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Mitsubishi confirms Lancer Sportback GTS and Ralliart for U.S.

 
8 5,873 views Jan 30, 2009

2009 mitsubishi lancer ralliart motorauthority 001

The Lancer Sportback Ralliart will feature the same 237hp (177kW) 2.0L turbo found in the sedan

The Lancer Sportback Ralliart will feature the same 237hp (177kW) 2.0L turbo found in the sedan

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The rally-car wars just got a little hotter, as Mitsubishi has today confirmed it will be bringing the Lancer Sportback to the U.S. The hatchback bodystyle equips it to do battle on equal footing with Subaru's Impreza and WRX hatches when it arrives in the U.S. around the middle of the year.

"American consumers are increasingly asking for fun, attractive, yet practical cars that complement their active and individual lifestyles," said Dan Kuhnert, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Mitsubishi Motors North America. "The five-door platform has considerable upside potential in the domestic market."

An official emissions certification document registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed in December that Mitsubishi’s recently revealed Lancer Sportback would be arriving in the United States, including two performance models set to be on offer upon its debut later this year. The up-spec models are the high-performance Lancer Sportback Ralliart and the tamer GTS.

Like the sedan, the new Sportback Ralliart packs a 237hp (177kW), 253lb-ft (343Nm) 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder - a detuned version of the same 4B11 found in the Evo X – and is available with either a five-speed manual or the trick TC-SST dual-clutch gearbox. The car also comes with an active center differential, standard AWD, and twin-piston front brake calipers. According to the EPA its fuel-economy is rated at 17mpg in the city and 25mpg on the highway.

The Lancer Sportback GTS, meanwhile, will feature the same specification as the sedan version already on sale, which means it will arrive with a naturally aspirated 2.4L four-cylinder engine with either a five-speed manual or six-speed CVT with pseudo manual tiptronic mode. The manual GTS is rated at 20mpg in the city and 27mpg on the highway, while the CVT is rated at 21mpg in the city and 27mpg on the highway.

The Sportback models offer an ‘auto-folding function’ for the seats that increases luggage compartment via an adjustable rear floor. The vehicle is 4,585mm long (the sedan is 4,570mm) and offers 288 to 344 liters of space with the rear seats up and expands to 1,394L when the seats are folded.

Pricing should be slightly higher than the sedan, which in Ralliart trim starts from $26,490 and in GTS trim starts from $19,190.
2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart
Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart 2009

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Comments (8)

  1. ma_Diesel33 avatar Diesel33 Posted: 1/30/2009 1:26pm PST

    Just as ugly as the Subaru....
     
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  2. ma_Rice1 avatar Rice1 Posted: 1/30/2009 3:50pm PST

    Amen Diesel, amen
     
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  3. ma_NoNameDenton avatar NoNameDenton Posted: 1/30/2009 5:18pm PST

    Actually only the grille is bad, the rest is pretty tastefuly done
     
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  4. ma_mburleigh8 avatar mburleigh8 Posted: 1/30/2009 7:46pm PST

    Goody I think it looks better then the currant lancer/evo.
     
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  5. ma_azlan avatar azlan Posted: 1/31/2009 3:24pm PST

    anything is better than the subaru, i hate it. this could have been better but i still think its pretty cool...
     
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  6. By  hypertech Posted: 9/9/2009 7:28pm PDT

    For me it looks much better than the old lancers.. and looks more attractive than Subaru.
     
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  7. By  Custom Grills Posted: 11/9/2009 6:59am PST

    Guys, that car looks much different alive then on the photo! Besides, performance of RallyArt is not bad. Of cause if you drive porsche, that RallyArt is not for you. But those who can't buy Evo, but want to drive fast - Rally Art is a good car!
     
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  8. By  pc speicher Posted: 12/16/2009 9:49pm PST

    GTS models will have a 2.4-liter inline-four good for 168 hp and 167 lb-ft of torque coupled to either a five-speed manual or a CVT with six simulated gear ratios. The Ralliart will be powered by a 237-hp, 2.0-liter turbo-four bolted exclusively to a six-speed, dual-clutch automated manual that Mitsubishi calls TC-SST (Twin-Clutch Sportronic Shift Transmission). Sportbacks boast one-touch folding rear seats and a cargo-area floor that can be lowered by three inches to boost maximum cargo volume to 53 cubic feet. Watch for the Sportbacks to appear in U.S. showrooms this summer as 2010 models.
     
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