When you're not having fun tossing this car around, you're really not having fun. The ride is harsher than an all-wheel-drive Lancer we tested without the sports suspension; rough roads jostle the GT, and the suspension thwacks unpleasantly over bumps.

Not helping the rough ride and ugly-sounding suspension is a variety of road and wind noises at highway speeds. Plan on talking to a passenger who's only a foot away? Raise your voice a few notches. The engine fails to keep wheezy and unrefined noises in check, too. The wind, road and engine noises all add up to an unrefined car that's hard to swallow no matter how well the Lancer GT handles or how good it looks.

Sporty compact cars like the Focus and Mazda3 provide an equal fun-to-drive factor without the noisy interior, unrefined engine or as harsh a suspension. The Focus and Mazda3 are more comfortable and livable everyday drivers; compare them to the Lancer here.