2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS: Right-of-Center Shifter

It's closer to the driver in Japan, where the car is made...

OK let's here from the BMW enthusiasts. They it designed it this way, right? :)
 
Looks cheesy to me. What is that stuff around the shifter, rubber?
 
Mitsu.... please just exit the US market already.

superbird,
 
Do you have a picture of an MT JDM Lancer (Galant Fortis) interior, or firsthand experience? The only interior pics I can find online aren't MTs.
 
-Sadlier

Depending on how narrow the car is, it may be placed there for ergonomic reasons. There is no rule it has to be smack dab in the middle. Secondly, I am sure you could change the linkage to center it more if that was truly necessary. But given neither you nor anyone else at Insideline have complained about the ergonomics after 16K miles, I assume it is not uncomfortable to shift. YES you are a nitpicker!

I didn't notice it off centre in my Lancer. I wonder if this is just your car?
 
"Call me a nitpicker (hey, it's my job), but this bugs me every time I drive the Lancer."
 
The Lancer's shifting is far too nice to complain about this, haha.

"The Lancer's shifting is far too nice to complain about this, haha."
 
Agree.

Eh, I dunno about "far too nice" -- I would say the shift action is fine, but nothing to write home about. It's not rubbery, but to me it feels kind of disconnected. I like a mechanical, bolt-action feel in a shifter, and the Lancer's doesn't have it.
 
Fantastically forgiving clutch however. People who learn to drive on this car will be spoiled for life.
 
Oh, and karjunkie -- if you were able to shift the linkage, the lever would no longer be centered in the neutral gate. The shifter actually feels perfectly centered with regard to the gates -- if you ripped off the plastic and looked underneath, I'm sure you'd see that the gate area itself is off-center by an inch or two. It's not an ergonomic nightmare by any means, but it does make me reach more to shift than I'd otherwise have to, and that's not cool.

I don't think this is intentional...
 
Look at how the seam for the shifter boot sits right at the center of the opening? That looks to me like that boot was designed for a shifter that sits in the middle, and something is off on your car.

bennetpullen,
 
I would be inclined to agree, except that we had a short-term '09 Lancer GTS MT recently, and it had the same off-center shifter.

Josh: OK, so your issue isn't aesthetics. You do find the ergonomics affected adversely by the position of the shifter then. That is valid and NOT nitpicking. I am surprised however that no one mentioned it after so many tested miles.

karjunkie,
 
Actually I'm a bit surprised too. I noticed it the first time I drove the Lancer -- just neglected to post about it until now.
 
Maybe my colleagues were too busy cheating the wind with that hang-glider/spoiler. :D

The below link has an image of it. Hard to say for sure, but might be canted to the right (i.e. driver side).
 
http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/galant_fortis/performance/per_02.html

Hmm, yeah, almost impossible to tell from that photo. If anything it looks centered to me, which would make no sense.

sbtrue -
 
Don't you have some Real articles to write?
Maybe it's the same as with the Navi screen on the Maxima, which you insisted was canted toward the P-side (it's not, of course): It's all an optimal illusion!
 
Regards,
Snake Doc

Superbird had it right. In Japan, the steering wheel and driver are on the right side. So Mitsubishi moved the shifter slightly to the right (closer to the driver). That's great for them. Not quite so comfortable for us.

greenpiece,
 
That makes some sense in theory, but have you seen photos or had personal experience to back it up?

SBT - you're gonna let snake get away with the "optimal illusion" comment?

...or is that an optical delusion? lol

Suffice it to say that SnakeDoc also refers to vegetarians as "veterinarians," and claims that "grantee" and "lessee" aren't words in the English language.
 
-Sadlier

karjunkie -
 
Roger that!
It's ironical (another sbtruism).
 
SnakeDoc out

Remind me not to use you guys as lifelines when I'm playing Scrabble.

Yup superbird's comment makes sense. Mitsui was probably focusing on right hand drive vehicles(home market, europe) when they did this layout.

I noticed the offset my self.But I think they did this because if the shifter was in the center and you shift into 2nd gear.The shifter would hit the brake lever.