Spin you round (like a record)
360-degree spins? The Mitsubishi Lancer Extreme Drive isn’t your regular advanced driving course
By Derryn Wong
WE DON’T LEARN enough at driving centres. While they equip you with the basic skills to get out on the road, to really be prepared you have to have faith in skills and your car to be confident – that’s why there are advanced driving courses and events. But even slaloms and emergency swerves get boring after awhile, so lucky for everyone local Mitsubishi dealer Cycle & Carriage decided to hold a driving experience with a little difference.
Titled the Lancer Extreme Drive, the main draw of the event was putting the recently update Lancer EX GT model through its paces and some minor automobile acrobatics.
Prospective owners, customers and the media descended on the Changi Expo Grounds on November 1 to see just what the Lancer EX GT could do. We wrangled the cars through four stations involving a slalom/handling course, 180-degree turn, 360-degree turn and an appreciation drive, all under expert supervision.
The slalom/handling course was the usual run through a short tight circuit, which favoured finesse over brute speed. However the 180-degree turn, in which the car executes a complete about-face using the handbrake on a wet surface was interesting, not just because it’s usually not part of a driving curriculum but also lovely when well executed.
You’re probably wondering how the 360-degree spin was achieved, but it had nothing to do with a handbrake in this case. One half of the surface was covered in plastic sheeting, while both the asphalt and plastic were sprayed with a soapy solution. Driving the Lancer GT at 60km/h with one wheel on plastic and one on concrete creates a huge difference in traction (not that there was much to begin with!).
The exercise was aimed at showing us what happens in sudden loss of grip in tricky conditions, such as snow or aquaplaning, so no steering corrections were made and the car was turned into a large, five-seater merry-go-round.
Sounds risky but a controlled environment with the supervision of professionals is the best place to experience that. All participants left with a goodie bag, a knowledge of the Lancer EX GT’s abilities and some newfound driving skill.
