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Lancer Or Axio? Update: Bought A Lancer! (Aka The B.r.a.t.t. Thread)


Bracket

Question

Hello Experts,

Excited to join Autolanka forums :D Waited almost for month for an admin to approve me ... anyway, whoever the admin that approved me, :smilie_liebe12:

Last December, I sold my good old Maruti WagonR ( 2008 model, 5yrs old, driven for 30000+ Kms) For 1.6mil. I was searching for a good car to buy ever since. ( that's how I ended up on autolanka) So now that I finally got approved I thought it's time to get expert ideas on buying my new vehicle.

My budget is 3.5mil - 4.0mil. I wanted to buy a japanese car and browsing the internet, Finally I decided that there are two contenders:

1. Toyota axio 161 1.3 X Grade (2013)

2. Mitsubishi Lancer EX 1.6 GLX (2013)

Both the cars ( Brand New ) are being sold for 3.5 mil. for the permit. ( Lancer : 3,460,000 to be exact)

My priorities are:

-RELIABILITY
-Fuel Economy

-Spare Parts Availability

-Safety And comfort

-Handling

-Looks

- Resale value

Axio Dealers are mainly bragging of TOYOTA Reliability and Spare parts availability. They assured me I'm in deep trouble if I choose a mitsubishi because there are no spare parts in local market and I would have to buy spare parts only from agent paying a huge amount of money and I have to wait till eternity for mitsubishi agents to import parts from japan. And they also mentioned that unlike axio, I won't be able to sell the mitsubishi for a decent price. (if I wanted to, of course)

I called mitsu agents and they say they have spare parts for any vehicle they sell and I don't have to worry. However the sales guy said he have no idea on 3rd party parts availability.

So as you all can see i'm in a dilemma here. If you were in my position which car would you buy? And please be kind enough to mention why.. :)

This is my first post on autolanka, so please go easy on me if I have offended any rule.

Thanks in advance.

Edited by Bracket
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Axio -> boring, ugly, a bit more plasticy inside than the Lancer

Lancer -> more fun to drive and to me it is prettier

I second that. Also consider the new Mazda 3 / axela. Is it hard for you to come to colombo for a one day service at the agents?

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Here's my take on things:

Reliability: BOTH. I honestly don't think 161 will be any less reliable than any of the previous incarnations. On the other hand, Lancer EX too, is a very reliable car

Fuel Economy: Lancer EX 1.6 does 9-10 in Colombo city, based on correct figure quoted by a friend who owns one. 1.3litre Axio should do less. 1.5 litre Axio should do more.

Spare Parts: There is no shortage of spares for both these models. But the neighbourhood sillara kade will have Axio parts.

Safety: Lancer. It's made to comply with European safety ratings, which are more stringent than JDM.

Comfort: Lancer

Handling: Lancer

Looks: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Resale Value: Those who bought Axios in 5 years ago for 4-4.5 million are now selling them for around 3.5mill. Those who bought Lancer EX for 3.5mill 5 years ago (on permit) are selling them for around 3.2-3.3mill. Go figure!

The unpopularity of the EX is due to the fact that there's no equivalent JDM version of the Lancer EX. The JDM one comes with a 2 litre engine which wouldnt have a market in Sri Lanka. If there was a JDM 1.5 version of the EX, it would have been quite popular here in SL.

Edited by Crosswind
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Whoa hey, don't get me wrong here bracket, my vote is not on whether the axio or the lancer is the better car. I don't even consider the axio a car to begin with. It's just vanilla flavored boredom on 4 wheels.

My vote is purely, and entirely on which is the better car for your requirements. Which should be the denominator here, not the numerator. You worry about after sales service, parts availability and resale value in ten years time even before you've bought the car. While in no way condemning that (my dad would've been proud to have a son like you) the only sure fire bet you can take on a brand with those requirements is Toyota. Nothing else.

For an example, my brother bought a Toyota carina recon for 700,000 on the permit in 1997. He sold it in 2012 for 1.8 million. 300- 307,000km, single/first owner.

But if you, like most of us here, wanna live a little more dangerously, and actually have the hairs on your rear end tingled a little on the ride home, go for a civic! Or the lancer. Or even the new impreza. :)

Well it seems axio just lost a vote. -1 :action-smiley-015:

And, 3.5mil is a BIG amount of money for me komi, of course I should be worried about after sales service and parts availability...

Hey, as you mentioned honda Civic, what is your opinion about indian-made Honda City? It's also priced for 3.5 mil with all the bells and whistles... It looks good, too.

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Don't believe agent's comments. Do your own research.
Both cars being mainstream Japanese cars, spare parts should be more or less equally available.
Besides, unlike your previous Maruti, you would hardly need spare parts other than serviceable parts, at least for the first 5 years .
If I'm in the same situation, I would obviously go for the Lancer.

whoa, another vote for the lancer!

To tell you the truth whatever, the maruti WagonR was pretty reliable too.... I only replaced serviceble parts for the 5 years I used it. I sold it with the stock tire set and the stock battery, too. It never let me down, and the person who bought it didn't wanted alteast a test drive! He came to see the car ,( just "looked" at it, didn't inspect it ) the next day he transferred 1.6 mil to my account, did the paperwork and got the keys, drove it home! weird, no?

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I second that. Also consider the new Mazda 3 / axela. Is it hard for you to come to colombo for a one day service at the agents?

I have to drive 160 Km to get to colombo reckless... :unsure:

But the car looks awesome, I must say. But then again, lancer looks pretty good, too. Carma*t quoted 3.9 mil for the mazda 3.

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Here's my take on things:

Reliability: BOTH. I honestly don't think 161 will be any less reliable than any of the previous incarnations. On the other hand, Lancer EX too, is a very reliable car

Fuel Economy: Lancer EX 1.6 does 9-10 in Colombo city, based on correct figure quoted by a friend who owns one. 1.3litre Axio should do less. 1.5 litre Axio should do more.

Spare Parts: There is no shortage of spares for both these models. But the neighbourhood sillara kade will have Axio parts.

Safety: Lancer. It's made to comply with European safety ratings, which are more stringent than JDM.

Comfort: Lancer

Handling: Lancer

Looks: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Resale Value: Those who bought Axios in 5 years ago for 4-4.5 million are now selling them for around 3.5mill. Those who bought Lancer EX for 3.5mill 5 years ago (on permit) are selling them for around 3.2-3.3mill. Go figure!

The unpopularity of the EX is due to the fact that there's no equivalent JDM version of the Lancer EX. The JDM one comes with a 2 litre engine which wouldnt have a market in Sri Lanka. If there was a JDM 1.5 version of the EX, it would have been quite popular here in SL.

Great analysis crosswind.

BTW, I just found out that in japan, lancer is called "Galant Fortis". Is that the JDM version of the lancer? What is the difference between the JDM Lancer and this one? :blink: Does that mean Lancer EX is manufactured outside of japan?

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Here's my take on things:

Reliability: BOTH. I honestly don't think 161 will be any less reliable than any of the previous incarnations. On the other hand, Lancer EX too, is a very reliable car

Fuel Economy: Lancer EX 1.6 does 9-10 in Colombo city, based on correct figure quoted by a friend who owns one. 1.3litre Axio should do less. 1.5 litre Axio should do more.

Spare Parts: There is no shortage of spares for both these models. But the neighbourhood sillara kade will have Axio parts.

Safety: Lancer. It's made to comply with European safety ratings, which are more stringent than JDM.

Comfort: Lancer

Handling: Lancer

Looks: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Resale Value: Those who bought Axios in 5 years ago for 4-4.5 million are now selling them for around 3.5mill. Those who bought Lancer EX for 3.5mill 5 years ago (on permit) are selling them for around 3.2-3.3mill. Go figure!

The unpopularity of the EX is due to the fact that there's no equivalent JDM version of the Lancer EX. The JDM one comes with a 2 litre engine which wouldnt have a market in Sri Lanka. If there was a JDM 1.5 version of the EX, it would have been quite popular here in SL.

We had 3 Lancer EX, two Corolla 141, two Yaris and two Terios in our family all imported brand new in 2007-2008 on permits. They were all maintained by the agents during warranty and subsequently as per manufactures recommendation by reputed service stations.

Here are my observations

Lancers – All of them had warranty issues on

  1. ABS Sensors
  2. Cooling (Radiator) fans
  3. Carbon deposits in throttle body
  4. Electrical issues like fog lights switching on only when they want

Toyota 141, Yaris, Terios not a single issue other than batteries, fan belts after about 5 years of use

I have seen number of Lancer EX vehicles being attended at U**Mo with very low milage and even the agents admit that the EX is not as reliable as the previous (CS) from which I upgraded to EX.

I had a time getting rid of my EX it being in the right colour (Black) which was in mint condition at the time of sale.At the time of sale in 2010 we could have got more for my mom’s 141 which in fact was brought for less.

Sourcing body parts (used) would be a nightmare in case of an accident, however the agents will have brand new parts.

Having said all that EX had the best handling, looks and was the head turner out of the lot.

If you want good looking drivers car EX will be the car for you but if you are concern about the reliability and resale look else were.

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We had 3 Lancer EX, two Corolla 141, two Yaris and two Terios in our family all imported brand new in 2007-2008 on permits. They were all maintained by the agents during warranty and subsequently as per manufactures recommendation by reputed service stations.

Wow.. u must be owning a permit kadey eh? 9 permits and all of them wasted on mundane cars. What did u do? buy a yaris each for the gardener and kussi amma?

How about the 10th permit? Did u buy a gigantic snake from it?

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Wow.. u must be owning a permit kadey eh? 9 permits and all of them wasted on mundane cars. What did u do? buy a yaris each for the gardener and kussi amma?

How about the 10th permit? Did u buy a gigantic snake from it?

2 CRVs, 2 Allions, 1 Axio 161, 2 were sold to buy Prius. As the seniors are retired did not get permits.

Yaris are driven by drivers to take children to school and occational visit to the vet with the dogs.

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Great analysis crosswind.

BTW, I just found out that in japan, lancer is called "Galant Fortis". Is that the JDM version of the lancer? What is the difference between the JDM Lancer and this one? :blink: Does that mean Lancer EX is manufactured outside of japan?

Komi answered your first question, and Lancer EX is also manufactured in Japan...

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We had 3 Lancer EX, two Corolla 141, two Yaris and two Terios in our family all imported brand new in 2007-2008 on permits. They were all maintained by the agents during warranty and subsequently as per manufactures recommendation by reputed service stations.

Here are my observations

Lancers – All of them had warranty issues on

  1. ABS Sensors
  2. Cooling (Radiator) fans
  3. Carbon deposits in throttle body
  4. Electrical issues like fog lights switching on only when they want

Toyota 141, Yaris, Terios not a single issue other than batteries, fan belts after about 5 years of use

I have seen number of Lancer EX vehicles being attended at U**Mo with very low milage and even the agents admit that the EX is not as reliable as the previous (CS) from which I upgraded to EX.

I had a time getting rid of my EX it being in the right colour (Black) which was in mint condition at the time of sale.At the time of sale in 2010 we could have got more for my mom’s 141 which in fact was brought for less.

Sourcing body parts (used) would be a nightmare in case of an accident, however the agents will have brand new parts.

Having said all that EX had the best handling, looks and was the head turner out of the lot.

If you want good looking drivers car EX will be the car for you but if you are concern about the reliability and resale look else were.

Are you serious right now?? Thats frightful! :speechless-smiley-003::speechless-smiley-006:

Well my mind was almost made to buy the Lancer ... :sport-smiley-027:

Please, are there any other lancer users who faced the same issues??

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Komi answered your first question, and Lancer EX is also manufactured in Japan...

Hey it seems that you are a lancer user trinity... can you please share your experience with the vehicle? any reliability issues?

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Great analysis crosswind.

BTW, I just found out that in japan, lancer is called "Galant Fortis". Is that the JDM version of the lancer? What is the difference between the JDM Lancer and this one? :blink: Does that mean Lancer EX is manufactured outside of japan?

Th Galant Fortis when it was first released only came with a 2.0 ltr engine for all grades/specs. But in 2009 ? 2010 ? They replaced the 2.0 ltr engine (+ 6A/T) with a 1.8 ltr (+ CVT)engine for all the grades/specs except for the Ralliart version. They used to have a 5M/T variant as well but I don't think it is there anymore.

You get the Galant Fortis in front-wheel drive and all-wheel-drive(which I don't think is the same or as complicated as the Evo's) variants, strangely unlike other AWD sedans you see quite a few of the AWD in Japan.

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Welcome to AL

I am currently using a Lancer EX thus I am biased towards it, hence I am not going to compare the 2 brands bcos I would go for a Lancer against any version of a Corolla any given day.

Let me give you some facts about the car. the new lancer ex 1.6 is expected to do 11-12kmpl once the engine is seasond I am driving a manual and I am getting close to 14kmpl on semi urban driving (70-75 km per day). I have got a maximum of 18 kmpl on a long distance trip (average of 16kmpl on out station).

Reliability wise I have not been let down by the car even once. I believe if you look after your car well, it will look after you. this stands for any car.

As Kush correctly pointed out there were issues with the ABS sensor, fog lamps, carbon diposits on throttle body and issues in the fan. except for ABS sensor, almost all of these issues have been corrected by the manufacturer if I am not mistaken, the ABS issue (no it wont make you run out of breaks), the agent replaces free of charge under warrenty. and there are discounts on the spareparts up to 5 years from the purchse date. you can get the genuine abs sensors from singapore for half the price if needed after 5 years. (recently it was 40K vs 22K). If these are the only issues which would make you against buying the EX, I think you should seriously reconsider.

Resale value - the person who sold me the car after 4 years from purchace gained close to 0.5 mil on the bought price under the permit. In my personal experince my previous Lancer CS I was able to sell it with the 300k gain on absolute terms after 3.5 years. so I do not really see you loosing money on absolute terms with the EX after 5 years.

BUT, the vehicle market in SL has changed drastically in the recent years now there is a trend of even so called highly liquid vehicle brands loosing their value within 1 year of importation.

Availability of spares is not an issue if you know where to look.

Safety rating - you can check yourself on the internet and compare. the safety rating agencies have already published test results on these cars.

Handling - Lancer Ex is the best handling car I have owned. I cannot compare since I havent driven an axio, but I felt extensive body roll compaied to the Lancer as a passenger. if you get a chance, drive an EX on Panadura - Ratnapura road (or and winding road) and experiance it yourself.

Comfort - Definitly the Lancer

trust this info on EX will help you make the decision. Good Luck.....

Edited by Harry (aq)
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Welcome to AL

I am currently using a Lancer EX thus I am biased towards Lancer EX, hence I am not going to compare the 2 brands cos I would go for a Lancer against any version of a Corolla any given day.

Let me give you some facts about the car. the new lancer ex 1.6 is expected to do 11-12kmpl once the engine is seasond I am driving a manual and I am getting close to 14kmpl on semi urban driving (70-75 km per day). I have gota maximum of 18 kmpl on a long distance trip.

Reliability wise I have not been let down by the car even once. I believe if you look after your car well, it will look after you. this stands for any car.

As Kush correctly pointed out there were issues with the ABS sensor, fog lamps, carbon diposits on throttle body and issues in the fan. except for ABS sensor, almost all of these issues have been corrected by the manufacturer if I am not mistaken, the ABS issue (no it wont make you run out of breaks), the agent replaces free of charge under warrenty. and there are discounts on the spareparts up to 5 years from the purchse date. you can get the genuine abs sensors from singapore for half the price if needed after 5 years. (recently it was 40K vs 22K)

resale value - the person who sold me the car after 4 years from purchace gained close to 0.5 mil on the bought price under the permit. In my personal experince my previous Lancer CS I was able to sell it with the 300k gain on absolute terms after 3.5 years. so I do not really see you loosing money on absolute terms with the EX after 5 years.

BUT, the vehicle market in SL has changed drastically in the recent years now there is a trend of even so called highly liquid vehicle brands have lost their value with in 1 year of importation.

Availability of spares is not an issue if you know where to look.

Safety rating - you can check yourself on the internet and compare. the safety rating agencies have already published test results on these cars.

Handling - Lancer Ex is the best handling car I have owned. I cannot compare since I havent driven an axio, but I felt extensive body roll compaied to a the Lancer as a passenger. if you get a chance, drive an EX on Panadura - Ratnapura road (or and winding road) and experiance yourself.

Comfort - Definitly the Lancer

trust this info on EX will help you make the decision. Good Luck.....

Thanks Harry.

About the ABS sensor... If I buy a Brand New one manufactured in 2014, there will be no ABS issues, right? Will I have to rectify those issues with the ABS sensor, fog lamps, carbon deposits on throttle body and in the fan "after" I bought the car?

Thanks again for your review.

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Hey it seems that you are a lancer user trinity... can you please share your experience with the vehicle? any reliability issues?

Hi Bracket..

Yes i'm a Lancer user. A very satisfied one i must say. But i'm unable to provide you what you are asking as my car is not a Lancer EX. I drive a Lancer CS.

Thats why i stayed silent observing the thread...

Only thing i can say is that owning a Lancer EX is my dream, if i had the capacity of buying a one, i wouldn't think twice about it.

Best of luck..

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Thanks Harry.

About the ABS sensor... If I buy a Brand New one manufactured in 2014, there will be no ABS issues, right? Will I have to rectify those issues with the ABS sensor, fog lamps, carbon deposits on throttle body and in the fan "after" I bought the car?

Thanks again for your review.

You are welcome,

Fog lamp issue was not a major one, it was a issue with the contact points of the switch and it only appead after 5 years in my case. It is a rs 500 job with any electrician.

According to a friend who works at the agent, they have not come across any having issues with the fan in new models (after 2011). carbon diposits on throttle body is an issue any car would have unless the engine is properly tuned up. thus, you dont have to worry about that if you tuneup the engine every 30-40 thousand kms. (mitsubishi recomends tuneup every 40 thousand kms). I did my last one at 80,000km.

My friend says the ABS sensor issue is addressed in the new models and was only existant in the models upto 2011. But logically thinking, a manufacturer of Mitsubishi's caliber will never allow these mistakes to repeat for years. in the old model, generally the abs issue came up under the period of warrenty. so most of these were rectified free of charge.

P.S. as Magnum pointed out get a dark coloured interior. light beige interior gets dirty easily..

Edited by Harry (aq)
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Bdw could get the Lancer with this black interior from the agents? this looks pretty cool

0103429A20130501W00102.jpg

They said I can select the colour of the vehicle, so I guess they'll let the buyer choose black interior or the beige interior too... ( i'm not sure)

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Hi Bracket..

Yes i'm a Lancer user. A very satisfied one i must say. But i'm unable to provide you what you are asking as my car is not a Lancer EX. I drive a Lancer CS.

Thats why i stayed silent observing the thread...

Only thing i can say is that owning a Lancer EX is my dream, if i had the capacity of buying a one, i wouldn't think twice about it.

Best of luck..

Thanks trinity. I see there are many satisfied lancer owners... :)

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You are welcome,

Fog lamp issue was not a major one, it was a issue with the contact points of th switch and it only appead after 5 year in my case. It is a rs 500 job with any electricial.

According to a friend who works at the agent, they have not come across any have any issues with the fan in new models (after 2011). carbon diposits on throttle body is an issue any car would have unless the engine is properly tuned up. thus, you dont have to worry about that if you tuneup the engine every 30-40 thousand kms. (mitsubishi recomends tuneup every 40 thousand kms). I did my last one at 80,000km.

My friend says the ABS sensor issue is addressed in the new models and was only existant in the models upto 2011. But logically thinking, a manufacturer of Mitsubishi's caliber will never allow these mistakes to repeat for years. in the old model, generally the abs issue came up under the period of warrenty. so most of these were rectified free of charge.

P.S. as Magnum pointed out get a dark coloured interior. light beige interior gets dirty easily..

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll ask them if I can get the dark colour interior. the one they had in the showroom was a beige...

Speaking of which, whats your suggestion on exterior? I was hoping to go with a red one...

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Thanks for the suggestion. I'll ask them if I can get the dark colour interior. the one they had in the showroom was a beige...

Speaking of which, whats your suggestion on exterior? I was hoping to go with a red one...

Red looks good, but since there were many reds in the road my 1st option was a grey (since my previous lancer was that colour), but I olny could find a dark blue one. I dnt have any complaints about the choise I made. It does look very mean in that.

I would recomend you to go for a darker colour since I feel dark colours suit the car better.

if you are going for Red or other darker shade try to get it with a spoiler and try to go for a fully loaded one with teak interior, CD loader and multifunction steering if possible. I think all of these are optional and should warn you they might cost you an arm and a leg :)

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One of my best buddies owns an Ex. He bought it down in 2008 for permit. He’s a sort of guy who doesn’t even know the basics of car maintenance and maintains his car in the worst possible way I can imagine. But, even with his poor maintenance the car has not let him down except for that well known ABS sensor issue which he managed to resolve under company warranty so, no issues in that either. He says that it does around 10kmpl within city limits and 14.5-155kmpl outstation. For a sporty and well spacious car, I think those fuel figures are very good. It’s excellent in handling and with that shark face a sure eye turner.

If I had the money, I wouldn’t even think about buying the Toyota. I would have considered the Lancer Ex, Mazda 3 or a Honda Civic. I mean, why would I spend my hard earned money on an overpriced ugly looking thing that looks like my grandpas car?

Edited by LashNeo
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Red looks good, but since there were many reds in the road my 1st option was a grey (since my previous lancer was that colour), but I olny could find a dark blue one. I dnt have any complaints about the choise I made. It does look very mean in that.

I would recomend you to go for a darker colour since I feel dark colours suit the car better.

if you are going for Red or other darker shade try to get it with a spoiler and try to go for a fully loaded one with teak interior, CD loader and multifunction steering if possible. I think all of these are optional and should warn you they might cost you an arm and a leg :)

Arm and leg? can you just believe they quoted 3.5 lakhs for the spoiler? :speechless-smiley-004:

Don't believe me: call the agent!

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