It may be hard to imagine, but the Mitsubishi Lancer has been in Australia since 1981.
Taking a hiatus in the early ’80s to make way for the Mitsubishi Colt, the Lancer returned in 1989 and hasn’t left the market since. The basic layout hasn’t changed over its lifetime, offering a small, front-wheel-drive four-door. Special all-wheel-drive, rally-bred editions known as the ‘Evolution’ were a fixture of performance circles for 25 years, but are now only available in the second-hand market. Available as both a sedan and hatchback, the Lancer comes with a choice of 2.0-litre and 2.4-litre engines and manual or constantly variable automatic gearboxes.
Current prices range from $11,600 to $20,900 for the Lancer ES Sport and Lancer GSR Sportback.