But while all the go-fast parts sound impressive, what I most liked about the new Mitsubishi is the way it balances its power with agility. It is remarkably refined, easy to drive fast without beating up its driver and passengers along the way. Some of its competitors offer rock hard suspension tuning, ideal for the racetrack but actually negatively affecting a vehicle's ability to drive quickly over rougher pavement, which all too often describes the sorry state of our nation's roadways. The Lancer Ralliart's compliant suspension, however, soaks up uneven pavement, potholes and ruts with composure, even at double digit speeds.
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| Mitsubishi engineers have worked hard to further enhance the Ralliart's suspension over what is an already impressive stock Lancer undercarriage. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Mitsubishi modified the suspension from an already impressive stock MacPherson strut front, multi-link rear setup to achieve the Ralliart's adept handling characteristics. Front and rear shock damping is increased by 150 and 85 percent respectively, making the car transfer from side to side with minimal body roll. Other mods include an additional 20 percent increase in front spring rates, compensating for the slightly heavier engine, while the front sway bar rate was also upped by 17 percent. Also, Mitsubishi engineers chose pillow ball bushings on the upper and lower control arms to maintain the car's suspension geometry at optimal levels.
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| The heavily modified rack-and-pinion steering system results in improved driving dynamics. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Those with a modicum of mechanical knowledge will now understand the lengths Mitsubishi has gone to make the Lancer Ralliart as easy as it is to drive quickly - the rest can just get in, drive, grin from ear to ear and not worry about it.
Of course the car's wonderfully responsive rack-and-pinion steering should also receive part of the praise. Heavily modified, the steering rack has been increased in diameter, which results in the sporty dynamics I experienced on the road. Feedback was enhanced further by removing the steering shimmy damper from the rack-and-pinion system. The Ralliart 4-door now requires only 2.86 turns lock-to-lock compared with 3.19 for the regular Lancer, endowing the car with a more direct, point and shoot response to input.