CarTest! Expert car reviews and advice | home
![]() CarTest! Expert car reviews and advice | CarTest Contents | New Car Reviews | Used Car Reviews | What is your car worth? | Automotive NewsBriefs | Award-Winning Models | Find the Best Vehicle | Automotive Advice | Save on Gas | Driving Tips & Maintenance Advice | Safety Research & Insurance Tips | Tire Advice | Road Trips | Auto Racing | Classics & Collectibles | Newsletter | About Us | SEARCH CarTest!
|
||
The Lancer, new to Canada for 2003 (as are all Mitsubishi models), won the Economy Car category in the 2003 Canadian Car of the Year awards.
![]() ![]() ![]() |
2003 Mitsubishi Lancer ES Road Test
![]() Expensive, but worth it
By Bill Roebuck
Although it's more expensive than some direct competitors, the Mitsubishi Lancer ES felt like it was worth the extra money. It seems solid and well built, has very good fit and finish, has a large and comfortable cabin, handles nicely and moves quickly. Acceleration was almost on par with the Dodge SX -- same for the braking distance -- both very good for this class.
![]() On the road, the Lancer ES has a light steering feel but offers fairly crisp handling. The five-speed manual was easy to shift. The 2.0 L, 120 hp engine, which was noisy at idle, buzzed on hard acceleration. The engine sips gas in the city (its city fuel economy is second best), but gulps it on fast roads, giving it highway fuel consumption greater than the three automatics in this group.
Cargo capacity is plentiful at 320 L, although the trunk has narrow passthrough to the folded rear seats. Other than price, there seem to be few shortfalls in the Mitsubishi Lancer, which is new to Canada this year.
* Price as tested: $17,957
© Copyright Bill Roebuck, CarTest.ca 2002.
Search CarTest!
![]()
Custom Search
|