Mitsubishi Lancer

Evolution is a team effort. For every fish that walked there was a fish that sort of just flapped really hard and then quit. And for every Evo terrorising the Welsh constabulary, there's a bog standard Lancer pootling down the shops. In the great scheme of things, you can't do it without the also-rans.

But just why the standard Lancer gets so comprehensively overlooked is easy to see. It's fantastically dull to look at, especially alongside its bespoilered brethren. And it's also not fast enough to provide those instant on-boost facelifts. But it is, perhaps not unexpectedly, capable on any number of levels.

First up, it's cheap. The base 2.0-litre sedan costs $20,990, while our range topping two-litre VRX Sportwagon is still a snip at $29,240. For that you get 113kW, 16-inch alloys, Momo steering wheel, sports seats and a CD player. Admittedly, the cabin is a grim exercise in the bare essentials, but you do get a load of voluminous space in easily accessible abundance.

At a relatively slimline 1,335kg it's also easy for the Lancer to make the best of those 113kW. It feels alert on the throttle and nimble enough to do some justice to the Sport moniker, thanks to lowered suspension, a snappy gearchange and a quick rack. But Evo DNA or not, these days the Lancer's pipped by Holden's latest Astra wagon. It's survival of the fittest...

Matt Master