IF you are reading this and expecting an average report, stop and read elsewhere.

This car has revived my faith in modern motor cars.

All too evident in cars of late is how diluted and plain they have become.

Newer cars are all about smooth power delivery and bland styling along with umpteen safety systems that all seem to have ganged up on the joys of motoring and made many cars all feel tame and 'same old same old'.

How refreshing it was to take the helm of this latest family saloon model from Mitsubishi and actually feel like I was in something a bit special - sporty you could say despite it not being the rally derived Evo (I wished it was).

Sure it had 18 inch alloy wheels and a rear boot spoiler that didnt do any favours for the rear visibility. However, it just didnt seem like it was trying to be sporty.

Its deep cherry red paint hue is a fantastic shade and actually very close to a colour I've wanted on my own car for some time.

The front end has a menacing looking open mouthed expression which has been seen on many concepts of the latest Evo X, that helped fool a few onlookers and friends of mine to ask if it was the range topping Evo.

To back up its great looks, the Lancer is powered by a range of engines but in this case was the 2.0 DID diesel variant, coupled to a 6-speed manual transmission. It was a fantastic experience, great torque from low down and really useable in all the gears, even in sixth from moderate speeds.

I was really impressed by the fact the engine and its power delivery made the test drive experience for me, as I was saying before.

Modern cars have become so tame that in some cars boasting good power outputs you dont realise when the engines are working at full song, or they are so quiet you don't get the impression of acceleration you sometimes crave.

This Lancer was really ticking my boxes, a hint of friendly torque steer in the lower gears to give the impression of grunt, it would lose traction when provoked and generally feel un-diesel like.

The noise levels from the powerplant were highly acceptable, too. Beautifully smooth but just a hint of noise to remind you where you were in the rev range. It cruised nicely on the motorway, fifth gear being perfectly fine below 70mph and beyond not forgetting there is a sixth cog too!

Where this car was best for me was when it felt entertaining carving along B roads, making best use of the grip from the 18 inch Yokohama's. The ride was perfect, not over damped like many front heavy diesel cars, yet perfectly taught and never crashy through bumps.

My only gripe with the car while I had it was the shape of the dasboard fascia, no issues as such but a slightly odd design, perfectly practical however and all the switchgear and controls were idiot proof.

The audio sounded very good with great bass from the front door speakers.

The aircon on the car tested chilled the cabin adequately on a March afternoon in the spring sun.

On a lengthy Sunday drive both myself and my partner agreed that the seating was perfectly comfortable seeing as the subject of comfort didn't even arise. There was no need to criticise the seats at all.

Upon returning the Lancer back to Tincknells Mitsubishi on the Monday morning after the test I was genuinely sad to see it go, I really didn't want to surrender the keys.

If you are in the market for a saloon and in a world of MPVs and other small hatches, if it fits your criteria for number of doors (four) and headroom, you couldn't do much better in my opinion.