Although Lancer is a new name in North America, the Lancer has been a Mitsubishi staple in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East through six generations spanning three decades. It's also Mitsubishi's robust rally car, racking up victories in World Rally Championship events and other races around the world.

For North America, Lancer comes ashore in a sparkling new format to replace the subcompact Mirage sedan in Mitsubishi's line. It's a bigger car than the Mirage and packs a larger engine, a more substantial unibody structure, and more sophisticated mechanical gear. Lancer also lines a comfortable cabin with plush equipment, even on the price-leader ES base edition.

Lancer OZ-Rally is a model that adds paraphernalia to mimic rally racers, but still keeps the price in line.

Lancer's larger package size, with four more inches in the wheelbase than Mirage, positions it at the center of a crowded field of compacts that includes class leaders Honda Civic and Ford Focus, plus Nissan Sentra, Toyota Corolla, Mazda Protege, and Subaru Impreza. Competitively, Lancer has the longest body and its extended wheelbase produces a spacious passenger compartment with best-in-class legroom for front seat riders.