Don’s Take

New Mitsubishi Lancer comes fully loaded with ‘get-up-and-go’

My father was a Point-A-to-Point-B man.

His destinations were work, church and the grocery store. The ideal car got the family there and back, asking for no more in return than a weekly fill-up and a regular oil change.

In his world, a car was a big mobile appliance and driving was roughly the equivalent of frying an egg.

But I wanted omelets, frittatas and Eggs Benedict. This helps explain my fondness for Mitsubishi’s new Lancer Ralliart Sportback.

With its sport suspension, six-speed dual-clutch auto-manual transmission and 234-horsepower turbocharged four, the Ralliart is about getting from A to Z using the most circuitous route possible.

Plus, its rear seat and cargo hold are surprisingly roomy and all-wheel-drive is standard. Of this, my father would have approved.

In truth, each of us would have found something to like in the subcompact Lancer lineup.

The 152-hp Lancer DE sedan ($15,510) would have satisfied dad’s sense of affordable practicality, while the 294-hp Lancer Evolution MR Touring ($41,710) would have offended his sense of value.

Between the extremes of the DE and the Evo, Mitsubishi breaks enough eggs to whip up a couple of tweeners.

The ES ($17,710) is a better-equipped version of the DE, while the GTS ($19,710) tweaks the formula with a more powerful engine, sport-tuned suspension, sport seats and 18-inch wheels.

The Ralliart ($28,310) is Evo-Lite. It gets the Evo’s AWD system, its transmission and a de-tuned version of its 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.

For 2010, the Ralliart is available only in the hatchback format.

Up front, it borrows the great, gaping maw that is the Evo’s grille. I can’t say it’s beautiful, but I will say I like it. It looks like serious business, as if the Ralliart needs all the rushing air it can gulp.

Otherwise, strong character and accent lines jazz up its rather conventional hatchback proportions.

The roofline takes a steep dive to the rear deck, limiting rear-seat headroom. Six-footers are likely to have enough leg room, but head room is scarce.

This year, the entire Lancer family adds stability control, antilock brakes and power door locks as standard gear. Cosmetic updates include a shorter radio antenna, new side sill extensions, revised taillights and, on upper trims, upgraded cabin accents.

A full complement of airbags, including a driver knee airbag, already were standard fare.

The Ralliart adds Bluetooth and a keyless entry system.

Across the Lancer line, the various trims tend to look sportier and handle more confidently their competitors.

At the upper end, the Ralliart and Evo face stiff competition from a pair of hot-shoe AWD Subarus, the WRX and the STi. Mazda’s 280-hp MazdaSpeed3 splits the difference, though it’s available only in front-drive form.

The Ralliart’s new interior accents brighten an otherwise pedestrian interior. Materials quality falls victim here to budget priorities. Given a choice between a world-class transmission and fine-grained plastics, the guys (and make no mistake; this is a guy’s car) who buy this car will take the gearbox any day.

Our tester included optional Recaro seats. Their deep bolsters and clingy surfaces keep occupants planted during high-speed cornering, but larger folks may find them confining.

The steering wheel tilts but doesn’t telescope and the seats lack height adjustment. Consequently, I never did find a completely comfortable driving position.

Put your foot into it, though, and it’s possible to forgive the Ralliart almost anything.

To prevent driveline shock, the Ralliart’s electronics dole out power carefully at lower rpm. But by the time the turbo has spooled up, it’s on full boil. Power comes in that linear rush familiar to anyone who knows turbochargers.

The Ralliart nails the 0-60 sprint in 5.8 seconds.

Half the fun here is the transmission. Without indulging ourselves in the details, let’s just say it’s fast and failsafe. It rips off gear changes machine-gun style and rev matches on downshifts.

Select Sport mode and it holds the lower gear through the power bulge. Operate it manually, via the steering-column-mounted paddles, or just let it do its thing; either way, it’s a remarkable device.

The steering system, chassis and suspension were developed to handle the Evo’s big torque, so nothing about the Ralliart feels extreme or edgy.

Steering is quick, accurate and communicative. Body roll is virtually non-existent. The Ralliart feels deeply connected to the road surface under all conditions, but the stock Yokohama Advan tires give up their grip too hastily.

The ride is firm and the short wheelbase can make freeway expansion joints and railroad crossings memorable. The Ralliart is never punishing, though.

My father would have regarded Mitsubishi’s plaything with a jaundiced eye. And, granted, it’s an awful lot of car for a Point-A-to-Point-B driver. But if I’d ever had the chance to talk him into nice seafood frittata, he might have learned the value of taking the long way home.