Leigh

Just for some info, as milege seems to be of concern to some (me included).

The 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart is fitted with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four cylinder engine, mated to a six-speed twin-clutch Sportronic Shift Transmission (SST) and full-time all-wheel-drive system. The inline four produces 237 horsepower (HP) and 253 foot pounds of torque.



The EPA’s fuel economy estimates for the AWD 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart are 17 city / 25 highway miles per gallon (MPG).


We put roughly five hundred miles on the odometer of our Rotor Glow orange metallic review unit and had no problem slipping past the official mileage estimates with an average of 27.8 MPG on the Interstate highway and 22.1 MPG combined.
Overall test period temperatures ranged from the low-seventies to the high-eighties, with Interstate highway testing temperatures in the mid-eighty degree range.



Interstate Mileage Testing:

Cruise control set to 68 MPH, A/C off, windows up (1-inch gap): 28.0 MPG
Cruise control off, target speed 60-72 MPH, A/C off, windows up (1-inch gap): 28.5 MPG
Cruise control set to 68 MPH, A/C on, windows closed: 27.3 MPG


The Ralliart’s intercooled single-scroll turbo cranks up the inline four, as it delivers plenty of punch to motivate the 3462 pound (curb weight) sedan, while the SST transmission knocks out rapid fire shifts.


This one’s on rails. Mitsubishi’s full-time All Wheel Control system gets all that power to the road via an automatic center differential that deals out the torque to the front (helical) and rear (mechanical) limited slip differentials.


Switching modes between Tarmac, Gravel, and Snow covered roads is a push-button affair. Driver controls are excellent. The Ralliart’s leather-wrapped sport steering wheel puts Bluetooth, audio, and cruise controls safely and conveniently within the driver’s grip. The Sportronic transmission’s steering wheel column-mounted Magnesium paddle shifters are top-notch.


Our review unit was equipped with the Recaro Sport option package, which includes Recaro front bucket seats, high-intensity discharge headlights, and a 9-speaker, 650-watt Rockford-Fosgate Punch sound system, Sirus Satellite Radio, a six-CD in-dash head unit, and a 10-inch trunk mounted subwoofer.


While the Recaro seats keep you snug between the bolsters, they do not provide heating or lumbar support. Seat adjustments are limited to fore/aft and recline. There’s plenty of legroom for tall drivers.


There are two power outlets: one at the base of the dash and the other inside the center console. The audio system provides a basic audio-in jack. There is no USB iPod input. Our test unit was not equipped with the optional Navigation Package, which includes a 40GB HDD Digital Music Server.


Is that a subwoofer in the trunk, or a Marshall amp?


The Fast-Key allows automatic unlocking and a power trunk release. With the subwoofer in the trunk, the cargo area provides 9.1 cubic feet of space. (Count on 10.0 cubic feet of storage, sans subwoofer.) The 60/40 fold-down rear seats allow for a flexible arrangement of cargo and passengers. We found the seating to be reasonably comfortable for four, with plenty of headroom.


The Ralliart’s Multi-Information LCD display provides two trip meters, coolant temperature, outside temperature, service reminders, and range to empty, along with average and instant fuel economy data.



We always recommend driving with the instant fuel economy display active, in order to develop a light-footed driving technique that gets the greatest amount of mileage out of every gallon of fuel.


The 14.5 gallon gas tank provides an average range when driven conscientiously. The turbocharged four cylinder engine is designed to run on Premium Unleaded (91 octane) fuel.


All-in-all, the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart is a trusty steed, well-suited to a variety of road conditions. This all-wheel-drive sports sedan delivers a level of performance that one would expect in a much more expensive vehicle, and with reasonable fuel economy, to boot.

http://www.mpgomatic.com/2009/08/10/...lliart-review/

akj237

iTrader: (2)

Good article. I can't say I'm getting that kind of mileage although I have had the A/C on a majority of the time which won't help fuel mileage.

millertime

I had no idea that driving with the windows cracked (1-inch like they said) yields better gas mileage.

Edit: So I just did some googleing on this, couldnt find too many results for having A/C on + windows cracked at freeway speeds. Anyone care to explain why this combination would yield better results then with the windows all he way up? Seems like it would throw off the aerodynamics in the car, although it is making it easier on the A/C?

505RA

iTrader: (1)

this is gonna sound stupid, but i have the recaro and nav package , does that mean that i have a 6 disc changer? i thought it was only a single disc?

hernandez706

Maybe i'm wrong, but I think that if you get the nav, you're getting rid of the CD changer. I only have the recaro package, and I DO have the CD changer.

sith_killer_99

iTrader: (2)

The 6 disc comes with the "Sport Package (Recaro)" from Mitsu website:

Ladogaboy

iTrader: (1)

This is how I understand it: The A/C unit steals horsepower from the engine, causing it to burn more gas. Having the windows rolled all the way down creates drag, which makes the engine work harder. I'm guessing that having the windows cracked minimizes the drag... I guess the best of both worlds. *shrug*

But I can say that those numbers are pretty close to what I'm seeing in my daily driving. I do leave the A/C on most of the time.

robertg

iTrader: (1)

I haven't been using the AC much but I do like to use the Sportronic Shift and this doesn't give you fuel economy. I'm getting sub 17 easy like this doing city driving, ouch.

Letting the computer do the shifting and keeping a light foot on the accelerator pedal with stop and go city driving I can get around 22MPG.

Seawolf

I think you mis-read the statements. It says:

1. A/C off, windows at 1" gap, cruise control
2. A/C off, windows at 1" gap, manual control
3. A/C on, windows closed, cruise control.

There is no A/C on, windows down mode. My understanding is for speeds over 65Mph, having the A/C on yields better results than having the windows open (fully). But you have to be going fast, such that the coefficient of drag plays a big role in the calculation of MPG. [This is because CoD is an exponential equation, for you Engineers like me =) .] Otherwise, at lower speeds, rolling resistance is having more influence on MPG so keeping the windows down doesn't make much of a difference, whereas the load the A/C compressor introduces to the engine is static.

millertime

Wow, your right, I did read that wrong... Thank you lol

DRWiddifield

This article is from Australia where fuel mileage is based on the Imperial Gallon which is basically 20% larger then the US Gallon (4.546 liters versus 3.785 liters). Thus the greater distance per gallon for the Lancer Ralliart as stated in Australia compared to experience in the US.

Leigh

This article isn't Australian. We don't use cubic feet, HP, foot pounds of torque, inches or MPG.

The pic clearly shows a left hand drive RA, and the links under the article references models Australia doesn't get and uses the term "gas" instead of "petrol".

Ladogaboy

iTrader: (1)

Well, at least it got the part about macadamia nuts correct... oh, wait.

ralliartblitz

I got 35.4mpg on my ralliart. SERIOUSLY. That's not computer estimate - thats filling up the tank.

Just did straight highway mileage with cruise control locked at 58mph.