When it comes right down to it, not many cars actually crack the 30 mpg barrier. That's why I was surprised to glance down and see our 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer registering 31.8 mpg this morning. And that was after some spirited accelerations in early morning wide-open traffic conditions.
I've owned three Mitsubishis over the past decade and I have to say, they've come a long way...
The Lancer, mean while, has all kinds of info in glowing red: temperature, instant MPG, miles to empty, just to name a few things. I really like all that. Not sure how truly useful it is but I like flipping through the menus when I get bored on the freeway.
I do miss the torque when I'm pulling off the line. It takes a long time get it up to 6000 rpm where the fun begins. As a friend of mine said, "You talk about horsepower but you drive torque." Our 2005 Jetta TDI is only 100 horsepower but it has an ocean of torque.
A huge negative for me is the rear spoiler cutting right into the sight-line. Visibility is everything on the freeway and I feel like I'm driving with one-eye closed.
Philip Reed, Edmunds Senior Consumer Advice Editor @12,007 miles
entplaya says:
08:45 AM, 07/26/08
Are you actually achieving a full 31mpg on your drives though? My lancer sometimes registers on the panel that I'm getting 30mpg; however at the end when filling up the tank I've found that I've gotten only 24 - 25 mpg. This is of course in mostly traffic highway driving in the summer - but I'm still a little disappointed in the mpg.