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The cabin has a bright, airy feel, thanks to a large greenhouse and light-colored materials. There's a good view out front, though the hood still tapers away out of sight. The texture of the soft-touch plastics are first rate and the leather is suitably supple. The wood trim on the gearshift surround still looks dubious, but the strips on the dashboard and doors add a welcome touch of warmth and style to the cabin. Mitsubishi has returned to the ergonomic forefront, with a neat, symmetrical layout, straightforward gauges, and well-placed rotary aircon controls. The center dash has been pushed up, to free up additional kneeroom. Map lamps, adjustable armrest and a compartment for your shades have all been provided. For “mobile” addicts, the Lancer has a built-in hands-free phone system, with a microphone on top of the steering column. Stereo systems have lately been a game of can-you-top-this, so the Lancer of course has a pop-up 165-mm VCD screen that, when not in use, folds neatly into the dashboard. Where we think it should stay, for safety's sake. So much for the wrapper—now for the heart of the matter. The SOHC, 16-valve engine powers all variants of the Lancer lineup. On paper it seems tepid, with only 110 bhp at 6200 and 138 Nm at 4200. During our drive, we found the engine was torquey, with good grunt off the line. Mid-range acceleration was also adequate, even with four adults on board. The piece de resistance of this car is its unique automatic, the country's first Continuously Variable Transmission. This gearbox actually does without the gears of varying sizes that alter the drive ratio in a conventional automatic. Instead, it uses a steel belt wrapped around a pair of pulleys. The belt slides up and down the cone-shaped pulleys, altering the ratios infinitely. We clicked the lever into D, and found that the CVT operates smoothly and transparently. Take off from standstill is quick and sprightly. Most modern automatics have dampened shift shock to being nearly imperceptible. The CVT does it better: shift shock is altogether absent, thanks to the absence of gears. A novel experience is seeing the tach needle stay fixed at a certain rpm, while the car steadily accelerates. An even stranger sensation is seeing the speedometer needle spin clockwise as the engine speed dips. |
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