Edmunds Posts Review of Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart
Published: June 12th, 2008
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Those lucky bastards over at Edmunds Inside Line (Robert would call them collaborators) have already got their mitts on the Lancer Ralliart apparently, and with the news of the model released yesterday they posted their review today. Some interesting info that was previously unclear: the engine has a single scroll turbocharger, versus the twin scroll unit on the Evo; also, there is not going to be a traditional three pedal version (dual clutch auto standard and exclusive transmission). EIL did not perform instrumented testing, but estimates 0-60 to be on par with the WRX and Mazdaspeed3, and price was also not released, but will probably clock in somewhere between $25,000 and $30,000. Worry not, though; we at TTAC will be driving and reviewing the Lancer Ralliart ASAP.
Immensely bored law student. I've also got 3 dogs.
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seoultrain, knightRT: I wouldn't let embarrassment stop you. The first time I drove car with a manual transmission was on a new car test drive. It went fine! In 5 minutes I was on the road, in traffic. Most salespeople are perfectly willing to teach you on a new car test drive, as long as they know you're serious about buying. After all, they do work on commission. I ended up buying a manual a few days later (from a different dealership because of price), and haven't looked at an auto since. Although DSGs are tempting..... I also wouldn't worry about resale value. On my current car, 2005 Mazda3, the difference between auto vs. manual new was $800. Today, it's $500 according to kbb.com. So I'm $300 up, not counting time value of money.
I like it, I dont think the biggest problem is the transmission, it is all of the kids who will try to race you.
Jeez, people, heard of driving schools? Over a decade ago I went on a trip to the UK and booked a car for a week. Because manual tranny cars were half the cost of autos I went with the stick, despite not having any significant seat-time in a manual-equipped car. Before the trip I called up one of the major local driving schools and for maybe $35 got a one-hour lesson with an instructor in one of the school vehicles. That's all I needed -- one freaking lousy hour with someone that could teach the finer points of clutch engagement, revs, and hill start control, without worrying about burning the clutch on a sales demo. So if you want to learn stick, call a local driving school. The bigger ones will certainly have three-pedallers.
With DSG transmissions becoming more common on obtainable cars, the case for a stick becomes harder to argue. I believe the death knell has been sounded for the stick, but it's really hard to hear an eight millisecond knell. If you drive a stick (or three) like I do, do yourself a favor and test the DSG. You'll begin to understand why us purists are sweating...