A recount of one of my family’s more recent ex-cars. No turbo, no issue – except for renewal.
The three-pointed star has had a strong bond with my family. Up to now, we’ve owned at least three cars from Mitsubishi, with this Mitsubishi Lancer EX GLS being the nice middle-child of our history with the brand. So don’t mind that I take a short trip back in memory lane to remember this car that went away not too long ago…
We took over this car… sometime before the pandemic. Whenever it was, we were not the owners who chose to renew the car with five years.
Where many of these Lancers were lain in messy modifications trying to imitate an Evolution, this unit was very original. Only the center caps were changed, which were basically taken by some shop that didn’t really respect its customers very much.
The wing and most of the “convenient” additions were done by us. I recall installing the wing along with my father and then taking it for a test run down Yishun Avenue 8 before the Dam. A noticeable whistling sound could be heard, and we eventually found out that the wing could have flew off… fun.
As for the horns, it was to match the Black Mica exterior among other things. For what it was, it didn’t outright ruin the look of the car, and the pre-facelift Lancer was already a pretty saloon to begin with.
The 2-litre MIVEC four-cylinder 4B11 engine was decently punchy and certainly a good basis for the Lancer Evolution X that used the same engine with turbocharger. In naturally aspirated form in the Lancer EX, it was good for 152 horsepower at a high peak at 6,000RPM while torque was ample at 198Nm at 4,250RPM.
The EX GLS wasn’t fast by any recent means at a quoted 0-100km/h of 10 or so seconds, but mind you, this car taught a lesson that if it feels fast, its good enough.
The transmission despite being a Continously-Variable Transmission (CVT) was actually a decent pair with the 2-litre. The CVT was the INVECS-III transmission with six gears with paddle shifters, which eliminated most of the associated whurr of a CVT, kept in line with conventional upshifts and downshifts – paddle shifters optional to the motoring joy.
Fuel economy was fine in our time of ownership – the best being an average of around 11.49 kilometres per litre.
The interior was quite fuss-free. It was definitely Mitsubishi – cheap, vinyl but supportive seats, ample room and fake carbon trim around the cabin. It was inoffensive at least and sporty at most. I recall being curious at the red screen in the middle of the gauge cluster – a design cue that Mitsubishi brought over into their newer cars like the Eclipse Cross.
At a time, we were loaned a newer facelift Mitsubishi Lancer 1.5 in blue when the car was in for either servicing or repairs. The quality just felt lower overall, lacking was the powertrain which felt gutless and more CVT-like. Supposedly, the 1.5 models received a four-speed CVT – no wonder the 1.5 was worse off!
It would seem that the 2-litre 4B11 and INVECS-III CVT with 6-speed manual select was the way to go, which these days seem to be scarce – the 5-speed manual EX GTs still remain but are either hugely modified and/or a struggle to sell off even in unmodified guise.
I most recall a Nissan GTR owner showing us his pop and bangs around the same stretch in Yishun and my father chasing a Lamborghini down CTE. At a time when I weren’t yet that infatuated (or numb) to car ownership, these were highlights of the time.
It was overall a nice piece of motoring. My family decided to upgrade around 2021 and before the COE of the Lancer would expire. Its replacement came as another Cycle & Carriage-supplied manufacturer to another.
Its a shame that Mitsubishi has since exited the Singapore market. Though when their memorable new car for sale was the Attrage, its easy to see why Mitsubishi eventually “failed” in Singapore.
Once upon a time when C&Cs Mitsubishi lineup comprised of selling the real Lancer Evolution VI TME (Tommi Makinen Edition) or the Airtrek Turbo-R or even this sporty yet simple everyday car, it really is a far cry opposed to what Mitsubishi offers now. With this much ties and love for the brand, I really hope that Keisuke Kishiura, the current president of Mitsubishi Motors, will one day be able to resurrect the Lancer Evolution.
~Efini
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