You are here : Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia - Another Brick In The Wall
So there, the Lancer Cedia is by no means a bad car. It is a car with immense potential.
I can almost see engine modifiers and body-kit makers rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect
of painting vivid sketches on the virgin metal canvas that is the Cedia. In its present avatar though,
the Cedia isn't captivating. It is the kind of car that does most things well, but has nothing special
to offer. It is very refined, well-kitted, drives decently well, and has a pleasant, classy interior.
But all this is a given in the segment that it will compete in. As the story goes,
it does not have enough spicy add-on bits that will make a C-segment buyer sit up and
take notice of the car. It has just about enough arsenal to survive the cut-throat competition,
but 'just about' is not enough to beat the daylights out of them.
Hindustan Motors has charted out ambitious plans for the road ahead. Starting with the just launched Lancer Cedia, HM intends to aggressively target the premium segments in the Indian car market.
2006 will see a slew of new models from HM, all of which will be Mitsubishi cars. The Montero will be launched in June. A premium SUV priced at around Rs 15 lakh, the Montero intends to fight the SUV-wars with the Honda CR-V and the Hyundai Tucson. Besides the Cedia and the Montero, the Grandis minivan and Outlander SUV also feature in HM's blueprint for the future. Small cars have been ruled out completely as HM-Mitsubishi wants to restrict itself to the premium end of the passenger car market.
One thing to be certain of, by the way, is the fact that HM will not be getting into any new car development in the near future. All the models planned for India will come from Mitsubishi Motor Company's portfolio
Meanwhile, the good ole Amby will get a pack of anti-ageing pills to merrily chew on. But really, does it need them pills?
India's oldest workhorse shows no signs of greying at the edges, even as it continues to ferry politicians and Kolkattans in supreme comfort. Long live the Amby!
We are going down snow-covered Nathu La Pass in the Himalayas in the new Lancer Cedia. For the record, it is red, and looks thoroughly intimidating even in the rear-view mirrors of those massive Stallion army trucks. Exquisitely balanced, adequately powerful and deliciously styled, the new Cedia gets the thumbs-up from everyone who has driven it around.
Amply supportive seats crafted in cream leather. Check. Sports steering wheel straight off the World Rally Championship conquering Evo. Check. Two-tone interiors with carbon fibre inserts. Check. 1999cc, 150PS. Check. Aggressive, menacing styling? Check and drool (wipe off with cloth before photography). Seatbelts. Check. Rear-view mirrors. Check. Er, keys. Check and turn. Burbling exhaust note. Check. Hair on the back of neck standing on end. You betcha!
Shift into first. Build the revs. Dump the clutch. Screeching fireworks. Tyre-works, perhaps. As I shift up through the gears, thoroughly delighted with the smooth, but agile acceleration, I've hit 100km/h. It has been less than nine seconds since you started reading this sentence and I am doing a 100. There is hardly any let up in the velvety brutality even beyond 150km/h. I am going so fast, it feels like I am dreaming. Errm, I am actually dreaming. Dreaming about the new 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia. Play ball, HM-Mitsubishi?
Skoda's India success story marches on as the Octavia continues to coochie-coo with the Indian markets, courtesy tank-spec build quality, petrol-car refi nement and diesel-car economy. Especially signifi cant in the context of the Cedia, however, is the brilliant Octavia 1.8l turbo-petrol. In recent months, the petrol Octavia has burst onto the Indian scene in a blaze of red and yellow.
It is available in two variants, the RS - the epitome of flashy flamboyance, and the Rider - the symbol of understated elegance. HM-Mitsubishi seem to have adopted a similar strategy with the Sport and the Elegance trims respectively. The sad bit is that they didn't go the whole hog with the Cedia Sport, leaving us to contemplate about what could have been.
GM's Indian C-segment sedan packs in a lot of punch owing to its striking good looks and immense street-presence. Its 1.8l, 115PS engine does its cause no harm either. The story continues inside too, with the Optra scoring tick marks against a generous list of creature comforts as standard.
While performance is not as blistering as a turbocharged petrol Octavia, or even as agile as a Toyota Corolla, the Optra scores points on the comfort stakes. Fuel effi ciency continues to remain suspect even after the recent tweaks; the effi ciency improvements have not been dramatic. The Optra's package at its price wins it for the General, and it continues to chug along at a brisk pace month after month.
Current segment leader, and C-mobile of choice for a vast majority of Rs 10 lakh+ shoppers, the Corolla benefi ts from Toyota's legendary reliability and refi nement abilities. The Corolla has also consistently been crowned the largest selling car in the world, and that only adds a dash of spice to its charm.
Powered by an extremely agile and eager 1.8l petrol, the Corolla is one of the quickest cars in the country this side of 200km/h. Even though the Octavia turbopetrol is signifi cantly faster, the Corolla is no slouch on the road. Make no mistake, all that speed does not come with fuel-bill-heartburns as a free add-on. The Corolla's fuel-effi ciency fi gures leave many impressed.
On the downside, there is the issue of a drive so insulated, it almost feels as if the Corolla is driving itself. And also a slightly bouncy ride. These are minor issues, though. Most of the thousand-odd buyers who bet their money on the Corolla every month don't seem to mind one tiny bit.
Source: Car India February 2006.
