2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart
We knew to expect the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback and 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart to see an official reveal at the
Paris Motor Show next week ever since we saw the
Lancer Prototype-S in
Geneva earlier this year. It looks like we don't even need to go to the French capital, as a bevy of shots of the two new Lancer sportbacks have broken free of the confines of their embargoes to show us what we'll see live next week.
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first drive
The
2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart isn't an Evo X. It's better. That's what I keep telling myself as I drive the back roads of the Detroit exurbs in Mitsubishi's latest boosted compact. Slotting between the regular FWD Lancer 2.4 GTS and the balls-out rally car Evo X, the Ralliart seeks to put Mitsubishi on the shopping list of folks who might consider, say, a WRX but not a full-bore STi.
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paris motor show
We've been excited about the
Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback ever since we got confirmation that it would go into production. Now, we've got official shots and details to even further whet our appetites. This is the Ralliart trim model, which will have a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four pumping out a WRX-battling 240 HP. No word yet on an Evo Sportback, but we'd be plenty happy with this Ralliart if it comes to the US. The car will debut at the Paris Motor Show this fall, where we'll be able to get a closer look. For now, check out the full press release after the jump.
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chicago auto show
In case you were wondering, Mitsubishi did bust out a trio of updated Galants on Thursday, and we were monumentally underwhelmed. The Galant Sport, Galant Sport V6, and the Galant Ralliart all took a bow. The cars are available with a mix and match of the 2.4 L 4 cyl MiVEC, 3.8 L V6, and 3.8L V6 equipped with MiVEC, traction control, and Nav system as well as external indicators of the various performance levels.
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chicago auto show
Mitsubishi will show off the facelifted 2009 Mitsubishi Galant at this year's Chicago Auto Show. In addition to the mildly revised sheet metal, the car also gets new taillights and a new grille. The Galant will come in four-cylinder ES and Sport editions, V6 Sport edition and line-topping Ralliart. The Ralliart V6 is of the 3.8-liter MIVEC variety and is good for 258 horsepower. The V6 in the V6 Sport (pictured) is good for 230 horsepower and the four-cylinder model is the 2.5-liter MIVEC that produces approximately 160 horsepower. Press release below the jump.
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geneva motor show
We don't know if these images from
World Car Fans are official sketches, but they look pretty darn certifiably real to us. The concept, rumored to be coming to the 2008
Geneva Motor Show, is supposedly a lightly disguised production version of the Euro Spec 5 door Lancer Ralliart. The car will undoubtedly be powered by the same 240 hp turbocharged four banger we get here in the states with the all wheel drive gadgetry and active yaw controllers thrown in for good measure. We'll look for more info as this develops. [
Carscoop via
WorldCarFans]
detroit auto show
The Ralliart is Mitsubishi's middle man between the Mitsubishi Lancer GTS and the Lancer EVO. The obvious rally-inspired Ralliart has a 2.0-liter, four cylinder engine sporting 235 horsepower, which is up 67 hp from the GTS, but not quite the 291 of the latest
Evolution X has. It does feature Mitsubishi's dual-clutch SST automanual with paddle shifters and an active center differential to let you rally your little heart out in suburbia America. It is slated for a summer release.
detroit auto show
Someone claiming to be an employee of a Mistubishi dealer in California managed to snap a photo of he's claiming is the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart "on the way to an auto show." We're going to go out on a limb and say it's for the official unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show. Mitsubishi of Europe already announced that the not-quite-evo Lancer Ralliart across the pond will get a detuned version of the 2.0 liter Dual Valve VVT Turbo engine found in the Evo good for approximately 240 horsepower, so we're going to assume that's what we're getting over here. Below are previously snapped photos of what we thought was the
Ralliart Mitsubishi testing last year.
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jdm
The JDM watchers at
Nihon Car spied the upcoming Mitsubishi Evo X in Ralliart trim. It was at Tokyo's "Motor Sport Japan 2007," a spectacular of the latest JDM hardware. Apparently Mitsubishi Staff on hand wouldn't (or couldn't) divulge any information about the in-house tuner. We'll likely know more about this modded Evo at the Tokyo auto show next month. [
Nihon Car]
spy photos
It looks like spy shooter Hans Lehmann ain't the only
quick-shot in town, Brenda "12.1 Megapixel-Shooter" Priddy's also snagged herself some pictures of what appears to be a very high-tech looking 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer...umm...Ralliart edition? As you can see from the pictures, the intercooler's clearly visible behind the mesh grille and this turbocharged not-so-ordinary Mitsubishi has dual exhaust pipes plus 18-inch GTS-like wheels. And since it sure isn't the new Evolution as it's lacking both the flared fenders and EVO wing, Priddy's thinking it's the '09 up-powered "Ralliart." To quote Brenda Priddy: "this performance version of Mitsubishi's Lance
must be a Ralliart prototype!" With no evidence to the contrary, we're thinking she may be right.