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Even further image leakage is dripping onto the [Internet] floor, and Carscoop 's there to scoop it up. Sketches of a new Mitsubishi Lancer S hatchback model are hitting the net, and I have to say it looks even better than the sedan does. Offering a five-door, sloping hatchback is absolutely necessary in sedan-averse countries in Europe, like the UK, France and Italy. It's the reason why Subaru's Impreza wagon became more of a traditional two-box hatch this time around. Mitsu is doing the right thing by following suit. It should have the same turbocharged 2.0-liter engine pumping well over 220 horses to an advanced, Evo-style AWD system. Juiced? Wait till the Geneva show March 4 to see it in the metal. Or, you know, before.15 Comments on “Mitsubishi Lancer S Hatchback Hits the Net...”
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Change up the front end the tinniest bit. Offer it in FWD and AWD, with one FWD and the only AWD option being a detuned version of the turbo four in the new Evo. Call it the Eclipse.
Having never been, I’m curious as to why many European markets do not favor a sedan over a hatchback. Would they be driving C/SUV’s if road’s were larger and fuel was less expensive?
Virtual Insanity> Great idea! To me, an Eclipse is just not an Eclipse without a turbo. This bloated crap they have now isn’t bad looking, but I just can’t go for the N/A v6 thing.
N85523: Would they be driving C/SUV’s if road’s were larger and fuel was less expensive?
I think that’s a big part of it. To me (an American) a notchback sedan is an inherently crippled design. I don’t know why anyone would prefer a sedan unless they also had a *UV for bringing home anything too large to fit through the rear doors or in the trunk. Compact CUVs provide no advantage whatsoever over midsize hatches, so I very much understand where Europe is coming from.
Maybe I’m just in the minority, though.
Axel: I totally agree. Cars such as the Civic are crippled by their sedan design. In order to provide more back seat room they have not only reduced trunk space but also only offer a tiny trunk opening. The hatch solves all the problems by providing more room, easier loading and the ability to fold down the back seat for even more cargo room.
I don’t know why most folks in the US don’t like hatches because they do seem to like SUVs and SUVs are just oversize hatchbacks.
While I agree that a hatchback (or better yet, a station wagon) is ever so much more practical than a traditional sedan or coupe with a trunk, a sedan or coupe with a conventional trunk is almost always quieter than a hatchback.
There is the perception that items placed in a conventional trunk are safer from theft than those in the storage area of a hatchback. Partly because they are out-of-sight, and also because it is more difficult to break into a trunk than it is to break a window and just reach into the storage area of a hatchback.
Cargo area covers (to keep items out-of-sight) for hatchbacks and station wagons are usually a nightmare of installing and un-installing extra panels.
I think hatchbacks suffer from poor marketing. We need someone like Arnold to trade his Hummer and G-Wagen for a Toyota Matrix and a Golf.
I agree with Axel & carguy that a coupe or sedan offers no advantages over a hatchback. I suppose you only need one if you have something you really need to hide. Based on the contents of my friends’ trunks, dirty gym bags and old issues of Maxim don’t count. But I suppose here in the US you need to call a hatch a “crossover” to have it sell (trust me, the Infiniti EX35 is a tall hatchback, not an SUV).
I hope this makes it into production by the time I’m on the market to buy. I like the current design of the Lancer, especially the Ralliart, but until now I didn’t have it on my list of potential cars simply because it came only as a sedan.
Johnster: Cargo area covers (to keep items out-of-sight) for hatchbacks and station wagons are usually a nightmare of installing and un-installing extra panels.
I have a rollup cargo cover for my Mazda6 wagon, and it’s not a hassle to use at all. Takes about 1 minute to install, and is unobtrusive enough that I leave it in most of the time.
I love hatches.
Wife had a mitsubishi when we got married. We aren’t going down that road again. I would sooner buy a GM. After a couple decades I forget most of those bad experiences, but it’s not even been a decade since the Mitsu experience.
Johnster –not all cargo covers are bad, specifically the hard ones like used in the Protege5, Mazda3, etc.
It’s just the two cords to unhook (the ones that open the cover when you open the door) and then just yank it out.
I do agree about the added complexity of the retractable ones though. I hate those, plus they don’t insulate noise much at all. The hard ones do a good job.
I also have a really hard time with this because so few hatches are available in North America but after having one I can’t see going to a sedan –they just aren’t sensible.
If they sold the lancer as a hatch in normal trim and ralliart, I’d definitely consider it (the ralliart). It would probably get rid of the awful rear end of the sedan too :)
Of course I’d take a euro Focus ST or even better an RS over any hatch available in the U.S./Canada. What a pity that Mexico gets the euro Focus ST but we can’t.
Speaking of cargo room, I recently brought home a 42″ plasma in the back of my 1st gen. xB. Keep in mind it was sitting up because you can’t lay plasmas on their side. About halfway home (the store was an hour away) I ran into a nice little rainstorm. Good thing I wasn’t in a pickup. Camping is also fun, since I can easily sleep in my car if the weather gets really nasty. After owning this car, it would be hell to go back to a traditional sedan.
It’s even more fundamental than what has already been discussed. In the US, hatchback=cheap car. Period. A few vehicles have tried to change that perception, but it still very much exists. And that’s a shame, really. Hatchbacks offer tons of versatility, which is why Europeans tend to drive them. When you drive a car the size of a Fiat Grande Punto, you need all the utility you can get!
@carguy: “I don’t know why most folks in the US don’t like hatches because they do seem to like SUVs and SUVs are just oversize hatchbacks.”
I believe the reasons are largely psychological — people buy cars very much as status symbols, and a hatchback simply screams “I’M POOR!!! I WASH CLOTHES AT THE LAUNDROMAT AND I CAN’T EVEN AFFORD THE MATINEE!!!”. CUVs and SUVs offer the “proper” social status validation, as well as more perceived space, comfort and peace of mind. Plus the Joneses just bought one.
It’s all psychological, methinks.
Very nice.
@N65523
Having never been, I’m curious as to why many European markets do not favor a sedan over a hatchback.
Practicality and style… Sedans are perceived as grandpa-mobiles, I guess the average Jetta buyer in Europe is… 78?
Would they be driving C/SUV’s if road’s were larger and fuel was less expensive?
They don’t handle as well and you need to lift everything a bit higher, so… why?
I’m a huge fan of the hatchback layouts. After owning this GTI, there’s pretty much no way I can go back to a conventional sedan (unless it had a killer diesel…)