The visible intercooler on the Lancer EX Ralliart helps you tell it apart from the Lancer EX.
The last time there was a Ralliart badge slapped onto a Lancer – by Mitsubishi, not by the legion of Lancer enthusiasts – we got a bronco of a car.
It had a strong 1.8-litre turbocharged engine that whooshed and swooshed, and sat on a suspension that didn’t like bumps in the straights, or especially in the middle of a corner.
At that time, this blend of rock and roll with rough edges thrown in – that some equate to “rawness” – worked well with Ralliart’s image.
To some, the name was Mitsubishi’s in-house mod-shop and the Lancer Ralliart GDI Turbo was the mod-car of the moment.
Since then, Mitsubishi seems to have switched tack, aspiring to create something of an M Division out of the Ralliart branding.
In other words, it wants to create cars with performance credentials that drive like thoroughly developed machines.
The Lancer EX Ralliart is actually the first of the species, or a test of this concept.
Apparently, there is a group of people who feel that the Evo was a bit too much – too much power, too much noise and too untactful.
Scientifically speaking, this category is what sociologists call “adults”.
Grown-ups do not like to be seen driving a bi-plane on the road, so the Ralliart does not have the gigantic wing that is found on every Evo.
(Until Toyota came along and put one on its Corolla Altis. But that’s another story.)
Instead, the Ralliart carries a subtler one, first seen on the next-most pricey Lancer EX, the 2.0 GT.
The wing is still big – tall enough to block out the irritatingly piercing HID lights cast from lofty sports utility vehicles.
Anyway, deliberate or not, there’s little on the car’s exterior to differentiate it from the 2.0 GT, since the Ralliart does not have the pumped-up bodywork of the Evo X.
Other than the two Ralliart badges, only the vented bonnet up front and the pair of exhaust pipes at the back give some clue of the car being anything but a regular EX.
In our haste to file this exclusive report, we didn’t wait for the “correct” specification Ralliart.
The delivered version, which arrives this month, will have such Evo-esque goodies like a sporty three-spoke steering wheel with faux chrome accents, a pair of Recaro seats and a fully functional double DIN headunit with satellite navigation.
On the test car, the cabin is no different from the 2.0 GT’s, down to the cushy standard seats.
You’ll be surprised how things like a steering wheel and seats uplift an interior’s ambience.
Without them, the Ralliart just doesn’t have a sense of occasion.
The test unit being a strict Japanese Domestic Model, the satellite navigation-equipped headunit spewed nothing but Japanese.
Lancer EX Ralliart comes with Enkei GTC-01 wheels as standard.
(And “she” won’t stop muttering directions to Hokkaido or some back alley in Tokyo.)
The only English frequency on the radio was BBC.
If the car’s handling characteristic was a radio station, it’ll be one that plays popular ballads that we can all sing to on evenings. The Ralliart is that “chilled”.
The ride on the 45-series tyres that come from the factory (the Enkei wheels were sourced here) is pliant.
Crucial driver controls like the steering and foot pedals are light and direct acting.
Lacking the Evo’s wide track and tyre width means that the Ralliart can’t match the tenacity and razor sharp alacrity on turn-in like the performance icon.
Being less firmly sprung than the Evo also lends the car to more body movement, but this is not exactly a flaw when it comes to delivering motoring pleasure.
It gives plenty of signs during spirited driving before things go belly up. It’s also gentler on our bones.
Crucial to the Lancer EX Ralliart’s bag of tricks to justify its hefty premium over the 2.0 GT (a jaw-dropping $39,000 more) is under the lightweight bonnet.
This is still the 2-litre 4B11 engine that resides under the GT.
But like the Evo, it breathes through a turbocharger, although it’s a sturdy but familiar TD04 rather than the more advanced twin-scroll design of the Evo.
So instead of being rated for 280bhp on the Evo, the Lancer EX Ralliart puts out 240bhp – which is still a lot for a family car.
All that power is sent to the wheels via a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission called TC-SST, and not the CVT found in the GT.
Apart from the black cover and turbocharger, this unit is basically an Evo engine.
The gearbox is a strong reason to stretch for the Lancer EX Ralliart.
The TC-SST is a toned-down version of the one in the Evo.
It only offers “Normal” and “Sport” modes, doing without the third and more hardcore “S-Sport” on the Evo.
This also deletes the launch control function that the Evo has – adults are probably beyond antics like traffic light grands prix.
This may just be a strategy to differentiate the Lancer EX Ralliart from the Evo but what remains of the TC-SST is still a very competent package.
Left to its own devices, upshifts are clean, although it can still be caught out when suddenly asked to downshift.
Nudge the rocker to “Sport” and the car feels quick and sharp.
With the tall fifth and sixth ratio, using “D” in “Sport” is a definitely no-no for cruising, as the TC-SST will hang on to fourth for much longer than necessary.
Like the Evo, the car features the Active Centre Differential to manage the torque split between the front and rear axles.
This is to adapt the car to such terrains as gravel, tarmac and snow.
But with the Lancer EX Ralliart, there’s little temptation to tamper with the setting.
Instead of barrelling down every road like it was a super-special rally stage (as one tends to do with an Evo), the Ralliart feels perfectly contented being brisk over all road conditions.
Perhaps here’s where the case for the Lancer EX Ralliart can get a bit muddled.
The gearbox definitely knows that it’s playtime when the digital display shows “Sport”, but there aren’t other buttons to truly distant the rest of the car from the Lancer EX pack and move it closer to the Evo.
A well-evolved variant of the Lancer EX range suitable for sober grown-ups?
Definitely.
A low-fat Evo? Probably not.
2009 MITSUBISHI LANCER EX RALLIART 2.0 (A)
DRIVETRAIN
Type Inline-4, 16-valves, turbocharged
Capacity 1998cc
Bore x stroke 86mm x 86mm
Compression ratio 9:1
Max power 240bhp at 6000rpm
Max torque 343Nm at 2500-4750rpm
Power to weight 150.9bhp per tonne
Gearbox 6-speed dual-clutch with manual select
Driven wheels All
PERFORMANCE
0-100km/h 7.1 seconds
Top speed 220km/h
Consumption 10km/L
SUSPENSION
Front MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Multi-link, coil springs, anti-roll bar
BRAKES
Front / Rear Ventilated discs
TYRES
Type Yokohama Advan A10
Size 215/45 R18
SAFETY
Airbags 6
Traction aids ABS, Active Centre Differential
MEASUREMENTS
Length 4570mm
Width 1760mm
Height 1490mm
Wheelbase 2635mm
Kerb weight 1590kg
Turning circle 10m
BUYING IT
Price incl. COE $119,988 (estimated)
Warranty 3 years/100,000km
+ More comfortable than the Evo, easier to drive than the Evo, more subtle than the Evo
– Priced too closely to the Evo, not as fast as the Evo, not different enough from the 2.0 GT
