Better than expected

Mitsubishi fans may have been left cold a few years ago when the 2003 Lancer debuted. Yes, it was bigger. Yes, it was more solid. Yes, it had its share of gee-whiz technology (namely, a Continuously Variable Transmission). And yes, it offered good value-for-money. Problem was, the styling was too… old. With its banker’s smile of a grille, awkward stance, and plasti-wood interior trim, it was neither sporty nor truly elegant.

No surprise then that Mitsubishi introduced a facelifted Lancer within a year sporting a hawk-like nose, sharper-looking lamps, racier alloy wheels, and a duck-tail rear end. And this, Lancer fans said, was good. Except for one little detail: although it had a nice 1.6-liter engine to move the car along along, it did not have the option of a bigger engine. Though 1.6-liter engines make up the bulk of compact sedan sales, the presence of a 1.8 or a 2.0 gives a sense of added prestige to the car (not to mention added power) for buyers that need a little exclusivity to go with an otherwise mainstream purchase.

That little issue has been rectified, albeit in a literally Limited manner, with the 1.8 MX Limited. As the name implies, only a few units of this variant were made available to the public, possibly just to test the waters and to woo buyers who would otherwise head off to Nissan for a Sentra 180GT, Toyota for a Corolla Altis 1.8G, and of course, Ford with its dashing Focus. With an SRP of P898,000, it’s squarely in those two competitors’ price range and below the Focus 1.8’s, but definitely above that of the Chevrolet Optra 1.8LT with its relative bargain basement tag of P799,000.

So what do you get for your P898k then? Aside from plush leather upholstery, dual SRS airbags, a boffo sound system, ABS, and backup sensors (all of which you can get with the 1.6MX), you get 13 additional horsepower and a tad more twist for a grand total of 123 horses at 6,000 rpm and 16.5 kg-m of torque at 4,500 rpm.

Is the additional P60,000 over a 1.6 MX justified then? Yes, we think so. The 1.6 MX always seemed a little out-of-breath for us at high speeds, and also on roads that went uphill. Power-to-weight, you see, is an ordinary 10.05 kilos-per-horse with the 1.6, and a much better 9.19 with the 1.8. To be sure, this is not a mind-blowing ratio, but here the merits of the CVT step in. With its infinite number of "gear" ratios (although a CVT technically doesn’t have any gears), the 1.8 accelerates smartly at any speed and will give the competition a strong challenge in off-the-line performance.

Car ownership is much more than about horsepower figures, of course, and in the day to day driving you’ll subject this Lancer to, it does the job endearingly well. This is one of those cars that grow on you the more you drive it. Lancers have always been fun to drive, and this one is no exception. Primary controls — steering, brakes, throttle pedal — have a transparent, mechanical feel, with positive feedback about what’s happening with the road under those 15-inch tires.

Road noise tends to be on the high side on anything less than smooth asphalt, but it’s part of the charm, contributing to that "driving machine" sensation that makes an otherwise regular commute an exercise in apex-clipping and efficient passing maneuvers.

It’s no secret that much of the Lancer’s good reputation is actually attributable to its take-no-prisoners sibling: the Evolution rally car, now in its nth permutation of street-fighting machine. However, the Evo owes some of its street rep to the basic Lancer too. Namely: a truly expansive greenhouse and a low window beltline so you can see all around with ease; and basic suspension geometry that’s sure-footed and eminently predictable at the limit.

The MX will understeer at the limit, but getting to the edge of traction is entertaining rather than frightening. Or worse, surprising. Steering feedback is direct and muted just enough to filter out road imperfections, the suspension is comfortable but not wallowy, and throttle response from the engine is immediate, especially when you select "DS" or "Sportronic" mode with the standard Continuously Variable Transmission. On a fast curve, braking while steering creates a gentle rotation of the tail that gives ample warning of an imminent spin-out so you can prepare accordingly.

At high speed, the car has excellent path accuracy, smooth lane-change stability, and is not particularly susceptible to crosswinds. The bigger engine is, in truth, nothing spectacular in terms of valvetrain technology or in specific output, but it does have a nice growl at high rpm and does the job well enough to make you forget about the possibilities of MIVEC in its engine block.

This being the "Limited"-edition Lancer, it also sports some items that differentiate it from your already loaded MX. These include a raffish body kit, different design alloy wheels, and a 5.6-inch LCD screen that folds out of the stereo. The aesthetic touches are very nice in the flesh, especially in our test car’s black paint job, making it look taut and purposeful.

The LCD, on the other hand, is a mixed bag. You’ll either like that you can play videos in traffic, or hate that it blocks wind flow from the A/C vents and has a cheesy (and confusing) touch-screen interface. Either way, no one will complain of the 6-speaker system’s sound quality, playing music loud and clear from Annie Lennox to Prodigy. Cabin appointments are mostly elegant and tasteful, ranging from two-tone leather upholstery to nice graining of the dashboard and door panels; looks high-maintenance, though.

So what are we to make of this "Limited" Lancer? We like it. In the face of stiff competition from Toyota, Nissan, Ford and Chevrolet in the 1.8-liter market, it offers a capable mix of driving fun and comfort. It’s not a knockout in the horsepower and pricing wars, but it’s got all the right moves to keep things engaging whether in traffic or the open road.

THE GOOD:

• Body kit gives it much visual "oomph"

• Loaded with value-for-money features

• Agile moves on the road

• Endearing driving machine aura

• Enough power to entertain and keep you out of trouble

THE BAD:

• Body not as perceptibly solid as the newer competition

• Chin spoiler scrapes steep driveways

• An A/C vent that’s positioned to freeze the driver’s left hand

THE VERDICT:

• An adroit and surprisingly quick driving partner with "Limited" snob appeal.