Mitsubishi Hatchback Range

This is an older car now, and although it’s a simpler device compared to most newer cars, there are still thousands of things that can go wrong and cause a loss of performance. A full service and tune would be the first thing to do, as you may find the car is simply not running as well as it should be due to blocked filters, old spark plugs and possibly even stale fuel. A service and tune will rule out that sort of thing.

From there, you need to work out whether it’s the engine that’s the problem, or the transmission, or a poorly adjusted park-brake, or even something in the chassis like a binding brake or perhaps under-inflated tyres. All these things can make a car feel sluggish.

If you (or your mechanic) do decide that it’s the engine at fault, don’t rule out things like a blocked exhaust system, a dud sensor that controls the fuel injection or something simple like a vacuum leak as a result of a missing or burst rubber hose.

Yes you can. According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industry’s guide, all Australian-delivered Mitsubishis with fuel-injected petrol engines built after 1986 can use either E5 (five per cent ethanol) or E10 (10 per cent) safely. By using this fuel, you stand to reduce your tailpipe emissions a little, use a percentage of renewable fuel (ethanol is largely made from farmed crops) and you may even save a few dollars over a year as E10 ULP is often a little cheaper at the pump.

It could be that the gearbox linkages are poorly adjusted, meaning that the gearbox is not fully selecting fifth gear, allowing it to jump into neutral. But it could also be that the selectors themselves are worn or that there’s internal wear inside the transmission that is allowing the gearbox to leap from fifth to neutral all on its own. Either way, it’s a problem that could lead to a range of potentially dangerous situations, so it needs further investigation.

It’s probably worth mentioning that a batch of five-speed manual Lancers made between May and June 2014 were recalled to fix a problem with the gear selectors which could see them suffer gear-selection problems with reverse and fifth gear. Your car, as a 2011 model, shouldn’t be affected by that, but it does seem a bit of a coincidence.