Through Ian's Lens: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer

The 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer is a rare bird in the automotive world because it is an exception to the rule that reasonably priced cars have to look, well, reasonable. The exterior of the new Lancer blurs the lines between high-performance pedigree and under-$20K price tag. Between the headlights, the pinched nose and grille feel like an homage to an older generation of Italian racecars, while the rear end is ultimately urban street racer. Image aside, this car feels like it was designed for a video game, with every angle and line produced to create the feeling of forward motion. Even if you don’t run in the street-racing crowd, you have to credit Mitsubishi for sticking its neck out there and designing a car that attempts to break away from boring, mundane sedan design. At the very least, the Lancer is unique. Let me know what you think in the comments section. A full set of photos is below.

Comments

Mitsubishi is crap. I am shocked they are still treading water.

But what did you think of the photos?

The beginning of the end for me with my former favorite periodicals Motor Trend and Car and Driver was their so-called need to have edgy, artistic photography. I was not and am not a fan. It may be more artistic but I'd rather see quality real-life photos of cars. This new gallery is bordering on too artistic. A photo of the gearshift lever at seat level or a close-up of the crease in the hood are not things I desire to see.

To add further - I like the photos you put into your reviews. You are about the only place to show unstaged, un-"media photos" of front, side, rear angles as well as differences in trim levels, wheels, etc.

I would generally agree with Keith, but sometimes the artsy images are nice. I'd rather have more substance though.

Keith,
Through Ian's Lens is that artsy type of photography you mention. This is an outlet for it that we're able to provide folks on the blog from time to time. In our reviews we do keep it simple, straight forward and hopefully useful too.
Hopefully we can serve both groups of folks, the artsy fans and non.

Dave,
This is really off topic but as a member of the internet automobile world, are you familiar with familycar.com? Is it a private site or part of a larger media group? I ask because they used to regularly publish new galleries of the latest automobiles being released on the market but have done very little in the past 6 months or so, like the site is inactive.

Keith,
Not really. I know one of the writers, Tom Strongman, who is also a pretty good photographer too. But I'm not sure on the status of the site itself. Sorry.

You definitely capture the car's personality in these photos.

the car is really sporty and its price makes it worth it!! i like it and i guess it will do better than other mitsubishi cars

I don't really see anything "artistic" about these photos. A car parked in an alleyway with garbage cans? No.

I find it hard to see the lines of the vehicle with garage door and photographer reflections in the paint.

Some times the photos need to be taken in a studio to see what the vehicle actually looks like.

I think it looks like it's trying a little too hard to be different and just coming off as bizarre. Not nearly as bizarre as the Subaru though. That being said, I do like the interior. I see a little Alfa in the instrument cluster.

GR,

the lighting in the alley was perfect to show the shiny finish without a nasty glare. please also note the way the buildings reflect off the black (?) paint adds so much depth!

it looks great especially when u compare it to the new POS looking impreza.

There are over 20 pictures and not one with a full side view.

Pictures of a car "in the wild" so you can see what it will look like after you take it out of the showroom. This is good. Manufacturer's, I would imagine, try to make their products with artistic lines so they'll be more attractive. These photos are close-ups of that effort. As Dave mentioned, Ian's series is one part of vehicle research available on this site. If they don't serve your research purposes, click around until you find other photos. They're good and I enjoy an artist's representation of cars as well as the Chicago background. The "forward motion" design of this vehicle is evident.

First of all, I am a big fan of Ian's work! His article shots are straight forward, attractive and utilitarian. His blog photos are the right mix of descriptive, intriguing, and artistic. He does it all across the cars.com board. Most of the reflections in the paint are beautiful and show vehicles in their urban habitats... as for reflections of the photographer, maybe a little less beautiful, but at least they show that bald and hairy is not only not an oximoron, but can be handsome.

As for Mitsubishi... I couldn't care less.

I am always amazed at some peoples ability to just throw out comments on the internet without having a single comment as to why they have that particular comment! I am referring to Nic's "Mitsubishi's are crap" comment btw. Considering the fact that Mitsu has several vehicles on JD Powers top picks along with Highway Safety top picks (Lancer having both) I don't think "crap" is even close to correct. I bet Nic likes the STI or the new BMW 335 (Both of which have Mitsu built turbo's in them!)