It is if your family doesn’t mind that you’re having fun driving.
We spent the last part of 2015 cruising around in a ruby red 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer. It’s a peppy little car that’s super fun to drive and it gets great gas mileage. We didn’t get to take it on any road trips or doing anything glamorous while we had it. We just did our usual day to day driving in it. I actually had surgery for kidney stones right before the car was delivered and I was worried that it might be too low to the ground for me to get in and out of easily, but it turned out to not be an issue at all. Although it is a small car, it is not as low to the ground as you might think.
The 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer brand new starts out around $17,000 and goes up all the way to $37,000 depending on which of the four models you get. (The 2016 Lancer starts out at 17,595.) The model I reviewed was the Rally Red GT 2.4L with the touring package. It was priced at $27,555.
Possibly a 5 passenger compact car
The Lancer is considered a compact car and was slightly on the small side for our family. A family of four can fit comfortably, but if you need room for five it’s going to be crowded. Technically there are five seats and it does seat five, but depending on the size of your kids it could be a tight fit. Ideally this should be a car for a couple without kids, a single person, or a teenager.
The technology details
The dashboard display is old school mixed with the newer technology. I was quite surprised and pleased when an alert popped up letting me know that there was ice on the road! Such a useful detail.
You will notice in the above photo that I was only getting an average of 15.1 mpg. This is way lower than the advertised gas mileage of 26 in the city and 34 mpg on the highway. I spoke with the company and they were able to confirm that my mileage was incorrect, which I assumed because in a week’s time it only used half a tank of gas despite all the errands and carpooling I do on a regular basis.
When you do not have the radio screen up you can pull up some of the other features offered like the touch screen navigation system. When you are backing up the screen is a back up camera.
Rocksford Fosgate stereo and sound system
One of the highlights of this car is the stereo and sound system. This car has a Rocksford Fosgate stereo and sound system that will delight music lovers with 710 watts through nine speakers-including a 10-inch dual-voice coil subwoofer with Punch Control in the trunk. Not only that but it actually plays cds. So, for all of you (my mom) who are tired of not being able to play your old CDs in newer vehicles this stereo is for you!
Make room for hauling
One of the best features is that the back row folds down to allow more trunk room. So for those of you who need to haul some new flooring home you just purchased at Costco – no problem. Or if you need to put your skis inside the vehicle they will also fit.
What I loved
- Keyless entry
- Rain sensing wipers
- Sunroof
- CD player
- 60/40 drop down seats in the back to give you more room to haul something
- Ice on road alert
- High gas mileage
- Heated front seats
Things I didn’t like
- No USB port
- No lumbar support
What you need to know
- 23 MPG city and 30 MPG highway; 26 combined
- Front wheel drive
- Paddle shifters
- Basic model starts around $18,000
- 10 year/100,000 mile Powertrain Warranty
Note: The Mitsubishi Lancer was provided to AGirlsGuidetoCars by Mitsubishi for this review. All opinions expressed are mine.
