Mitsubishi Lancer EX Ralliart: Baby Bear on steroids

MANILA, Philippines - Continuing our series of firsts and exclusives, we bring you another sneak peek at a model that is yet to be launched in these shores. Thanks to our affiliation with the country’s number one automotive magazine, Top Gear Philippines (TGP), we were able to join an exclusive test drive/comparo between the yet-to-be-released Mitsubishi Lancer EX Ralliart (ETA April 2010) and its chief rivals in these shores. And while TGP can boast first dibs on the spanking new Mitsu (it’s featured on the cover of their March 2010 issue – go, check it out), we made sure followers of the broadsheet format can read it first in the pages of The Philippine STAR. So without further ado, we bring you our impressions of the Mitsubishi Lancer EX Ralliart…

First things first, however... This being a sneak peek and not an all-out review, allow us to make it clear from the onset, we’ll get straight to the point about the car’s highlights and skip the excruciating details – the better to get you quickly acquainted with the car, my dear.

Many readers might be asking, with the launch of the Mitsubishi Lancer EvoX and the continued availability of the Mitsubishi Lancer EX… What’s the Lancer EX Ralliart’s reason for being? We’ve got three words for you: Subaru Impreza WRX. Subaru’s proven success with the WRX line has prompted one of its chief rivals to test the waters as well. There is, after all, a hungry market out there. This being the case, we’re prompted to point out the similarities and differences between the two existing Lancer variants and this third one that is looking to round out the product portfolio, so to speak.

The best analogy we can come up with is that the Lancer EX Ralliart is to the Mitsubishi fan what Baby Bear is to Goldilocks. It’s married what are the Lancer EX’s and the Lancer EvoX’s strengths are and combined them to come up with something that is “just right”.

Let’s start with the exterior, shall we? Like the EX, the Ralliart gets the same, not-as-loud as the EvoX’s rear spoiler. It also gets the same tire-rim set-up – which is not bad, though not immediately as imposing a sight as that of the EvoX’s. Both Lancer variants also do not have the handsome and bold wheel arches of the EvoX. In fact, without the familiar red and yellow logo, which is featured on both the front grille and the trunk of the Ralliart, and the rather discreet turbo hood scoops – one would be hard-pressed to tell the Ralliart from the EX from the outside.

Ah, but the fun doesn’t really start until you get behind the wheel of the Ralliart. The Ralliart shares the same responsive Mitsubishi 4G63 engine (and consequently the same prodigious tendency to get up to speed) that is found underneath the hood of the EvoX, albeit with a slightly smaller turbocharger. The Ralliart variant also has a similar three-spoke steering wheel as the EvoX. Ditto the aluminum hood that houses the aforementioned scoops and the EvoX’s four wheel drive set-up. And while the EvoX’s Recaro seats are sorely missed in the Ralliart, they’re very comfortable seats just the same. The best and most glaring similarity between the bad@$$ EvoX and the “just right” Ralliart, however, is necessarily the 6-speed dual clutch transmission that Mitsubishi calls SST (Sportronic Shift Transmission).

We’ve driven cars with much more expensive dual clutch systems from the likes of Porsche (PDK) and BMW (DCT) and we can safely say that Mitsubishi’s SST sits right on the same level where efficiency and overall smoothness is concerned. In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and actually say it flat-out. Mitsubishi’s SST is even smoother than BMW’s DCT. It’s more adaptive to driver input and is thus much easier to use on a day-to-day basis. There. I said it.

That being said, I guess it’s clear where this little sneak peek is headed. All things being equal, we think that the Mitsubishi Lancer EX Ralliart is one helluva car because it takes the best from its already stellar siblings’ characteristics and marries them in a handsome set-up that’s sure to make more than just a few heads turn. Unfortunately, given the fact that it won’t be officially introduced for at least another month, we still cannot reveal the Ralliart’s introductory price. Suffice it to say, it’s more expensive than the EX and a lot cheaper than the EvoX. Here’s what we’ll say, though. The segment of the car-buying market that’s caught hook, line and sinker by Subaru’s WRX will soon have an alternative to consider. It’s an alternative that’s got a very unique personality as well. Yeah. Baby Bear now’s got chest hair…