Got a headache from looking at all those Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas out there in econocar land?
Dr. Max has just the Rx you need. Take one 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer with the OZ Rally package and call me in the morning.
But don't call to complain that the OZ Lancer is a bit overblown, even garish, for what is essentially a compact four-door sedan. Standing out from the crowd means never having to apologize for your lack of taste.
Wait, that's unfair. The new for '02 Lancer is really a nifty little car, zippy and fun to drive and even reasonably roomy for the class, although my coif brushes the headliner in the back seat, and I don't have big hair.
It's just that I've never cared much for trunk-mounted spoilers, and when they're as big as the flying wing on the OZ Lancer, I have this urge to get my Sawzall out of the garage and perform an amputation right there in the driveway, without anesthetic. It would probably be more cost effective just to omit it from the options list and save the $360, but it wouldn't be nearly as satisfying.
I've long had this prejudice that a car should perform better than it looks — the stealth theory — but there's nothing stealthy about the OZ Lancer. Adding spoilers, "ground effects" cladding and such is easier and cheaper than upgrading engines and suspensions, and that's the way manufacturers usually go, especially at this price point. And why not? Most young people will pronounce the OZ Lancer "cool," and that's good enough for Mitsubishi.
It should be noted that there are more discreet versions of the Lancer, including the ES and the more luxurious LS, both of which are pretty heavily "contented," as they say in the auto biz, for cars in this price range.
Mitsubishi says the Lancer OZ Rally was inspired by Lancer's rally heritage (the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution rally car), which means it will likely do better in Europe than in America where rally racing is about as popular as luge and curling.
The package includes 15-inch OZ Racing alloy wheels, other ground effects add-ons, brushed metal-finish interior trim and something called "sport-touch" on the steering wheel, shift knob and emergency brake handle (I couldn't decide if sport touch was leather or vinyl, but it didn't smell like leather).
If you're wondering, OZ Racing is a 30-year-old company based near Vicenza, Italy, that specializes in alloy wheels but also makes other rally racing products. The O and Z are the initials of the founders' last names and have nothing to do with Dorothy, Toto or the Tin Man.
All Lancers are propelled by a
2.0-liter 4-cylinder 16-valve SOHC engine rated at 120 horsepower at 5,550 rpm and 130 lb-feet of torque at 4,250 rpm. Redline is at 6,000 rpm. My tester had the standard 5-speed manual transmission — the tranny of choice for a sporty car of this type — but a 4-speed automatic with adaptive shift control is available as an option.
It's a pretty sweet engine, and Mitsubishi has done a fine job with the car's suspension system, which is on the firm side, as is my preference. Fit and finish is top drawer inside and out. It comes with all the power and convenience goodies once reserved for luxury cars — power windows and mirrors, cruise control, 60-40 split fold-down rear seat, center console, AC, power door locks, dual vanity mirrors, 8-way adjustable driver's seat . . . as I said, heavily contented. Incidentally, the trunk is huge for a compact car.
And I have to throw a kudo to the 100-watt AM/FM/CD stereo system that is absolutely the best I've heard in a car priced below $20,000.
Base price for the Lancer OZ is $15,487, and that includes everything mentioned above save for the $360 spoiler, which we don't want anyway, remember? With a $545 charge to deliver it to your dealer the bottom line came to $16,392.
The Lancer is a lot of car for that money. The only downside is you don't get the rock-solid reputation (and resulting resale value) that you get from a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla, but that's just one of life's little trade-offs.
Fuel mileage with the 5-speed manual is government rated at 26 mpg in city driving and 33 mpg on the highway. With the automatic transmission fuel economy drops to 24/30.
E-mail: max@desnews.com