Review: 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer ES Sportback

The Mitsubishi Lancer is well known to many thanks to its years of success and rally heritage and movie appearances including the Fast and the Furious franchise.

The 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer ES Sportback is the entry-level model for the Lancer range but doesn’t leave you short on technology and comfort items.

Standard features for this car include 7 airbags, active stability control, active traction control, cruise control, Bluetooth hands free, Bluetooth audio streaming, and leather wrapped steering wheel.

The car we tested the manual model and is listed at $17,990 with an excellent 5 Year/130,000km Mitsubishi factory warranty and 1 Year of Diamond Advantage Roadside Assistance. Optional features fitted include reversing sensors, reversing camera and touch sensitive screen.

So with that out of the way, how did it perform?

Initial Impression

The Sportback/Hatch variant of the Lancer seems to hint at its sporty heritage just a little better than its sedan brother. The nose of the car is the most noticeable of all exterior design elements with its aggressive looking lines.

Following through to the rear of the car, the rear spoiler assists with extending the look of the car and avoiding the awkward hatchback rear some cars struggle with.

Moving to the interior as the driver, you’re presented with a leather wrapped steering which gives a nice feel to your hands and enough thickness to give the wheel a solid presence. The dash is clean and adds to the amount of space that you have in the cabin that is already quite spacious for four adults.

Target Market

The Mitsubishi Lancer has grown up somewhat to fill the gap left after the departure of the larger Magna and 380 sedans. That doesn’t mean it has forgot its younger roots.

Thanks to the bigger boot, optional reversing camera and rear parking sensors the Lancer ES Sportback makes a great car for a small family. When you’re not with the kids the Bluetooth audio means that you can rock out to your favorite tunes straight off your phone.

The car does a great job with staying neutral to gender bias, meaning that anybody can get away with driving the car and avoid attracting the wrong type of attention!

Practicality

Practicality is where the Sportback really shines. When compared to the Sedan there are a few extra features that make the Sportback quite versatile. One of those features is the adjustable floor in the boot.

This feature allows more space for shopping and then when you need to lower the 60:40split rear seats, you are able to raise the floor to create a completely flat cargo area.

Up front there are plenty of storage spaces including drink holders in the doorsills, two more cup holders with a cover in the center, a center console, and a space to store your phone. Don’t worry about the back seats having restricted legroom either.

There’s plenty of space for adults who are 6feet tall. Well done!

Drivability

Despite the ES having the smallest engine in the Lancer range. The 2.0litre four-cylinder engine paired with the manual transmission and relatively light car body, is easy to drive in most situations including highway overtaking or simply just wanting to enjoy the unavoidable mountain road to that family reunion picnic.

Surprisingly the manual transmission was very satisfying to use with its mechanical feel and high revving performance. When it comes to fuel economy, the Lancer ES Sportback did quite well taking more excitable driving we did into consideration.

Mitsubishi claims that you’ll achieve 7.3litres/100km and with out freeway driving we achieved close to 7.5litres/100km using 91 Octane Unleaded.

Livability

The advantage of the Sportback model is of course its practicality without losing too much of its Lancer agility. Being an entry-level model you do lose a little of the comfort items including leather seats but with the standard reversing camera, Bluetooth phone and audio capabilities, it makes everyday driving a breeze.

Cost

The Lancer ES Sportback, which we tested, was $17,990 with the manual transmission. At that price point you get a great sized vehicle with a comfortable ride and plenty of options as standard.

When purchasing from Motorama you’ll have a 5 Year/130,000km Mitsubishi factory warranty and 1 Year of Diamond Advantage Roadside Assistance.

If you didn’t know already, Motorama has the largest Mitsubishi dealership in Queensland and chances are that we’ll have the vehicle you want, in the colour you want, when you want it!

Conclusion

The Lancer ES Sportback is the vehicle that doesn’t break the bank to run, drives like a Mitsubishi Lancer should and looks sharp.

When the price is then taken into consideration, you’ll find the Lancer is hard to go past. If this were to be your first Mitsubishi, it will likely be the start of a long-term relationship.

It seems from a dealership perspective, as this is the car that customers keep coming back to time and time again.

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