Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart delightfully quirky

DETROIT -- Where have all the goofy cars gone? The cars that don't even make a drive-by of mainstream appeal before blasting full-throttle for weirdness. The cars that become cult favorites. Eccentric-looking and equipped with unusual features, they baffle most buyers but delight a few.

They're hard to find these days. We live in risk-averse times. Most automakers would rather invest in a carefully researched boring Corolla wannabe than indulge their wild side.

Happily, that doesn't apply to the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart. From its hatchback body to a rally-inspired all-wheel drive powertrain, the Sportback compact defies convention.

The Sportback Ralliart is an exalted version of Mitsubishi's pleasant Lancer compact. A hatchback body accounts for the Sportback part of its name, while a 237-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, all-wheel drive, a dual-clutch transmission and racy styling tweaks justify the Ralliart badge.

Prices for the Lancer Sportback Ralliart start at $27,590. I tested a well-equipped model that stickered at $30,340. Less-powerful front-wheel drive versions of the Sportback come with a 168-horsepower, 2.4-liter engine and prices starting at $19,190. All prices exclude destination charges.

The Sportback Ralliart competes with compact performance cars like the Audi A3, Honda Civic Si, Subaru WRX and Volkswagen GTI. It costs more than the less-powerful front-drive Civic Si and GTI, but compares favorably to the all-wheel drive A3 and WRX.

The Sportback's hatchback body style increases cargo space 1.5 cubic feet versus the Lancer sedan, to 13.8 cubic feet with the rear seat up and 47 cubic feet with the seat folded flat. The Sportback has more cargo space than the Civic Si, and WRX, but less than the GTI and A3.

The Ralliart's mechanical components deliver on the racy promise its styling makes. The 2.0-liter turbocharged engine rumbles with a satisfying growl. It delivers nearly all its 253 pound-feet of torque from 2,500 rpm to 4,700 rpm That broad power band produces strong, immediate acceleration.

The engine has a bit more vibration than is ideal. Road noise is minimal, in spite of the grippy Yokohama summer tires on the car I tested.

The Sportback Ralliart's EPA fuel economy of 17 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg highway doesn't match less-powerful sporty compacts, but it compares well to the Subaru WRX, its most direct competitor.

The car uses Mitsubishi's fast and precise dual-clutch six-speed transmission. The transmission has two modes: sport and normal. I preferred normal, which provided smooth, fast shifts. Sport mode makes the shifts quicker, but a little jarring. The transmission has manual and fully automatic modes.

The full-time all-wheel drive system can send up to 50 percent of the engine's torque to either the front or rear axle. It provides excellent control in hard acceleration and quick turns.

The steering is quick and firm. Like the ride, steering effort will be too sporty for some.

The car I tested had the Recaro option package. It included a powerful 710-watt Rockford-Fosgate sound system, but the Recaro sport seats were a disappointment. They had the brand's signature sporty, scooped-out shape, but lacked some basic features like height adjustment.

The interior is functional, with clear gauges and simple controls. The car needs more interior storage. The bin in the center console is too small to be much use, and the cupholders are too shallow to hold drinks securely.

The instrument cluster includes a message center that flashes "See you" when you shut the engine off. It's another pleasantly goofy feature in a car that looks and sounds different from every angle.

Mere oddity is not a virtue, of course. If it were, there'd be statues of the Edsel and Aztek. Oddity that creates a unique, fast and fun little car, though ... that's a public service.