By Lee Nian Tjoe

If there is one misdemeanour that Mitsubishi is guilty of, it is that it is a bit careless with names.

Years ago, it stuck a spoiler on its Lancer 1.6GLXI and called it a Sports Edition.

The trick worked because that car, together with a leather-and-wood embellished sibling called Luxury Edition, helped make the Lancer Singapore's best-selling model - despite it being a bit long in the tooth then.

Interestingly, the Lancer GLXI is not yet extinct. It shares showroom space with a new entrant called the Lancer EX Ralliart.

With the tag "Ralliart" - Mitsubishi- speak forM or AMG - the distributor is pegging the car at $119,988, a whopping $39,000 more than the next most premium Lancer model, the 2.0 GT.

Plans were afoot to launch it much earlier in the year but the unfavourable exchange rate then would have made the car even more pricey.

Momentarily, it seems that Mitsubishi has forgotten that it already has a high-performance Lancer - the Evolution X, which is going for almost the same price.

But believe it or not, the Ralliart is quite a different animal from the Evo, and it potentially appeals to an audience that is distinct enough to make a case for itself.

Doing without the flared wheel arches of the Evo, the Ralliart does not draw as much attention.

It can easily be mistaken for the 2.0 GT if not for its 18-inch Enkei alloy wheels fitted by Cycle & Carriage. It also has vents on the bonnet and an extra exhaust pipe at the back.

The cabin on the white test car is also largely similar to the 2.0 GT's, but cars delivered to customers will feature the same equipment level as the Evo.

That means an extra sporty three-spoke steering wheel, Recaro seats and six airbags.

The engine, transmission and allwheel- drive system have all been adapted from the Evo.

The main differences? Its 2-litre engine is tuned differently and uses a different turbocharger altogether. It has 240bhp, 40bhp less than the standard Evo.

The all-wheel-drive system maintains the Evo's ability to adapt itself easily to different road conditions, be it tarmac, gravel or snow (although I have not had the chance to verify the latter).

The car's gearbox, which is a six-speed dual-clutch transmission called the TC-SST, has Normal and Sport modes, but without the third hardcore S-Sport mode found on the Evo.

Crucially, it is a lot more fun to use than the continuously variable transmission found on the 2.0 GT.

Despite the somewhat similar hardware, the driving experience is different from that of the Evo.

The controls may be direct and reactive but they are nowhere as loud, deliberate or precise as the Evo's.

Its handling limits are less spectacular than the Evo's but it also needs less speed or blind bravado to be fun to drive.

When all is calm and the driver just wants to take things easy, the Ralliart is that much quieter and that much more comfortable.

It is therefore a better tourer than the Evo, or even the 2.0 GT.

In fact, the car feels more like a very evolved version of the Lancer EX than an Evo for softer folks. But calling it "Sportier Edition" may not have the ring of "Ralliart".

stlife@sph.com.sg

The writer is editor of Torque, a motoring monthly published by SPH Magazines.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

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