The Lancer Ralliart is the baby Evo. It includes some of that rally car's gear, such as all-wheel-drive and twin-clutch transmission, yet costs substantially less.
Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
In the past, Mitsubishi's Ralliart badge only stood for appearance packages, but the new Lancer Ralliart changes that. The car is now a budget Evo.
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With a turbocharged engine, all-wheel-drive, and a twin clutch gearbox, the Lancer Ralliart shares more with the Evo than with the base front-wheel-drive Lancer economy car.
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Major body styling is the same across the Lancer line, with the big, open grille, but the Ralliart and Evo also get hood vents and a spoiler.
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The Lancer Ralliart's engine is a turbocharged 2-liter four cylinder making 237 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque.
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The profile of the Ralliart looks as sporty as the Evo's, but it can't lose its economy car dimensions.
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The suspension in the Lancer Ralliart isn't as stiff as the Evo's, but you will still feel the road.
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The all-wheel-drive system underlying the Lancer Ralliart is similar to that found in the ninth-generation Evo, and lacks some more advanced features of the newest Evo.
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The cabin definitely shows the car's economy roots, with hard plastics across the dashboard. But leather around the wheel and shifter feels good.
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Steering feels nice and sharp in the Lancer Ralliart, although when really pushed, there is some understeer.
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A monochrome display sits between tachometer and speedometer, useful for showing a variety of information, such as all-wheel-drive settings or trip data.
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The Sport Shift Transmission has six gears and two clutches. It is automated, so you don't need a clutch pedal, and delivers precise and quick shifts.
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Mitsubishi includes column-mounted paddle shifters for the transmission's manual mode.
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Bluetooth phone integration comes standard on the Lancer Ralliart.
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The phone system is basic, only allowing dialing by number. It doesn't have advanced phonebook capabilities.
