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It's rich, handsome and sporty
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The new ace up Mitsubishi's sleeve is expected to take on the Corolla and the Octavia
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The Cedia is ever ready for a fast burst and has enough bite to make overtaking on the highway a simple task
LUX MID-SIZE BRAWLER The Cedia is fresh and good-looking. This should do to challenge both the ageing but handsome Octavia and the best-selling but insipid-looking Corolla. Its grey interiors can do with more flair and better equipment levels though
If you are the moneyed type, the name Mitsubishi will bring to mind the Pajero — the definitive off-roader for blue-blooded Indians. If you are the sporty type, then the marquee will remind you of gravel, mud, snow, hairpins, drifts, Lancers and Evos. You see, Mitsubishi is a name to reckon with in the World Rally Championship and the Lancer Evo — a street-legal version of its rally car — enjoys cult following across the world. And so, when Mitsubishi collaborated with Hindustan Motors to give us the Lancer in 1998, the car got a rousing welcome — handsome looks, sporty credentials and a sought-after name. But then, with no substantial improvements, the Lancer lost its fizz soon.
Now, Mitsubishi and HM are looking at pulling their socks up and getting things back on track for the Indian market. What you see in these pictures is a result of this. Say hello to the Mitsubishi Cedia. Now, before you rush with your chequebook to the nearest dealer, let us tell you that the car is not on sale yet. In fact, what we drove is still not the final car. The company is carrying out extensive tests in Indian conditions to ensure that the final product is just what the marketplace requires.
However, the Cedia's looks will remain more or less the same as what you see in these pictures. And that means you'll get a distinctive, curvy front with wrap-around headlights and a two-slot grille bisected by the Mitsubishi badge. Lancer fans will no doubt notice the Cedia's un-Lancer-like looks but this bigger car will be competing against the Toyota Corolla and the Skoda Octavia. Besides, since Mitsubishi will continue selling the present Lancer here, bestowing the Cedia with similar looks will make it lose out in standout factor. While the Cedia's sides are very straightforward, the rear could do with some freshening up and yes, may be a spoiler too. Expect the last to be offered as part of a body-kit package the Cedia SFXi perhaps? A hint, HM — when you do bring out that sporty package, give the engine a bit more pep and tighten the handling package too — you'll really have an Octavia RS competitor in your hands.
Inside is a liberal splattering of dull grey. No. Don't tick that off as a minus point. This being a pre-production test car, Mitsubishi has not lavished the cabin with upmarket cosmetics. The production version will definitely have heavy tones of tan and beige with subtle touches of fake wood, to put it in the league it wants to play in. But looks apart, the interior has a clean, uncluttered layout with a meaty, four-spoke steering wheel.
Thanks to a low roof and a low stance, ingress and egress tends to be more of a task, when compared to competition. But once inside, the front and rear passengers have generous head- and legroom. The production version is likely to ride on 15-inch wheels. So that should improve ground clearance and ease the getting in and out bit.
It works. And well
This sedan is considerably light at 1,100 kg, and so the 2,000cc, four-cylinder petrol motor developing 125 bhp makes this a fairly athletic performer. The Cedia is ever ready for a fast burst and has enough bite to make overtaking on the highway a simple task. Acceleration from standstill is immediate, even with a light throttle. And when the rev needle hits the 4,500-rpm mark, you feel a rush of power propelling you forward. Actually, even at low engine speeds of 1,500 rpm, the motor has enough grunt to keep the speedo needle climbing without a hitch, even in higher gears.
Aiding this tractability is a precise, five-speed manual transmission. Now, the engine doesn't demand constant shifting, but the light and smooth constitution of this gearbox actually invites you to shift; even when you don't need to. We can safely say that this Mitsubishi has a brilliant, India-friendly power train combination.
The ride department gets our thumbs up too. Handling, however, needs a spot of tightening as the car doesn't seem too very confident tackling corners. The steering is a bit light for our liking too — good for the city, but a bit disconcerting at speed. HM engineers claim that this irregularity is in the process of being sorted out and the final production car will be competent handler.
So how does the Cedia, expected to be priced in the Rs. 10-12 lakh range, measure up as a prospective buy? Apart from the vague handling and the to-be-spruced-up interiors, Mitsubishi and HM seem to have got it almost right.
And as we said earlier, the car is still being tested for chinks in the armoury. Then, the design may be another bone of contention with people who prefer the good old Lancer's looks. But the biggest stumbling block would be the fact that Mitsubishi, with its limited offerings, has been out of reckoning among potential car buyers for a long time in India. And HM will have a challenge attracting Corolla, Optra and Octavia buyers.
But that doesn't take away the fact that the Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia is a competent product in its own right.
A fast, well-built, driver's car, it definitely has a sort of niche appeal to buyers who desist from being chauffeured around. And to those who like to say, "I drive a Mitsubishi."
SRIRAM NARAYANAN
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