Mitsubishi Lancer SE AWD

SPECIFICATIONS

1. New for 2012 the Lancer SE adds the brand’s All-Wheel-Control AWD system. 2. Also included in the package are 16-inch wheels, plus heated seats and mirrors. 3. A 4WD Lock mode sends 70 percent of the torque to the rear wheels. 4. Pricing for SE models starts at $20,195.

PREVIEW

In 2007 Mitsubishi sold nearly 129,000 cars in the United States – their best year ever.  Since then the Japanese automaker hasn’t reached the 100,000 mark. But they are making an effort, however small, to change that by introducing the Lancer SE model for 2012.

INTERIOR

The interior is, how shall we put this . . . basic. Nothing fancy here. Lots of hard plastic everywhere, including the doorsills, armrests, console, dash and door trim. The headliner is just a bit plusher than cardboard, and the car feels and sounds tinny, when opening or closing the doors or trunk. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of sound deadening materials, and the cabin is noisy on the road. 

The driver looks at your basic two round gauges, with an info screen offering limited info, and just a few brightwork trim bits to break up the look on the dash. Our car had the $2,295 optional and overpriced Nav system and radio package with no knobs to control anything, just rocker switches, which are more complicated than necessary. Fortunately, the heat and air conditioning controls are a three knob affair and quite easy to operate.

A 12-volt outlet on the base of the center stack with a cubby to hold any device you’ll plug in is welcomed and redundant radio controls are located on the steering wheel in addition to the cruise controls.  We will give high marks for the comfort of the front seats, and the cloth fabric is both handsome and pleasant to the touch. The heated seats also work very well.

The car soaks up bad pavement reasonably well and corners decently without too much body roll, or protest coming from the 16-inch wheels and tires. Steering feels a bit numb, and while the brakes are good, there is a fair amount of front end dive when applied hard.

                        

UNDER THE HOOD

This model is designed to appeal to the large cold and snowy mid-section of the country by adding the brand’s sophisticated and proven All-Wheel-Control AWD system to the standard Lancer. The model also gets heated seats, and heated mirrors, and is priced at a very reasonable $20,195. 

The SE is powered by the company’s 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine with a solid 168 horsepower at 6000 rpm, and 167 lb-ft of torque at 4100 rpm. Those numbers won’t produce neck-snapping acceleration for this rather hefty 3,120 lb sedan, but it is adequate to keep up in traffic. The engine is, however, somewhat noisy when pushed hard.

Fuel economy is rated at a decent 22 mpg city, and 29 highway, thanks in part to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).