Archive for Mitsubishi

Since the new 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer is coming soon, I decided to dig up some details on the new GEMA engine under the hood. The previous Lancer that is on sale on our market now uses the all-familiar 1.6 liter 4G18 engine, similar to the one that we used to find under the hood of our Proton Waja, with one of the few minor difference is that the Waja uses a 4-speed auto while the Lancer uses a CVT.

The new 2007 Lancer has it’s engine upped to 2.0 liter, putting it head to head with the Civic 2.0. The new GEMA engine is a joint venture project between DaimlerChrysler, Hyundai and Mitsubishi. Hyundai has yet to use the GEMA engine in any of it’s cars, while DaimlerChrysler’s now-sold-off Chrysler used it as it’s flagship 2.0-2.4 liter.

The GEMA engine is called the 4B1x series in Mitsubishi terms, and the 2.0 liter model that we will see in the 2008 Lancer is the 4B11, with the Lancer Evolution getting the 4B11T. It is probably the first time a non-Sirius engine has been used in a Lancer Evolution. All Evolutions, from the Evo I to the Evo IX used some variant of the Sirius 4G63T, with the latest in the Evo IX getting MIVEC variable valve timing.

The 4B11 is a 4-cylinder DOHC engine with MIVEC variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust valves, making it somewhat equivalent to Toyota’s Dual VVT-i. In it’s US market application, it makes 152 horsepower at 6,000rpm (143 horsepower in California because of higher emission regulations) and 198Nm of torque at 4,250rpm, with 176Nm available from 2,500rpm. The 4B11 uses a new aluminium cylinder block as well as an aluminium cylinder head. A timing chain is used instead of a timing belt.

While most engines are usually either bore-biased (rev-happy) or stroke-biased (better torque), the new 4B11 is a “square” engine – it has a bore and stroke that both measure 86mm, giving a good balance of rev-happiness and good torque. It uses as compression ratio of 10.0:1, but can still use RON92 (87 AKI) fuel.

The MIVEC system uses valve overlap to reduce pumping losses under normal conditions, but under high engine speed conditions where maximum power is needed, intake valve closing time is retarded to allow for larger air volume. In a similar high load condition but at low engine speeds, intake valve closing is advanced instead, ensuring sufficient air volume, but exhaust valve opening is retarded to provide a higher expansion ratio and improved efficiency.

To ensure stable idling, valve overlap is eliminated during idle conditions. As previously mentioned, this version of MIVEC can adjust both intake and exhaust valves independently for maximum flexibility in valve control.

Mitsubishi has employed a 4-point inertial axis system with cylindrical hydraulic engine mounts on the left and right sides to help reduce engine vibration, ensuring smooth and quiet operation. On the right side mount where the engine is, a lightweight, high-rigidity squeeze-cast aluminium bracket helps reduce engine noise under acceleration. On the left side where the transmission is, a similar lightweight, high-rigidity plate bracket made of steel helps reduce gear noise. For the front and rear engine mounts, a custom-tuned insulator helps control both idle vibration and acceleration shock.

The engine can be mated to either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a CVT transmission with 6 virtual gears that are selectable using paddle shifts on the steering wheel. Mitsubishi picked 6 gears (in reality because they are unlimited to pick from, you could have 50 CVT virtual gears if you wanted) because it offered the best balance of ease of use, sporty driving, and flexible performance.

The 5-speed manual is an improvement over the old 5-speed transmission – the third and fourth gears now use double-cone synchronisers for smoother shifting and a new honing process was used to reduce noise. The gear ratios have also been adjusted to suit the torque curve of the new engine.

The CVT transmission’s ratio range is from 2.349 to 0.394, with infinite variations in between, which gives wider ratios than the previous 4-speed auto that had a ratio spread of 2.842 to 0.712. A much higher achievable overdrive ensures good fuel economy and lower engine speed for highway cruising. The INVECS-III software in the CVT customises shift patterns on the fly to match the acceleration and brake patterns of the driver. If you select the L mode, the INVECS-III software shifts to allow for more engine braking if the car has to go down slopes.

Something alot of people miss when switching from conventional fixed ratio gearing to CVTs is the lurching feel when you floor the pedal from a stand still. The way a CVT-equipped car starts may be interpreted as sluggish by our minds – this is known as the rubber band effect. INVECS-III can simulate this lurching that the driver expects.

Anyway, this engine looks like a very modern engine with a gearbox combination that promises to be great for both city and highway driving. You’ve got ample amounts of torque from a low 2,500rpm for a comfortable city drive, plus a CVT to keep the revs at the sweet spot. You’ve got a good low maximum overdrive ratio of 0.394 for good highway fuel economy and a relaxed low engine speed cruise. Finally, for whenever you feel like driving spiritedly, there are the paddle shifters.

On paper, the Lancer’s drivetrain sounds good. An invite for the launch, Mitsubishi Malaysia?

UPDATE: Look at two videos after the jump explaining some technical details on the 4B11 as well as it’s matching INVECS-III CVT gearbox, thanks to reader Rikeys.

Related Posts:
2007 Mitsubishi Lancer spotted on the LDP!
2007 Mitsubishi Lancer in Malaysia – Q3 2007?
New 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer specs and photos revealed

Click here to read the rest of 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer: The New 4B11 Engine

[UPDATE: Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia has launched the new Lancer. Click here for more details on the fully imported Lancer 2.0 GT that's available in Mitsubishi showrooms now.]

Reader 280kmh managed to snap this shot of the latest Mitsubishi Lancer on the LDP highway while driving from Subang to Bangi. All of the rear badging including the Mitsubishi logo has been taped up, but one glance and you know that it is the latest Lancer because of it’s very recognisable design.

I previously blogged about how this could be the latest addition to our C-segment market earlier this month, and the next few months will be busy ones for the Malaysian car industry, with multiple non-national makes and even a new Proton lined up.

Just a short summary of the specifications that the Lancer has in overseas markets: it is powered by a new 2.0 liter engine from the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance project, a joint venture between Mitsubishi, DaimlerChrysler and Hyundai.

The new engine carries the 4B11 codename. It is a 152 horsepower 2.0 liter DOHC 16 valve engine with MIVEC variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust mated to either a 5-speed manual transmission or a Sportronic(R) CVT transmission with a 6 virtual gears that can be shifted through steering wheel paddle shifters.

No official word yet on the specs that will be available in Malaysia, but there have been rumours of two fully imported CBU variants of the 2.0 liter – a standard spec and another with a higher trim level loaded with more goodies.

Related Posts:
2007 Mitsubishi Lancer in Malaysia – Q3 2007?
New 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer specs and photos revealed
Mitsubishi Galant Fortis for JDM market

Motor Authority has spyshots of the upcoming Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution undisguised, letting us have a look at what it looks like way ahead of it’s international debut at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show in late October this year.

But then again, Mitsubishi has already let us have a preview of how the production car will look like through the Mitsubishi Prototype X Concept, though after a comparison, the production and concept are not identical.

At a glance, here are a few differences:

1. The front foglamps are different, while the prototype used a thin horizontal strip of LEDs as a foglamp, the production version uses circular-shaped conventional bulb-type foglamps.
2. The headlamps are now conventional projector headlamps with a less radical inner lense design.
3. The production version has a conventional wing mirror design, and the wing mirror-mounted turn signal indicators are gone.
4. This area of the bumper design has had the lower part of the design thickened – the concept had a less symmetrical design with the top thicker than the bottom.
5. The production version’s front fender now has a turn signal indicator as per most country’s legal requirements to have one on either the fender or the wing mirror. For the concept, it was on the wing mirror.

Can anyone spot any other differences?

Related Posts:
New 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer specs and photos
Mitsubishi Prototype X Concept
Mitsubishi Proto X Photo Gallery

Click to enlarge

The new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution will have an updated version of Mitsubishi’s S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control) all-wheel drive system. An improvement over the old system is the new addition of ASC (Active Stability Control), which adds to the existing ACD (Active Center Differential), AYC (Active Yaw Control) and Sport ABS (Sport Antilock Brake System) components, as well as yaw rate feedback control.

All four systems work together to provide the Lancer Evolution driving experience, managing torque and braking force to each of the four wheels with precision. There are three operating modes – TARMAC for dry and paved surfaces, GRAVEL for wet and gravel surfaces and SNOW for snow-covered surfaces. Most will probably drive it in TARMAC mode most of the time.

ACD (Active Center Differential)

This system uses an electronically-controlled hydraulic multi-plate clutch which optimizes clutch cover clamp load for different driving conditions, regulating the differential limiting action between free and locked states to optimize front/rear wheel torque split. This produces the best balance between traction and steering response.

AYC (Active Yaw Control)

Active Yaw Control adjusts torque in the rear planetary gear differential to limit yaw movement. This enhances cornering performance. AYC also has an LSD-like effect on the rear diff, suppressing rear wheel slip to improve traction. This new version of AYC improves on the version in the Lancer Evolution IX by adding a yaw rate sensor as well as brake force control.

ASC (Active Stability Control)

As I’ve mentioned before, this is something new in the S-AWC system. It manages torque and brake force at each wheel, and has a brake pressure sensor at each wheel to allow more precise control. It’s basically the new Lancer Evolution’s version of stability control systems like DSC and ESP. The system can increase braking force on the inside wheel during understeer and on the outer wheel during oversteer situations in concert with torque transfer management for better cornering performance.

Sport ABS (Sport Anti-lock Braking System)

This is a special ABS system tuned for sporty driving, serving a function similiar to any other ABs system – it prevents the wheels from locking under heavy braking.

Related Posts:
Mitsubishi reveals Twin Clutch SST gearbox

Click here to read the rest of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution’s new S-AWC system

Mitsubishi Motors has unveiled two of the technologies that will go into the upcoming 10th in it’s generation Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, but let’s talk about them one at a time. We’ll have a look at Twin Clutch SST (Sport Shift Transmission) first – an automated manual transmission with twin clutches much like Volkswagen’s DSG, the current benchmark for dual clutch automated manual transmission.

Much like DSG, Mitsubishi has upt the odd gears (1st, 3rd and 5th) on one clutch and the even gears (2nd, 4th, and 6th) on the other clutch. Under precise system control, the gearbox swaps between gears much faster on the upshifts as the next gear is preselected.

The Twin Clutch SST system has three shift programs – Normal, Sport and S-Sport. Normal mode like it’s namesake is for normal driving around town and highways. It uses low shift points for better comfort and fuel economy.

The Sport mode is to be used in situations like mountain driving, or whenever you need lots of engine braking, keeping the gears in lower ones for longer than normal. Shift points are also higher for more power. S-Sport mode is the mad, rapid, rev to redline mode with the fastest possible shifting.

Mitsubishi did not release the shift times for the Twin Clutch SST so we don’t really know at this moment whether it is faster or slower or equal to Volkswagen’s DSG.

Back last month, a reader of this blog sent in e-mails informing me that they spotted the 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer (called the Galant Fortis in Japan) at the Customs office in Putrajaya. No spyshots of the car on the road just yet, but MTM has an announcement on it’s frontpage now that a new C-segment sedan will be launched in Q3 2007, which should be the period of July to September 2007.

The last C-segment sedan that was launched in Malaysia is the 2006 Honda Civic, but the Toyota Corolla Altis is also due for a refresh soon as it’s replacement has already been revealed in the international market. The Bluebird Sylphy won’t be replacing the Sentra anytime this year, with Nissan choosing to take one step at a time with the relatively large B-segment Nissan Latio instead.

Check out more details and photos of the 2007 Lancer in the related links below:

Related Posts:
New 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer specs and photos revealed
Mitsubishi Galant Fortis for JDM market

Mitsubishi has launched a new special edition 3-door Colt in the UK, sporting some very nice black paint worthy of it’s Black Hawk nickname. Two spec levels are offered, one with a 1.1 liter normally aspirated 3-cylinder 74 horsepower gasoline engine, and a much faster one called the CZT, with a 1.5 liter turbocharged MIVEC inline-4 making 147 horsepower. The limited edition Colt Black Hawk is available in a limited edition run of 400 units, while the more exclusive Colt Black Hawk CZT has as 200-unit run.

I’ve driven the Colt offered locally in Malaysia before, and with it’s punchy 1.5 liter normally aspirated MIVEC engine combined with a smooth CVT gearbox, and a pretty inspiring drive despite it’s height, it’s really not bad a buy for those who can afford it. Recently a few units were sold off at a lower price, even better value for money!

Click here to read the rest of Mitsubishi Colt Black Hawk CZT

Mitsubishi has introduced the latest Mitsubishi Lancer into the Japanese JDM market, however it will not be called a Lancer. Instead, most likely because of the Lancer’s increase in size and Japan’s regulations with car dimensions, it will be known as the Mitsubishi Galant Fortis. As you all know, the Galant is a class larger than the Lancer, and a version has made it’s way into Proton stables as the Perdana.

This is probably the same reason as why there is a smaller Toyota Corolla Axio in the Japanese market, and another larger Corolla Altis which is wider and longer than the Axio, otherwise tax brackets would change or something like that.

However, the same Lancer in it’s high performance 4WD form will still be called the Lancer, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X to be exact. The standard gearbox for this car will be a 6-speed automated manual transmission – it would be interesting to see how this automated manual transmissions performs compared to other automated manual technology leaders like Volkswagen DSG.

Click here to read the rest of Mitsubishi Galant Fortis for JDM market

Oh my, it seems that Proton has infected it’s old partner Mitsubishi with the Alfadana disease. Mitsubishi’s latest Lancer bears quite a significant similarity to the sexy Alfa Romeo 159 doesn’t it? What do you think?

A few weeks back, lucky NST journalist Shannon Teoh took the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 out for a test drive review, and I got to have a taste of the car as well as be the photographer for the test drive. I can’t say much about the car as I only got to drive it a little around Cyberjaya and back to NST in Bangsar, but it’s safe to say it was everything I expected it to be and more.

I found myself saying under my breath, “I can’t believe this is 6th gear” – and the reason for it being said under my breath was because I did not want to interrupt the moments where I was feeling that amazing amount of torque – all 400Nm of it.

That is the same amount of torque as the new E92 BMW M3. While the Evo 9 introduces MIVEC variable valve timing to the venerable 4G63 series and is supposed to smoothen out the torque curve and increase low-end power, there is still a mad surge of power and the intoxicating sound of a large turbine spinning furiously when you enter the boost range which begins a tad below 4,000rpm.

It was very hard to believe that this is a performance car, as the Lancer Evolution 9 had everything you need to be a practical family sedan – 5 seats, 4 doors, a nice big boot. What else could you ask for? However, it was hard justifying the thought of me ever buying one if I could afford it, as for a sedan that costs a tad over RM280,000, the interior sure did not feel premium.

For example, even the air conditioning was a manual knob controlled unit, and the audio system was very basic. Plus, just try maneuvering the Evo 9 in tight parking spaces. You’ll discover that for some reason the car has a really bad turning circle, ensuring that multiple three point turns will be one of your most frequent maneuvers in this car.

But then again, that’s just me. I am very particular about my car interior ambiance, and the Evo 9 is just not for me. It might be the car for you though, if you had RM284,872 to plonk down for one of the most exciting cars you can buy on Malaysian roads. BTW, there is no standard warranty for this car – a 1-year warranty is optional!

For now, have a look at more photos after the jump. You can click most of the images in this post to view an enlarged version.

Click here to read the rest of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 Short Write-up