I'm looking to buy either one by summertime but aside from the obvious differences I'd like to get another m/t but the weather in Maryland is up and down in the winter months so I'd love to have awd. Aside from the performance aspects of the RA is the awd setup really worth the extra money and does it perform well in unplowed snow and how does the a/t hold up? I'm already fighting snow with a fwd car so I just want to know if I should save my money and go with a m/t gts or go with an a/t awd ra with a higher price tag. this is not a hp performance question b/c I'm aware of what each car can do, it really comes down to awd and a/t dependability vs. cheaper fwd m/t and continue fighting threw snow with extra money in my pocket.

thanks

 

With snow, AWD would definitely be the better choice... But it's your financial situation.

 

As far as finance I can buy an RA and leave it stock for a while or buy a gts and mildly mod it. I've just heard stories about the awd and a/t on the RA not being up to par and not worth the extra money.

 

This is just my opinion and I don't want to offend any lancer owners :P but I'd rather have an RA and wait to mod it, than have a base lancer and money to mod it immediately.

 

I have driven in heavy snow with both my old GTS and my RA and I can tell you that the difference is definitely worth the money. I have all season tires on the Ralliart and I have driven in 8"+ of unplowed snow without any issues. The amount of control in the snow with the RA is insane. If it doesn't cause you issues I highly recommend the RA.

 

Where in MD are you located? We might be neighbors...

 

That is exactly what I wanted to hear. If there is anyone else that can 100% agree with this than my mind will be made up. I'd rather have a m/t but I just want to make sure that the RA is really worth it.

What are mpgs really like with the RA? 17mpg city?

 

The only issue I would worry about with the RA is the ACD pump and salt. They definitely don't get along from what I've read. I drove my evo in the winter 1 season and it corroded my ACD pump entirely. Luckily it was replaced under warranty. I bought a GTS as a daily driver and I love it. I bought a set of wheels and snow tires just for the winter and in 8+ inches of snow I've had no issues. As far as gas mileage, around the city I probably get like 23-24 mpg and highway I get anywhere from 27-30 cruising at 70-75 mph.

 

^Thanks for your imput. I really just want the best bang all around for my buck. This will be a DD and I also want the most practical lancer.

 

Id love to get a RA but I wish they came in a 5 or 6 speed. At the time I didn't want to spend the extra money for the RA. Especially since I was traveling 65 miles a day 6 days a week for work so I didn't wanna rack up the miles.

 

Savage, about 20min south of Baltimore city

 

My commute is only 10 min so I feel a turbo car would kind of be a waste. AWD would be great though b/c I have to go to work when it snows for snow removal so I'm torn between the two.

 

I currently drive an 02 focus as a DD with a slipping a/t so I hope it can get through the summer before I make this purchase.

Is the SE awd with the cvt worth looking into? I feel like if I go with an awd a/t I might as well get the RA.

 

First Winter with my RA and I am very very impressed. Just switched from a 4x4 to the RA and prefer the AWD. I would not go back to a fwd or rwd car period.

 

No tranny or traction control issues?