Can you still find a Mitsubishi Lancer?

The Mitsubishi lancer is a subcompact sedan that has been discontinued in Australia in 2018 due to some financial issues faced by the company. The Lancer was targeted to compete against subcompact sedans from other big brands. It did beat its competition by providing a lower price tag. Lancers are fairly reliable and inexpensive cars to maintain and do come up with all the basic bells and whistles necessary for a daily commuter. Mitsubishi's Lancer was first introduced in the Australian market in 2007 and was quickly adopted by the people.

The basic Lancer comes with a basic 2-liter, 4-cylinder DOHC 16 valve engine. It produces around 150bhp along with 200 Nm of peak torque. The power is sent to the wheels with a manual or a CVT transmission. This vehicle was offered in 3 variants, the ES being the basic trim, VR the mid-spec, and the VRX, which was the top-of-the-line variant. The VRX variant received some sporty bits than the rest trims and got a rear spoiler, front apron, side skirts, and 18-inch alloy wheels. The aggressive pricing and decent options on all Lancer trims helped it capture the market fairly in Australia.

A beefed-up version, the Lancer Evolution 10 was also launched in Australia, which came with an exceptional all-wheel drive system, a turbocharged engine, and a fast DCT transmission from the rally. The Evolution X is among one of the best performing modern rally cars in the World Rally Championship. The turbocharged Evolution X was capable to do 0 – 60 mph in 4 seconds. Although the original lancer was much slower than the Evo X still Its launch attracted the younger audience in buying the budget-friendly Mitsubishi Lancer.

The Lancer was also light on the pocket in terms of fuelling and maintenance. The sedan with its economical powertrain provides a decent fuel mileage of 7.3L per 100 Km. The lancer may not be as long-lasting and reliable as the Toyotas and Hondas, but it does around 100-150 k miles without a major deal.

Lancers have had a few known faults over the years related to its transmission control module, brake booster, MAP sensor, wheel alignment, and a blower motor. A number of Lancer owners have faced the failure of the components as mentioned above, so the car does have some weak points from the factory. Lancers are also reported to have poor paint jobs that result in paint chipping off the surface quite earlier than normal. No doubt Mitsubishi had to do some cost-cutting on components around the car to put forward such aggressive pricing, but it needs to also work on providing a trouble-free experience to the end-user.

It is highly recommended that when buying spare parts for your Lancer, always purchase genuine spare parts rather than some of the poor quality aftermarket parts available in the market. In critical mechanical and electronic components, genuine OEM parts are generally more reliable than any other alternative on the shelf. You can find most of the Lancer’s OEM parts available at official dealerships, third part marketplaces like eBay andFox-Listed, local car wreckers, and even from third party sellers on online forums.

Even though Mitsubishi has decided to discontinue the Lancer, they are still available on the second hand market, and with any luck, we may just see a return of the Lancer in the future.

Chak Sar is a young aspiring automotive writer with a passion for all things mechanical.