Mitsubishi

Lancer and Lancer Evolution X

The Lancer is a sports saloon that is guaranteed to bring out the green-eyed monster in onlookers. But with its spacious cabin, split-folding seats and vast load capabilities, along with class leading specification levels, this is so much more than just a looker.

The good

Blistering performance

The bad

Looks a bit seventies cop show

Tech Specs

Price from

£31,349

Combined Fuel up to

26.2mpg

0-62 from

4.1 seconds

max speed up to

155mph

co2 from

256g/km

Test Drive

Mitsubishi Lancer 1.5 SE 4dr manual

If it’s outstanding value for money you’re looking for then the Mitsubishi Lancer could be just the car for you.

Admittedly, it may not be the most aesthetically-pleasing model you’ll ever lay eyes on and when you near the higher speed levels the noise within the cabin can be deafening, but those two gripes aside I found it very hard to pick fault with this model after a week-long test drive… and believe me, I was looking hard.

You see, the Lancer is packed with quality features including an excellent safety package and it retails at a price that will keep you on very good speaking terms with your bank manager – less than £12.5k.

The driver benefits from excellent all-round visibility and that makes driving in busy city centres a complete doddle.

Then out on the open road, the 1.5-litre engine delivers plenty of power and road-holding is exceptionally good in all driving conditions. The five-speed manual transmission was both responsive and easy to use.

Creature comforts include air conditioning, electrically-adjusted and heated door mirrors, 16-inch alloys, remote central locking, steering wheel audio and Bluetooth controls, iPod input and plenty more.

But for me, the really impressive feature was the space. This is a family saloon that claims to have room for five adults and actually does.

Rear seat passengers are treated to plenty of leg room and there is a very generously-sized boot for all their luggage along with a number of smaller storage compartments throughout.

The Lancer comes equipped with a whole host of safety features such as anti-lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution, brake assist, all sorts of airbags, childproof rear door locks, top notch seatbelts and plenty more.

And the vehicle is also kitted out with an excellent security package to keep away any uninvited attention.

All in all, the Lancer is crammed with quality touches that defy its asking price and for anyone looking for a classy family saloon that ticks all the boxes, it could be the ideal buy.