2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback

Just when you thought the Mitsubishi Lancer lineup couldn’t get any more comprehensive, another model joins the ranks: the five-door Lancer Sportback.  Touting flexibility as its defining trait, we’re anxious to see if adding an extra opening takes away from the Lancer’s reputation as an enthusiast’s daily driver. The 2010 Lancer Sportback takes Mitsubishi’s mainstay compact car series in a new direction. While using the brand’s road rally heritage to sell everyday cars is nothing new, the Sportback seems to say “it’s cool to be practical, too!”

Available only in premium GTS and Ralliart trim, Sportback rides on the same wheelbase, and takes up just slightly more parking space length than the Lancer sedan. Shared too with the sedan is its only slightly tamed Evolution front end with squinting headlamps and “jet fighter” grille.

And its profile enjoys the extra performance trim of lower sill extensions connecting standard 18-inch alloy wheels. But the Sportback also speaks usefulness, with rack-room up top for skis, bikes, and other must-haves for outdoor adventures.

Indeed, the Sportback maintains the familiar Lancer shape until it reaches, well, the sport back. This Lancer adds a fast-sloping hatch door with an EVO-like rear wing.

That hatch naturally hides the Sportback’s true plus, the ability to haul oversized parcels. The opening is wide and low for easy access, with seats-up capacity of 13.8 cubic feet. But release the 60/40 seatbacks with levers just inside the opening, and then lower the cleverly designed cargo floor by a full three inches, and cargo space maxes out at a very impressive 52.7 cubic feet. That’s just shy of the Nissan Rogue crossover.

The rest of the Sportback’s cabin is familiar Lancer-that means upscale design and standards like Bluetooth. Gauges are big and well-organized. While Recaro seats are standard, our car’s standard buckets had fine support, plus un-compact-car-like heat and leather with the Touring Package.  The standard leather-wrapped tilt wheel sports controls for cruise and audio.The Sun & Sound Package brings with it a killer 710-watt Rockford Fosgate stereo, a power sunroof, and keyless ignition. Also optional is a 7.5-inch touch screen navigation that plays DVD movies when the car is parked.

The second row can accommodate three adults in a pinch, but two is comfortable, making use of the center armrest. For power, the front-drive GTS runs with a 2.4-liter four rated at a modest 168 horsepower and 167 pound-feet of torque, funneled through either a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed CVT automatic.

The more rapid Ralliart touts a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder outputting 237 horsepower and a stout 253 pound-feet of torque. It ties to the six-speed twin-clutch Sportronic gearbox found in the EVO, and feeds all four wheels.

Still, our purist 5-speed manual GTS made a respectable track showing, 0 to 60 in 7.6 seconds, and the quarter mile in 16 seconds at 90 miles per hour.  It was strong off the line and pretty peppy; enough to make the daily drive entertaining.  Throws are short, precise, with a good mechanical feel. 

The Lancer Sportback’s unique MacPherson strut/rear multilink suspension tuning includes firmer shocks and springs, and beefier stabilizer bars.

The car feels light and tossable, but not totally solid.  It’s quick to turn in, with a nimble responsiveness.  Steering is fast enough, but without much feel to it.  And there’s more body roll than expected.  Still, the Sportback is a fun car in a hammer-it-around kind of way. Brakes are four-wheel discs with ABS.  Stops averaged a below-par 137 feet from 60 to zero.  The pedal was soft and spongy and there was a good deal of nose dive.

But any sloppiness at the track disappeared on the street. Over rough pavement, the Sportback is easy on your backside-something many tuned compacts can’t say.

Government Fuel Economy ratings for our Sportback manual are 20 city/27 highway on regular gas. We did even better at 28.1 miles per gallon. The CVT automatic scores almost as well. Our car’s Energy Impact Score is a moderate 17.1 barrels of oil consumed per year, with a Carbon Footprint of 9.2 annual tons of CO2 emitted.

Pricing for the Lancer Sportback GTS is competitive at $19,910.  The more aggressive Ralliart has a base sticker of $28,310. The 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback is a smart and sensible addition to an already robust model line-one that adds excellent interior flexibility to a fun-to-drive series.  For those that want a spirited daily driver but need a practical little hauler, the Sportback is a great two-in-one choice.