2008 Mitsubishi Lancer review
February 15, 2008 by Karl Peskett
Something which helps in the styling department is the VRX’s beautiful 18-inch wheels. Think just a few years back, and this was the largest wheel size available on an Australian performance car. But due to the low profile, the road noise on coarse chip surfaces can be distracting, with a constant thrumming that is only overpowered by the bass you dial up on the stereo.
The Yokohamas seem to give enough grip, and any loss of traction is progressive, but there are problems with its electronic safety net. The automatic stability control (ASC) is only eager to control things on powerdown. If the car slips in the wet, the onboard computer takes its time realising what’s happening, and you end up with bigtime understeer. Finally things get reigned in, but kerbs could have jumped in the way a long time ago.
Tags: Mitsubishi Lancer, Mitsubishi Lancer VRX
Karl, got the impression there is not a lot to enthuse about then?
Finally! I was waiting for you guys to put up a review of the VRX model. I got one about a month ago in electric blue with the CVT transmission and Rockford audio system. I absolutely love this car.
I haven’t really tried out the ABS system to see how well it works, but one other area I think Mitsubishi needs to fix is the ride height. It looks too high which I think spoils the look a little, so I will definitely get mine lowered. Im not too fussed about the interior, it looks good to me (and somewhat German in its simplicity I think).
The CVT has decent performance, but the noise it makes when you leave it in drive may put some people off (but of course I use the paddle shifters instead most of the time). When the MIVEC kicks in it feels a like a turbo coming on boost, so below that it is a little sluggish.
Overall it is a really nice car with many great features, but I wish Mitsubishi could have tweaked a little more power out of the engine. I guess I am going to have to rely on aftermarket mods to get that little bit extra up and go that Im after.
Looks like the latest 156. Even the wheels are close.
Can’t be a bad thing.
Looks a lot better than equivalent Corolla.
doesnt seem that positive after the hype and halo from the evo had died down.
Is this fully imported japanese made?
Realcars, yes it’s fully imported.
Lcat, it’s a car.
civis look a lot better, on the inside at least, and on the outside too, with black paint, tinted windows and foogies
soon ill add 19 inch black wheels.. i love being a P plater
The new Corolla in sedan form isnt that bad in the flesh… VRX is better, but gutless. Ive got my eye on the Ralliart Lancer, that has ALOT of potential.
I’m just glad that it looks like a japanese car. All these so called European looks are stupid. Sure the Hyundai i30 looks ok, but your driving a Hyundai! I have a golf R32 and that is a European car but not because of how it looks, but because its built in Europe! When will these Japanese and Korean brands catch on – its the quality and the driving experience – not the looks. So thankyou Mitsubishi for making Japanese looking cars instead of mock European so called style.
Can’t blame them for copying the home of style.
Still looks like a 156 though.
Alex, I think Japan and Korea will catch on when European cars start to price closely for the similarly associated car, e.g. whats a Hyundai/Toyota/Mitsubishi rival for a $75 – $146k A6? Surely Audi, Euros has put more money into cars for them to sell to a market at that price…
I agree on the quality point Joober. I’ve ridden in a e30 318 series with over 250k and still as tight as a drum in every respect.Not a drop of oil and still as economical as ever and the only part replaced was the fuel pump to date. Unbelievable.
The Lancer is gutless? Howzat.. The lancer VRX has 15 Kw more than the corolla.. which I believe compared to the prevoious model has actually lost a couple of Kws [from the same engine]
Then theres the Rockford Fosgate ICE System which on its would be enough to sway some people – particularly those who are into Hot 4’s
However the primary feature which grabs most peoples
attention is the way a car looks in which case the [Aussie Designed] VRX is the winner
Anyone who says its gutless obviously hasn’t driven a manual one. When i was buying mine i looked at the CVT but i found that it was just too sluggish, particularly off the line, put me off. But fortunately the manual is a completely different story, very good off the line, the engine is linear in its power delivery and has fairly good top end rush. Sure its no speed machine, but when compared to its naturally aspirated 2.0ltr rivals, its very good
Wheelnut – your absolutely right, an aussie by the name of Peter Arcadipane was the major contributor to the lancers design, and curiously it was Olivier Boulay, the man who gave us the pig awewful TL magna design (lol and i own a TL magna!) who had a major contribution to the design aswell and pushed hard for it to be accepted
Just a quick comment I hope Karl, or one of the car advice team can answer for me, it seems the cars overall rating was brought down because of the “how it goes bit”. As an owner of a VRX myself i am all but too aware that this is no rocket, BUT i also drove an Astra 2.2ltr SRi, a mazda 3 maxx sport, a toyota corolla levin and a focus, all of which are of a comparable price, and i felt the manual lancer had more go then all but the mazda which i felt it was about even with. I know the drag strip times may differ slightly to my assumption but with “real world” driving the mitsu feels very good compared to its rivals, and at the end of the day it should only be judged against its equivilant models surely? So why only 3 stars? compared to its direct price rivals it surely warrants 4 atleast?
Otherwise good review by the way! Hit the nail directly on the head! i found myself nodding in agreance with every last sentence written! Top work
Wheelnut , is always right………very smart man!
Gee Karl good review….the other guys must think please Karl dont do another 7 page review we have to match………hahaha
Well done,as usual!
Umm Alex, I dunno about the R32, but isn’t the Golf made in South Africa? So your point of it being ‘European Made’ is kinda stupid.
Hell, it’s like saying the Focus is European made when it’s only designed there.
The reason the Magna; Boulay designed looked so hideous was because instead of doing the initial sketches on Corel Draw or a similar CAD program etc.. he used an old Napkin in a restaurant – which he put in his pocket
So when he took it out [at the office] the next day it ewas hard to decipher which lines were part of the drawing and which were folds or creases etc.
I bought mine in Germany when I was living there. I had it brought over. I just had a tie to it. The only down side on Australian roads is its left hand drive. Sorry for not mentioning that before.
hahaha Wheelnut…….not to mention someone wiped their mouth on it too.
Richo, thanks for your kind words (you too BM).
Car Advice would have awarded it four stars, but it fell short on our ABS test. Without the ABS kicking in, I’m confident it would have pulled up quicker, and in a shorter distance.
For this very serious reason, we gave it (just) under four stars. 3.75 is as close as we could get.
Apparently theres a VRX with a Evo 10 kit for sale in the Mitsu dealer Near burnley station here in Melb… looks nice from all angles except the back, the kit makes the back look way fat, but tht just IMO.
But overall nice car, just a bit lower and will be sweet :)
Karl, fair enough I can see where your coming from, strangely enough my magna does the exact same thing with regard to the ABS, pulses too far apart and general awkwardness, on the other hand however i find the system works really well on dirt, perhaps theres some kind of trade-off going on there?
as for the ESP, i find its all too eager to kick in on oversteer moments, for example going through a sweeping right hander into a tight left, as you brake for the left hander your still going to the right, so as you brake the rear wants to move. With the ASC turned off this is quite fun and controllable but with ASC on it has a bit of a “OMG STOP HAVING FUN!” attack, but your right it tends to be a touch slow reacting to wheel spin. I always put that down to the computer allowing some wheel spin to prevent the engine bogging down? The first traction controls to be strapped to commodore where horrible for that very reason because as soon as there was some slip the engine basically died….
Great looking car, but if what you say is right (and it’s the same in my mums early ‘07 Lancer) the engine noise spoils it. Driving my mums Lancer with even a remote about of enthusiasm sounds like your thrashing it.
TP Says:
February 15th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
The new Corolla in sedan form isnt that bad in the flesh… VRX is better, but gutless. Ive got my eye on the Ralliart Lancer, that has ALOT of potential.
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I would say that the engine feels gutless if you are not in the MIVEC range. Once you get over about 3500RPM it really picks up. But apparently there is an aftermarket aluminium pulley that you can get installed which really improves the pickup from standstill.
The CVT version does 0-100kmh in about 9 seconds flat (despite what Mitsubishi says) and the manual version is about 1 second quicker I think. That is good performance for a 2 litre engine. If you want something quicker, you’re looking at the wrong type of cars in the first place.
Mitchell – although it sounds a little tinny at low RPM, when you get up above 3000 the engine has a fairly good 4cyl snarl to it, it definetly doesn’t feel thrashy like the last model which sounded truly aweful pretty much anywhere in the rev range
The 2.4L will be interesting, I havent driven the 2L but going around Mitsu forums people in general feel the CVT is gutless and the manual has abit more, but still nothing special. Im interested in the Ralliart, then you get the looks that all the new Lancers have with the performance the lower ones dont have.
i was surprised to read elsewhere that this is actually built on the same platform as the Outlander.
with the extra room and the loss of the 380, i cant help but think they should have made this into a medium sized Camry/Mondeo competitor and offered a V6 option.
and also lets face it the fuel consumption isnt the real reason for heading small car bound. i think the consumers “think” they will benefit from fuel savings but i just dont see how
ive seen a figure of just over 10L/100k in a road test.
those of you guys that already have purchased the new lancer it would be interesting to hear what figures you are returning
Andrew smaller cars are about lower running costs, which as Ive shown in the past from NRMA figures, is true.
Yep if you look at the dash of the Outlander its pretty much identical to the lancer…
Its a good cost savings technique to share parts and sharing designs is another step again.
Suprised with the 10L/100km tho with it was stated around the 8 or so range on the brochure. My Aurion was stated 9.9/100km better than the 4cyl camry which was over ~ above 10. but in reality my consumption was 10.5-11 usual suburban/city driving.
TP,
mate i still dont understand how NRMA got those figures.
they werent detailed enough to explain what was going on.
where was that article again????
i even started to list running costs related to the article and it came no where near the difference that it was reporting.
did you see a break down of the costs?
even with depreciation etc it still wasnt the big difference they reported.
all the hype is fuel costs, fuel costs, fuel costs!!!
everyone percieves that smaller cars will massively put some money back into each weeks budget
Andrew M – firstly the 380 is an aussie only model, the lancer is a global model. At the end of the day australia is a really small market compared to the rest of the world, so theres no way mitsubishi would change the lancer from a small sedan into a medium sedan purely for the australian market, particularly when the galant is still being sold in the US where the small sedan market is huge, no way they would lose their position in the US small sedan market to account for australia losing its medium/large sized sedan.
As for real world cunsumption with the lancer, i’m getting figures of about 9.0ltrs per 100k’s with 100% city driving, and 80% of that is peak hour city driving which destroys fuel economy. The few times i have had it on the open road it has returned around 7.5ltr per 100
Have done 8,900 kms in a silver VRX CVT purchased Nov-07. On road at $32,500, with the Fosgate ICE, Blue Tooth & reverse sensors. Used 782 litre of ULP to give an overall of 8.8 l/ 100kms, which is excellent given that all done in Melb’s stop go traffic. I’d expect to be sub 8.0 l / 100 kms on a clear run. Have seen 7.6 l/100 km when the traffics been moving smoothly. My gripes with the car are few – the multi piece dash is not good, in certain light the uneven fit is noticeable; the numerous chimes can be bit annoying; & it can be a bit loud, particularly when attempting a quick burst from standstill. The pluses are numerous & include good looks, inside & out; very well equipped particularly for the price – cruise control / keyless entry & start; good space & plenty of useful in cabin storage; comfortable even on long trips across Melb; accurate fuel gauge – very important – last car had a woeful fuel gauge; excellent range > 580 kms with at least 5 litres to spare; good handling / steering; no creaks or rattles whatsoever – first of > 30 cars I’ve owned that earn this honour; excellent ICE system, excellent auto box – shifts smoothly; 5 yr / 130,000 kms warranty, 160,000 kms / 10 yrs drive train warranty & 5 yrs road side assist; first car with a computer, like the bar showing real time fuel consumption ( instant feedback is a good thing); good brakes;the rear windows retract below the body line; 15,000 km service intervals; & did I mention it looks sexy! IMHO the VRX is better than any of its competitors by a country mile & easily beats the Mazda 3 into the ground!!
Add to last post – the real power kicks in above about 3,500 rpm, which is bit high for our roads, when just over 2,000 rpm = 100 km/hr. The couple of occasions I’ve floored the pedal it starts to pull strongly past 100 km/hr, but my license = my job, so I’ve not pushed it too far.
The previous car avg 12.0 l/100km over 130,000 kms (in 44 mths). The Lancer avg is 8.8 per prior post, that equals a saving of $40 / wk at 135c/l. Overall I expect the Lancer to be about 30% lower running costs than the car it replaced a 2003 Outlander (note that this excludes the cost of tires, which might knock the % around a bit).
Another like is the metal pedals & the folding rear seat for long parcels & the like.
The accommodation is very good & both my parents (in their early 80’s) can get in & out quite easily & get comfortable when in.
i cant get over that horrrible rear and dadh i hate cars that use that 2 tier dash [lasat gen vamry ,rav 4]
also have a look at a japan spec corrola and you will see the radio panel is sitting flush with the interior and mathches have a look at our cheapo version where they bolt it straight in it looks riduclous and it features on a majority of toyotas.
what’s happened to my fist post on my experiences over 9,000 kms with a VRX? It was there last night immediately after I posted it.
The lancer vrx has the same power as the old school lancer with a smaller engine if you are after performance in a small car go for the ralliart colt or evo it the new lancer has proven itself againts other small cars expecially in safety what other cars come with abs ebd tr/control and asc??? as standard
Firstly I must say that I agree with 90% of the comments as listed above. I would like to also add a few of my own to perhaps gauge some thoughts of other VRX owners. I am from the South-Eastern side of Melbourne and have found that my car suffers from quite poor radio reception. Is this a common fault or just something with my particular car. Also, being the fussy buyer I am, I have noticed that ALL advertising photos of the VRX show them a darn sight lower than the example that I own. Has anyone here priced the procedure of getting the cars lower as shown?
Great Comments – Hope to hear soon.
- Troy.
I would have to agree with Chucky, I too have the new VRX in manual and its an awesome car. I would recommend the audio up grade to the Rockford system, makes a world of difference. It holds to the road extrememly well and has a nice firm feel to it. I would say the only real gripe once agian is the power from start off, it is a little sluggish to get up and go, but once your there hang on. I too am looking for the engine upgrades to try and tweak alittle more from it, so if anyone has any inform please let me know.
AlbertK21:
Easily beats the Mazda3 into the ground? LOL.. Oh please. You’re pretty much dreaming if you think that.. go drive an SP23 then get your head out of your arse. For an older model car, the 3 still is the class leader. No contest.
I got this car as part of my employment package.
ES Mitsubishi Lancer 2008.
The engine noise inside the vehichle spoils it. The power delivery is delayed and sounds like a truck rather than a new car.
I drove an AH Holden Astra prior to this car and it was quiet and when driven in sports mode was very responsive. The Astra drove like a much larger responsive vehichle and it whoops the Lancer 2008.
I hope Mitsubishi either improve the internal acoustics of the car or improve the engine noise output.
I cannot believe this is a new car.
Very dissapointed !!!!
I got my VRX last week, and it has gone about 400km by far. but the fuel con’t is way too high then what is advertised its like 13.sumthing/100km…anyone has idea y is that? was it becoz the parts are breaking in?
for the looking-at-buyers, forget what said in the article(its well written ofcoz) i end up with lancer is becoz:
-it looks sportier then many moded car;
-it cheaper then many rivals $27000(manual) drivaway
-manual offers great fun in driving
-for that price u get all the fancy luxury car gadgets like SMART keyless entry,rain sensor, dusk headlight,
-nearly as roomy as a camry to fit in ur family+ ur girlfriend xD
If above-mentioned is what you are seeking for,get lancer as its the best in class in these aspects.
forget to mentioned the bluetooth system is a real gem of a great value. i love it i love it i love it!! i finally can sit my mobile properly and stop worring about getting caugth…ps. wearing BT handfree is irritating,its like a rock in the ear…xp…
This if for those people who keep on saying that lancer vrx is gutless because the size has changed. i just purcased on and found out why they changed the engine size it was changed from a 2.4 to a 2.0 because the 2.0 puts out 113kw which is what 2 or 3kw less than the bigger motor, and also for fuel economy it decreses the usage by around 4 litres per 100km’s also depending on how u drive ur car!
yeah sure its not an evo but what would u expect its not one and never ill be for the price and what it is its leading the way in its class for sure.
Star RE fuel efficiency more than likely because the engine is breaking in, it will get better… but if your driving hard dont ever expect it to match it.
Nicky I say its gutless because it is. Yes compared to previus its similar… but with CVT its actually slower and it is heavier then previous, so look beyond the engine. Also in VRX guise it looks sporty, it doensnt live up to it with the 2L at least.
I put my name down for a VR on Saturday. Now I read that the ABS, Steering and ESC are not very good. Would anyone know how they rate against the new Elentra (yes…I know it’s a Hyundai) ? My car choices were between the two.
At the moment the Elantra has all the safety equip the Lancer has as standard.
Thanks.
Guy any review can find problems with a car… majority of reports have the Lancer as a great car. Im not even sure about this steering loading up either, track tests on the Lancer have said its steering is one of the BETTER features of the vehicle!
On a side note, I emailed Mitsu and theyve said the 2.4L comes out end of this year… its performance will be interesting, claims have the manual version currently in US doing 100 in 7.5secs… has 120kw and 230Nm in a 1400kg car…. all this with a huge warranty and great looking car. Tempting.
Getting my brand new black manual VRX tomorrow, can’t wait! :-D
I should be getting my new black VRX lancer soon..but im getting a manual 2.4 so i will be sure to let everyone know how it goes!!!!
I’m planning on getting the new VRX 2.4 litre when it comes out but wanted to know if anyone knows when it is scheduled for release and will there be any major changes from the current model…ie…is the only difference in the engine?
Thanks
Hey guys, saw some folk taking some photos of new Lancers in Adelaide’s CBD last night.
Possibly for marketing the new MY09 model?
Will there be changes to the new 2.4L VRX other than the engine… Does anyone know? I have one ordered, the dealer said it will be here at the end of September. Mitsubishi Australia said it will be here in the last quarter of the year though.
Hi Jay,
so your Lancer VRX 2.4L will be ready at the end of September?…I have one on order too but was told to be looking at mid to late October to get mine…
As to changes, I really don’t know either. I’ve been told that the engine is the only major difference, and judging by the American websites, it looks like the new VRX will look exactly the same as the previous model, so fingers crossed.
Yes, I have been told the end of September however I have no doubt that my dealer is just trying to keep my hopes up…. I am sure the end of the month will come and then it will be mid to late October…. so annoying!
I have just signed up for a black VRX. Can’t wait to pick it up.
Hardest problem I had was the choice of colour.
The black is so cool. I liked the grey as well. I live on a dirt road so I know that I will be washing my car heaps but any colour would be dirty.
My sister bought a new black VRX auto with the paddles on the steering wheel when they first came out. Ive driven it a few times, it looks great reminds me of small VE SS. Would i buy a Lancer VRX ? No! Here’s what i don’t like about them dashboard is way to large, you could play football on it. Instruments look like a 1950’s Fiat, Gear lever is to short, Steering wheel is to small…like a go kart, Front seats sit to low and not enough support, car rides like a billy cart with those large rims and low profile tyres. I own a 98 verada and after getting out of my sister’s VRX and getting into mine it’s like going from a Lada Samara to a rolls royce !
Well, I should be picking up my new car next week. I have had to wait for some property to sell.
Can anyone tell me if the earthing cable kit is an accessory that I should get. I am not technical. All it says about it is that it brightens the headlights???
Please help
Ta
I picked up a champayne vrx in mid 2008
I do a lot of counry ks…it gets 7.8/100 for me and i am not light on the pedal
I have driven full time all my life…its great to get into a car and have fun again. if you want to do 200mph forget it.if you want to throw it around and rev it out …youll have a ball!So many people come up and say how much they like the look.the sound systems great
I have had mitsubishi on and off for 27 years and have allways had excellent reliability,that why i came back.A great fun car is a bonus!
Well I have my Black VRX and I Love it!!
It does everything I could ask. Yeah black is not a good color where I live and I think that I paid too much but whats done is done. I should have taken hubby with me.
I don’t find the seats uncomfortable. I like the firmness. I love the big dash and the displays. I love the sound system and having a sun roof is great.
I cannot complain about my car at all.
Hi – picking up my Vrx on Monday – pretty much new – done 6000kms ex demo – first auto – going from a 4wd manual to this – so looking forward to having a bit of fun and looking good – i to thought the steering wheel seemed small – and seats seemed firm but sure to get use to it – so will let you know now i got on -
Anything bad so far on the VR-X?
Or should I go to the ES and save $$?
2.4 Vs 2.0,need a bit of zip and go.