In reply to:
"is it a lancer?"
yeah, it shares the same frame and much of the interior. that's it though.
Doesn't it share the same engine too, just with DOHC and a turbocharger, but with a lower compression ratio? Actually, the Lancer Ralliart has a larger engine than the Lancer Evolution, sort of like how the Impreza RS has a larger engine than the Impreza WRX. But in the end, it's a "Lancer" Evolution. If the SRT-4 is just a Neon, the EVO is just a Lancer. And the STi is just an Impreza.
Here's what I don't get: why don't these companies just wrap these cars in sexier sheet metal and sell them as something else? Does it help to sell base Neons and Lancers, or something? I'd think it'd have the opposite effect. I could never bring myself to buy a fully loaded Impreza RS with the WRX sitting right there, and then when the WRX is fully loaded you only need a few thousand more to get the STi. I'd always feel like my car was inferior, even within its own model line. But if you take me to a Nissan dealership, and the salesman tells me that the Sentra's internals are the same as the 350Z (they're not, but just go with me on this), I think that's something that would excite a tuner. His Sentra may look ordinary now, but there's a 350Z lurking beneath the surface for when he's got a bit more money.
Then again, maybe that would cut into 350Z sales. I don't know, all I'm saying is, I'd be much more interested in buying an EVO if it wasn't associated with the Lancer. Mitsubishi's other products are so... bleh. They're like the Pontiac of Japan right now.
-Jack
Obsidian '03 G35 Sports Coupe (for sale)