The new Mitsubishi Lancer isn't backward about coming forward. It's one of the most dynamic and glamorous sports saloons around. Chunky, sporty with shark-like nose and dramatic rear spoiler, it looks a bit racy and retro.

This Lancer is new from the ground up, based on the Mitsubishi Outlander platform, and its sharp, aggressive look is all part of the plan to attract new admirers to the range.

Big news for Lancer fans is that it is finally available with a diesel option, too, so this Mitsubishi is in tune with the times.

Lancer is also a plush, comfortable and extremely spacious car, with bags of legroom all round. The GS4 test car I drove boasted fabulously comfortable, padded and stippled leather seats and the high waistline and small windows gives the car an intimate feel inside.

There's more good news in the handling department, too – Lancer   sits solidly on the road, with decently sharp steering, good feel and solid balance, and its cornering is assured and tidy.

A word of praise also for the hooded, Alfa-like main dials which are very stylish, and the touch-screen multiple-choice touch screen display, which is easy to operate. I also liked the smart chrome door pulls and safety-first fingertip controls on the steering wheel for the audio set-up.

But there's room for improvement in other areas. The 2.0-litre diesel engine is raucous  even on tickover, with vibration felt right through the car, even though acceleration and pick-up right through the range is excellent.

I also couldn't warm to the crunchy, awkward six-speed manual gearbox, which was tiring to operate.

The ride, too, is wearing with too much bump-thump through the suspension, crashing over potholes and scuttle shake throughout  the car. You have to be an enthusiastic who doesn't mind toughing it out to live with that.

I can't see why Mitsubishi has placed the handbrake on the wrong side of the console, either – is this a left-hand drive leftover, or just poor design? And while ergonomics are generally fine and instruments are user-friendly, why spoil the overall effect by fitting the Lancer with hard, hollow plastics on dashboard and doors?

A medium-sized boot can actually swallow a reasonable amount of luggage, but again access is awkward, there's a small aperture at the opening and opening the flimsy lid with fingertips from the bottom means dirty hands, I'm afraid.

However, Mitsubishi has the reputation for toughness and reliability and many will be attracted by its rally-like appearance, particularly the wheel-arch-filling wheels, sporty bodykit and large rear spoiler.

High spec models such as the GS4 benefit from a sports chassis with thicker anti-roll bars, stiffer dampers and improved steering precision. OK, the ride is hard, but body roll is kept in check through the bends and the car is an accomplished performer if you ask a few questions of it.

Overall, I found the Lancer a bit of an enigma. Bold, assertive looks, fabulously comfortable seats, sporty handling and excellent ergonomics must be balanced against the poor ride, agricultural diesel engine, hard interior plastics and tinny bootlid, so there are pluses and minuses everywhere.

Hardcore Lancer fans will delight in a car that has improved both looks and handling, but those who are tempted by the car's driving attributes may be put off by some of the Lancer's inconsistencies, despite the marque's high reputation for dependability.
 
Fast facts:

• Mitsubishi Lancer GS4 saloon, £14,149-£18,649.


• 0-62mph in 9.7 secs; top speed 129mph.


• Combined mpg 44.8.


• Test car powered by 2.0 DI-D 1968cc diesel engine producing 138bhp @ 4,000rpm.


• Sharper handling, better safety features, crisp styling and cutting edge technology all underline the car's sporting credentials.


• Built in the Mizushima plant in Japan, the all-new Lancer is a refreshing alternative for European customers looking


• for timeless elegance and presence, sharp dynamics, reliability and value for money.


• Under their twin-hood visor, the 'sunglass design' dials use a metallic silver-on-black colour scheme, with a neat bridge covering the backlit LCD multi-information display.


• Mitsubishi Multi-Communication System brings audio, on-board navigation and other communication systems within easy reach of the driver.


• 60:40 split rear seats give a boot-through function so that longer items can be carried, thereby increasing boot capacity from the standard 400 litres.


• In spite of its more generous interior space, wider track and longer wheelbase, the optimised chassis layout gives the Lancer a surprising minimum turning radius of just five metres, on a par with more compact cars.


• Two advanced dual front airbags for the driver and front passenger with occupant sensors, their inflation pressure being controlled to match the severity of the impact; two standard front seat-mounted side-impact airbags; two side curtain airbags for both front and rear passengers, bringing the seven actual airbags to an equivalent of nine; one driver's knee airbag to protect the lower limbs in the initial stage of an impact.