gnnr

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=3975

Brace yourselves, it's pure crap. I can't fully tell, but I get the feeling this guy must have either driven a broken car or he didn't drive it at all. Besides the complete and utter lack of professionalism and obvious ability to write objectively, I get the distinct feeling that he has both a bone to pick with Mitsu and has very little knowledge of the market segment and cars in it. No performance measures of his own other than mileage, which is way off, and bashes just about everything even though it is often the class leader (for now).

I get around 34mpg on the highway, 25 or a bit higher in town, even with my foot in it. The CVT is awesome and I will take it over the stick any day of the week since you can shift it and shift it faster (fake shift or otherwise), thus managing it perfectly for conditions and performance. Interior plastics? WTF... I tested the Mazda3 and Civic... this is light years ahead; I barely agree with him on the cloth material, though he is overly dramatic and harsh on the whole, and he is again barely right about some of the buttons and knobs (placed right, look right, but not inspiring confidence in the durability department).

As for handling he must be on some serious drugs. The Mazda3 (fully loaded, high end, not the sport) was the only car that seemed to have a slight edge on handling and cornering, and I would say that it's a tossup (and so do most reviews). Suspension... far better than anything in class. Value for dollar, again top of class.

Upside of GTS:

1) Handling is class leading
2) Braking is class leading
3) tight build quality in gaps, fit, finish through out (inside and out)
4) Generally good ergonomics through out
5) Class leading airbag safety equipment
6) Class leading technology typically found in cars 10 - 20K more.
7) Looks, inside and out
8) CVT learning tranny with paddles and manual shifter, once learned and trained, are exceptional
9) Near class leading accel and quarter times as reported by relevant, knowledgable experts and reviewers
10) Class leading warranty
11) Price point with options beats all comers in class
12) comfortable seats and lots of interior volume/space that almost pushes it, size wise, into a new class

The only real complaints a fair minded person can make on the 08 US model are:

1) Needs about 15 more HP
2) Needs interior seat material that is not a lint brush
3) Interior carpet quality not good enough.
4) Lack of leather, homelink, heated mirrors and other options.
5) Nav system, while best in it's class for features and accuracy (and better than many units found in cars in the 40K range or better) is overly complex in some ways and lacks a USB input.
6) Exhaust note on stock system sucks
7) Interior lighting scheme is sparse and dated; switches shoudl be lit as shoudl cup holder, guages and most lights should have color options, better rear lighting needed
8) Arm rest, ergonomically, sucks, Needs to be higher and adjustable fore and aft.
9) Front lower grill components look great at first glance but with any kind of scrutiny appear cheap and are not matching from left to right sides.
10) Lack of TCS or better, even as an option. BFD is it.
11) Arguably could go on a diet to cut curb weight by 200 - 250lbs.

SmoothdrJay

Sorry to all of you out there with the CVT, but how can you compare an auto sports car with a 5mt. The paddle shifting, while a fun idea, is awkward coming from driving a manual your whole life. Just my $.02. If the reviewers wanna real ride they should test a manual not a CVT.

ViperF16

you cant compare them, thats why they're 2 seperate options ... i don't know if you actually have driven the cvt but its not as boring as you think

gnnr

Been driving manuals since I was 17. Owned four or five manuals, driven more, on road and even at the track. Second CVT I have driven, first I have owned, and I will likely NEVER go back to a MT in the forseeable future. Far superior driving experience on the whole, and if you manage it manually the right way it is a match if not quicker than the MT is (at least in our lancers, if nothing else... and I have driven both in test), and it can 'shift' faster than a clutch and stick manual can. Not saying they are superior every time, but in our Lancers I give them the nod overall, and there are plenty of cars coming out even on the high end of performance going with manumatics over stick and CVT is looming large on the path for several big name cars.

dsf3g

I added my 2 cents at the end of the comments section. (Comment # 62)

I think reviewers really miss the boat when they dismiss all the gadgets and options that cars like the Lancer offer at a price point well below what anyone else is doing. Personally, I like being able to get the factory NAV without having to pile on a bunch of expensive trim levels and options packages first. Plus, I didn't buy my Lancer beacuse I was too impatient to wait for the Evo. I bought my Lancer because I wanted a nice, comfortable commuter car/family hauler. And this car definitely fits the bill for me.

Kwelity

i think if you read the review he tested the baseline but either way the bias was definitely there

i love my gts but it does leave plenty to be desired in the performance until the mivec starts to learn your driving style once it adapts to you the acceleration seems to be there when you need it

gnnr

I noticed they don't put a direct email to the reviewer. Nice. Having written over 250 reviews and articles for a top 10 (sub 13K Alexa, millions of hits a month) site in it's area that says a lot right there, as does the overall writing quality of the site and a lot of other bad indicators. True crap all around there... I never even heard of that site until I ran across a random post on another thread slamming the guys 'review'. What a joke.

dsf3g

Let me add one thing: Though most reviews of the new Lancer have been favorable, I have noticed several reviews that seem to criticize the new cars while salivating about the upcoming Evo. I almost get the sense that the reviewer is thinking ahead to his upcoming Evo review where he's going to write: I can't believe this car started out as that awful little compact I reviewed a couple of months ago. In other words, in some cases I don't think the new Lancers are being reviewed on their own merits, but rather as a foil to the upcoming Exo X. Which is a shame, because I'm really, really enjoying my Lancer ES.

L.Lancer1

ive been hearing alot of stuff from ppl who dont even drive these lancers, like that there crap, yet when i ask them if they have driven one, they auto say no. either that or they say they have driven in one but not been behind the wheel. dsfg3 i too am enjoying my lancer es cvt, n yea i did want a mt but at the same time id ont mind just bc u dont gotta worry bout ur car spendin time to shift gears, but thats just me. i love my car, if they dont like it w.e there not the ones paying for it