Usually the hustle and bustle on a Monday morning at our house consists of Dad and Mum endeavouring to chivvy the kids off to school on time in the morning. There’s a lot to remember from ensuring they’ve eaten something to making sure their uniform passes inspection. A lot of life’s joys are found in the home, whether it’s your kids, hobbies or even your pets. To match a car to your lifestyle requires a bit of thought. At Mitsubishi, they seem to have the mix right with the addition of the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback. A pleasant looking hatchback, that offers solid reliability and some excellent features.

The Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback competes against the likes of the Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Honda Civic Hatchbacks. Of all the designs, I reckon the Lancer’s clean looks and balanced detailing is hard to beat. Opt for the Lancer Sportback ES with its colour coded wing mirrors, rear spoiler and deep grille, and for the model’s excellent price this is a car that has the word “Value” written all over it. Features like air-conditioning, comfortable seating, Bluetooth hands free communications, Bluetooth audio streaming, a five-star ANCAP rating, Active stability control and Active traction control make this a very likable car to drive. In Sportback ES form, the 110 kW petrol engine is sparky enough, delivering very smooth performance that loves to push into the higher revs for quick acceleration. A CVT or five-speed transmission is standard, and the CVT unit is seamless and well suited for powering the Sportback ES on the road.

Add some chrome to the exterior of the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback and label it LX. Well actually, there’s more to it than just that. There is a bit more leather for wrapping the parking brake and gear shift lever, and not just the steering wheel – like in the ES version. A step up to climate controlled air-conditioning, heated leather sports seats, six-speaker audio (four-speakers in the ES), and Smart Key Entry are some of the other items that are singled out for the LX version. A five-speed manual gearbox or CVT is standard for providing the 2.0-litre’s power to the front wheels.

It’s the Mitsubishi Lancer VRX Sportback that boasts 125 kW from a 2.4-litre petrol engine. A healthy 226 Nm of torque provides good performance on the road, and, though not an EVO, the VRX can be confidently pushed along at speeds that are best kept for the racetrack. Engine noise is very well muted, and the ride in the VRX is comfortable while remaining stable and athletic. With a sport-tuned suspension, the Sportback VRX is one of the better handlers in its class, and I like the action of the five-speed manual gearbox. It suits the sporty nature of the VRX model well. For the lazy driver (just a dig…), a CVT transmission is available that seems to link up well enough to the engine demands of a driving enthusiast.

Not only are the 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback models very well priced cars, they provide a level of safety that is great to see. Standard with front-seat side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags, a driver-side knee airbag and stability control, you can sit in a new Lancer knowing that there is some top features on-board for your protection. ABS is standard, with four-wheel disc brakes on the VRX model.

For an economical hatchback that is top buying, well sorted on the road and comfortable, the latest Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback is well worth a look. After getting the kids off to school in the morning, the relaxed drive in a Lancer Sportback is somewhat soothing.

The current Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback models include the:

• Sportback ES 2.0-litre CVT
• Sportback ES 2.0-litre manual
• Sportback LX 2.0-litre CVT
• Sportback LX 2.0-litre manual
• Sportback VRX 2.4-litre CVT
• Sportback VRX 2.4-litre manual

For any more information on the new Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Mitsubishi dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

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