Mitsubishi brings the sport back

From the moment I put in the key and the information display said “Welcome”, I felt comfortable in the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback.

The line’s trademark shark-nosed good looks are enhanced by 10-spoke 18-inch alloy wheels that fill the fender wells and a long sweeping roofline that ends in what turns out to be an effective spoiler.

This is the kind of five-door hatchback (a wagon by any other name is still a wagon) a guy could come to adore. It has all the great design cues of the rest of the Lancer stable along with enough room to haul a fair amount of material.

A Sportback GTS provided by Mitsubishi Canada came and went all too soon, but a week was enough to establish a working relationship with the car.

During our time together, the Sportback carried groceries, golf clubs, fertilizer and a host of other stuff in its easy-to-load cargo area accessed by the wide opening hatch that swings well out of range of your head. If more room is needed, the 60/40 split rear seat back folds almost-flat. I couldn’t find a mini-trampoline to try loading on the bounce as is done in that odd Sportback TV spot, but then I prefer to stuff my stuff neatly (you get more material per litre that way).

The test vehicle came with Mitsubishi’s Sun & Sound Leather Package, an all-encompassing group that includes leather seating and a glass sunroof along with fast-key entry and Rockford-Fosgate nine-speaker audio system. If you want any one of the features, you have to take them all, unfortunately.

Overall, the interior features quality materials done in a rather understated manner with little variation in colour shades or textures.

Switches and gauges are easy to find and their use quickly becomes intuitive. Besides its warm welcome reading, the drive information provides useful data on vehicle operations, fuel consumption and the like.

GTS models have hands-free Bluetooth phone interface with voice recognition, a feature that’s going to be increasingly useful as more provinces move to ban hand-held phone usage.

Under the hood is a 2.4-litre MIVEC (variable valve timing) engine rated at 168 horsepower and 167 lb.-ft of torque. Those aren’t big numbers, but those are pretty strong horses even when combined with the optional CVT transmission.

The sound of performance is usually a musical thing, but the CVT option sets a discordant note as the powertrain becomes particularly buzzy when busy. I find myself making constant use of the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters to work through the CVT’s six-step Sportronic system if for no other reason than to reduce the raucous assault on my ears.

That said, the six steps work quickly and smoothly and the shift points are placed exactly right to make use of the performance potential. Who says practicality can’t be fun?

The Sportback handling lives up to the “sport” part of its name: quick response to steering, flat cornering and surprisingly little “push” for a front-wheel drive vehicle…unless of course you get a bit over-enthusiastic.

On the downside, the ride is a tad harsh and, while wind rush is effectively filtered out, tire noise is a constant reminder that this is a hatchback, not a sedan.

It’s a small price to pay, though, for a vehicle that looks this good, performs this well and has cargo room to boot.