Wingless wonder

It's what the Mitsubishi Lancer ES doesn't have that makes it such a nice drive, says DAVE MOORE.

I hate boot spoilers. For me, there are few nuisances worse than the presence of a metre and a half or so of plastic in my peripheral vision when I turn my head, or the feeling that I'm being followed by a low- flying aircraft every time I look in my rear view mirror.

And don't tell me they're there for aerodynamic purposes, because if you're driving quickly enough for these appendages to function effectively, then you shouldn't be on public roads.

True, some cars require wings so that the homologated race versions of the same machine can be used in competition, but the numbers needed don't require the whole production run to use them, surely.

Thus, while I can forgive Mitsubishi's Lancer for having what looks like small biplane crashed into its boot in fire-breathing Evo X form, I'm afraid the run of the mill, un- turbocharged, cooking or family versions look, to me, simply naff.

On these cars, they resemble a wannabe's attempt to be something they're not. Like a vicar in a Metallica T-shirt.

Which is why I enjoyed a few days with the Lancer ES model recently. It's at the bottom of the Lancer pecking-order, and like its slightly posher range-mate, the SX it has no spoiler to, er, spoil the effect, from inside or out.

Thus it's possible to assess the car for what it is, rather than have a great plank menacing you all the time and colouring your opinion. (Just because a wing's always following me doesn't mean I'm paranoid, does it?)

It doesn't lack for much else. True, it has plastic trims on plain steel hoops instead of alloy wheels, but once the car is moving, you can't tell what its footwear consists of. If it's important to you to show "sporty" alloy rims when you're stopped next to your own reflection in a shop window, then maybe you'll also be happy to spend money to add weight to your car (and its fuel consumption, slightly) by opting for a model with a spoiler on it. Ah, well.

To be fair to Mitsubishi, higher up the Lancer range, in VR form, the spoiler is only a vestigial one, barely there at all. It's only when you go up to the VRX variety that Baron Von Richtofen appears to have crashed into your tail. Also, the sedans can be eschewed should you wish for five- door hatches at the same price if you don't mind losing some load space.

But for me, even in Japanese racing white, the naked ES sedan is a sharp-looker, and that goes for the inside too. Even though the ES's basic patterned and plain cloth is not as plush as the trim in some models on higher rungs on the Lancer ladder, it's similar to the fabric used to good effect by Volkswagen's mid range Golfs - and they ask at least $10,000 more for the privilege.

It could be said that the ES Lancer has everything you do want and little that you don't. The air conditioning, cruise control and ABS boxes are all ticked, along with those for traction control and an electronic stability programme, and although side and curtain airbags are deleted from the car's specification, you still get the usual front bags and one for the knees.

When you see that the ES is priced at $27,990 with manual transmission and $29,990 with Mitsubishi's CVT, it would be cynical to suggest that the specification cuts ensured that both versions managed to duck under the $30,000 bracket. Cynical, but probably right on the button.

While a 115kW, 201Nm 2.0-litre four is hardly the stuff to ripple the roadway, in the Lancer it makes a fine fist of things. The road test car, with CVT - which would be my personal choice and worth the extra $2000 - managed a hand-timed nine-second 100kmh clocking. Being a real smoothie, the car didn't feel as quick as that, but repeated times of that nature were possible with the gear lever put in D and the transmission left to its own devices.

And that's the way I like to drive it. You can move the lever fore and aft to slip between pre-determined steps in the CVT's gearing. However, with the D setting able to keep the engine running well within its best torque range, there seemed little point in doing your own lever- waggling.

Managing torque so well means that you won't use that much more gas than you would with a manual gearbox. Mitsubishi says the ES will average about 8.2L/100km and I'd guess it would have to be someone with a heavier right foot than I who'd use substantially more than that.

While the engine performs with smooth aplomb, with the added refinement of the CVT reinforcing this, it's not a quiet car if you're sitting in the rear. Some road noise does encroach for those in the back seat, but curiously if there are two good-sized adults on that three-seat bench, it's a deal quieter. That's according to the people themselves - and from experience, they do notice these things!

Ride quality is pleasant, though, and those 15-inch rims will have helped here, while handling is tidy and accurate, without feeling over- assisted in the steering, which is of the electrically powered variety.

The car's heating, ventilation and air conditioning system is of the simple set and forget type. In ES specification and in the SX model above it, the Lancer offers only a single CD and radio sound system with MP3 compatibility and four speakers. For anything more than that you'll have to march up to the VR specification model which asks $5500 more.

But the standard ES system worked well enough and at a 100kmh cruise, it had no problem giving out a quality sound.

It's not hard to like the bargain basement Lancer. It doesn't pretend to be anything more than an honest to goodness, well-priced family sedan, with room for four - or five if you know each other well - a decent sized boot, and a very effective drivetrain.

It doesn't look too bad either - thanks to the omission of that aerodynamic wing that it can't take advantage of legally anyway.

LANCER ES

* Drivetrain: Transverse FWD fuel injected 1998cc DOHC 16-valve four, producing 115kW at 6000rpm and 201Nm at 4250rpm. Five-speed manual or six-step CVT.

* Performance: Max 201kmh, 0-100kmh 9 secs, 8.2L/100km, 191g/km CO2.

* Dimensions: L 4570mm, W 1760mm, H 1490mm, W/base 2635mm, F/track 1530mm, R/track 1530mm, Weight 1305-1335kg, Fuel 59L.

* Pricing: Lancer ES $27,990 (manual), $29,990 (CVT). Other Lancers from $31,500 to $50,990.

* Hot: Neat simple looks; refined - in the front; pricing; easy to drive.

* Not: Hard dash plastics; road noise in the rear; no bluetooth.

* Verdict: Honest car shines in the under $30,000 bracket, offering much for the money.

* FOOTNOTE: A reader rang to complain that his car's spoiler made it harder to open the boot. He'd noticed this as his previous car, the same model (not a Lancer, incidentally) had no such device and the boot lid would spring fully-open as soon as he pulled the release lever.

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