I know that I really should talk about this Lancer GTS on its own merits, but driving it again really just gets me excited for the upcoming Evo (which Sam drove in Japan). But that's a big compliment to this Lancer: it's a pretty darn good car-especially at this price-and it's nicely tied-down, comfortable, and sporty/fun at the same time. Almost a year after I went on the regular-Lancer launch, I still like the aggressive, almost Alfa-like exterior styling. The interior quality and styling are a bit cheapish (especially those climate-control dials that Sam noted), but it's class-competitive with the Mazda 3, if not quite the Honda Civic. Like most Hondas, the five-speed Lancer is buzzy on the highway (well over 3000 rpm at 75 mph), but at least it's not as bad as my four-speed 1967 MGB/GT (over 4000 rpm at 75 mph).
My biggest complaint after the drive home and back: give me a freakin' knob/dial for the stereo volume; the up/down toggles on Mitsubishi's nav-radio unit don't cut it to tune the station on Ford's navigation system, and they're even worse for controlling volume, particularly when you want to turn it down quickly.