A Mitsubishi year?
I’m too young to remember with fondness the era of the box-type Lancer since I was a little too busy playing with my Transformers back then, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the Lancer. Maybe it’s my tendency to side with the underdog but since the mid-90’s, I’ve rooted for the Lancer while admitting to the arguable superiority of the Honda Civic (when it came to sophistication) or the Toyota Corolla (when it came to no-brainer reliability). You see, I pretty much learned to drive on a 1995 Lancer GLXi, and in hindsight, it was probably the best car to learn the art anyway. It had a decent drivetrain, lovely handling thanks to that multilink suspension, and a fun-to-drive yet forgiving nature that saw me through several near misses and spin-outs without a single scratch (youth makes one drive stupid, no?). Oh, and that car is still ticking even now, having been passed on to my brother. It’s had the clutch, the tie rods, the radiator, and the A/C compressor replaced, but those were all normal wear-and-tear issues in its 12 years of use (and abuse).
The model that succeeded it was bigger and more refined but, let’s face it, a stylistic letdown compared to the Civic, the Altis, the Ford Focus, and the Mazda3. A 2-liter GT version late last year added some fun factor but by then the car was feeling old compared to the all-conquering Civic. So, it’s understandable that one of the biggest crowd drawers in the recent 1st Philippine International Motorshow was the preview of the new generation Lancer. I’d seen this car in the Internet already and thought it looked like an edgy take on the Italian Lancia, and seeing it in the flesh confirmed my initial impression: it absolutely rocks. It has a 2-liter engine with variable valve timing, a 5-speed manumatic with magnesium paddle shifters, 18-inch wheel and tire setup, and a Rockford Fosgate audio system. When this car comes out in a few months, my fearless prediction is that it will bring the house down.
And that brings me to my even more fearless assessment: Mitsubishi is truly back, and in a big way. For the past several years, its bread and butter consisted of commercial vehicles like the Adventure AUV and L200/Strada pickup truck. Decent vehicles, sure, but hardly worth crowing about. At around the same period, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation was on a continued downtrend worldwide with lackluster performances by its passenger cars and SUVs. Mitsubishi, it seemed, couldn’t sell its products the way Honda could move its Civic/CR-V/Accord lines, or
Until, that is, it got its act together. Act I was last year’s introduction of the Strada pickup truck: big, strikingly good-looking (if you’re into the futuristic look), and surprisingly comfortable to drive for a workhorse. At the motorshow, it was updated with a 3.2-liter engine to address gripes about the 2.5’s lack of low-end torque.
Act II was the release of the Outlander/Pajero/Endeavor SUVs. The Outlander looks great, is packed with features, and has no shortage of horsepower: three issues that the first generation lacked. The new-look Pajero has been retuned for a softer ride, looks more up-to-date, and has an improved V6 engine, making it one of the best full-size SUVs today. Meanwhile, the Endeavor is a viable alternative for those shopping in the Ford Explorer as it’s principally designed for the US-market, meaning a soft ride, torquey drivetrain, and lots of space. To counter the dominance of the Toyota Innova, Mitsubishi rolled out Act III: the Fuzion. More refined than the average AUV but not as expensive as an SUV, we’re seeing more and more of these wagons on the road.
And then it did that preview of the new Lancer at the motorshow, sort of like a movie trailer designed to make buyers hold on to their wallets until it becomes available. During the press drive of the Outlander/Endeavor/Pajero trio last summer, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines’ VP for Marketing Mel Dizon cheerfully announced that, after years of being in the red, Mitsubishi (global) had finally turned a profit thanks to cost-cutting here and there, and better, much more sellable products. 40.2 billion yen of profit, in fact.
This is all heartening news, not because I have a vested interest in Mitsubishi (I don’t. Heck, my daily driver is a Honda.), but because as a car enthusiast, I like to see players improve in the game. As one of the biggest players in the industry, positive performance signifies an industry on its way back up after years of decline in the post-1997 Asian financial crisis and Erap years. That Mitsubishi is doing so by way of aggressively introducing new products despite the relatively small volumes of several models (how many Eclipses and Endeavors do you really think they’ll sell?) is something to applaud.
Instead of churning out facelifted models and relying on promos to move inventory, it’s rolling out new ones and, more importantly, genuinely interesting ones too. It all adds up to an increasingly competitive market, one that compels the rest to respond with their own interpretations of the “better choice” for us consumers. In the end, we get a ton of value for our hard-earned money. Can you imagine, just 10 years ago we’d have wept for joy to get standard keyless entry in our cars, and now they’re throwing in paddle shifters?
Whenever Lester Dizon tackles the oh-so-sensitive subject of motorcycle riding in the
To Mr Lester Dizon: Thanks for writing those things that bikers are facing these days. – 09198661759
Lester, I salute you for voicing out our bikers’ concerns. Ride safe, everybody. – 09157869530
Kudos to you Lester, on this wonderful piece you wrote – Pogipoint
Totoo naman na karamihan po ngayon mg mga bikers ay mga siga sa kalsada. – 09274256909
There are good drivers and riders, and there are bad drivers and riders. There are sensible ones and there are ***** ones. Each mode of transport has it’s own benefits and disadvantages, and each driver and rider is responsible for THEIR conduct on the road. If we all work TOGETHER to solve these issues, there’s no longer any need to blame anybody. – Dave
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