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My, a lot can change in a few years. The last time I drove a Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart, it was sporting a 162-horsepower 2.5-liter single overhead cam engine, a 4-speed automatic transmission and two-wheel-drive. It was an aggressive little five-door hatchback that offered a surprising amount of room and neatly combined fun with practicality. Turbo & Twin Clutch...




My, a lot can change in a few years.


The last time I drove a Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart, it was sporting a 162-horsepower 2.5-liter single overhead cam engine, a 4-speed automatic transmission and two-wheel-drive. It was an aggressive little five-door hatchback that offered a surprising amount of room and neatly combined fun with practicality.


Turbo & Twin Clutch


Nowadays? Oh, the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart is still a fun and practical little hatchback, but it’s showing a lot more teeth.


For starters, it’s now got a turbocharged, intercooled 2.0-liter four-cylinder, a world-class engine that is so good it is shared by makes such as Chrysler and Hyundai, and is a modified version of the one found under the hood of the Evolution, Mitsubishi’s ultra high-performance Lancer.


In the Ralliart, it knocks out 237 horses and 253 pound-feet of torque and it’s now paired with Mitsubishi’s rather cool TC-SST dual-clutch 6-speed. Together, this turbocharged engine and this automated manual push the Ralliart from 0 to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds, depending on which mode you’ve got the car in.


For example, in automatic/normal mode, you will experience a bit of turbo lag, though the Ralliart’s underlying quickness is rather evident. Leave it in automatic, but switch to the Ralliart to sport mode and you will eliminate that lag, while increasing the engine noise and your machismo factor.


And then there’s manual/sport mode. Normally, I’m not the biggest fan of automated manuals, but this combo not only gave me quicker shifts, but smoother ones too. And I loved that I could shift via the gearshift or by the large steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, with the whole setup offering a world of possibilities. Thankfully, not so many as to blow your mind as one competitor has in the past, but enough to make this Ralliart, as Mitsubishi says, the one "optimized for exhilarating everyday driving."


EPA ratings are 17 mpg in the city and 25 on the highway.


On The Road


The Ralliart has another thing in common with its ultra high-performance sibling: it now comes with all-wheel-drive. Mitsubishi says the system is based on a "competition-derived Active Center Differential," which balances driving and road inputs to deliver a ride that is more comfortable than I was expecting, given the aggressiveness of the engine and the tightness of the power-assisted hydraulic rack-and-pinion steering.



Part of that credit also goes to the Ralliart’s suspension, including a rear setup that gets its own unique trailing arms, damping rates and stabilizer bars. Plus its 18-inch wheels wield more grip on the road.


The result is that Mitsubishi has indeed struck a balance between "exhilarating" and "everyday driving" and I like it. As long as you eliminate roll and dive, as Mitsubishi has done in the Ralliart, I’ll take speed and tight response over being jarred to bits any time.


Looking About


The Ralliart announces its sporty intentions in a variety of ways. Its aggressive front end flaunts a flat, snub-nosed grille and a multitude of air intakes, while the lines of its hippy, wedge-shaped profile take you around to a broad rear end sporting a big top rear spoiler and dual exhausts.


Inside, the cool multi-function black leather three-spoke steering wheel with white contrasting trim matches a similarly trimmed gearshift, while aluminum peddles, unique gauges, other metal touches and patterned trim pieces add up to very sporty interior.


And then there’s the fact that my test vehicle came with the $2,750

Tags: Mitsubishi, is-featured

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Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart is now turbocharged and all-wheel-drivin' was originally published by New Orleans Auto Reviews: Mitsubishi. Read the full story by clicking here.