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Cato: Last year Mitsubishi reinvented the Lancer compact. It's a nice looking small sedan and a good platform — good enough to form the basis of the high-powered Lancer Evolution AND the Mitsubishi Outlander crossover wagon.
Vaughan: But not good enough to compete head-to-head with the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla in terms of sales numbers. Racy compact cars may be catnip for you, Cato, but not for the mainstream.
Civic sales are up 31 per cent this year in Canada; Corolla sales are up 39 per cent this year — the No. 1 and No. 2 sellers in the country. The Lancer hasn't even cracked the top 10.
Cato: Be fair. Mitsubishi is still a low-profile brand in Canada; it has been around for only about half a dozen years in this country. Still, Mitsubishi sales are up nearly 18 per cent this year in Canada.
Vaughan: Honda's up 22.5 per cent.
Cato: Because Honda has been handing out incentives in a big way, like never before, juicing showroom traffic. Mitsu has handouts, too, but not so much on the Lancer.
Vaughan: So why single out the Lancer as a deal?
Cato: I like the deal here and it's worth noting on what I think is a good, solid car.
The deal: Mitsubishi has up to $1,250 in cash available for Lancer buyers, and it's "stackable" cash — it can be combined with any other offers.
Vaughan: Such as 0.0 per cent financing for up to three years, 0.8 for four years and a lease rate at 2.8 per cent for three years.
Cato: Vaughan, Mitsubishi is not throwing piles and piles of money at the Lancer because it's not needed. Look at the Power Information Network data. Mitsu dealers are moving Lancers in an average of 12 days, which is about one-fifth the usual time new cars sit on dealer lots before they're sold.
And another thing: the Lancer is winning over owners of rival vehicles. Top three trade-ins: Nissan Sentra, Honda Civic, Pontiac Sunfire.
Buyers mostly fall into that trend-setting, coveted 16-34 demographic. Mitsu may not have the Lancer in the top 10, but this new compact is doing some damage out there.
Vaughan: In a small way.
Cato: Small, and growing.
And let's not overlook Lancer pricing. It's pretty attractive. The base car lists for $16,598 and for another $1,000 you can get the Lancer with an innovative, fuel-saving continuously variable transmission (CVT). This is a sporty small runabout, from looks to on-road manners.
Vaughan: Cato, the fuel economy here is still disappointing compared to its key rivals. I have never seen the point of using steering-wheel-mounted paddles in a car like the Lancer, the version with the $1,000 CVT. The whole point of a CVT is that it DOES NOT shift.
So why did Mitsubishi engineers program pauses into the Lancer's CVT to make it seem like shifts are occurring? Completely unnecessary.
It is a perfectly good car, but where is the edge it needs to lure buyers away from the better-established Civic, Corolla and Mazda3?
Cato: Design. This is a good looking small car - cat-eye front headlights, contoured flanks, and a poised, ready-to-pounce profile.
Vaughan: Calm down, Cato. You're getting too worked up.
Cato: Me? You're the one ranting about the CVT.
Look, power here is pretty good. A 2.0 litre, all-aluminum, four-cylinder engine rated at 152 horsepower is under the hood. The five-speed stick shift is precise enough and smooth. This little grocery-getter is lots of fun to drive.
Safe, too. It comes loaded with seven airbags, including front, side, and side-curtain bags (which run the length of the cabin), and a knee bag for the driver.
Vaughan: Yes, but you are overlooking the Lancer's Achilles heel: relatively poor fuel economy, Look at it: 9.7 city/7.0 hwy in litres per 100 km is not great in this class. The base Civic comes in at 7.4 city/5.4 hwy.
That's a big difference in fuel economy. Certainly the Lancer is a tight car, responsive and quick, but the fuel economy is not good enough.
Cato: You're making it sound like the Lancer is some sort of monstrous gas guzzler. Not at all. It is not the equal of the Civic, but good enough.
What you are overlooking, Vaughan, is all the rest. The steering is precise for such a cheapo car. There is lots of fun to be had here, driving this front-drive car through the curves. The Lancer also has the tightest turning circle of any of its main rivals. That makes it easy to manoeuvre in parking lots.
Vaughan: For your many trips to the shopping mall, Cato.
Cato: Stick to the point. Interior room in the Lancer is good, too, though the cabin could be a bit richer.
With a good starting price and those stackable incentives, the Lancer is a solid deal. In this marketplace, this hugely competitive marketplace, it is worth a long look.
Vaughan: Perhaps it will even crack the top 10. Some day.
2009 Mitsubishi Lancer
Buyer's Age Range:
- 16-34 years: 73.1%
- 35-54 years: 23.0%
- 55+ years: 3.9%
Gender ratio:
- Female: 29.6%
- Male: 70.4%
Type of sale:
- Cash/non-dealer financing: 5.7%
- Finance: 86.3%
- Lease: 8.0%
Most popular colours
- Blue
- Black
- Grey
Vehicle price: $24,471 (does not include taxes, license or title fees)
Days to turn: 12
Trade ins: 22.4% (does not include lease returns)
Top three trade ins:
- Nissan Sentra
- Honda Civic
- Pontiac Sunfire
Average monthly payments: (includes PST & GST)
- Lease: N/A
- Finance (60 month term): $503
- Finance (72 month term): $437
Source: Power Information Network
