2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS

Ratings

Audio score: 7.5/10

Ergonomics: 8.5/10

Navigation: 9/10

With financial hardship a not-so-distant memory, the resurgent Mitsubishi brand brought much needed changes to its bread-and-butter offering here in the States, the '08 Lancer. Entirely redesigned, the new sedan stalks the tarmac in stimulating body armor - a complete departure from the previous gen that was as bland as white rice. Better yet, spring for the GTS trim and the Lancer emerges as a dynamic, fun-to-drive car with a stylish body kit, sport-tuned suspension, 18" alloy wheels and a prominent rear wing that screams "boy racer." Yes, the new Lancer has changed Mitsu's persona just a bit and that should go far with the brand's revival.

To complement its new digs, the interior landscape of the Lancer supports its sport sedan prowess with clean, simple lines that make sense. Panel gaps are relatively a tight fit, yet the plastic quality and integrity was questionable - as I found out later. Drivers will like the view and feature access of the Lancer's uncluttered dash that flaunts only the HVAC controls and the source unit in the center stack.

Capitalizing on brand-name audio is big these days, and you don't have to look far to see that Mitsu is using a respected moniker to help market this vehicle. Encrusted in the dash above the source unit is a Rockford Fosgate emblem, while the 1" tweeters in the sail panels of the front door have the RF logo embossed within the surrounding silver trim. Pop the trunk and RF is branded again, this time on a 10" subwoofer system bolted to the inside of the left rear quarter panel. The rest of the speakers - 6.5" woofers in the front and 6.5" coaxial in the rear doors - are discreetly mounted behind plastic grilles. This system is part of the $1,500 Sun & Sound package, which also includes power sunroof, Sirius Satellite Radio, auxiliary input and 650 watts of Rockford Fosgate Punch amplification.

Opt for the $2,000 Navigation and Technology package, as equipped in our tester, and you're greeted with some welcome features like the FAST-key entry system and the Mitsubishi Multi Communication System (MMCS). The MMCS consists of a 30GB HDD navigation system complete with an AM/FM tuner and CD/DVD player, 7-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth and Digital Music Server that allows you to rip music media to the hard drive. And yet, the MMCS is vastly more than that. Like many upscale vehicles, it uses integrated communication tools to inform the driver of an array of information from the vehicle like fuel economy and average driving speed, as well as outboard environmental information (temperature, barometer, altimeter, etc.), electronic maintenance schedule, calendar and air conditioner settings. As if that weren't enough, the MMCS uses Mitsu's ETACS system that allows its user to set preferences to all of the vehicle's electronic devices, such as the wipers, alarm system, door locks and interior lights. For a vehicle that's roughly $22,000 fully decked out, its feature-rich set is certainly impressive.