There are automakers that don’t just build transportation, but rather infuse their vehicles with a familial DNA that makes them

The Lancer Ralliart might just redefine what you think is possible from behind the wheel of a compact sedan. (Photo: Mitsubishi)

totally unique. Some lean towards luxury and some span the middle ground, while others focus almost entirely on performance. Mitsubishi would have to be filed into the latter category.

It’s not that the Japanese automaker’s cars don’t get their fair share of luxury features-- they do. But they don’t really try to compete head to head with others that push premium creature comforts over adrenaline inducing thrills, and to the latter end Mitsubishi has few peers.

They’re really an engineering company, first and foremost. Their cars nevertheless look good, finally, at least their compacts do. And it’s something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by consumers that seem to snap up Lancers and Outlanders before they touch ground on dealer lots. Of course styling sells, but those who get pulled into the showroom because of good looks end up grinning

The big wing is for more than show... this little Lancer can really go! (Photo: Mitsubishi)

like little kids on their way for ice cream on the test drive and eventually buying, if the salesperson has done a good job choosing a test route. Truly, there are few compact cars that can match one wearing the “Diamond Star” badge when corners arrive.

The best of the Lancer family is the Evolution X, but even the base DE or slightly more expensive SE is a pleasure to take through the curves. Each model upwards gets a little better, the GTS boasting 18-inch rims, a strut-tower cross brace and a sport-tuned suspension, and the Ralliart featuring an almost identical setup as the top-tier Evolution X, in full-load MR trim. Call it Evo Lite. Call it whatever you want. I call it absolutely brilliant!

Nothing in

What an engine! (Photo: Mitsubishi)

the low-$30k four-door or hatchback class handles quite like a Lancer Ralliart, and combined with its ultra-quick acceleration and all-wheel drive traction it’s an all-round force to be reckoned with.

The ultra-quick acceleration comes from the Ralliart’s DOHC, turbocharged, 2.0-litre MIVEC four-cylinder engine that makes 237-horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 253-lb-ft of torque at 3,000 rpm. Mated to the engine is a slick shifting six-speed Twin Clutch Sportronic (TC-SST) sequential-manual transmission, a gearbox that can be left in Drive just like an automatic for smooth effortless shifts or actuated via its gear lever or steering column-mounted magnesium paddles if DIY shifting is what is needed. Needed is probably not the

Nice looking interior is a bit short on refinement. (Photo: Mitsubishi)

right term, because if you want to get the most performance out of the Ralliart you’ll just leave it in Drive, set the transmission to Sport mode and the computer-controlled active centre differential to tarmac, unless you’re on gravel or in snow (there’s a setting for each) and let the permanent all-wheel drive with helical front and mechanical rear limited-slip differentials do its thing, augmented by standard sport-tuned active stability control and traction control, of course.

The levels of grip you’ll encounter if willing to take it to the edge (just try to find the edge, as it seems boundless) will certainly leave you breathless and simultaneously make you a believer. Few cars, even those boasting premium badges, can come close to matching the Lancer Ralliart through serpentine roadways.

You're looking at what might be the most advanced automatic transmission on the market today. (Photo: Mitsubishi)

You can look downward to its standard 18-inch alloy rim and 215/45R18 tire combination if you want, and while they help there are lots of cars with more rubber that don’t fare nearly as well, just as many of these cars boast the same type of MacPherson strut front suspension, even with a big fat strut tower brace like the Ralliart’s. The rear multi-link system was once above average for the compact class, but is now becoming the norm. The Ralliart team, however, has tuned all the components and beefed up others for high spring and damper rates, resulting in the brilliance I spoke of before.

The steering is hydraulic power-assisted rack and pinion, with a quick 3.16 turns lock-to-lock for immediate response and a tight turning circle.

Braking power comes from all-wheel ventilated discs with antilock and electronic brakeforce distribution, clamped down on by two-piston calipers up front and singles in the rear. The rotors are 11.6 inches at the front and 11.9 inches in the rear, more than ample to stop the Ralliart on the proverbial dime.

The Lancer Ralliart isn’t only about performance. While its interior isn’t exactly the most premium amongst entry-level sedans when it comes to touchy feely surfaces and switchgear, it includes everything needed and more. I like to consider the Ralliart, or the Evo for that matter, a four-door Lotus Exige from a civility perspective. The smallest Lotus features an interior that’s about as rudimentary as cars get, without carpeting and featuring plastics that are at the lower end of the quality spectrum (although the aluminum that covers most surfaces

Make sure to opt for the Recaro seats. (Photo: Mitsubishi)

is pretty cool). But no one complains. Its performance is otherworldly, and everyone knows that there’s a reason it delivers such amazing driving dynamics for such a relatively low price. Mitsubishi will likely improve Lancer interior quality in its next generation, and that will affect everything from the base model to the Evo, but until then this is a four-door Lotus in my book.

Standard features include the usual power mirrors, power windows and door locks, the latter with remote access. A full-colour LCD multi-information display comes standard too, as does SIRIUS satellite radio and Bluetooth connectivity, while high-contrast gauges make the primary dials legible in bright light or darkness. Auto climate control is nice, while new chrome dial accents spruce up the look a bit, as does the leather-wrapped parking brake handle. Pulling that brake up when launching from a steep hill might be the norm when piloting a manual car, but rollback would be the same with the sequential manual fitted to the Ralliart if it weren’t for standard hill start assist that keeps you from rolling backwards.

Other standard features include variable intermittent wipers, automatic xenon headlamps, a Ralliart-specific grille and bumpers, aluminum hood with heat extractor vents, a large integrated front air dam, a large rear wing spoiler, leather-wrapped sport-type steering wheel, fabulous four-way adjustable Recaro heated sport bucket seats with premium sport fabric, and sweet looking aluminum pedals. A driver’s knee airbag

This much fun and a rear seat too! (Photo: Mitsubishi)

enhances the regular array of airbags, while active front head restraints and a tire pressure monitoring system get added to the safety mix.

Options include soundproof insulator windshield glass with rain-sensing wipers, and my favourite, a Rockford Fosgate audio system with 710 watts of power.

The Lancer Ralliart can be had in four or five-door guise, the latter dubbed Sportback due to its steeply raked rear windscreen and hatchback-style liftgate. The sedan’s trunk space is pretty good at 348 litres (12.3 cubic feet), even more than the Sportback that can only hold 309 litres

Unbelievable handling! (Photo: Mitsubishi)

(10.9 cubic feet) when the split-folding rear seatbacks are upright. Fold those down and cargo capacity increases to 390 litres (13.8 cubic feet), slightly more than the sedan and a more flexible environment.

Practicality in mind the Ralliart is pretty good on gas if you don’t flog it all the time, which is a temptation only the truly mature can manage to overcome. The rather optimistic Canadian rating is 12.2 L/100km in the city and 8.0 on the highway, but this serves as a good comparison to other cars rated by the same system. Beware, however, that the Ralliart requests premium fuel for optimal performance, and it’s a good idea to oblige.

The

Evo Lite! There's little separating the Lancer Ralliart and Evo X MR. (Photo: Mitsubishi)

warranty, incidentally, is five years or 100,000 km bumper to bumper, which is very good. Mitsubishi’s don’t have a top-level reliability rating according to third party surveys, but then again they’re not bad at all. Truly, there are few unreliable cars these days, so the Lancer Ralliart will likely serve you well without complaint.

You certainly won’t be complaining about performance. Like I said in the beginning, there aren’t many four-door sedans that can match the Lancer Ralliart in the corners, and not all that many in its price league that can take it on the straight either. All-round, this is one serious little street fighter, and a car that you can live with every day. A thrilling combination of practicality and sport.

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