looks like something meant for the subcompact (size and price-wise) Korean market

 

Till you see the interior and premium options it comes loaded with and still manages to stay in the 20k range. Then it's not so silly looking when it ****s on bimmers costing 2x+

 

Yet it's still not a bimmer. I like the fact that my car can beat a lot of luxury cars in a race but at the same time, if I pull up to a house in the slower car, I don't give off the boy racer image and I bet you more women would like the luxury car.

 

Ppl say the R/A is dis and the R/A is that and it doesn't perform well but seriously its suppose to bridge the gap between the GTS and X if it was any faster it would be in Evo-land and that wouldn't be a good thing. The 1/4 mile time is good for the power and weight. As for the '09 Subie i drove it and it's fast as hell and definately in STi territory, 13.8 vs 13.6 for $10,000 i would go for the WRX but it is ugly. Subie seems to be the one that screwed themselves not Mitsu. They did this b4 and had the seriously detune the WRX because STi owners were complaining they were gettin beat by their little brother.

 

When has Subaru ever done this before? When they first introduced the STI here, the WRX wasn't even close. Even when they gave the WRX the 2.5 L engine, it wasn't in STI territory. Now that the WRX has more power, it's still just a WRX with more power. I wouldn't be shocked if they boosted the power output on the STI or if they were planning something nuts with it. Mitsubishi made the mistake of bringing a knife to a gun fight. The car doesn't compete performance wise with it's supposed competitors. Is this going to destroy the company? Of course not, they can fix it for 2010 easily but it's still not a good start for a company that was clearly trying to make a bang.

 

No not in the U.S. This was b4 the WRX was even made it here in the U.S. When they were both using the same version of the EJ20. I understand u love ur Subie but u cannot seriously think Mitsu is gonna make the R/A and the X similar in performance. They did what they said they were gonna do. U jus can't have two Lancers running in the 13's and have a $5000 difference. It would make no sense.

 

^ i was saying this on page 10

 

I know man i'm sorry i was tryin to find it but i couldn't remember the page #

 

Even then the STI had no bearing on the WRX anymore than the Evo RS hurt the sales of the MR, they were designed for different markets.
Nobody is saying that Mitsubishi needs to give the Ralliart S-AWC, Brembo brakes, 300 HP, etc., but the current Ralliart isn't a serious competitor. Does it compete financially? No, does it compete performance wise? No, does it compete in terms of fuel efficiency? No, the only thing it competes in is accessories, which it does very well. Making the Ralliart a 13 second wouldn't hurt the Evo since the Evo is a completely different kind of car.

 

Ok so whart ur sayin is that it would make perfect sence for someone to pay $10,000 more for an STi than to get a WRX that is just as fast. As for competing financially if it was a 5-speed it would most likely be $1500-$2000 cheaper which would put it in the price point as the rest. I'm sure Mitsu wold do that. And its 17 MPG in the city vs. the WRX 18 MPG, yea real big difference. And how does it not compete performance wise? This is what i don't understand. The only thing the car really needs is stiffer suspension and better wheels and tires.

 

Actually it makes perfect sense, you couldn't turn the WRX into an STI for the 10000$ difference. Let's start with the engine, the WRX engine is different from the STI engine. It has also moved to a LGT-style setup which means you can't swap the STI turbo in limiting your upgrade options. On to the transmission, the WRX uses a 5-speed manual, the STI uses a 6-speed manual. The WRX only has a center diff, the STI has a front diff, DCCD center diff and a rear diff. The STI has stronger axles. The WRX uses Subaru 2 pot front brakes and a 1-pot rear, the STI has Brembos all the way around. The STI has wider fenders which allow you to fit wider rubber. The STI has HIDs, the WRX does not. The STI has a different interior including SI drive. So apart from the 0-60 times, how is the WRX "just like" the STI?
The point is Mitsubishi didn't give the Ralliart a 5-speed, even as an option. The Evo could have been 500 lbs lighter but it's not. It could have been a coupe but it's not.
Look at the real world numbers coming in, people are getting absolutely ridiculous MPG ratings, which I suspect is the result of a bad stock tune.
Stock the car doesn't compete performance wise. I haven't read a comparative review yet where the Ralliart isn't judged for it's lackluster acceleration (relative to other cars in the comparison), poor braking numbers and poor skid pad results. Mitsubishi could easily solve these problems but they haven't yet. If you read some of the threads that started before the Ralliart arrived, people were expecting the second coming of Christ in car form. Now it looks like Mitsubishi has just given us his little brother who can do some parlor tricks but nothing more.

 

Lol Mitsubishi doesn't have to compete. And yes as everyone has stated before its all personal preference.

 

I think it was just me that was mad, that the WRX came with a turbo and the base lancers didn't. They probably just added that into the RA to make people happy and wanted a turbo for less money.

 

I'm sure their investors are glad to here that they don't have to compete in the marketplace.

 

? The Ralliart isn't cheap. Comparing the base lancer to the WRX is apples to oranges, trust me, I've owned both.