purecoda

iTrader: (6)

couple days ago i got an email for a special lancer test drive promotion from mitsubishi. its called lancer preview nights, and if you test drive a lancer this weekend (or probably next week if they're generous) and bring in a copy of this form (http://www.mitsubishicars.com/MMSA/PreviewNights) you'll get:

1. your choice from 3 evolution posters
AND
2. a copy of 2F2F on DVD

i figured, wth. i was at the dealer anyhow getting my oil changed, and i really wanted to see the ralliart up close.

THE LOOK!

as i walked over to the showroom, i first noticed what i THOUGHT was an evo out of the corner of my eye. and i am by NO MEANS an evo newbie. it really looked pretty darn good. the blacked-out JDM lights looked pretty cool, and the projector fog lights were nice too. the ralliart looks absolutely GORGEOUS in red, which nicerly matched...

the interior. for the most part it looked great. the seats were quite nice, very comfortable with much better side blostering than the previous lancer. i still LOVE the gauges from the OZ, and the short shifter looked nice. HOWEVER, i wasn't a big fan of the fake carbon trim, which didn't even LOOK like real CF in any way. it also seemed to clash with the titanium center plate, which in turn clashes with the aluminum look ring around the stick. they should have just picked a theme, and stuck with it... either all CF, all brushed aluminum, or all ti (my pref).

the infinity audio system was pretty darn good for factory, and i'm and audio guy. of course i'd have to upgrade it, but for those of you that are casual listeners, you'll love it. and now...

THE TEST DRIVE!

the girl that was showing me the car told me how much she hated manual transmission as she was trying to get it off the lot. before we even made it off the lot she stalled TWICE, and then when we got out to switch places, she didn't use the ebrake, and the car started rolling back!



i finally got behind the wheel, and gave it some gas. NICE smooth acceleration, with good power, and a smooth shift with just enough of a notchy feel that i like. what surprised me most was that i really didn't notice anything of a variable timing kick in. it pretty much just pulled from the get-go.

handling was GREAT! firm, with solid feedback, and very little body roll. braking was superb as well, and i felt MUCH more confident with the all disc ABS and EBD.


OVERALL IMPRESSION!

i like it. i really do. i wish they had this model out when i had to buy my lancer, but what can you do. the styling really is even better in person and YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE the amout of heads that car was turning. i NEVER got that many looks in my lancer (maybe because its not red).



MY RECOMMENDATION:

GO OUT AND TEST DRIVE ONE! evo owners looking for a daily driver might be happily surprised with this one. SPEAKING OF THE EVO... there were SIX, yes SIX sitting outside, and NOT ONE on the showroom floor. hopefully the prices will start dropping on them soon.

hope this review helped inform those of you thinking about looking more closely at the ralliart. mitsubishi is listening to us, and i think they took a step in the right direction.

DJJ

Excellent post Excatly how I felt when I test drove one. It was also for this preview night.

The sales guy insisted I take a copy of the 2f2f movie. I told him I wasn't into these types of movies and that I heard it sucked! But its free so I took it and watched it, and sure enough it really sucked!

By the way did you see a Thunder cloud grey colored one at you're dealership? I really want to see this color on the Ralliart but my dealership didn't have any.

purecoda

iTrader: (6)

nope, no thunder grey at my dealer either. and for the record...

2f2f was possibly the WORST movie i have ever seen! i mean, i was expecting the bad acting, but at least the first had a somewhat decent plot, a better flow and better action sequences. this entire sequal was POINTLESS. i wish i could have those 2 hours back.

2f2f SUCKS!

Mister2zx3

The dealership around here was not as helpful. I stopped in just to get the poster, and the DVD to throw on the pile/colleciton. Then after wasting their gas driving around the block, said I needed paperwork to get the DVD. knowing when I first asked I had no paperwork and would prefer not to waste his gas or time, but would if I had to. oh well I'll try printing something out and giving it to them. Why is it so difficult to find a Mitsu dealer with a clue?

uranium9v

iTrader: (3)

went to my dealership for the test drive too....They are the #1 Mitsu dealer in the country and didn't know what the test drive deal was about. Needless to say I received NO DVD as was part of the deal. Also they couldn't find the key to the ralliart I wanted to drive, so I test drove the new 2004 Galant. I was suprised this the price tag on this V6 220hp car, $19,500, which was the same price as the ralliart. NICE Car!!!!
Anyhow, don't go to Modesto,ca Mitsu...they don't know **** and are very disorganized...plus the evo's are marked up to $41k and the ralliarts have a 6k markup.

DJJ

6K markup on a Ralliart? Get the F*ck out Thats insane?

Hell I am gonna wait a few months cause I know Mitsu will start offering rebates or lower %rates on this car. Like they do everything else. (Except the Evo )

4Gaijin63

iTrader: (1)

$41k evo that is made of gold and runs on diamonds.

purecoda

iTrader: (6)

the dealer i went to in winter park florida was very helpful. if anyone gets the chance, check out holler mitsubishi off 436. i wanted to drive the 5 speed ralliart, and the only one they had was on the showroom floor. solution? they just backed it out for me.

i was very pleased with their service, and it further shows why i take my car to orlando to get my service done, while i live in gainesville 2 hrs away.

well, that, and my girlfriend lives there.