The Lancer has a strong prow with a bold horizontal grille ringed in chrome. Oversized multi-lens headlamps cluster at the corners, while a thick front bumper and air dam thrust forward like a boxer's chin. The hood has stepped cut-lines that add shape and depth. The flanks look sleek and flat with slight fender flares around the wheels. At the squared-off trunk, the Lancer borrows lines from European touring sedans with a blunt tail highlighted by bold, triangular taillamps.
The ES model looks tame and respectable. The O-Z Rally edition looks anything but tame and respectable with its bumper extensions, shapely side skirts, and loud colors. The Ralliart versions look downright racy.
The Evolution looks like a rally car. First, there's the big rear wing. Then there's the aggressive front end, a big front air dam filled with an intercooler for the turbo and a hood with screened air vents. Blistered, squarish fenders made of lightweight aluminum look like competition hardware. The Evo MR has vortex generators, eight little inch-high longitudinal fins on the back of the roof that generate downforce, similar to those seen on airplanes. For 2005, both the MR and the RS get a high-strength steel roof panel that saves as much weight as would chopping three inches off the top of the car. Getting weight off the top, high above the center of gravity, is a good thing. Add a roll cage, a big light pod, mambo mud flaps and a bunch of decals, and the Evolution would look ready to tackle the Pikes Peak Hill Climb or the Rim of the World rally in California. (Of course, more preparation would be required to build a successful rally car.)
