New
wine in an old bottle.
Since its advent the basic Lancer mould had had little change and whatever
little there was, has been restricted to the front end which is in keeping
with HM tradition. The one piece wraparound headlamps get the clear
glass treatment, the grille is more rectangular with a chrome insert
for added glint, new bumpers incorporate parking lights rather than
a set of fog lamps (incidentally there is a switch on the dash to activate
the fog lamps) and new wheel caps complete the cosmetic revamp. The
Lancer has one of the most sports oriented designs among cars in the
country. Which has spurred evolution of the stock Lancer to that of
a veritable dream machine. The ground clearance has been reduced to
175mm giving the Lancer an even more low slung stance which complements
its profile even better. A bonus for the Fast & the Furious buffs.
Creamier upholstery brightens the interiors even while giving the
car a more spacious ambience. However there is no change in the basic
design so the interiors of the INVEX are quite limited. The leather
and wood steering wheel lends a sporty touch to an otherwise drab
dash. We wish there were a few more areas for the horn contacts rather
than just the centre boss. The seats are plush and comfortable and
the driver's seat has all the necessary controls for height, lateral
and backrest adjustment though a lumbar support adjuster would definitely
be a value addition.
On the
build front most every aspect radiates a sense of durability and solidity
which was corroborated during the hassle-free road test. There was
quite a lot of wind noise in the cabin at speeds above 80kmph. The
doors need to be slammed shut with some force which had taken its
toll on the rubber beading; this was the reason for the wind noise
factor probably. The power windows take their time to roll up if all
are activated at the same time, the winder motor seemingly inadequate
to handle the load. |
May
2004