(first posted 8/9/2018) Americans and wagons are a combination that baffles the mind of product developers everywhere. From being the darling of families looking for a second car for the missus to drive the kids everywhere, to have those kids grow up and decide that rolling about on the back of a large wagon wasn’t such a hot idea and made them look like dorks. And now, an uncomfortable stalemate in which Americans seem to have decided they like a wagon as long as it is labeled as anything but a wagon.
And yet occasionally, manufacturers think that the wagon market is coming back.
You can see why. The main culprit is the Volkswagen Golf SportWagen (Or Jetta Sportwagen, if we go by their 2004 identities). Chiefly because it was actually accepted as a wagon. It was also priced within the reach of the common man, unlike the offerings from BMW and Mercedes. And finally, it had another uniquely selling point in the form of a diesel engine. Now granted that’s not really something that they can count on anymore, but nevertheless they succeeded at marketing a wagon to the masses. So much so that it made it more successful than any number of wagons which came after it.
There’s the Elantra Touring for one, the rebadged i30cw was a nice design, sensibly sized, made by a Hyundai that can build great cars, and…was dropped from the lineup and replaced with the normal, non-wagon i30 when you can buy today as the Elantra GT.
There was also those offerings from BMW and Mercedes (and Cadillac, and Audi) themselves, which were such a monumental success that it made no sense to design/federalize them anymore. Or, in the case of Audi, continue to offer the models that do sell well thanks to the careful addition of plastic body cladding and the addition of a tiny little bit of ride height (a strategy which is apparently so good that Ford has decided to get some extra sales in their new strategy by using it). Finally, you have our subject for today. Mitsubishi and their one-year wonder for 2004, the Lancer Sportback.
Mitsubishi; The brand that makes you long for a Toyota. Now, I understand that this can be seen as very mean-spirited and just crapping on the poor brand for some cheap laugh points. But I have a personal stake in this one I’m afraid. I own an old Mitsubishi truck which I am very fond of despite its proclivity to cook ECU’s and the fact that it has tried to self-immolate a couple of times. For some reason (I blame Stockholm syndrome and the fact that we have managed to tame it) this hasn’t soured me to take an interest in the brand. What has soured me on the brand is how often I find myself shouting expletives at them because of a boneheaded decision. Stay tuned for an article going into more detail about it. I am sure the Mitsubishi corporation executive committee will be sitting bolt-upright for that.
Things were slightly different in 2004. What with their ability to compete on the market thanks to a full lineup of sedans, a sports coupe, and no less than four options if you wanted an SUV. In the middle of this, the Lancer was a decent, if not terribly exciting offering. We may mock Toyota for being uninteresting, but that in itself is a feature. Compare to that with the Lancer. Too unreliable to be noted for reliability, too cheap to be noted as premium, not cheap enough to carry value on its sleeve. It showed up on Need For Speed: Underground in plain-jane sedan form and lord knows how many other games on its hopped-up Evolution version. Which was, incidentally, the final interesting product that Mitsubishi Motors was producing before they decided to take complete leave of their senses and become a complete shell of their forme-; Sorry, this happens to me on occasion. Where was I? Yes, 2004, when the Lancer received a mild facelift which resulted in a rather good-looking front end, revised taillights, and yes, the Sportback.
I like the Sportback. Of course I like the sportback. It’s very hard to not like the wagon as a car guy. Compact size and that squared-off rear means that you can get loads of stuff on the back. With a maximum of 60.7 cubic feet of space, you’d be giving the current Mercedes GLE a run for its money on a much smaller footprint. And Thanks to that updated front-end and those tasty-tasty full-height taillights it’s no slouch on the looks department either.
Okay, so the interior was a bit on the cheap side and thanks to the wonders of market research, it was only available with a four-speed automatic transmission. But who cares, it’s a cheap and cheerful wagon. And 2004 means we’re very much still on a slump when it comes to compact car interiors, which fell in quality ever since Toyota began cheapening out due to the increasing yen and wouldn’t bounce back until the 1-2 punch of the 2006 Civic and the Nissan Versa (nee Tiida).
To top it off, the Sportbacks could also be ordered on the Ralliart trim level, which meant an upgrade to a 2.4-liter engine with 160-horsepower and some suspension upgrades. Sadly, that automatic gearbox was still your only option unless you downgraded to the sedan version of the Ralliart. Unfortunately, the like pendulum didn’t swing in favor of this one, as not enough wagon lovers voted to keep the Lancer Sportback on US soil for more than a year. And the world sadly continued as it was, with little choice for wagons in America unless you liked Subarus or VW’s. Or, you know, bespoke wagon designs carrying different names and being somewhat modified for managing the rougher conditions that American infrastructure provides.
As for Mitsubishi, they tried the hatchback route like Hyundai and were marginally more successful. It also lasted about a year.
Special thanks to jwflynn for his Lancer Sportback images. They are really not easy to find.
Holy macaroni! I just spotted one of these semi abandoned at my local Walmart. Never even knew they existed. Perfect size for a little wagon and clean lines. Thanks for the great write up!
Sport wagons to me are a strange thing. The idea that a wagon could be sporty and even more, a premium idea is silly! A station wagon to me is used for hauling kids around, like you said in your post.
I always figured it was basically a marketing ploy. That is to say an attempt to convince potential buyers that this wagon isn’t completely dorky, because it’s a sport wagon. I’m guessing they hoped to snag buyers who really need a wagon to haul the kids around, but would really have something sportier.
That’s it exactly. At least it’s why I drank the kool-aid (’05 Legacy GT wagon)
And I missed the edit window and just realized I omitted a word. The last sentence should have been “…but would really rather have something sportier.”
” I distinctly ordered the Antarctic Blue Super Sports Wagon with the C.B. and optional rally fun pack” – Clark W. Griswold
Current owner of a 2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring [same color and rims as the pictured], I love everything about it. Mileage, capacity, practicality, comfort, warranty! Great car!
I liked the idea of this car but never bought one mostly because….well, it was a Mitsubishi and also because of the automatic transmission only drivetrain (BTW, I thought that the U.S. Sportbacks all had the 2.4 engine, not just the Ralliart model?)
I was finally interested enough to go test drive a Ralliart a few years ago. It was about 10 years old and had 132,000+ miles on it but was still a surprisingly fun car to drive. I would have bought it but for the fact that the price was ridiculous considering that the A/C didn’t work (an non-starter in Florida) and the dealership that had it was charging an exorbitant “documents fee”…… like $800. I walked, and my mechanic said that I was better off not buying any Mitsubishi product.
Ford actually came close to offering 1st generation Focus wagons like this because I almost bought one. Though the Focus had a slightly smaller engine, you could (conceivably get one, Car&Driver magazine long term tested one) with a manual transmission.
We owned a Jetta Sportwagon tdi. I liked the car, the wife tolerated it. It was our last VW. And I do mean, our last VW. Gave it to the kids, got totalled before VW bought it back. No one hurt, alls well that ends well.
That looks like a nice car, one I would have liked (had I know about it).
And I’d have liked it more if: 1) there was a Mitsubishi dealer; 2) there was a manual transmission; 3) there was a warranty like that on a Hyundai.
I don’t think there has been a Mitsubishi dealer in my town for 15 years or more and I do not know where there might be one in Arizona where I spend winters. Shame, it is a lost brand. The late ’80s Mitsubishi Mirage (Dodge Colt) was a fine little car and the later Mitsubishi Diamante wagon was intriguing.
I liked the styling of these esp. those big vertical tail lights. And what’s wrong with a 4spd auto? Not everyone wants to row their own gears and you don’t need an auto with 8 speeds anyways.
I was the one who spotted today’s feature Mitsu. Never knew they existed until seeing this one. Makes a good two-fer spot to go with the Pulsar sportback I found a few months ago
I’ve now given you proper credit. Sorry for not doing it earlier.
Gerardo – that wasn’t my intent. I really just wanted to mention that I had bagged two obscure wagon-ish cc’s
As one who paid more attention than average to Mitsubishi due to a short, happy time with a Plymouth (Mitsubishi) Colt twin stick, I am surprised that I do not remember these at all. Also because I like wagons.
It is hard to argue with you on Mitsu. They have found more ways to screw things up than I don’t know what.
That Jetta Sportwagon is just like one my sister owned for a long time. Diesel, stick shift. Only it was blue and not brown.
Some critics complained that this era Lancer front end was “too Pontiac looking”. Then, for 2006 model year, Lancer looked like an 80’s Dodge Colt, and was another 1 year wonder. No 2007, went right to ’08 with the final Lancer car model offered for 10 years!
These Sportbacks are certainly a rare sight. I always loved the rear end treatment … Volvo-like but nicer detailing and proportions. The 4 door hatchback seems equally rare; I would see one example regularly, owned by a co-worker, but not many others. I do believe that there is one hugely successful wagon on the US market, though not necessarily marketed as one: the Subaru Outback. I think most owners, at least those over 30, would describe it as a station wagon.
I was tempted by these when looking for a new car a couple of years ago. They are probably slightly more common in the UK and I don’t think they were called Sportwagon, just Lancer estate.
I liked the fact it was a plain, square-backed, cheap Japanese wagon. Very 80s. In the end a Focus or Astra probably made more sense, but I accidentally bought a Renault Scenic.
I looked one of these over at the Detroit show when they were new. There is a Mitsu dealer in Ann Arbor, so the car was not a totally unreasonable proposition. iirc the one at the show was in Ralliart trim, with a price that made my cheapskate nature recoil. My trusty Civic was only 6 years old, so I was a long way from really looking for a new ride, so I walked away.
Liked the second gen hatchback a lot, but have never seen one in the metal as Mitsu had withdrawn from the Detroit show by the time they came out. iirc, the hatchback was available with a manual trans at first, but then the stick was dropped leaving only the CVT trans.
When I did pull the trigger on a wagon, besides the above mentioned candidates, the Protege5 had been replaced by the Mazda3, with increasingly questionable styling choices and the RSX wagon chafed my cheapskate nature. All that left the obvious choice of a Jetta wagon. Of course, the first question out of anyone’s mouth about the VeeDub is “is it a diesel?” To which I reply that no, it has a gas engine, and I explain the very questionable economics of the thousands extra VW charged for the TDI, plus the higher priced fuel, needed to get those flashy mpg numbers.
Wagon? I thought only Subaru made wagons. Now my memory got jogged:
In ’04 there was also a Mazda 6 Wagon available. However it only came with the 6 cylinder engine in the US. If you wanted a 4 cylinder you could look for a Mazda Protege5.
There was also the Ford Focus ZXW wagon. It was dropped with the ’08 redesign for the North American market. Even Saturn offered a wagon.
And there was a Jaguar X-type sport wagon for those who want some luxury and a space for the Golden Retriever. That seems to be the niche for the sport and luxury wagons. That includes Audi, MB, BMW, Saab, Volvo. They are for those who want a luxurious car with a separate space for Fido.
IIRC by the time these were listed as a current rather than coming model on the Mitsubishi website and were shipping to dealers they were already discontinued.
How bizarre that these were so remarkably short-lived in the US and that Mitsubishi did the same thing with the next Sportback which, although I like hatchbacks, was much uglier than the sedan.
These were sold here for several years in Australia IIRC but compact wagons never seem to stick around for long here. We had a Corolla wagon for one generation (E120 series in the early/mid 2000s) but it seemed to be more popular with fleets than anywhere else; it had been our first Corolla wagon since the 4WD wagon of the late 1980s.
Mitsubishi offered a Lancer (Colt) wagon throughout the 1990s, carrying it over with few changes even as the sedan was redesigned (what was known as the Mirage in the US). Again, seemed to be just a fleet seller more than anything. Good-looking wagon though.
+1 re the 2007+ Lancer Sportback; a distinctly inelegant-looking vehicle.
Small wagons (in fact any station wagons) are popular across the ditch here in New Zealand. The Lancer wagon was available new until 2009ish – and loads of older and newer used-import Lancer wagons have arrived here too, some with full Evo running gear. he Pulsar wagon was so successful that when the Tiida took over, Nissan NZ imported JDM-spec WIngroad wagons and sold a bucketload of those. We’ve also had a wagon version of every Corolla, including the current ‘gaping maw’ shape:
Poor Mitsu. When we drove out to the local suburban car dealer Mecca (like, literally, every brand you’d want are a few miles away from each other) my wife saw the Mitsubishi dealer and asked “is there anything we want to look at there?” And I was just, like, “nope.” They’re like the Japanese Studebaker.
“Japanese Studebaker” were my exact thoughts, as well. Hell, the latest Mitsubishi Mirage seems like a modern rendition of the Lark, built specifically to wind-down the few remaining dealerships without any kind of expensive legal wrangling.
One problem that Mitsubishi hadn’t counted on, though: the Mirage is actually selling.
I remember these from when I worked at Avis. They seemed solid and handled well. The 1.6s we had were anemic and while exuding a solid feel, they also felt harsh. It’s not a car I would consider when contemplating the alternatives (in Denmark).
These sport back wagons arent a bad idea a friend just updated her Mazda wagon for a newer version I was informed its not a wagon its a sportback, uh ok if you say so the full height tailgate had me fooled but its a nice enough car to drive she got a Axella, Mazda 3 to those outside Japan,
these Lancer wagons are a bit thin on the ground here but Japanese car makers have such a bewildering array of wagonish looking vehicles on offer I doubt this one would be missed.
saw one of these in the wild for the first time last week. never knew they existed. the one i saw looked to be in much better shape than a 2004 would normally look – except for the cracked rear bumper. i recall thinking to myself that it would be a bear to find a replacement. i had no idea that it was a one year only model.
to me it looks like mitsu was trying to ape the volvo wagon, esp from the rear with the thin, vertical lights that run from the bumper all the way up to the roofline. nice design overall sucky that the only trans is a 4 spd auto
In 2004, the Sportback was on my short list. I drove a Ralliart and actually really liked it. But, and there’s always a but, you couldn’t get either leather nor heated seats. And I really, really wanted both. So, I ended up with a new, loaded, 2004 Malibu Maxx (for just a few hundred bucks more than the Sportback it turns out). I kept the Maxx for 11 years and really didn’t spend hardly anything on repairs for it. I wonder if the Sportback would have lasted so long with me and been as reliable as the Maxx.
The Lancer Cedia wagon came into this market primarily as a foreign used car; there are actually two versions like most JDM estates like the Nissan AD Wagon and Wingroad (idiotic name), Corolla Fielder and Probox, in the sense that there is a ‘luxury’ version (that’d be this one) and a more commercially oriented model. In Japan, they also made a few hundred using the Evo powertrain, and I have seen a few modified to that spec. Like all Lancer estates before it, it spans two generations, so it continued after the new model came in 2007. Our local dealer stopped importing Mitsus in 2016.
Im a wagon guy and currently own a 06 Mazda 6 wagon and the eliusive 2004 Mitsu. Lancer Sportback (Ralliart). They are both fun to drive. Handle very well and both have some pep. Mazda 3.0l especially. 296k on Mazda and 199k on Ralliart. Both running fine.
Sigh, I guess my timing is off a bit, I’m a longtime hatchback buyer (never owned a wagon but since similar to large hatchback, no real surprise) but these “blink your eye” product offerings never seem to line up to when I’m in the market (no surprise I guess, I hold onto cars a long time). Seems like early to mid 2000’s was a good time for these type of offerings, problem is I just bought my 2000 Golf. Then, the PT Cruiser, this, the Mazda 6 wagon, the Malibu Max wagon the Chevy Cruze hatch and the Buick Regal Sportback/wagon came out, for not many years (guess the Cruiser was around for most of the 00’s, 3 model years for the Maxx)…so guess which car I’m still driving in 2024? Guess I’m bad at taking hints, that these were limited time offerings.
Now even the Golf is no more (know I can still buy GTi, I had an ’86, but I’m long past the demographic on these and prefer a smooth ride to great handling no surprise). Then the Kia Forte 5 and Hyundai Elantra GT disappeared, along with the Ford Focus. I’m a manual driver but my next one has to be automatic since no one in my family can drive my car (not often, but sometimes an important consideration). Don’t like CVTs, so the Civic and Toyota Corolla and Subaru Impreza are out, so by default the Mazda 3 is the only car left that seems to have what I want (OK, maybe not exactly since I’m not a fan of vinyl seats, but VW seemed to do this also starting about 10 years ago).
I would have liked to have had a bit more of a choice of offerings….I realize car offerings have become scarce, and that I should just go SUV, but I don’t want to, prefer smoother ride of a car. Wish Mitsubishi still offered something like this…their Mirage is a non-starter for me (also want more of a larger size hatchback) but the Lancer would be just right if they still made them. Guess it’s too much to ask…a non-CVT midsized hatchback, but I guess not enough of us around to make it worthwhile to make them anymore.
Funny thing…I find myself looking at decade old models which I didn’t buy, and prefer them over just about anything I can find that’s sold new. Guess that can save money but wish I wasn’t forced to choose to get what I want (probably used) or new (probably not what I want, maybe exception of the Mazda 3 hatch).
Oh, zwep. You’ve come to the right place. I’ll wager that more than one of us feels your pain. Wish I could offer you a chair and buy you a beer.
Well now we know where Cadillac got their inspiration for the current twin tower tail lights.
…on the Escalade. Oops.