Don't be fooled by the name - the Mitsubishi Lancer Equippe isn't a flashy sports car, it's a practical estate which would suit a family or a businessperson. It's a good, solid car that does what it should do, but it's got a Mitsubishi heart. Or at least, a bit of it.
It's not exactly as speedy as most Lancers, or most Mitsubishis in fact. But I'd really recommend it as a family car for a family which is looking for something a bit different. There's plenty of room, and the boot is more than large enough for my tools etc. And whilst it may not be a sports car, it still packs more of a punch than it looks as though it should.
The build quality is top, and the interiors look a bit old-school in my opinion. But it's quirky and mine has been very reliable (I've heard bad things about others, though). All-in-all I'd recommend it, without a doubt.
I had a much smaller Mitsubishi once, so I thought I'd go with them again and buy this Lancer. On the test drive we didn't really get outside of the town so it was a good feeling car at that range of speeds. It is actually a decent enough car, but I think it is not powerful enough for what it costs, to buy and to run.
The Lancer is comfortable for the driver to sit in. I am quite a tall man and this is one of the reasons I got it. But I later found out, when I was being driven on one occasion, that the headroom in the back is much less. This was kind of annoying for me. Still it is generally comfortable inside. It is quite a luxurious car after all, with all the modern things like air con, all the windows are electric, and it has GPS within the car. There is a fancy display right in the dashboard for that as well, which is quite clever really. But at the same time, the temperature controls are nice chunky dials that you rotate for controlling. I like that, not a complicated computer. There is a lot of storage space too, plenty of cupholders and cubby holes dotted around. The glove box is quite spacious and easy to reach. I have been a little distressed by the dashboard though. It is not level, it slopes down, so things will fall off it.
The boot is okay, but kind of surprisingly small relative to the overall dimensions of the vehicle. This is slightly frustrating. The back seats disappear well though, leaving a much bigger space I can fit my bicycle easily inside then. But still the boot door on the Mitsubishi Lancer is an odd shape and it is difficult to fit bulky items in, like chairs. It is kind of a circular shape, which again feels like it is at odds with the total size of the car.
Another thing is, the Mitsubishi Lancer is quite noisy really when at speed. This is again something I did not realise at first. It is just a little slow for a 2 litre engine. It does have power in there, but... just not fully as impressive as it could be. The car also seems poor at handling itself, not just at such high speeds either. These things together have been the main down sides.
Nevertheless I am not the fast driver type really, so I am not disastrously annoyed by these performance factors. I do appreciate the fuel economy especially for this large car. I also like that it apparently scored the top marks in a European safety test, which is a comfort to know.