irony:)
Too expensive.. I ‘d rather buy a Golf/Jetta without leather for that money. The resale on this will probably be very poor in a few years time, maybe only a few thousand more than a Lancer ES, not much of a premium for the extra 13K this model costs.
They will not sell for $34,000.
Throw in slightly detuned EVO engine/DSG in it, beef up the suspension and brakes and call it the EVO Touring model then maybe
All i can think of is the poor resale.
I don’t see how leather is a luxury, I mean, what exactly is so luxurious about sitting on the skin of a dead animal? Not to mention that cows aren’t exactly the cleanest animals when they are alive, chances are, your leather interior has been covered with crap at some point.
This car is overpriced but I have to say, to the people that say it’s too much for a Lancer, what about all the people who pay 50k for a tarted up Commodore Omega (Calais). It’s the same deal really, just a smaller car. I would certainly rather this over the ugly as hell Impreza but why buy this when you can have a Honda Civic Sport? Nicer wheels, you still get the leather, better quality, better looking and considering the Sat Nav apparently doesn’t work anyway, what’s the problem? At least with this you lose the incredibly tacky and unnecessary spoiler on the VRX. For christ sake, I don’t think it needs downforce with that engine!
Crouchy – lancers have actually always been ok with resale, its mainly magna’s and 380’s which really suffer under mitsubishi, but lancers and pajeros go really well with resale.
I was quite disappointed with the Aspire, I thought it would be a pretty decent thing but while the gizmos were nice it still felt like a tarted up cheap car & how long the throttle would stay on after you take your foot of the accelerator scared the crap out of me. The fuel economy for me was dreadful, much worse then my manual V8 daily driver.
crap mate i own a aspire and i just put $30 in it and it wasnt full tank and it lasted 7 days everyday driving it is the best car i have driven and has style and class of a 80k car its actually nearly identical to my mates alfa we were just comparing them the other day similar body shape and 2 tell you the truth the aspire had more opts than it
Fuel economy was worse then a v8? i doubt that.
I think a lot of the negative comments draw from the fact that it’s a Mitsubishi and it’s a Lancer.
When you ask most people that are into cars about a Lancer, the first thing that comes to mind is a riced up poverty pack CE GLi model (late 90s/early 00s) with a stupidly loud muffler, and tarted up to look like a EVO (failing miserably) and driven by a hooligan teenager. It’s no wonder that so many people hate them.
It’s sad, but this perception will be hard to rub off for MMAL in Australia. That said, the Aspire is a worthy package and much better value than the old ‘Exceed’ model of the CG/CH days which were much lower specced than my CH 2.4L VRX.
Reply to Chucky – it is still a non-turbo Lancer for XR6 money
I would never pay $34K for this car. For $36K you can get an Auto base model Accord Euro, more power, maybe a few less gimmicky features, but the accord is guaranteed to hold its value, and in my opinion the Euro is one of the best handling FWD cars around!
….Further to my previous comment, I meant $36K on the road for the Accord Euro!
Krish,
It’s quite an exaggeration saying Euro is one of the best handling FWD cars around. I’ve owned an Euro before and while it handles ok, it’s certainly not one of the best handling FWD cars.
heeavy discounting by dealers desperate to move these spec models will make good buys.
still cant but help think its the granny model.
the one nan and pa drive down to the bowls club.
the “sports car” for the over 60’s? lol
ASPIRE?
Good name for a laptop computer! :-)
Cheers
F-0
The price tag is nothing near Ralliart’s $42,490. Don’t know what Tom’s statement is correct……….
Not many objective people here today.
No doubt the majority of you here havent driven the Lancer Aspire.
I was pleasantly surprised when I drove one recently and how grown up & refined Lancer has become.
FACT : There is no other vehicle in its class that offers so many features and a 5 star crash rating… none!.
How can Lancer Aspire have the same or higher fuel consumption as your bloody V8 Motorhead???.
Wake up people and deal with the fact this is a unique and very good package and no unfortunately I dont own one.
Um, Steven A, for one thing you must be a really boring person if this car is as far as you go when you say you want a new car and also, your FACT is not a fact at all.
What about the Volkswagen Jetta? It’s the sedan version of a Golf so it is a competitor, you can get Sat Nav and Leather on it for a few thousand more and since the base model is cheaper than this, it works out about the same, not to mention the better petrol engine or diesel if you want it and obviously the driving dynamics, looks, prestige and badge. Once Ford Australia updates the Focus range, which could be any day, that has a Sat Nav option and the Focus is certainly better to drive.
InFACT, there are so many cars in this segment that can match the equipment of this one, most cars have all the little quirky features that are being seen as unique in the Lancer, they just didn’t make a big deal about it because they weren’t so far behind in the first place and at least the Focus and Golf/Jetta have five star crash tests. Many competitors offer these features for less or same money, may with better badges, many with better looks and all hold their value better. So your FACT, didn’t really turn out to be all that factual did it?.
PS – I test drove a Lancer Aspire a few weeks ago, but to keep my taste in check I would like to point out I was simply seeing what it’s like and was certainly not considering buying one. No, it’s not a bad car to drive at all, but the Focus is better. The Focus is more fun to drive and the engine, though smaller, is more peppy.
I don’t know why it used more fuel then my V8 but it did.
It may have been a tight engine or the CVT but I think the main factors is it needs to be driven much harder to keep up with traffic rather then just lope along like Falcodores do but if you were willing to dawdle it would probably improve.
I try a lot of cars & pay close attention to factors such as fuel economy & have generally found smaller cars tend to struggle to match their labelled fuel economy compared to larger displacement cars in real driving but this one was particularly poor.
OUCH!!! $34,490 plus $450 for metallic = $34,940?! Where’s the value in that, when you can get a Honda Accord 2.4L for $29,990?
The VW Jetta has a standard manual while the Aspire has an an automatic. The Jetta only has a 2.0L engine, which is insufficient in a $35,000 car (the US Jetta has a 2.5L 5-cyl, by comparison, as does their Golf and Beetle). Furthermore, if you spec up the Jetta to Aspire levels it becomes very expensive indeed: sunroof ($1890), sat nav ($2990), leather ($3290), 18″ alloys ($2990), for a total of $46,450. VW are able to keep their RRP prices down by charging a fortune for their options. And if you do happen to want any of these options, there’s SFA chance of the vehicle being in the country – it’ll likely to have be ordered in. While the Aspire is much more likely to be in stock.
Alex – your vegitarian views will be laughed at here
Streuth you lot. You’re comparing this with the Government subsidised commies or Falcon. Buy those and use 25% more fuel.
This is available in the UK with VW’s 2.0 litre diesel and should do 5′/100km.
To Cupid Stunt, the leather thing isn’t so much a vegetarian view, more something I’ve never really gotten. It’s not that I think leather shouldn’t be on cars because of all the poor cows that get killed, it’s just more that, once again, why would anybody want to sit on a dead organ? Heres an idea, what about a heart as the center of a steering wheel? Classy, no? I have leather in more cars than I don’t but if I have a choice for either cloth or Alcantara over leather, I usually take it. Why is cloth so un-classy? I mean, it would have to be high grade, but why is leather suddenly the norm for luxury cars? Could they not think of something else?
anything under 230hp(171.51Kw)
250ft lbs(338.57Nm)
is not enough
here in Canada the Galant3.8L gets 35 miles per gallon
and gets to 60 mph in 6.5 sec
that’s what is expected (100km/hr in 6.5sec)
plus it’ll last 400-500,000km(300,000miles)
come on over or boost the engine
ps your 6 sp is fantastic(we only have a 5speed
I love Mitsubishi
My 91 Galant lasted 16 yrs
Now I have a 2003GalantLS 3.0L
Looking forward to the Aspire
coming to Canada with a 3.0L or a 3.8L(preferred)
it’ll get better than 7.9L/100km or 35 mpg
and get me to highway speed before I go bald
They are going head to head with the Accord Euro?
$25,999 drive away no more to pay may be :|
I have one. Brand new, just over two months now. @4300Km
i’ve never had a lancer before, never had a mitsubishi before.
overall features and looks was what won me over.
No regrets, none what-so-ever.
I have one, too. Three months old. Bought it, and have never looked back. Love it. OK, it may not have some of the touches of others in its class. But as an overall package in my eyes it is a fantastic vehicle. I was lucky enough to get the sat nav and premium stereo kit included for free as part of a driveway deal, and I am loving it.
I just bought one…by the way it was not avaliable for test drive at any of the dealers i tried but test drove vrx which essentially is the same car without all the extras
It is an awsome car i also have a mazda sp23 and it is a much better car BTW drive away 32K so people saying overpriced at 34k its not what i paid! no regretts its better than ever car in same price point I tried Honda accord focus mazda 3sp25 suby impressa I did a lot of testing including track days this car is a winner
I just bought the Aspire tonight…. I’ve been doing alot of research and test driving cars… I left the Lancer until last only because I owned a 2000 VRX already and have never had a single problem with it… and it served me well.
I went and drove all of the other cars everyone raved about…. in particular the Subaru Impreza who all of my mates kept going on and on about with it’s AWD etc…. I drove it and it was by far one of the worst cars I had ever driven… EVER. Sluggish.
So I left the Lancer VRX until last… as soon as I got in and drove it and felt the 2.4L (compared to my old 1.8L) I fell in love…. I drove the Auto as well with the paddles… and that was it. I then saw the Aspire and thought it looked fairly nice… it had all of the fruit inside and was basically a VRX with the fruit. I decided on the Aspire after much thinking… and in fact put the VRX real spoiler on it… so that it has the great looks of the VRX with the chrome… and all the fruit of the Aspire inside.
One of the best cars I have driven… and for the price extremely reasonable compared to some of the other junk I test drove. Can’t wait to pick it up in a week!
I bought the 09 Lancer Aspire for $36400 drive away which includes the following:
Tinted windows – Front & back
Parking sensors
Paint protection
Alarm System
Leather and Vinyl Protection
Smart membership
Floor Mats
Free tank Fuel
VRX Spolier
Sunroof
Sat Nav + Rockford Fosgate
I was tossing up between this and the Euro Accord but the Lancer walks all over it after comparing feature set and warranty.
The only compaint I have is slightly lound road noise and poor rearward visibility and large front pillars.
Don’t any of you go in and bargain the price down.
We pick up our new Silver 09 Lance Aspire on Friday and got $5000 off the price. Their are a lot of car deals around at the moment. It comes down to each persons taste and what they are willing to pay; what features are important to them when looking for a car. The baggage comments people carry are usually from previous model cars and the fact that they cannot afford to pay that bit extra for the current model. With that said, yes we would have liked to have a compartment for sunglasses and we would have thought the top of the range model would have come with rear sensors. And as for Leather, if you really knew about leather seats, in most cars now the only part that is leather is the main middle panel the rest is vinyl.
If you can bargain and afford one I recommend the Aspire.
Happy Bargaining.
^^^^FRANK
“I went and drove all of the other cars everyone raved about…. in particular the Subaru Impreza who all of my mates kept going on and on about with it’s AWD etc…. I drove it and it was by far one of the worst cars I had ever driven… EVER. Sluggish.”
AMEN!
T H E MOST OVER-RATED brand on the market…..EndOfStory!
Owned by EXTREME fickle punters, who are blind-n-stupid in the way haonda owners use to be, but haonda has been brought down to earth.
Its now just a BigT[tm.F-0] product, otherwise would have been banished to the woods.
Hows the WRC victories going? :-)
When will FHI have a factory own/operated and commit to the Aussie market 100%?
Other than that they are ok!
Rant Over!
Cheers
F-0
PS/ Congrats to all you guys who purchased the Lancer’s!
Tossed up between the Subaru Libety, Accord and the Aspire.
Hands down Aspire won at the end, though it was a hard choice between the other 2
Ha ha, all these “I hate Mitsubishi” Grow up! Everybody has their own taste. Everybody has different opinions on what they are after in a car. Eg: Mother of two – considers functional aspects, roomy, big boot for stroller and even goes off the aesthetics. Male, 28, Thinks about the engine, brand, what people think of him. Every car has its pros and cons, its just what YOU think a pro is.. For me, 25,female – I like an all rounder car. Looks good, drives good. For $34 including on road costs is the price you pay for an allrounded car. Agree?