Dear Mitsubishi,
May I humbly introduce to you a rather nifty concept: the tilt and telescoping steering column. It's actually been around for quite awhile. GM came up with it back in the 1960s and Cadillac was the first brand to receive it. Telescoping took a while to catch on, but by the late 1990s, lowly VW New Beetles had them and a majority of vehicles come so-equipped today. And yet, I see that not a single vehicle Mitsubishi sells in the United States comes with this feature...
Subsequently, as a tall chap (6-foot-3) I am forced to drive your Lancer GTS as if I was holding a naked baby who's just consumed three sippy cups of apple juice. I have to pick between nearly locking my arms, or smushing my legs. The Outlander also suffers from this problem, but its elevated driver seats does alleviate the issue somewhat. No luck with the Lancer, which could also use a height adjustment for the front of the seat.
As such, I could never buy this car even though I generally like it as a whole. Perhaps you could phone down to R&D.
Sincerely,
James Riswick, Automotive Editor @ 13,295 miles
P.S. I don't think you got quite enough height on that wing. Perhaps full Plymouth Road Runner would be in order.
phinneas519 says:
10:02 AM, 03/12/08
Hey now, James. Mitsubishi isn't the only auto maker shirking its obligation to the telescoping steering columns. I recall a recent complaint about the Focus in regard to that same problem, not to mention a number of other blogs listing the issue.
I think that letter you wrote should be CCd to a number of other manufacturers.
oldchap says:
10:36 AM, 03/12/08
Ask for the right thing. Ideally, the steering wheel should remain close to the dash so the driver can reach the secondary controls without hunching over from a neutral position. Cars need adjustable pedals more than telescoping steering wheels.
SubyTrojan says:
10:51 AM, 03/12/08
In this regard, the 2008 Subaru Impreza trumps the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer. :o)
louiswei says:
11:07 AM, 03/12/08
"Cars need adjustable pedals more than telescoping steering wheels."
Uh... not really. Adjustable pedals really don't help tall people like James and me (6'1" with super long thighs) the way that telescoping steering wheels do.
The problem for me is that I have to move the seat way back (to make room for my knees) so I'll need the steering wheel to extend in order to find a comfortable position.
jriz says:
11:42 AM, 03/12/08
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Adjustable pedals would be good for me if they went forward enough, but they don't. The only ones I've ever found to be useful for me were in a Jag XJ, which have an insane range of motion.
Furthermore, I don't mind stretching my arms to press a radio button, but steering is an entirely different manner.
dougtheeng says:
12:42 PM, 03/12/08
The lack of telescoping steering wheel just meant that I rarely had 2 hands on the wheel while driving my Lancer.....pretty unfortunate.
orangutan says:
01:00 PM, 03/12/08
Uh, a majority of cars in the U.S. do NOT come with telescoping steering wheels.
daxtripper says:
01:20 PM, 03/12/08
Got a list to back that up?
karjunkie says:
01:29 PM, 03/12/08
As I mentioned in a previous blog on the Scion, I don't understand why all modern cars don't have telescoping steering. If I remember correctly, my first car, a 1960 MGA, had telescoping steering and it was hardly an "advanced" design! The first year of the MGA was 1955, so they were way ahead of GM on this one.
arm51 says:
02:30 PM, 03/12/08
I agree whole heartedly James. How much would it add to the bottom line of a car for it to have a telescoping wheel? It would make those of us who are tall far more comfortable when driving these cars.
ahightower says:
07:14 AM, 03/13/08
This missing feature was one of the big reasons I bought a Mazda3 instead of a Lancer a few months ago. The Lancer actually has nice leg room, and the center console doesn't intrude on knee space like the Mazda does (CX-9 too, evidently). But aside from the knee space, the driving position in the Mazda is perfect, and customizable for both me at 6'3" and my wife at 5'1".
jriz says:
02:18 PM, 03/13/08
That height difference is funny -- its the exact same as my girlfriend and I (she actually owns a 3)
greenpony says:
11:17 AM, 03/14/08
"How much would it add to the bottom line of a car for it to have a telescoping wheel?" We can say that about a lot of things. Like air conditioning, radios, power brakes, air bags (driver's, then dual, then everywhere you can think of), power seats, DVD players, heated/cooled seats, tire pressure monitors, and a million other things. A lot of it is regulation-driven, but a lot of it is consumer-driven too. If consumers demand certain features, it will eventually become impossible (or nearly so) to find anything more expensive than a bicycle without those features. Maybe that's the route that adjustable pedals will take, but IMO it's a frivolous luxury feature.
rugbyman says:
11:54 AM, 03/31/09
It's a sad omision on the more expensive models such as the Lancer Evolution GSR / MR.