The Lancer is fairly agile and has a decent ride. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder has good acceleration but is sluggish from a stop and tends to moan at high revs. The CVT works well. The cabin is furnished with drab plastics, but the controls are simple to use. The sporty, AWD Ralliart is quick and agile but is noisier and has a stiff ride, and its automated manual transmission is annoying. The Ralliart is milder than the high-performance Evolution, which excels on the track and has precise handling, but it is too frenetic to use as a daily driver. Standard curtain air bags are a plus.
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