Not true, I have an 09 GTS lancer and I get 30-31mpg on my way to and from work everyday, its 30 minutes of highway driving.

On a 500 mile highway trip I averaged 33.2mpg from door to door. Thats with driving about 75mph the whole time and driving somewhat aggressive at times.

 

i call that struggling...in the compact car class, i expect better than that. if a regular lancer barely gets over 30 mpg, then its doubtful that a heavier, more powerful, 4wd version can do better...very rarely does a higher performing model get better millage than a regular, lesser one

 

^^^ I was just disagreeing with your original comment that the regular lancers struggle to get 28 on the highway. I can easily manage 30+ on the highway. The ralliart will probably be something like 18/25mpg

 

While I agree with you that they're probably wrong about 29mpg, extra weight has almost nothing at all to do with highway mileage, and turbo doesn't really affect mileage either (at least it doesn't have to -- probably does when you use it to get extra power).

4WD obviously affects mileage, but Mitsubishi's system seems fairly well-designed, so who knows what tweaks they may have made to squeeze out a few mpg?

Finally, the GTS and other regular Lancers don't have the same engine as the Ralliart, which is obviously the primary factor when it comes to mileage.

 

Subaru definitely have people thinking their brand when it comes to AWD, but I don't think anyone regards it as cheap. The WRX starts at $33k CDN, and that's not exactly a small chunk of change. The thinking is more along the lines of "no other options in this segment", rather than "oh my, what a bargain!"

 

The WRX and the STI are both bargains for what you get. Before I bought my car, I considered a MS3, GTI and an SI but none of those offers what the WRX does for the cost. A lot of people I know bought their cars (mainly STIs) because for the price, nothing else comes close to the level of performance that the car has. That to me is a bargain and "cheap".

 

That was exactly my point. There is no other competitor in the AWD turbo compact car segment. With the WRX and STI, Subaru has had no competition in Canada whatsoever (up until Mitsu brought the Evo X here). Subaru Canada has enjoyed considerable latitude in pricing the WRX (i.e., whatever they want as long as it does not come too close to the STI) because of this. The base 2008 Mazdaspeed3 MSRP is ~$2k less than that of the WRX, but it's not AWD, so it's not really in the same segment either, but one could argue it gives more "bang for the buck" performance wise.

I don't think the primary challenge for Mitsu in introducing the RA to Canada will be consumers thinking "why should I buy a Mitsu because Subarus are such bargains?" On the face of it, consumers will see souped up econoboxes in both the Lancer RA and the Impreza WRX, both with unimpressive interiors and questionable paint jobs, so most people will consider neither "cheap" at ~$33k. At that price, I think there is room to undercut Subaru Canada, since I think there's definitely demand in this segment, although whether Mitsu can deal with the demand if they price it under the WRX is another story.

 

I think the problem Mitsubishi will have is that they're not an established manufacturer in Canada and most people do not equate them as competitors for Subaru. When people think AWD, they almost always think Subaru. Even people who know nothing about cars know what the WRX/STI is. Mitsubishi is in the same place Hyundai was in not too long ago expect that Mitsubishi doesn't have the same reliability claims (I believe Hyundai was tied with Honda for a while).

 

I agree with you. While I believe that Hyundai cars are definitely well-appointed for the price compared to others (especially say, Honda and Toyotas which are priced high in their respective brackets because of their reputations), I find their vehicle designs rather tepid and uninspiring. It seems that their strategy for making a dent in the North American market is to undercut their competitors in pricing significantly, but it appears that their brand prestige is not very good as a result.

I don't think Mitsubishi has the exact same problem, as IMO the new Lancer is lightyears ahead of the old one in terms of looks. If Mitsubishi can launch the base RA within $1k or so of the WRX, informed consumers will at least take a look and they'll have decent market penetration. However, if the previews are correct and they are indeed pricing the Lancer RA at $27.5k US base (and if Canada follows suit with the respective mark ups here), they may trouble taking the fight to the more established WRX.

 

The problem is that you're assuming that most consumers are informed when in reality, most aren't. They tend to associate certain traits with certain brands and base their car buying choices off of those ideas. I like Mitsubishi but the fact is most people have either A. never heard of them or B. assume they just make cars like the Galant or the Eclipse.

 

Mitsubishi entered the US market a long time before the entered the Canadian market, and god only knows about the Mexican market, so it's not sensible to talk about Mitsubishi's "North American" market (works for almost every other manufacturer, just not for Mitsubishi).

[OK, I'm just guessing about Mexico for other manufacturers]

 

Which is why I said "informed consumer". IMO, the WRX @ $33k is a car that appeals to enthusiasts, and not most consumers. In that price range, most people looking for a car to commute to work/school/etc. would probably go for something like the IS250 starting at $32k or go higher for a BMW 3-series, both of which are more luxurious. The RA targets the same market as the WRX, which IMO are people who want a more sensible car than an EVO/STI, but still want some semblance of the performance they offer. Yes, many consumers associate AWD with Subaru, but I think they still balk at $33k for a WRX when it can get them a Lexus or a close to a BMW.

I was referring to Hyundai's North American market in the first paragraph of my post. If you're talking about my guess that since the US previews point to the Ralliart being priced above the WRX there will lead to the same thing in Canada, well, your guess is as good as mine. I still think it would be suicide for Mitsu to price it at $27.5k US, though.

 

Based on the kind of people I see driving WRXs or STIs, I disagree with that statement. You don't need to be an enthusiast to buy either car, they have qualities that appeal to a lot of people (lots of features, AWD, power). Most of the people I see driving WRXs have no interest in modifying them and don't care about the rally heritage, they just like the car because of what it can do. 33000$ is a lot of money but try buying an AWD BMW for that. The same can be said of the STI, quite a few people buy it because it's fast, AWD and reliable (damn near bulletproof). Hell we have a guy in the club who bought an STI and learnt how to drive stick with it.

 

^^ that's true. a lot of people just have wrx just because. grocery moms even have wrx. i work nextdoor to a ralphs and see a few once and awhile

 

updated test with test numbers and a video

0-60 in 6.6 sec

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=127586