Ditching MK6 GTI for Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart???

[barges]

i must be one of the few here that has driven a ralliart. when looking for a new car it, volvo c30 and the golf were on the shopping list.
the ralliart is awesome to drive, but i couldnt get over the fact that its really just a povo lancer. it just feels cheap all round, i even told the salesman that the interior is just rubbish.
on paper and driving hard it made sense but in reality it was hard to justify as about 10% of my driving would be spirited, mostly used for the daily commute/grind. the only other consideration was fuel consumption, the ralliart has a tiny tank and high consumption, i think it has a range under 500kms under normal driving conditions which is pathetic as i live in the country.
i ended up with a golf and am happy with my decision.

[Corey_R]

i must be one of the few here that has driven a ralliart.

I was about to test drive one. Was shopping for a car with a friend. The Ralliart was the top of their list so they had a test drive booked. But we made the mistake of walking through the VW dealership first and they saw a 118TSI with the Sportpack and Leather. After sitting in the 118TSI, and then sitting in the Ralliart, they told the sales person to forget about the test drive. Basically, regardless of how good it drove, they couldn't spent that much on a Lancer and sitting in such a crappy interior and know what they're missing out on.

They ended up settling for a MK6 GTI (no leather) in DSG with the APR Stage I ECU. 189kW and 402Nm is better than the Ralliarts power and torque. The GTI also ended up being cheaper on the road than the Lancer too!

[elisiX]

This thread is so left field its not funny.

[Zaul]

I didn't test drive a Ralliart when I was looking but I did sit in one, that was after I been in the 118 and GTI, and test driven them. In the end I wasn't happy with the standard of the interior.

But basically it comes down to what you value and what you want in a car. I wanted some performance, I had to have 5 doors, but I also demanded some refinement and a bit of luxury too and ideally a European car. I would have liked RWD too, but all that had to fit into my budget. When I looked at the GTI it had most of what I wanted/needed.

So prioritise what you feel is important and valued in a new car and choose that way. Then you'll be happy with what you get.

[ConR]

I had a base Lancer as a rental car yesterday while getting my GTI fixed. It was quieter than my Golf in the rattle department..lol. But, I'm sure those will go away eventually. Overall, interior was utter crap on the Lancer.

[G-rig]

I tend to agree, a lancer isn't really a good base car to start with, although wouldn't mind an EVO.

[Tim]

It all depends on what you want from a car. Drive them both and see which one makes you smile.

I think where the Golf excels is in its competence right across the board. Unfortunately that leads to a "jack of all trades, master of none" situation.

[Karlosovic]

I know not everyone thinks like me, but to be honest - what's a few horsepower here and there?
Unless you're buying the car for the track/, it doesnt matter.
I mean... we're not talking about a Prius Vs an Evo here... we're talking about two cars that often get compared for performance, which means it's close enough that it won't make any difference to a real person in the real world
They're both spirited cars, but neither is a supercar
Pretty much the same amount of fun can be had in either.

Worry instead about features, quality, comfort and style
Do you like the interior?
Does one have power windows/not?
How's the stereo?
Do one feel like a 3rd grade craft project?

These things will make much more difference to you on a day-to-day basis

IMHO, the ralliart is a respectable car, but it wastes points in areas that don't mean much to me
Value for money - I find the build, quality and comfort of the VW wins

But that's just me

I think where the Golf excels is in its competence right across the board. Unfortunately that leads to a "jack of all trades, master of none" situation.

I agree. Rather than 'jack of all trades, master of none' - I tend to think it's the perfect balance of those things at this price point

[Lima]

10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling - The Oatmeal

[Beaker]

I'm a huge Mitsubishi fan, I've rallied them for years, so the following is hard for me to say.

But if you buy a Lancer Ralliart over a GTI, you are nuts - a Rex maybe, a proper EVO yes, but I thought the Lancer Ralliart was the biggest heap of rubbish I'd ever driven when I test drove it earlier this year.