Mitsubishi Lancer 1600GSR (1973)

Publication: Car Graphic
Format: From Our Motoring Diaries
Date: November 1973
Author: “C/G Test Group” (uncredited)

Road testing the Mitsubishi Lancer 1600GSR

Just as we were enjoying the Works Rally Lancer to our hearts’ content for our full Road Test (see August 1973 issue), Mitsubishi released the hot twin-carb Lancer was onto the market. So, we immediately contacted Mitsubishi and arranged to borrow a pale metallic green Lancer 1600GSR.

In a landscape filled with over-decorated Japanese cars, the Lancer’s simple, unadorned body is refreshing. The Lancer looked great driving through Izu and Hakone in the early autumn, and it was very nimble, similar to Ford’s Escort. The GSR’s body, less than 4m long, is light at 825kg. In contrast, its SOHC long-stroke (76.9x86.0mm) 1597cc engine, tuned with twin Stromberg carburetors and a compression ratio of 9.5, is relatively powerful at 110ps/6700rpm and 14.2kgm/4800rpm.

This engine produces strong torque over a wide range of revolutions, and the power performance is particularly excellent due to the syngergy between the 5-speed gearbox with appropriate ratios (the same as the Lancer SL-5 and GSL) and the shortened final drive ratio (from 3.89 to 4.22). If you engage the clutch gently around 2000rpm and shift up repeatedly at 4000rpm, you can quickly pull away from the flow of traffic. However, if you release the clutch abruptly around 5000rpm to get maximum acceleration, the rigid rear axle will go wild. The red zone on the tachometer starts at 6000rpm, lower than the maximum output speed of 6700rpm, but there is no lack of power even during sudden acceleration. The smooth engine revs up quickly, the needle on the tachometer jumps up vigorously, and there is no need to rev it above 6000rpm. After a quick shift, you enter the power band again and get instant, powerful acceleration. In fact, even going into third gear at full throttle on a gentle uphill slope can produce momentary wheel spin.

Despite the low gearing, each gear has good extension. If you rev it up to 6000rpm, which is not at all psychologically uneasy, you can reach 43, 78, 110, and 160km/h in first, second, third, and fourth gears, respectively. At an indicated speed of 100km/h on the speedometer (the actual speed at this reading is 95.5km/h), the engine is turning 3900rpm in fourth gear, and 3350rpm in fifth gear. With the windows closed, it is very quiet. The overall noise level is low, and if the law allows, you can enjoy quiet cruising at 140km/h, with 4800rpm on the tachometer, but at 160km/h, or 5300rpm, the noise increases rapidly and you instinctively reach for the radio’s volume knob.

The lightweight body and large absolute torque give excellent flexibility, although the engine is not a pure flat torque type. Pickup is very good at almost all speed ranges, so much so that it can handle even a lazy 1500rpm, or 45km/h, in fifth gear. Despite using premium gasoline, the Saturn unit emits a light pinging at full throttle in the low and medium speed range. Still, as long as your throttle work is not clumsy, you can start smoothly from a stop in second gear. Thanks to this flexibility, the extremely light clutch, and the exceptionally light steering even at low speeds, low-speed driving in the city is no hardship at all. Visibility is good, and the corners of the compact body are easy to grasp, so psychologically, it is a remarkably easy car to drive.

The ride quality, which feels a little stiff at low speeds, improves as the speed increases. In fact, at 100km/h and above, it is rather soft. When we stretched the GSR’s legs on the open, winding roads in the mountains around Hakone, we felt that the handling was better than we had imagined. The 155-width Bridgestone RD201 tires, with all four wheels set to 2.0kg/cm², are a little lacking in cornering power, but the breakaway at the limit is very smooth and easy to control. There is also an appropriate amount of understeer, and if desired, power oversteer can be induced very naturally, making cornering a real pleasure. The rigid rear axle has a simple design that does not even include a torque rod, but it keeps wheel spin at speed to a minimum, even at full throttle in tight corners. It also provides satisfying acceleration in power slides, making it easy to control. The fact that the understeer is not too strong can be proven by the fact that there is almost no tuck-in when you suddenly lift your throttle foot in a tight corner in second gear. There is some body roll, but the cornering posture is very stable, and even if you press too hard on the high-effort throttle (the test car had an unusually heavy throttle pedal), there’s no need to worry; just gently release the pressure from your right foot, and if that’s not enough, just return the light and precise steering as much as necessary. The obedient Lancer will faithfully return to the line it should be on.

We were impressed by the not-too-stiff springs and effective dampers at first, but after sustained hard cornering, we began to feel a lack of damping. The Lancer reacted strongly to even the slightest undulations in the pavement, making it feel like it was floating around. On a straight downhill stretch, we felt uneasy and wanted to ease off the throttle. We thought maybe the oil in the dampers had overheated, spoiling their effectiveness, so we stopped and waited an hour for them to cool down, but this had no effect. The odometer was only at 3,500km, so if the functionality of the dampers themselves was already deteriorating, it would of course be too early for that.

Though not particularly outstanding, the front and rear seats are well-sized, well-shaped, and reasonably soft. The rear seats are flat and lack hand grips, so passengers will have a hard time in fast cornering, but space is adequate for two adults, and it is far more practical than (and preferable to) the many coupes and hardtops that sacrifice space for the sake of style with steeply sloping roofs and rear windows.

The disc/drum brakes with powerful servo assistance are very good. The pedal pressure is very light, which is a strange feeling when you first move your foot from the heavy throttle, but you quickly get used to it and find the brakes extremely easy to control. Most drivers of this car will also use the powerful engine braking, aided by the snappy shifting, to help with deceleration, but even when we pushed the brakes hard, we didn’t feel any signs of fade.

The steering, with a variable ratio of 15.6-18.2:1 common to all Lancers, is also very good, being light and accurate at any speed, and the leather-wrapped wheel is easy to grip in terms of size and shape, so your hands won’t feel rushed even when speeding down winding roads.

Thus, after driving 600km on the weekend in Izu and on the empty mountain roads of Hakone over two weekdays, we can conclude that the GSR, while very orthodox in its layout, is a well-balanced and all-around excellent car. It is easy to drive under any conditions and feels sporty. Even in the less-than-ideal conditions of traffic jams and mountain roads, it recorded a good fuel economy of 10.6km/l overall. If it were given wider wheels, better tires, and high-quality dampers, we’re sure it could become the Escort Mexico of Japan.