Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X test drive since 2008 sedan

His super -task

One of the most pragmatic golf class sedans, Lancer has been listed for four years among the bestsellers of our market. There is no need to be Stanislavsky in order to understand the super -task of his successor to preserve the love of the Russian public. But will a beginner deal with such a difficult role?
I forget about politeness
A hood with a hump, an evil grin of a muzzle, piercing a look, a racing wedge of the waist line, a powerful anti-winged ... I repent, looking at a fiery red handsome man, I forgot to nod in response to a slightly noticeable Japanese bow. Extend the business card with both hands, do not immediately put it in your pocket and consider in detail, not to mention the fact that remembering Japanese Hello! (Connitive!) All these courtes of courtesy flew out of the head. As a bad student who counts the raven outside the window, I now did not listen to one of the leading engineers of Mitsubishi Rygo Nakao. I looked at the new Lancer.
But before, Ulan looked like a poor relative against the backdrop of more fashionable and aggressive rivals. Now even next to Impreza, A3, the Bavarian one, the 147th alpha, he looks his own. Moreover, I, always calling acquaintances, relatives (and readers, of course!) To buy perfectly practical hatchbacks, caught myself thinking that even a four -door body was ready to forgive Mitsa to me with such a banal and uncomfortable.
By the way, Lancer also became the largest sedan in a golf class 4.57 m from the bumper to the bumper. He grew up and rang out 60 mm wide. ... We improved handling and increased seduced comfort. However, today you yourself can verify everything, the part-word has finished its speech calmly polite Nakao-san. And I finally woke up. Behind the wheel, behind the wheel!
In the cabin, my pleasant expectations were only confirmed. From now on, the former hard worker in the banal gray now: devices drowned in the wells, a three -spitz, pleasing eye and linked to the hands of the steering wheel, expensive in appearance of the inserts for aluminum and carbon plastic. Um, why did they do without an indicator of the temperature of the coolant? Ah here it is ... If desired, this information appears on a large on -board computer monitor. Immediately a mileage meter, average fuel consumption or kilometers until the next. Very comfortably. Red backlighting in the central console behind the automatic transmission lever is another sports dash, worthy of the recognized maestro of noble interiors. It is a pity that the display is noticeably glittering in the sun.
The list of other shortcomings is small, but since we began to compare this salon with the corias in terms of ergonomics ... The steering wheel, as before, is regulated only by the angle of inclination. The back of the new driver's seat can boast of developed lateral support, but the pillow allows you to adjust only the height, but again not a slope. In long -legged, the right thigh will not receive decent vertical support. But the salon became more spacious a couple of centimeters more in height and width at the level of the hips and shoulders, as much as 50 mm wider at the level of the driver’s head in the area of \u200b\u200bthe central racks of the body.
Otherwise, everything they love for the interior of the predecessor, the tenth not only did not lose heart, but also increased. To the huge side mirrors, simple, understandable handles and buttons, verified efforts on pedals and levers, all kinds of cup holders and recesses for CDs have now added. And ... how did I not notice them right away? Behind the steering wheel, chrome transplants were found. Two liters of volume, 150 power forces, steering wheel switches. Wow, now we’ll start it!
   
 
   
Origato, CVT-san!
The place for this was chosen, it seemed, extremely correct. Where, if not at the test training ground in the town of Fuzo near Tokyo, it’s easier to understand what the car really is?
I must say right away, I fell in love with this variator. Of course, like any such transmission, such an unit is trained in a very smooth (for all, after all, it is unavailable!) Changing the gear ratio. I pressed the right pedal and go. The moment is almost two hundred Newtonometers what is needed for a confident start and for accelerations from 130140 km/h. You fly along the speedy oval and rejoice in life.
However, very soon I wanted to slip somewhere from the landfill. The process occurs on one note, without the slightest nod, and lubricates the feeling of dynamics. And after a couple of 4-kilometer circles it becomes boring. The noise of the raising wind is just beginning to break into the salon. On the road, neither you dimples, nor bumps. That is why, with the setting at least any objective assessment for the smoothness of the course, you will have to postpone the tests in Russia. And not falling asleep for long.
Already from the next pit stop, I hasten to convert the selector lever into manual mode. Damn it, I have not yet met a faster firing variator! The car responded to touch the petal so quickly, easily and joyfully that I already imagined myself with a pilot of formula 1, clicking on the transmission on the Suzuka racing highway. Start. Four, five, six thousand revolutions. Just have time to distort the right petal. How much, you say, he has a hundred seconds? Ten and a half? This, by the way, is 2 with a faster 2-liter car with automatic transmission. And it seems noticeably faster. Before the next turn, there are two gear with the left petal down, and each time the expected instant bit with his nose. Complete understanding. Once a swing on Lanser with such a wonderful CVT box, hardly anyone will think about mechanics. However, individual lovers will pull the usual pen will be able to order such a version. She promises to accelerate to a hundred even more quickly.
But the basic Lancer-1.5, alas, did not like me. The Japanese praised him no less than 2-liter. Formally there is something. In comparison with the previous 1.6-liter engine, its operating volume is 85 cm3 less, and the power of 11 liters. With. more. Only now, in fact, Lancer with the heart from Kolt from the very first meters looks goned. For a more or less confident start, you have to play gas and clutch. You will not die out for an hour. As a result, the engine gives out good traction only closer to four thousand. However, I do not want to go at such speeds at all. Little in such modes, as if he had been demanded from him something supernatural. Meanwhile, the rest of the sound insulation of wheeled arches, bottoms, door and window openings are quite decent.
I liked the elasticity even less in the fourth or fifth gear. While you are picking up 130140 km/h, you have time to eat pizza. But Lancer-1,6 was famous just in that he was perfectly pulled at low and medium speeds. One and five are weaker than seven Newtonometers, but it seems to be all twenty -seven. Here, however, it is also necessary to blame strict Euro-4 norms, while a 1.6-liter and current 2-liter unit are more loyal to Euro-3.
Observing the silence
So, in handling, the basic Lancer was by no means as good as his more powerful fellow. True, with a full -fledged exam to write turns, to put it mildly, an inconsistent. On the snake, gentlemen, please no faster than forty. You can not bring to sliding, keeping a strict smile, the owners of the landfill commanded. Here are the times! On such an aggressive beast and sneak on turns on tiptoe. And all because the surrounding residents, you see, complain about the noise ...
Well, we are going, as prescribed, the loop, the second. There is something to praise the hydraulic wrap does not deprive feedback. There are almost no rolls. There is no passion at such speed either. And, there was no Russian ... acceleration. Braking wider. The turn is already 60 km/h, and the car is still rolling only a little. You can shift the course very confidently. The wide tenacious tires of Dunlop-Sp-port did not even think to ask for mercy, but I already catch the disapproving glances on myself. Look at that, local samurai with katani will run from behind the hill. Okay, I believe. Your Lancer is capable of more.
He began to torture a one and a half -liter machine with the same exercises, and again not a joy. Feedback on the steering wheel is noticeably smaller, on each ESKA, Lancer strives to sway like a non -vague. At 4050 km/h you can still clearly write turns. But it seems just a little bit, and we will fall into the external radius. Maybe it seemed? No, it did not seem. On the basic Lancer, the amplifier is not hydraulic, but electric. This saves fuel more, but it is also more difficult to configure it in sporting. The tires are the same, the ground clearance is the same (165 mm), but there are no longer stretch marks between the front shock absorbers and the rear stabilizer, like 2-liter cars.
Anti-wing, a predatory body kit around the perimeter of Lancer-1.5 is also deprived of. And right. For him, this is certainly a props. So the most harmonious is such a Ulan in combination with an automaton. Here is the previous 4-speed automatic transmission, but with a noticeably shorter main pair: 3.77 versus 4.62. A peppy start, almost invisible, soft switching and quite confident dynamics up to 110120 km/h. Those who are in no hurry in life will definitely like it.
The bets are made
So, gradually, Lancer forced himself to love himself with by no means the most popular motor in the people's class. The share of sales in Russia is precisely 2-liter olanes will probably be noticeably higher than the previous one. After all, now you can become the owner of such a machine for $ 20 140. This is $ 610 less than asked for the previous 136-horsepower modification.
However, you should not worry about the popularity of Lancer-1.5. A purebred Japanese sedan with an aggressive, memorable appearance, elegant interior, a more spacious interior and good equipment, although it requires services for $ 2000 more than the same, still remains a profitable acquisition of $ 17,990. Do you really forgive him for this noisy motor, mediocre burden and media Delighted by sports highlighting controllability? Of course, I am not Stanislavsky. But still I do not believe!
Say goodbye to the station wagon
Lancer is sold in strictly fixed trim levels. The basic invite for $ 17,990 has an electric packet, an flight compounder, air conditioning, heating front seats, ABS and two pillows. Invight+ will require an additional $ 1150 per CD magnetol, leather finish of the steering wheel and lever KP, trim under chromium on the front panel. The automatic machine for Lancer-1.5 costs $ 1310.
Invit-2,0 at a price of $ 20,140 is richer than the base of the same name only on the radio, and invite+-2.0 per $ 21,140 is interesting, first of all, the presence of a light alloy. The top-end intens-2.0 ($ 23 140) is a sports suspension, a chrome frame of the radiator grille, climate control, improved seats, side and knee airbags for the driver. The variator for any 2-liter version costs $ 1160. But the universal body at the new Lancer, unlike its predecessor, will not be.
Text: Alexey Sergeev
Photo: author and Mitsubishi-Motors
 

Source: Magazine buy a car [08/2007]