2008 Mitsubishi Lancer: Made even better
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The debut of 2008 Mitsubishi
Lancer sedan was right on timing. The Mitsubishi Lancer is exactly what
shoppers are looking for—smaller, more fuel efficient, with improved ride and
handling capabilities plus a pleasing perky, new four-cylinder engine.
The new 2008 Mitsubishi sedan
also offer a technology that includes an optional 30 gigabyte hard drive in the
dashboard, and seven air bags as compared to other small cars that only have
six. Aside from the usual frontal bags,
head curtain bags, and seat mounted side air bags, the new Mitsubishi Lancer
has installed an additional knee air bag help in keeping the driver properly
positioned especially in cases of frontal crash.
The starting manufacturer’s
suggested retail price, inclusive of destination charge is $14,615 for the
Lancer DE with 152 horsepower, four-cylinder engine, manual transmission, but
with air-conditioning. The lancer with air-condition and a continuously
variable transmission is price at $16,515.
The competitors of Mitsubishi
Lancer in the small sedan segment include the 2007 Honda Civic sedan with a tag
price of $15,605 comes with a manual transmission and without air-conditioning;
and the 2007 Mazda3 which cost $14,490 with manual transmission and no
air-conditioning. The new Lancer unlike its competition offer more horsepower
than the 140 horses in the Civic stable and the 148 horses in the Mazda3 sedan
base.
Lancer also comes with a more
generous warranty as compared to the rest of its competitors in the small car
segment. Mitsubishi offer five years/600,000-mile limited, bumper-to-bumper
coverage and 10 years/100,000-mile limited powertrain coverage.
Unfortunately despite the
power, features, and the affordability of the Lancer sedan still it is a slow
seller. Just imagine in the last two calendar years of the Mitsubishi Lancer it
was only been able to sell lesser than 28,000 Lancers in the
Some say to blame it on the
boring looks of the old Lancer. Mitsubishi have not also been massively
promoting the Lancer and this is attributed to the financial problems that the
Japan-based Mitsubishi Motor Corp. is
facing. And according to the J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study,
Mitsubishi remains below industry average plus there is also that fact that the
Lancer was never been a part of the recommended cars of Consumer Reports.
But luckily, the 2008 Lancer
has been able to successfully differentiate itself from its not so attractive
predecessor. Its exterior design is one of the best on the compact sedan
segment. It’s not overly decorated, sporty, well proportioned and above all not
weird-looking. The mid-level ES trim that was the test car, the Lancer adds
really appealing, five-spoke, 16-inch wheels plus some grille surround to give
it a little more style.
By utilizing the modern
platform similar to the one employed for the Mitsubishi Outlander crossover
sport utility vehicle, the new 2008 lancer was able to deliver better riding
and handling performance. It was also given a new front, MacPherson strut
suspension, making the new Lancer sedan firmer and in control eliminating the constant
hard drumming of road bumps. The rear-suspension is a multi-link design, and
there’s a sport-tuned suspension and larger, 18-inch tires available on uplevel
Lancer GTS if you prefer a sportier road feel. You may also install ADR wheels
if you want a more customized look.
The 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer is
also more accurate and smooth as compared to earlier Lancer models. The new
Lancer is a four-door sedan and is about 2.5 inches wider than its predecessors
and possesses a wide track which had added to the stability of the sedan
especially when driving on twisty mountain roads.
The fuel economy is rated at 21
miles a gallon for city driving and 29 mpg for highway driving. The new Lancer
also fared well on federal government crash tests. According to the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, during the crash testing of the new
lancer, the driver protection got the top five stars while the front passenger
protection received four of five stars.
About the Author
Evander
Klum is a Business Administration graduate who hails from
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