Jun 10, 2005 03:03 PM
51695 Views
(Updated Jun 10, 2005 05:33 PM)
Lancer.....there was a time when the Lancer was considerd abslolute class.....not that the converse is true now....but it's still beaten marginally by a host of other cars due to its technological obsolence and build quality and other electronic gizmoes. But with the Lancer 1.8 Invex engine, Mitsubishi is looking to change all that. Let me first tell you what this car is not......This car is not a pseudo-sports-car like the old Lancer SLXi and the SFXi. Those two only had looks.....a world class spoiler.....and .....looks....thats it!! The engine left a lot to be desired. But this baby......is a breakthrough.....a real lean-mean-sex-machine.
These are the Specs of the old Lancer 1.5....not bad....but not world-class-performance orientation 1.5 L Petrol Engine Type 4 cyl. Inline SOHC 12Valve MPI Petrol Displacement(cc) 1468 Max. Power (PS / rpm) 87 / 5500 Max. Torque (kgm / rpm 13.5 / 3300 87 PS.....is you know....quite less for a car with Lancers with Lancers physical weight and Brand Image all around the world. Even the much lighter Accent has 101 PS of power.
So now this 1.8 Litre Invex babe packs in a Red-bull punch........and what a punch. Take a glimpse of its Specs below 1.8 L Petrol Engine 4 cyl. Inline SOHC 16Valve MPI Petrol Displacement(cc) 1834 Max. Power (PS / rpm) 122 / 5500 Max. Torque (kgm / rpm) 16.5 / 4000
The transmission.....Ahh...thats what the whole review is about.......the man-o-matic transmission. Do any of you guys remember the transmission in the Hyundai Sonata V6.....not the Sonata S20, but the Sonata V6.
It had a H-matic transmission where you could juggle the shift between a manual and an automatic to get either maximum mileage and performance or maximum driving ease and comfort.
The same way, the Invex comes with a shift you find in cars like the Porsche's. The car has an automatic shift which with the help of one finger can be transferred to a manual shift. The beauty of this shift likes in its ease. The automatic shift obviously shifts gears automatically as per its pre-defined gear ratios. But the manual shift also shifts gears down automatically by judging the current driving conditions. It does not shift automatically upwards obviously....otherwise there wouldnt be a difference between the manual and the automatic.
The gear is a single lever which is unlike the normal 5 speed syncromesh found in most cars. The lever is positioned in one place and can be operated by tapping it north for shifting up or south for shifting down. The gear after being shifted returns back to its original position which saves hassles for a few drivers who face a blind spot while trying to find the gearbox.
The car obviously has no clutch but only a super responsive accelerator. When you also shift into manual from the automatic at any gear, the chip inside the car will also position the manual into the same gear against which the automatic was.
this is what it does for you.
Imagine you are cruising down the road at 60 km/hr in the auto shift, you suddenly have a huge truck blocking your way and you swerve out to find that there is another vehicle comming from the opposite direction. You only have a matter of seconds to overtake the truck and get in front of it....or else brake hard!!!!......
You dont have the pickup of a manual to overtake the truck since you're in an auto so you wont get a whoooooshing pickup but rather a slow gradual acceleration.
so this is what you do......tap the lever sideways moving it into manual and you find yourself in third gear. Now tap the accerlerator and rev the engine shooting past the truck with ease.
thats man-o-matic for you.
The car has only a 4 speed 'box and not a 5 speed one....but any doubts I had about its adequacy were quickly dispelled when I took a test drive of it.
The car is a beauty....the only things going against it are the facts that the Lancer is an old car now.....and that at around 10 lac its priced much higher than the competition. A classic case of old wine in a new bottle.
As for me, its going to be my next car......when I finally buy one. I dont care if the Skoda's or the Chevrolet's have more electronic gizmos and a richer feel......but what I desire from my car is only performance and looks. And the Lancer Invex 1.8 fits the bill perfectly.
