D R I V E N

C’mon, quick—name me a 1.6-liter sedan.  Time's up—let me guess, you just thought about the Corolla—or the Civic?  Exalta?  Lynx?  Does that round up the segment…wait, oh yes, we forgot the veteran of the group, the Lancer.  Left to collect dust in a hidden corner of the Mitsubishi lineup, it has been ages since we’ve seen a new body-shell for their former mainstream challenger. 

Be that as it may, it seems that some people still get duped by this stone-aged transport.  So what’s the big deal with this metal tub?  Could it be that the Lancer is so good that a loyal following ensued constant sales figures, or could it be that people just don’t know anything better? 

Sadly—I have to say it’s the latter.  Though indeed the Lancer MX does have some good points, it feels every bit as old and feeble as some people in politics.  However, unlike middle-aged men who rely on tummy tucks and facelifts, Mitsubishi doesn’t see a fountain of youth in sight for this car. 

However, there’s only one good point worth mentioning about the Lancer MX, and it’s the list of standard features.  For an admission fee of P 790,000, potential saps get front fog lamps, an all leather interior, 2-DIN stereo cassette with CD player, dual airbags, keyless entry and some interior plastic trim that Mitsubishi calls carbon fiber (and then there’s the wood—but I’ll reserve that for later).  Other aspects of the car fall under the ‘you wouldn’t care’ and ‘you wouldn’t want to know’ categories. 

Since we got the ‘however’ out of the way, let’s get straight down to business.  The bottom line with this car is that it’s old, and like the undying Audi A4 (the one being sold locally), this car requires carbon dating.  

From the outside, the Lancer has this ‘you wouldn’t care’ look on it.  Sure it’s got that toothy chrome grille and mutli-reflector lamps for both headlights and taillights, but doesn’t everybody nowadays?  The proportions and the angularly chiseled body still look quite refreshing thanks hugely to Tommi Makinen’s run as the Lancer’s WRC rally driver (yes, kiddies, as a lesson in ancient history, he did drive a Lancer before). 

The inside story is the same banana.  For Mitsubishi owners like me, most of the switchgear are remarkably familiar except for their positions.  At the same time, top management wanted to relieve the company’s stress problems by having the designers play a bit of Lego with the Lancer’s interior.  The result is a car that digs deep into every conceivable parts bin era.  At the same time, the surfaces don’t feel consistent—or convincingly put together for that matter.  Some are exceptions like the  logical ventilation controls, but the rest have as much feeling of genuine quality as Barney is a real dinosaur. 

It’s surely not right to judge this car by the current era then, you may say.  However, think about it.  The era of the Honda Civic SiRs, Corolla GLis, Sentra Super Saloons and even the Mazda 323s saw interior with more pizzazz and emotion.  Take note: a Corolla GLi interior having more emotion than the Lancer MX—that’s how it is inside here.

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