[lamborghini]

Bought on the 9th of April,
this car has only been trouble and i am kicking myself for not inspecting it properly.
When we bought it, the first thing we did was put in new 14 inch alloys on Falkens which 400kms down the line were changed to Goodyear Eagle Venturas which have improved the ride.
2 months down the line, the car has only done 1300 kms.
We have had a series of problems related to build quality of which most are sorted out.
They are -
1. Rear armrest does not fit in space allocated to it.
2. Rear right door squeaks.
3. music system not installed properly.
4. misalignment of trunk, rear bumper, rear left tail light, rear light garnish.
But on the plus side, because of this, we are getting leather and a SFXi kit put for half the price (getting it done this 14th).

Apart from this we have faced no other problem.

The few incidents we have faced with it is a drunk coming in the middle of the road and breaking the tail light garnish at 10.30 in the morning.
By the time we parked and got out he was gone.
But it has been replaced now.
Also the dashboard has been scratched which i will be getting touched up.

Since i havent used it for a long time,
i will give a review on the basic stuff.

Looks -
The car looks quite cool and i liked the Ferrari red colour when i saw it.
But i realised that ours was a liquid range car so the car looks a bit ORANGE which is just freaky.
We have put 14inch TRO alloys and are putting an SFXi kit and leather shortly.
I will post pics again.

Ride and Handling -
the ride is a but bouncy but not all that bad.
I have seen worse but generally i sit in the front.
You can feel the difference in the road and small bumps too.
No comment on the handling as i haven't got a chance to try it ( in a safe place)

Engine, gearbox and Performance -
The engine is quite smooth and the gear box is very refined but as the car is still new we haven't got a chance to really see it out properly.

F.E-
Around 8 with a.c. in city afdter first service which is quite bad.
Hope fully, it will improve.

Will give a proper report after 4 months i.e after second service.
Wait for it.

[devarshi84]

Hey Lambo I am waiting for your report.

About the problems some people have mentioned in the quality of the lancer I believe it must be some dealer trouble about parts replacement.

I have a 2004 sfxi with a similar look like the one you have in the pic.Infact I also shot a similar pic and was shocked to see a lookalike here.

I have had no trouble with quality. I got one with a cd changer and leather from the dealers. the dealers in Ahmedabad are also dealers for mercedes and skoda so the quality of service has been no issue.Thought now a new dealeship has taken charge.

About ride and handling and power here is an excerpt from a bsmotoring roadtest from this link where city is a second faster but lancer handles excellent and rides better. I believe its the people who see the numbers as the power for the car who say lancer sux in power.

http://www.bsmotoring.com/1999/99aug07_1.htm

The Honda edges ahead by one full second in the 100 kph sprint too but 11 seconds to nudge the ton is enough to make even Shahid Afridi look pedestrian. What the Lancer loses out on outright acceleration, it gains in sheer driveability. While the high revving Honda engine requires a good driver to take it to the limit, the Lancer is capable of making great drivers out of good ones. The engine is always under control and playing with the accelerator to gain or lose speed is fun with the Lancer. A flat torque curve means you make good headway even in traffic without shifting too much. The Lancer petrol engine is a true all-rounder in every sense of the word.

Lancer makes up in ride and handling what it loses a bit in power.

[lamborghini]

Hey guys,
the car is finally 6 months old and in this six months, the cars faced quite a few ups and downs in my eyes.
In the last 4 months which included a trip to Pune in the car which really impressed us. The car was hell stable. My brother and his family fell asleep at speeds of 160 on th expressway and on the way there we did 185+ kmph speedo read which was quite cool even though it took some time.
The handling and gearbox is just awesome. The gearbox is one of the slikest around and the handling and visibility is also great. The steering is well weighted and because of these reasons, my sister is learning to drive on the car.
The ride too is quite cool. I really haven't sat in this car much (sister is hogging it) but the ride isn't all that bad.
Will be updating that soon hopefully.The interior quality too is quite good but the centre console can be ripped out quite easilt and the plastic used around the deck is quite cheap.
Now for the bad parts.
Our driver scraped the car while removing it out of the parking which looks aweful. It is on door level, where the C pillar meets the body. The paint wasn't removed but the scratch can't be removed. Second thing is that the L plate sorta scraped the bumper removing the paint bit which will be touched up when the car goes or service. We had decided against getting the SFXi kit and leather because of the charges told to us or fixing (almost the price of the kit) and instead got art leather from outside. Now the thing is that the rear seat produces a rattling (not exactly but sort of vibrating ish) and the rear left power window button got pushed inside somehow (no one opens the windows). I am hoping that this is the fault of the seatcovers because i can't help falling in love with the car.
Also a small part of the LHS mirror has come out scraping the paint butit is very minute.
Another thing is the quality of the seats. You can actually feel the other persons feet hitting your back and this is really sad.
Wish HM Mitsubishi would improve. If it is the company's fault, Mitsubishi Japan will be getting a letter from us soon.

Devarshi,
seems like even you have a love affair with your SFXi. How about some pictures.

[lamborghini]

Here are the pics.
No interior pics but the interiors are stock with Ralliart pedals and black art leather.







Enjoy

[devarshi84]

Yes I am in love with my sfxi. It does all the work I need with ease.I have done 160 on the ahmedabad-Baroda expressway. The comfort is superb. The gearbox is so meaty I would rate it over the OHC gearbox.

My car is red sfxi with 2003 grille and looks the same as yours in the pics above. I have changed the headlight bulbs with white lights and it looks real sexy. We got the leather covers from the company at no cost while buying the car. Actually the dealer tricked us by telling that the 1.8 will not be out for sometime now. It was out the next month.But I find the 1.5 to be sufficient.

The FE in city is 12-14.On highways we have also achieved 16-17 occasionally.

The rear a/c vents actually work well(the only car to have rear vents this side of 10lakhs)

I have also experienced the seat thing you mentioned above. Its a very minor effect but I hate it.

just FYI the new lancers have a new center console which is built very well and have colour combinations so the interiors dont looks as drab as before.


you just said your sister is learning to drive the car. U can read on the bsmotoring link above where it says the Lancer competes with the cirt on the track because it can even be driven fast by a newbie. they have just differentiated the sprint to 100 between the 2 cars by 1 second.

I had the option of buying a Skoda octavia 2.0 but I chose the lancer just because it is a lancer and I am not regretting my purchase even a bit.

[devarshi84]

as for the pics I cant post them now as I am in Canada for studies. I will do it once I return.

It would be nice if we can have different Lancer owners describe their lancer love story here.

[GTO]

Devarshi,

Heres a review that I had posted of my Y2000 Lancer on cybersteering ages back :

Theres something about the personality of the Mitsubishi Lancer.This car has got some presence...A well done up Lancer can turn heads wherever it goes,like no other car can.Whats best about the Lancer is that HM offers the very same model made internationally as of today,albeit with a very slightly de-speced engine keeping in mind local fuel conditions.
I purchased my petrol Lancer,a gleaming silver glxi,from Metro Motors,Bombay on the 30th of May,2000.Its definitely worth a mention that the sales staff of Metro Motors was extremely co-operative and efficient in rendering their services to me,whether it was offering us numerous test-drives at our door-step or patiently answering my various queries about the Lancer.
Immediately after taking the delivery of my Lancer, I changed the standard wheels and rims to 14 " alloy wheels alongwith Eagle F1 tyres of size -195/60/14.I also switched over to the best synthetic lube available off the shelf - Mobil 1. I place a lot of importance on the performance of my cars and will never compromise on the essentials.
I have covered approximately 9000 kms, to date, which has helped me to intimately understand the car, its performance, handling and road behavior. The Mitsubishi Lancer excels in the way she handles, even when pushed to the limit. The balance of the chassis is evident in the way she tackles the sharpest of corners imbibing confidence in the driver.The feel and driver satisfaction that one gets is second to none.The Lancer has a lot to offer to its driver with its silky smooth engine.The Flat torque curve ensures that the Lancer is at much at home in bumper to bumper traffic as it is flat out on the expressways…The transformation here being akin to that of Dr.Jekyl and Mr.Hide!! Just like it does its driver,the Lancer also pampers its passengers with unparalleled levels of interior space,ride quality and air-conditioning. The car boasts of a very sturdy build quality and has that 'made to last' feel to it - After the Lancer ,the Honda's doors feel like wafers in comparision.Whats remarkable about this car is the way it balances its razor sharp handling and phenomenal ride quality. A lot of these qualities can be cre! dited to my 14" alloy wheels and soft compound tyre`s but trust me on this one - this kinda rubber is a must for every Lancer.This car is one helluva engineered vehicle - Its shows and how!
My car has been giving me a constant fuel average of 9.5 kms/liter of petrol in the city and 12 kms/liter on the highway which I think is amazing for a car of this size and power.Yes,the spares are frightfully expensive but careful and responsible driving should not see you needing them for a long time.
Moral of the Story - If you can afford it,GO FOR IT!!

GTO

[Boom Shiva]

Hey guys I'm in a bit of a dilemma...

I was planning on modding my 2000 Lancer, but my dad wants me to sell it because he says it's 5 years old and in his eyes it's old. The car's done about 122,000 kms and has been driven very mildly by my driver for most of the time.

After reading GTO's and Lamborghini's reviews on the quality of the new Lancer, it's really put me off buying a new one. However, no other car at the same price has the same class. I checked out the Baleno, and all I can say is, it's a damn good car and great for modding etc etc, but at the end of the day, it's still just a Baleno, and it's damn ugly.

So...after all that rambling, the point is this: should I stick to my current car (which looks in decent shape to me), or should I buy a new Lancer? If not the new Lancer, what would you suggest?

Thanks. Hope i'm not too off topic.

[manson]

no point buying a new car to modd it and a new lancer would be a depreciation disaster, so i'd suggest you to keep your car if you plan to modify it.

manson.

[Boom Shiva]

Yeah but how many years is a Lancer good for in general? Mine's 5 years old already.

[lamborghini]

Our lancer is going for service tomorrow so will keep you guys updated whether teh car has niggling faults or whether it was the seat covers.
Devarshi,
the beige finsh in the new lancer looks real cheap. But in photos it looks awesome.
I like the 2003 grill.
Gto,
didn't know you had a lancer
Boom Shiva,
Get the engine ovehauled along with a suspension overhaul and it will last just fine for the next few years.
If HM drops the prices a bit, then there really is no comparing the Baleno and the Lancer.
It will be the lancer anyday anytime.
If you get a discountof 70K+ on the lancer then you can consider buying a new one and since you live in Mumbai, there was an ad on last ridays times drive for the sale of a 2005 lancer invex.
You can check that out.
Another car you can buy is a second hand mondeo.
The lancer, if you want to keep it will serve you well and the engine can take basic mods like K n N, 15 inch alloys, Free Flow, Poted and Polished head and if you have a bigger budget you can consier TCing it.
One should never see the cars age in terms of years but should see how the car feels. If it still manages to put a smile in your face with it's tight feel, it ain't too old.

[devarshi84]

Hey GTO and Lamborghini don't you think our lancers can support even 16 inch wheels as the body actually belongs to a particular evolution VI model??? do u think ride and handling will be affected? what about comfort?

And GTO the flat torque really helps. Otherwise which car can stay in 5th gear at just 20kmph and still cruise along? And the parts are not expensive anymore after the 60% price drop in spares. My friend recently got the 1.8 and he says the build quality is still amazing. Maybe he too is in love with his lancer.

Hey GTO what is the current status of your lancer???

Boom Shiva the quality of the lancer still remains top notch. But its better you see for yourself at the dealership. It would be worthless to get a new car to just modify it except if the dealer does it for you at the point of sale. Autonova of Ahmedabad gives this excellent option. They cut the price of the parts they replace and hence you get your customized lancer at your price with spoilers k&N and alloys and everything. Go to the dealer and take a test drive of both 1.5 and 1.8.

The parts are not expensive anymore. They are on par with OHC. the lancer wont be a depriciation disaster especially after the price drop. I heard its 6.24 for glxi.please confirm. even the invecs is exciting to drive but maybe a bit expensive. your car is 5 years old but has run more 1,22,000 KMS. I dunno but think that is a but too high to keep the car. I would agree with your dad.

Lamborghini when did u see the beige console? The colour of the centre console I saw was not exactly beige but a bit cremeish white. maybe some new owners car i test drove.

[devarshi84]

the new model is 6.93 . the lancer lx will be available at the same price nationwide. I found the invecs price to be 8.75. please confirm.

the market price of lancer sfxi sits ar 5.25 and vtec is 5.75 for a 2003 model. Now that is not a bad resale price at all.

[GTO]

Devarshi,

The running in my family is very high. The minute the Lancer touched a lac kilometers, it was sold. I do miss that car. Even without the power to match, it did make me feel as special as I do in the Vtec.

GTO

[devarshi84]

Wow! here is a man who has owned both a vtec and a lancer. was yours an sfxi??
what are the pros and cons of both according to you.

Lamborghini yours looks to be a 1.8.what is the FE????

Just wanted to post this. Last month I was in India. Even after 2 years the colour on my lancer is as good as new. The engine is as silent as ever(hardly hear it in the city and at idle). THe leather is a bit dirty now and the interior plastic is now getting a bit shiny as mentioned in the mags and it is bad.

do you think a lxi lancer is an equally good prospect as a nhc especially when it matches in FE and is better in power???? The dealers at mitsubishi will easily underprice the car to sell against the NHC.(just my thought)

only 3 lancer owners??????????? I hoped there must be around 6-7 atleast.





newwwsssss:- the current lancer is being upgraded(not the cedia) to take on the NHC and accent and others. HM people have confirmed complete revisions. This new lancer ins expected in the first quarter next yeat along with the cedia and other SUV"S and MPV's