Helping to elevate the Ralliart above its less competent brothers is a full load of equipment. There is basically one option: the $1,500 Sun/Sound/Side Air Bag package, consisting of exactly what it implies. (Head-saving curtain airbags are not included.) Now in 2005, ordering that also requires the purchase of a $131 "Rally Package" that gives a cargo net, scuff plate, and chrome exhaust tip. Great.
Sunroofs, sound systems, and side air bags have nothing to do with each other, and combining them into one pricey package pushes the MSRP higher than it should be: $20,705 (or $21,605 with the $900-higher automatic). That's not the most envious place to be with the Mazda 3 s staring at it on the correct side of the $20,000 barrier. Similarly equipped, a 3 s comes out to $18,865. That's an initial savings of $1,840, which is guaranteed to be dwarfed by the 3's even greater superiority in resale value. Personally, I like driving the Ralliart a tad more, but it's no surprise that the Mazda's the one flying off dealer lots.
One area where the Lancer can't be beat: warranty. Though Mitsubishi hasn't made much noise on the matter, the company recently upped the ante to match Hyundai and Kia with 5 years/60,000 miles on the basic warranty and 10 years/100,000 miles on the powertrain. (Hint to Mitsubishi: it might be worthwhile to update the 2005 owner's manual literature, which still quotes the old 3/36K warranty numbers.) Keeping the car long enough is a perfect way to avoid the resale value problem, and the only way to get the benefits of this warranty. But then, you may not need it. The Lancer has always been one of the reliable Mitsubishis, sharing none of the build quality issues that plague its Illinois-built cousins, the Galant and Eclipse.
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