| Week at the wheel | Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart |

Inside & Out:

The Lancer Sportback Ralliart is quite a tantalising prospect on paper: Mitsubishi Evolution underpinnings, a power figure that embarrasses the Golf GTI, hatchback practicality and it's a whole lot cheaper than an Evo proper.

That's the theory anyway, and in some regards it works. The hatchback part does mean it's slightly more practical than an Evo - that much is obvious - and around the front it still looks like Mitsubishi's seminal supercar chaser, so in terms of visual impact the Ralliart has some proper punch. The sharply raked rear hatch makes the back end look big and slightly ungainly, though as a whole it's still an impressively aggressive, imposing shape. It's a head-turner too, probably in the case of our test car thanks in part to a combination of its familiar Evo front end and its hot hatch outfit de jour: white paint with black rims. Nice.

Inside, however, it's pure Evo. And because there's a 'however' in that sentence, you'll probably have already guessed we don't think much of it. In a world of Golfs, Civics, Méganes and heck, even Kia cee'ds, the Sportback falls way, way short. The GSR SST spec we're testing here lavishes the Ralliart with such luxuries as satnav, auto wipers and lights, leather seats, Xenon headlamps and, as the name suggests, the twin-clutch gearbox found in the Evo X SST. Well equipped, yes, but then it's still arguably no more so than you might expect for its £24,149 asking price and the quality of the plastics used is way below what is expected these days.

Engine & Transmission:

The combination of a 237bhp turbocharged four-pot block and the clever clogs six-speed twin-clutch SST gearbox should be two damn good reasons to buy this car. Sadly, in reality they prove the primary reasons to avoid it like a date with Kerry Katona. In fact, the engine is unpleasantly whiney almost to the same extent as the former Atomic Kitten, and the gearbox is as easily confused. Its 7.1-second 0-62mph sprint tells you it's quick, but the way it delivers that performance is so laboured, so noisy, that matching said sprint figure is a novelty that soon wears off.

Flick the switch on the transmission tunnel that changes the SST's shift programme from normal to sport (there's no 'super sport' setting in this application as there is on the Evo's), plant your right foot, and you will be impressed at the speed with which the twin-clutch flicks through the gears. The problem is, for the majority of day-to-day driving the 'box seems incapable of finding an appropriate cog when left to its own devices. Lift off the throttle at town speeds, and in either mode the gearbox will change up to as high a gear as possible - usually sixth. That means that whenever a sudden burst of acceleration is required you then have to wait for it to jump down three ratios. You could use the flappy paddles of course, but many will tire of that very quickly.

So, driving the Ralliart smoothly is difficult and infuriating, and asking it to accelerate is a noisy anticlimax.

Ride & Handling:

There's a definite sense the four-wheel drive Ralliart shares its platform with something far more accomplished and potent, which is a blessing and a curse; the speed at which you can ping it around corners is joyous, though that makes its engine and drivetrain inadequacies all the more obvious and frustrating. You always wish there was a more sonorous, more zingy engine and a more accomplished gearbox to match the capabilities of the chassis.

The massive levels of grip on offer are matched to a communicative steering setup that positively encourages faster cornering, but that even more so makes the whole engine/gearbox combo frustrating. It rides with the firm edge of the Evo too, though it mostly avoids crashing down into potholes, and you can forgive it the harshness for all its turning ability in any event.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

When you consider the Ralliart's asking price alongside a Golf GTI, it puts the Mitsubishi into stark perspective; save for the nth degrees of outright grip that don't matter to the majority of buyers - and a bit more kit - the Golf is better in every other way. Then there are the running costs: this thing sups fuel like Kerry Katona... no, let's not go there again, but parsimonious it isn't: 27.7mpg official fuel consumption seems optimistic at best. Plus it's in group 17 for insurance, which means if you can afford to run one of these, chances are you can afford to run an FQ-300 at least.

That's essentially the problem here, as you can probably tell reading between the lines (and by reading some of the actual lines, in fairness) - that instead of taking the best of the Evo and condensing it into a more practical, more affordable and more accessible package, the Ralliart largely takes the worst while stripping the good stuff away; high running costs and a low rent interior are easier to swallow when a car looks brutal and goes like thunder. This doesn't.

Overall:

If the Ralliart sat at the very pinnacle of the Lancer range it would be frustrating enough, but that it has such a rich heritage, and therefore so much promise, makes it even more disappointing. We've already pretty clearly summed up what we don't like about it, so there's no need to go over old ground, but if you're looking for a hot hatch, this shouldn't be high on your list. And if you're looking for an Evo, save up a bit longer and buy an Evo.