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Mitsubishi rolled its Lancer Family Road Show into sunny Clarkston, Michigan recently, bringing a full complement of its attractive four-door lineup for our driving enjoyment. On offer was everything from the humble Lancer GTS all the way up to the ripsnorting Evolution MR, but the main event of the day—and the reason for our attendance—was a debut drive in the 2009 Lancer Ralliart, the new center of the model range.

Winding Road readers who haven’t heard the Ralliart name since the variant’s 2004 debut in the U.S. could be forgiven for wondering why any driving enthusiast would get terribly worked up about this mid-range Lancer. But while the last-generation car was little more than some suspension tweaks and vaguely sporting set of OZ wheels, the new-for-2009 Ralliart does a much better job of splitting the difference between the Lancer GTS and the fire-breathing Evolution X.

Mitsubishi has seen fit to equip the Ralliart with a modestly less-powerful version of the Evo’s turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, capable of a more than credible 237 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque. The Ralliart motor is built from the same aluminum block that can be found in the Evo, and it’s equipped with the same exhaust system, too. The power loss comes strictly from the use of a smaller intercooler and a single—rather than twin-scroll—turbocharger. The Ralliart isn’t capable of delivering the accelerative body blow that Evo X is known for, but the pace is such that Subaru WRX owners should sit up and take notice.

Those good genes in the engine bay are also likely to raise a few eyebrows in the tuner community, whose craftier members are no doubt drooling at the cheapish potential that the Ralliart’s four-cylinder could offer. The Mitsubishi engineers at the Ralliart briefing acknowledged as much, with the winking disclaimer that car’s ECU has been made a bit tougher to hack. We’ll see.

In the meantime, the more than ample shove provided by the Ralliart’s engine also happens to be supremely well-managed by Mitsubishi’s fast-acting and incredibly slick twin-clutch Sportronic Shift transmission—the only transmission offered. The electronically-controlled gearbox pre-selects the next ratio before a driver may have time to even consider it, creating up and downshift response times that are near telepathic. The system also happens to be exceedingly smooth in operation, without the jarring ratio changes that we’ve experienced in earlier twin-clutch systems.

Despite having so much in common with the Evolution, Mitsubishi has pressed the point that the Ralliart should be viewed more as a spec’d up Lancer than a de-tuned Evo; casting its sporty middle child as a weekend canyon carver rather than focused track weapon. To those ends, the Mitsubishi minders set up a lolling road trip through some of the better roads southeast Michigan has to offer, saving time on the adjacent Waterford Hills Road Racing track for a pack of attendant Evos.

The Ralliart acquitted itself admirably over the course of our test drive, feeling appropriately like seventy-five percent of a full-fledged Evo. The car may lack the Evolution’s razor sharp instincts, with turn-in that’s a fraction slower, a bit less weight in the steering wheel, and a few moments more hesitation when the accelerator is depressed; but by-and-large it seems a better car for those of us who would like the option of occasional rally-style thrills without a full-time commitment to a hardcore racing machine. It’s a relationship that has worked well for years with the WRX and STI brothers from Subaru, and with the latest Scooby generation opting for a slightly softer, broader driving appeal, we think that the Mitsubishi offerings could be set to steal some sales from their oldest and best rivals.

The Ralliart maintains the Evo’s all-wheel drive with active center differential, though the lesser car’s narrower track and smaller tires mean that levels of grip aren’t quite as high. The Ralliart also lacks the electronically controlled suspension setting “S Sport,” though the well-sorted “Sport” mode does a fine job of keeping car and tarmac affixed in even high performance situations.

There are also other nice concessions to livability that may appeal to the eight-tenths set, like the ability to specify the standard Lancer bucket seats in place of the rather firm Recaros – something those with wider posteriors may want to seriously consider. Mitsubishi has found room for additional trunk space and a 60/40 split folding rear seat by removing some of the rear bracing that makes the Evo so stiff, and by sticking the battery back where it belongs—under the hood.

The Ralliart will also offer a considerable discount over the Evo X, with a base price of $26,490 with destination charges. That’s a handy $6,000 cheaper than the stripper Evo GSR, while still including little luxuries like the Fast Key system, Bluetooth connectivity, and steering wheel-mounted audio controls. More importantly—and we don’t mean to continue to beat the war drums here, but it’s all true—that puts the Ralliart right in WRX’s wheelhouse. Similar money for a car that’s better looking and more performance oriented? We’ll start prepping the group test now.

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Magazine Issue: Winding Road Issue 37