I am very passionate about cars and since I am an Asian male, my views of cars may be bias towards Japanese cars. My favorite car is the Lancer Evolution VI. What a pity it is not available here in North America or else I can show my friend a thing or too. Not to bash American cars but the Lancer with slight modifications can whoop any Yankee built cars that is in it's price range and maybe a little higher. Obviously it's not fair to compare the Lancer to American super car like the Saleen S7. Don't get me wrong, Americans built some very capable cars like the Corvette Z06 and Focus but as I mention before, I'm biased towards Japanese Cars. Note that when I'm referring to Lancer, I meant Lancer Evolution not the economy car Lancer.
The Lancer is a very capable car in any weather conditions on or off road due to its long list of technologies. The Lancer has quite a few variations since its debut in 1992. Since its debut the Lancer never stop evolving until the latest incarnation, Lancer Evolution VII. Since version VI is the best one, I am going to focus mainly on it and not the other ones.
This paragraph is about the specifications of the Lancer, so if you don't like being bored to death skip it. Lancer Evolution VI was born on January 1999. It is powered by 2.0 L turbocharged four engine named 4G63. This engine has been serving the Lancer since the first generation. The engine is capable of 280hp and 275lbft at 7000 rpm and 3000 rpm respectively. The turbocharger is the world's first ever titanium turbine with a maximum boost of 1.2 bar. This new technology proved to be very effective in reducing turbo lag. The transmission is a 4WD Ferguson layout with front TorSen, center vicous coupler and rear mechanical. The center differential (epicyclical) has a 50/50 F/R torque distribution. Power is transfer through the wheels with a five speed fully syncromesh five speed manual transmission and single dry plate power assisted clutch. The steering is rack and pinion with variable power assistance. The front suspension is compose of independent McPherson struts lower wishbone (aluminum), coils springs and gas shock absorbers, and an antiroll bar. The rear is a multilink layout with coil springs, gas shock absorbers, and an antiroll bar. Front brakes are ventilated, 320 mm, 4 calipers Brembo. The rear brakes are also ventilated but with 290 mm in diameter and only 2 calipers. The RS was not equipped with an ABS system. The chassis is monocoque and to reduce weight the bonnet is made out of aluminum. The RS rides on 8"x17", 225/45R17 wheels. This whole package weights about 1360 kg (Laden weight). Also, the Lancer is equipped with Active Yaw Control (AYC). This AYC reduces the car tendency to understeer. It accomplishes this by transferring more torque to the outside wheel during mid corner. The Evo VI can go from 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds.
The styling of the VI fits it very well with an aggressive front and a huge bi rear wing (I personally like it very much). With super quick steering and awesome feel, a driver can have great confidence in this car. The steering response is so direct that it is just astonishing. No doubt that the Brembo brakes are class leading with great pedal feel. The cornering abilities of this car is what sets it apart from others. Equipped with AYC, the Evo can go through corners like a cat on a mouse. The grip that is available with this car is unbelievable. This car is very engaging as you can control the car with your right foot to achieve anything your hearts desire (ie. power slide hehheh).
The things that I talked about previously are all the info you can get from any website. Here are my personal thoughts on the Lancer. When I think of the word Lancer I think about ultimate driving machine for a very reasonable price. If you don't agree you can send me an email and we can discuss. I hope that one day i get to test drive the car to know what it really feels like. Some people say that the Lancer has a very stiff ride but I say that if you can't handle it, buy a WRX. This is the ultimate car with no compromise for comfort. That's the way I like it. I also love the Lancer for its sedan shell. People often thinks that sedans are boring and that coupe is where it's at. This Lancer in a way can be very deceiving to the untrained eye.
The Lancer competes in the world famous rally championship the wrc. Under the leadership of Tommi Makinen (driver) it has won 4 consecutive world titles. Proving once again that it's the king of rallys.
A great man once saids:
"The most important thing in a car is its suspension damping and design and the steering. The other things are not as important for enjoying the car in the long term. I am quite sure that this is true for most people. For example, power, acceleration and torque are important, but you can get bored of these things. It is true, you can get bored of these things if the car doesn't have good steering or 'confidence inspiring' handling. I drive the Camry a lot, and it has more power than the Focus, and maybe the same amount as a Sentra SE-R Spec V. The handling isn't as good as a Sentra, and the steering on the Camry isn't as good, but even the high amounts of power of the Camry cannot make it more fun to drive than the Ford. It is fun passing people on Whitemud and passing people anywhere, but most of the passing is done above the speed limit anyways. Down below 60km/h, a manual transmission car with less than 150 hp or so is the same speed as a 6 cylinder sedan. Especially if the smaller engine car has a manual transmission. Once you pass 60km/h, then the more powerful car will blast away, but only on a straight road and on one that both drivers are willing to break the law. "Confidence inpiring" handling is another very important thing. The cars that I have driven so far: Toyota Corolla, Tercel, Protege 5, SE-R Spec-V, 1.7 EL, Echo, these mostly are not natural to drive fast. Of these small cars, the Protege 5 would be the most confidence inspiring and the SE-R Spec-V would be second. The 1.7 EL is pretty low on the list. What does it mean to be "confidence inspiring"? Well it can mean how comfortable you are with cornering hard in the car. I am not used to any of these cars, but even a simple test drive can give you an accurate idea. The Protege has OK steering feel and light steering, the driving position is good, and the pedals modulate well. The SE-R Spec V has not as good steering feel and the car is probably too stiff to handle bumpy corners, especially ones on the freeway entrances or exits where there are large dips. If you were followed by someone in something with a softer but well controlled suspension, then you might get tailgated. Maybe you will say that you don't care and this is better, that it will train you better and develop your skills by driving a car with crappy suspension tuning rather than driving a car with good suspension tuning. And if you like to train yourself like this, then it is the car for you. But if you want to be comfortable going fast, then the SE-R is way too stiff and cannot stick to the road because bumps launch it off the road surface and cause the tires to lose contact with the road and get zero traction. This happened in the 1.7 EL, too, over a bump by Club Fit, and there was a passenger in the rear seat, too! I don't know about you, but the 1.7 EL isn't that refined a ride; it is pretty bumpy. Of these cars, and here I go again, the Focus is the most confidence inspiring. Even though I am used to it, it does really let you feel what the tires are doing and let you know what the car is going to do. The steering is heavier than the ones we tested and has way more feel, even with the 16 tires. And the steering is smooth and well damped. You will understand when you test drive it. And on the highway the handling is very stable. More stable than the 1.7EL and Sentra. Way more stable. Especially in a high speed long turn. You can feel the suspension working and keeping the car on the road. You really have to try it to see what I am talking about and what Autocar is talking about. Did you read CAR magazine this month from Britain? They were giving away car of the year 2003 awards and for the Focus 5 door hatchback they said it was the best family hatch, ever. OK, enough bragging because bragging about it will only make you sick of it and not buy it at all, but at least try it to see what everyone is talking about. Besides the Ford, the Protege will probably give you the most enjoyment. A car with lots of power but bad handling won't make you like the car after a while. There is nothing left to like after the rush wears off. And how is the 1.7 EL refined compared with the Ford? It isn't and is an illusion. The Ford is quieter and rides better. Only the interior trim materials look better, but the switches on the Ford are about the same and probably even better; just try it. And the stereo on the Ford has better sound. Reliability on the Ford is probably better than the Nissan??? And so, even if you won't ever get a crappy Ford, at least just test drive it and see how the steering feels and high speed handling feels compared with other cars in its class. The engine won't rev as high and it is slow, but if you can be more comfortable carrying a higher speed into a street corner than the guy in a Civic, then you will 'win' or whatever, if you don't intend to go against other cars. So at least try the car before you make a decision. The current Focus suspension is so good that they are using the exact same setup for the next generation Focus and will be basing the next Volvo small car on it. The next generation Golf will be using a copy of the Focus suspension, too. So don't worry about it getting out handled, if you care about handling? But you seem to be like those people who like power, like a Camaro guy, and I am not using reverse pyschology here. Just saying it."
Lau J.