After last week’s announcement that the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback will make it to the U.S. , the debut of the Prototype S at this yearâs Geneva auto show was a little more interesting. Normally we donât get the hatchback version of anything, but this five-door Lancer should be in dealers by the end of the year.
This may be labeled a prototype, but itâs about 95 percent of what youâll see in the production version. The Evolution hood wonât stay, and neither will those headlights or the 19-inch wheels and tires. And donât expect to see Orange Metallic Flake on the color sheet either. What you can expect is the same lineup of engines currently offered on the standard Lancer sedan along with a little extra cargo room in back.
Will there be an Evolution version to take on the Subaru WRX STI hatch? Donât count on it. –- Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line
rick8365 says:
09:02 AM, 03/ 4/08
We do need more nifty 5 doors like this here in the US.
ateixeira says:
09:24 AM, 03/ 4/08
I agree, but it's a shame it doesn't look more like the concept.
redliner says:
09:28 AM, 03/ 4/08
At least it looks better than almost any other small 5 door.
The twin-tips look nice too.
smortensen says:
09:51 AM, 03/ 4/08
It's not going to have the hood...?
So it won't have the rest of the ralliart stuff that sits under it either then 'eh?
dougtheeng says:
10:44 AM, 03/ 4/08
I think the back end is very strange....something definitely was lost in translating the current Lancer tail into this hatch.
orangutan says:
10:49 AM, 03/ 4/08
Who cares if there's going to be a full-blown Evo? Yeah, the Evo is nice, but both it and the STI are overpriced. I'll take the five-door in Ralliart form.
calmb4thestrm says:
01:29 PM, 03/ 4/08
That thing looks waaaaay better in person than in that ugly preview picture that mitsu showed us.
Shame on them!
estreka says:
03:25 PM, 03/ 4/08
I still think it looks pretty hot. If I were in the market, I'd consider it.