Mitsubishi Lancer GTS – 2008 Review: The2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS looks ready to rumble. Its grille gapes wide enough to devour competitors, its rear wing thrusts skyward, and its big 18-inch wheels and low-profile tires give it a track-ready presence. However, it has a glass chin in the form of the CVT automatic. This sloppy, poor shifting device ruins what is otherwise a well-equipped, decent handling and reasonably priced entry in the economy car segment. Enthusiasts should ignore the marketing and get the manual transmission if they want their Lancer GTS to even approximate the performance promised by its looks.
What We Drove
Our 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS was about as fully loaded as it gets from the factory. The base $19,115 includes the dreadful CVT; we again suggest you save $1,000 and get the manual transmission. The trim level is well equipped, sporting standard features such as automatic climate control, a leather steering wheel, and power mirrors, locks and windows. It also featured the $1,500 Sun and Sound package, which bundled the sunroof with the upgraded Rockford Fosgate audio system. The $2,000 Navi and Tech package bundled keyless entry and a hard-drive based navigation/audio system, bringing the total to $22,615.
Performance
On paper the drivetrain is promising, with 152 horsepower and 146 lb.-ft. of torque (143 horses and torques in California and other states with the same emissions laws) and a manually-shiftable CVT automatic. In practice it’s a mess. The transmission sucks the life out of the car with poorly spaced ratios that do little but make the engine scream powerlessly. Shifting drops revs only about 800 rpm, too little to be useful. It’s slow to respond in fully automatic mode, and we only got 18.9 mpg to boot. We strongly suggest the manual.
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