Sources: Mitsubishi Australia and News.com.au 

Mitsubishi has bridged the gap, both performance and pricewise, between the basic Lancer and the high-performance Lancer EVO X with the Ralliart.

Launched last week in Orange, NSW, the Lancer Ralliart is basically a hot version of the Lancer VRX but without the "hard" edges of the EVO and without the EVO's $60,000 price tag. The Ralliart comes in sedan or sportback and sells for a recommended $42,490. The 2.4-litre VRX Lancer sells for $30,490.

The Lancer Ralliart is powered by a 2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 177kW at 6000rpm and 343Nm of torque from 2500-4750rpm. The power gets to all four wheels through a Twin Clutch Sport Shift Transmission (an automated manual gearbox) and a front limited slip diff, active central diff and a rear mechanical limited slip diff, all computer controlled to offer maximum traction under all conditions.

The Ralliart uses parts from the VRX and EVO models but is basically a VRX with an EVO bonnet.

Contact MRT now for more free handy info on this car and how we can improve your Lancer This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  and then read on for even more on the press release of the Lancer RalliArt.

Mitsubishi Australia CEO Robert McEniry said the Ralliart was targeted at a specific audience.

"These vehicles will appeal to true motorsport enthusiasts. Men and women love to drive and relish a sporting image," he said.

Aggressive bodywork including colour-coded front and rear bumpers, front, side and rear air dams, black Ralliart grilles, hood outlets, dual chrome exhaust finishers and signature badges signal the performance aspect of this Lancer.

It comes standard with Mitsubishi's twin clutch gearbox which can be used in full auto mode, or changed manually via tiptronic gear shifter or steering wheel mounted paddles. It can be used in two modes, normal or sport.

Ralliart also uses much of the dynamic safety gear used in EVO. The all-wheel-drive system includes active traction control, active stability control, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake force distribution and brake assist.

It also comes with seven airbags (driver and front passenger, driver's side knee and side and curtain) and three-point seatbelts with pre-tensioners.

It has 406mm ventilated front discs with twin-piston calipers and solid 406mm rear discs with single piston calipers.

Tyres are 215/45 x 18 on 7-inch wide alloy rims.

Suspension is basically VRX but it has been beefed up. Front is MacPherson strut and rear multi-link with increased diameter anti-roll bars.

While the Ralliart looks a performance vehicle – and is with a 0-100km/h time of 6.5 seconds with two passengers – it is also designed to be a car an average driver can live with seven days a week.

There are three-way adjustable front seats with Ralliart sports cloth trim, aluminium pedals, leather accents on the sports steering wheel, gearshift and parking brake, power windows, smart key central locking, automatic dusk sensing headlights, automatic rain sensing wipers and climate control airconditioning.

There are three option packages, a stand alone Rockford Fosgate nine-speaker audio system ($750), or that system teamed with a sunroof ($2350), or a package containing those two plus the Mitsubishi Multi Communication System including sat nav ($4750).

Mitsubishi sees the Ralliart as competing with the Golf GTI, Subaru WRX, VW Jetta FSi, Holden Astra SRi Turbo and even the Ford Mondeo XR5.

On the road

The launch took place mainly on the NSW back roads running from Katoomba via Jenolan Caves, Oberon, Mt David, George's Plains and Blayney to Orange Airport.

The roads were ideal to put a Ralliart through its paces with a little freeway running but most over A and B back roads with some steep narrow winding descents and climbs, some gravel, and plenty of humps, bumps and potholes thrown in. Including detours, it was about 300km of testing road.

Mitsubishi's version of the six-speed twin clutch gearbox is lagging slightly when compared with the same system in the Audi TT S but it is nonetheless a brilliant cog-swapping device and streets ahead of the five-speed auto Constantly Variable Transmission found in the 2.4 Lancer Aspire. At present Ralliart comes with just the twin clutch gearbox but since it behaves more like a manual box, and can be used as such, that is not any sort of handicap.

When pressing on, it is best to use the box as a manual, changing gear with the steering wheel paddles so there is no question of the car not holding a gear, say when coming into a steep downhill corner. In full auto mode it is possible to confuse the gearbox with use of brake or throttle into preselecting the wrong gear but that happens rarely.

The two-litre turbo motor is a willing worker if lacking a little below 2500rpm. That is probably a direct result of keeping the price of the Ralliart manageable by doing away with the twin scroll turbocharger on the EVO in favour of a single scroll for the Ralliart. Torque and power are progressive from 2500rpm right up to the redline and changes at 6000rpm provide more acceleration than waiting for rev limiters to cut in.

The Ralliart sits nicely on the road with just the right balance between comfort and performance as far as handling goes. Potholes do not send passengers skywards and anti-sway bars and dampers stop any suggestion of wallowing in corners. Perhaps the greatest handicap to handling and roadholding are the Ralliart's relatively narrow 215 tyres. They hang on well but when push comes to shove it is easy to get the impression more rubber on the road would lift cornering speeds even higher.

The seating position and steering wheel adjustments can accommodate any size of driver and like the rest of the car they offer a good compromise between support and comfort.

There was little if any difference in handling and performance between the sedan and sportback variants. Apart from outside appearance they mimicked each other in driving characteristics.

Sportback Ralliart buyers will not get the floating rear floor which can give slightly more luggage room when used in the Lancer. The space used for the floating floor is taken up by the rear diff in the Ralliart variants.

Fifth and sixth gear in the Ralliart are higher to improve fuel consumption figures and once rolling along the Ralliart tends to cruise at 120-130km/h, not something the boys in blue would approve of.

Brakes are progressive without any initial grab and powerful enough for the job without being particularly inspiring.

Specifications: Lancer Ralliart

PRICE: $42,490

BODIES: Sportback and Sedan

ENGINE: 2L DOHC 16 valve MIVEC turbocharged, intercooled, fuel-injected, 4-cylinder, compression 9:1, bore and stroke (mm) 86 X 86

POWER: 177kW @ 6000rpm

TORQUE: 343Nm @ 2500-4750rpm

TRANSMISSION: 2 wet multi-plate clutches, 6-speed automated

FUEL: 55 litres premium unleaded 98 octane, 10.2L/100km combined claimed

WHEELS/TYRES: Alloy 18" X 7.0JJ, 215/45R18 89W, space-saver spare

SUSPENSION: Front, independent MacPherson strut with coil spring and stabiliser; rear, independent multi link with coil spring and stabiliser

STEERING: power-assisted rack and pinion

BRAKES: front, 406mm ventilated disc, two piston caliper, rear, 406mm solid disc

DIMENSIONS (mm): 4585 (l), 1760 (w), 1515 (h) 2635 (w'base)

TURNING CIRCLE: 10m

KERB WEIGHT: 1555kg

TOWING: braked 1000kg, unbraked 550kg

PERFORMANCE: max 220km/h, 0-100km/h, 6.5sec