Mitsubishi Cedia

Background Story

The Mitsubishi Cedia was first launched in Indian markets in 1998 as the Mitsubishi Lancer which was later adapted as the Mitsubishi Cedia in 2006. The vehicle was placed in the C segment of the automotive industry and since has been found on roads all across India including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Surat etc. The price is a decent 9,66,000 Indian rupees which is pretty affordable for a vehicle this size. The 2010 model year launch of the Mitsubishi Cedia and its resounding success with the crowds at New Delhi’s Auto Expo were a true testament to its success.

Sculpting the Exterior

The Mitsubishi Cedia is to say the least a real treat to look at. It is a true reflection of post modern Japanese car styling that has trickled through to the Indian markets too. The front hood is well defined with the use of supplant curves which skew slightly as they reach the front grille. The ridge that forms at the junction of the bumper and the hood is home to the Mitsubishi badge on the Mitsubishi Cedia. The head lamps are simple crystal clear although it is clearly felt that the use of darkened lamps would have really uplifted the Mitsubishi Cedia to new heights of design excellence. The rear tail lamps are like a constant and contiguous strip that encapsulates the entire rear end of the Mitsubishi Cedia. The wheels are standard tubeless radial ones while the rims are alloy with the trademark six spoke Mitsubishi design available throughout the entire Evo series lineage.

Fashioning the Engine

The power house of the Mitsubishi Cedia is a balanced combination of both fuel economy and performance excellence. The 2 litre straight inline engine has a total of four cylinders and is gasoline driven. The total power spewed out is 115 PS at 5,250 rpm while a maximum torque of 175 Nm is achieved at 4,250 rpm. It can thus be evidently said that the engine of the Mitsubishi Cedia is meant to be used in the urban environment where engine speed is medium at best. This also ensures that the engine produces maximum power at the most optimal of driving conditions that it faces on a continuous daily basis.

Fuel distribution to the engine is through a MPFI (Multi Point Fuel Injection) mechanism that is regulated by a 32 bit ECM that can be further fine tuned for racing excellence on the Mitsubishi Cedia. The power is shifted to the wheels from the engine using a five speed manual transmission. Mitsubishi estimates that the top speed of the Mitsubishi Cedia is around 180 km/hr but a comparison of market competition such as Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic makes one believe that the top speed would be a few notches higher at around 225 km/hr. Given a fuel economy of around 12 km/litre in the city and 15 km/litre on the open road, the Mitsubishi Cedia poses itself as a vehicle with excellent performance and fuel economy all together. Hats off to Japanese precision engineering!

Discovering the Interior

The Mitsubishi Cedia hosts a well fashioned and built interior and cabin. The central console is rather long and contiguous while being very clean, simple and organised. The seats and some sides of the door panel have received an upholstery of the finest Italian leather on the Mitsubishi Cedia. The steering wheel and the gear stick are also imbued in the same leather although a larger choice of colours would not have hurt sales but rather boosted it. The cockpit has some wood veneer (plastic actually moulded rather carefully) and a few hints of metal posing as titanium on the Mitsubishi Cedia.

Judgment

The Mitsubishi Cedia is here to stay and to fight tough in the Indian market so far as the C category is concerned. Based on its charming performance in terms of functionality and beauty, Mitsubishi may even use it to hit other market segments through the use of appropriate upgrades on the Mitsubishi Cedia. In even simpler words, is you do decide to own and run a Mitsubishi Cedia, you will not find yourself disappointed and cursing after some use of the vehicle. The Mitsubishi Cedia will make you a diehard fan only after a few hours of driving it around town or on the open road.