chewy
10-09-2007, 08:20 PM
http://www.newcarpark.com/blog/?p=65
It remains a mystery to this day why Mitsubishi has not competed directly with the Subaru Impreza WRX the way it does with the Lancer Evo series and the WRX STi models. In the mid 1990s there was a Lancer GSR that sported a 1.8 litre turbocharged engine, all wheel drive and power output that matched the then current WRX. But then that model was dropped and for more than eight years there’s been a gap in the Mitsubishi Lancer line up if it was to compete directly with Subaru.
But now the time has come, and Mitsubishi is planning a model between the standard Lancer and the EVO, to be called the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. Already spy shots have shown the car testing in public places, and at the current model Lancer’s launch Mitsubishi execs admitted that a Ralliart model was going to be added to the Lancer range.
A test mule spotted in California’s Death Valley during hot weather testing is fitted with a front mounted inter cooler, a bonnet scoop and big dual exhausts, but the large wheel arches that adorn the side of the EVO are conspicuously absent. One other small detail is that while standard Lancers have a mesh grill flush with the front of the car the mesh on the test mule has it set further back in the nose.
Power is said to be in the 230 horsepower range, around the same as the WRX in 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. The most likely engine candidate is a low pressure turbo version of the 2.4 liter Lancer engine, which in naturally aspirated form develops 162 horsepower. There is a possibility that the Ralliart could use a detuned version of the 4B11T all-aluminum engine in the EVO, but then that would open the door to tuners who could produce their own EVOs on a cheaper basis.
It’s not entirely obvious whether 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart is all wheel drive or front wheel drive. Mitsubishi could well use front wheel drive to keep the cost of the car down, and cars such as the Golf Gti have shown that it’s entirely possible to make a fun performance car driving exclusively through the front wheels.
There’s no official word on when a Mitsubishi Ralliart will be launched, apart from it is expected next year, but now that Subaru’s new WRX has taken an odd turn in the styling department means that the time is right for Mitsubishi to make a strike on the Subaru brand.
Things will become much clearer, most likely at the North American International Auto Show in January, the most likely date for a debut of the car.
for pictures of test mule click here
http://jalopnik.com/cars/spy-photos/2009-mitsubishi-lancer-ralliart-283582.php
It remains a mystery to this day why Mitsubishi has not competed directly with the Subaru Impreza WRX the way it does with the Lancer Evo series and the WRX STi models. In the mid 1990s there was a Lancer GSR that sported a 1.8 litre turbocharged engine, all wheel drive and power output that matched the then current WRX. But then that model was dropped and for more than eight years there’s been a gap in the Mitsubishi Lancer line up if it was to compete directly with Subaru.
But now the time has come, and Mitsubishi is planning a model between the standard Lancer and the EVO, to be called the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. Already spy shots have shown the car testing in public places, and at the current model Lancer’s launch Mitsubishi execs admitted that a Ralliart model was going to be added to the Lancer range.
A test mule spotted in California’s Death Valley during hot weather testing is fitted with a front mounted inter cooler, a bonnet scoop and big dual exhausts, but the large wheel arches that adorn the side of the EVO are conspicuously absent. One other small detail is that while standard Lancers have a mesh grill flush with the front of the car the mesh on the test mule has it set further back in the nose.
Power is said to be in the 230 horsepower range, around the same as the WRX in 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. The most likely engine candidate is a low pressure turbo version of the 2.4 liter Lancer engine, which in naturally aspirated form develops 162 horsepower. There is a possibility that the Ralliart could use a detuned version of the 4B11T all-aluminum engine in the EVO, but then that would open the door to tuners who could produce their own EVOs on a cheaper basis.
It’s not entirely obvious whether 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart is all wheel drive or front wheel drive. Mitsubishi could well use front wheel drive to keep the cost of the car down, and cars such as the Golf Gti have shown that it’s entirely possible to make a fun performance car driving exclusively through the front wheels.
There’s no official word on when a Mitsubishi Ralliart will be launched, apart from it is expected next year, but now that Subaru’s new WRX has taken an odd turn in the styling department means that the time is right for Mitsubishi to make a strike on the Subaru brand.
Things will become much clearer, most likely at the North American International Auto Show in January, the most likely date for a debut of the car.
for pictures of test mule click here
http://jalopnik.com/cars/spy-photos/2009-mitsubishi-lancer-ralliart-283582.php