- sedan 119,861
- 3,816 below average
- 5,999 great
- Paris, AR
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- autoshopper.com
- 3,816 below average sedan 119,861 gasoline silver manual
2008 mitsubishi lancer review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. All-new, improved styling, new engine. introductionone of the first 2008 models to land in dealer showrooms, the new mitsubishi lancer is a complete remake from the wheels up of the company's entry in the compact sedan class. This is not merely an exercise in dressing the previous model in a new set of threads. From sheetmetal to upholstery to mechanicals to interior trim, it's a new car. the body has been re-styled, with a more aggressive fascia and a wedgier profile. The result, sadly, is mixed. It looks really sharp head on, a little dull going away. Overall proportions are balanced, though, so the final result is a plus. the engine is new, albeit the same displacement as before, but now with a double overhead cam in place of the '06's single, and updated electronics. Horsepower is up by 32, torque by 16 pound-feet of torque (22 and 12, respectively, in states with california emission rules). A continuously variable transmission replaces the '06's automatic, with a five-speed manual still the standard gearbox. the 2008 mitsubishi lancer has gained weight over the '06, between 200 and 400 pounds, depending on model and trim. This, together with the more powerful engine, no doubt accounts at least in part to the lower fuel economy ratings for the 2008 model. Lower, also, than most of the competition, some of which better the lancer by 5 miles per gallon or more in epa city and highway estimates. inside, there's roomy seating for five. Instruments and dash are pleasing to the eye and friendly to the fingers, with easy-to-use knobs and switches for the more important functions. Some details are less than ideal, but the lancer is, after all, an economy car and not mitsubishi's flagship. the options list comprises value-adding packages. Disappointing is the need to pay extra for air conditioning and antilock brakes on the base lancer. But a high-quality sound system is offered for the two upper trim levels. And impressive for this price level is a full-featured navigation-cum-music server system available on the top model. pricing wasn't announced as this review is written. Expect, however, the base model to start around $14,000. the mitsubishi lancer returns for 2008 after skipping the 2007 model year. It comes with a choice of five-speed manual transmission or optional cvt automatic, a continuously variable transmission. Standard features are sparse. There is no air conditioning, although the heater does have micron filtration. Shift knob and tilt steering wheel are wrapped in urethane. Most interior trim pieces and accents are black, as are side view mirror housings and inside and outside door handles. Windows and outside mirrors are powered, but door locks are not. A driver information center hosts a trip meter, fuel economy data display and fuel and coolant warning lamps. Steel wheels wear p205/60r16 tires. There's an anti-theft engine immobilizer. One factory option is offered for the de, a package consisting of antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, air conditioning, power door locks and auto-up on the driver side window. Dealers sell the fog lights and floor mats. the lancer es comes with air conditioning, cruise control with steering wheel-mounted controls, power door locks with keyless remote, six-way adjustable driver seat, 60/40-split folding rear seatback with folding center armrest, front map lights, floor mats, the auto-up driver-side window, premium fabric upholstery, silver interior accents, body-color outside mirror housings and door handles, second power point, anti-theft security alarm and steering wheel-mounted redundant audio controls and pre-wired bluetooth switch. Aluminum alloys replace the de's steel wheels, and the rear suspension gets a stabilizer bar. The sun & sound package includes a 650-watt, nine-speaker, rockford-fosgate premium audio system; a six-month, pre-paid sirius satellite radio subscription; a six-disc in-dash cd/mp3 changer; an auxiliary audio input jack; and a power, tilt-and-slide, glass sunroof. Fog lights are sold by dealers. the lancer gts is the top of the line. Automatic climate control is standard. Leather wraps the steering wheel and shift knob. Driver and front passenger get sport bucket seats with unique fabric surfaces. Most interior accents get a geometric print. The stereo adds two speakers, for a total of six. An aero package with front air dam, lower side air dams and rear spoiler spruces up the exterior. The factory installs the fog lights. Tires are p215/45r18s on alloy wheels. The suspension gets sport-tuned shocks and springs and stiffened bushings. A cross-brace bar bolted to the tops of the front suspension towers boosts body stiffness. The sportronic version of the cvt, exclusive to the gts, lets the driver shift gears using steering wheel-mounted, magnesium paddles. Options include the same sun & sound package. The navigation & technology package includes a gps-based navigation system storing mapping data on a 30gb hard disk drive (with 6gb set aside for personally recorded audio files). Integrated into the navigation system is the driver information center plus screens displaying, among other things, ambient temperature, barometric pressure and altimeter; vehicle maintenance reminder and calendar; controls for the underlying rockford-fosgate audio system and sirius satellite radio; and customization settings for the lancer's various interior electronics. Also in this package is fast-key, a keyless, proximity-activated, auto-unlock system. safety features include seven airbags, with a driver's knee airbag augmenting the usual collection of frontal airbags; front seat-mounted, upper body-protecting side airbags; and head-protecting, side-curtain airbags. Front seatbelts have pretensionsers and force limiters to help position users for maximum protection from airbags in crashes. Rear seats incorporate child safety seat anchors and tethers (latch). antilock brakes, which enable the driver to steer the car during panic stops, and electronic brake-force d. walkaroundwere it not for the trademark, three-diamond logo, little about the 2008 mitsubishi lancer suggests it's related in any way to the 2006 model. In this instance, however, this is good. As decent a car as that previous edition was, its competitors have leapfrogged it in almost every sense, not the least of which is styling. where the 2006 lancer was somewhat minimalist in its approach, with a swept-back hood and squinty headlights, the 2008 presents a brusque face, with a strong chin and scowling eyes, a look mitsubishi not unfairly compares to a shark's snout. Grille and lower intake form a trapezoid horizontally split by the front bumper; mitsubishi says this a jet fighter. Blacked-out blanks below the bumper balance the headlights and house the projector-lens fog lights when fitted. Mild creases trace the hood's power bulge from the grille back to the a-pillars framing the windshield, leaving well-defined shoulders over the front wheel wells. side view stays true to the shark theme, with the upper edge of the grille looming over the relatively flush front bumper. A high beltline (where the side windows meet the lower door panels) lowers the car's visual center of gravity, giving it a more substantial and more firmly planted look. A character line that plays on the car's wedge shape begins in a deep groove in the front quarter panel and front door and fills in as it moves to the rear just beneath the full-round door handles, fading into a shallow shadow across the rear quarter panel before ending at the acutely angled rear side-marker light. Even the base, 60-aspect tires on 16-inch wheels look right in the circular wheel openings. the rear aspect is very bustle-ish, with a tall trunk lid. Taillights try to echo the headlights shark-like scowl, but don't quite pull it off, what with the large areas of surrounding, generally flat sheetmetal. In the end, it's a disappointing finish to an otherwise sleek design with a decent dose of personality. interiorautodom's interior styling pendulum seems to swing from busy to not-so-busy. One year there are more buttons and switches than any ten fingers and two eyes can manage and of all different sizes and shapes. In the 2008 mitsubishi lancer, this seems to have been caught in mid-swing. Much of the result is good, but a few bits need further refinement. most important in this measure is the dash, with the instrument cluster and climate and audio controls. In the former, a large, circular tachometer and speedometer bracketing a digital, lcd-based information center in the '08 replace an asymmetrical array of two large and three small gauges in the '06. And therein lies the conundrum. E., '08, cluster looks slicker, more modern and even a bit sportier than the '06's. But the analog-style fuel and coolant gauges in the '06 were always there, so they didn't have to be called up by pressing a button somewhere. And they communicated their information more readily, requiring just a quick glance instead of a refocusing of the eye on a tiny tower of light. there's good and not so good, too, in the climate and audio control panels. The most basic functions, like fan, temperature, mode
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