Note to enthusiasts: Get a stick

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2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS - Ride and Handling

Handling
The fact that the Lancer GTS handles well makes the lousy transmission that much more frustrating. The chassis is stiff and composed, with good turn in and only mild understeer at the relatively high limits. Luckily, while the Lancer is tossable and fun, there’s little ride penalty. It’s solid on the road, but firm and not punishing. True, the big tires drum thump heavily over expansion joints, but you hear it more than you feel it. Mitsubishi did its chassis homework on this car, and it shows. Now, if they’d just reprogram that CVT to help rather than hinder the driving experience…

Fun to Drive
The most fun we had with the Lancer was going downhill. There, we didn’t have to worry about the troublesome transmission and could just enjoy the car’s handling balance. It turns in and sticks, and promises great things when the turbocharged Evolution debuts on this platform in a few months, or even the GTS 2.4, with its bigger and more powerful engine. However, when we had to shift for ourselves, the CVT’s intrusive nature made us concentrate too much on finding a good ratio, ruining the experience.