NOW the Mitsubishi EVO is living on borrowed time, the Lancer range will have to stand on its own two feet.

Mitsubishi's mid-sized hatchback/saloon has basked in the reflected glory of the EVO road-going rally car for the best part of a decade.

But Gayu Eusegi, Mitsubishi's global product chief, confirmed last week that the current EVO will be the last.

It doesn't fit in with the company's desire to be a world-leader in “green” technologies as seen in the iMIEV electric car. From EVO to eco in one bold move.

So what now for the Lancer?

One of Mitsubishi's oldest names – the first appeared way back in 1973 – the Lancer is also one of the company's most successful cars thanks to a winning combination of pace and practicality that has found favour with buyers all over the world (including, most surprisingly, in America).

This one is the ninth generation and is based on the Concept-X car first shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2005.

It's been around for a couple of years now and newer class rivals – most notably the Astra and the Focus – have moved things on.

This is most obvious in the cabin where all the bells and whistles fitted to the Juro special edition can't hide the hard plastics or the old-fashioned dashboard layout.

But the Lancer is well-made and, given Mitsubishi's reputation for building cars to a very high standard, should provide many years of reliable service.

And the Juro really is exceedingly good value.

For your £16,399 (£500 less than a basic Focus 1.6 TDCi) you get an impressive touch screen Kenwood infotainment system, Garmin GPS satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity by Parrott, an iPod connection, colour TV reversing camera, black leather upholstery, air conditioning, 16-inch alloys and cruise control.

Bizarrely, it doesn't have a standalone clock. There's one on the Kenwood's colour screen but the time isn't always displayed and I couldn't find one on the LCD trip computer between the speedo and rev counter.

Throw in an alarm/immobiliser, front, side and curtain airbags, front fogs, electric heated and folding mirrors, steering wheel audio controls and a smart rear spoiler and the Lancer Juro makes an unbeatable value-for-money proposition.

It's quite roomy, too, because the Lancer platform actually straddles the Focus/Mondeo class, and the boot has a false floor that can be removed to boost the overall luggage capacity or used to protect fragile items.

The 2.0-litre Di-D diesel is a bit gruff but it produces a healthy 140PS. Acceleration is good and the Lancer has no trouble overtaking slower moving traffic. I averaged more than 50mpg during the test period, which is a good result that vindicates Mitsubishi's efficiency claims for its direct injection technology.

Although the grumble never quite goes away, the engine smooths out when it warms through and cruising at 70 mph is pleasant enough.

The Lancer is an easy car to drive, it tracks arrow straight on the motorway and isn't unduly influenced by strong side winds. The ride is a bit crashy but I suspect any owners who bought a Juro because they couldn't afford the EVO will like it that way.

A leather wrap makes the steering wheel nice to hold and, although the steering doesn't adjust for reach, few drivers will have a problem getting comfortable.

Mitsubishi says the five-door is new from the C-pillar backwards. The key element is the steeply sloping hatch and the integrated rear wing looks good.

The Sportback is slightly longer (15 mm) and taller (25 mm) than the saloon, too.

One-touch split/fold rear seats are useful and easy to operate. With the rear seats in place the luggage capacity is 390 litres.

Interestingly, the Sportback formed the basis of Mitsubishi's 2009 Dakar Rally effort so perhaps the company is already planning for the day when the Lancer EVO is no longer with us.

The Sportback looks good (the trademark Mitsubishi Shark-nose treatment works best on this car) and, it's undoubtedly a high-value leader.

For many buyers that could be just enough to ensure the Lancer has a successful life after the EVO.

SPEC CHECK: Price: £16,399 Engine: 2.0-litre direct injection turbodiesel Max powerL 138bhp @ 4,000 rpm Max torque: 228 lb/ft @ 1,750 rpm Max speed: 127 mph 0-62 mph: 9.6 seconds Fuel consumption on test: 50.2 mpg Exhaust emissions: 165 g/km VED band: G Equipment: Electric windows, PAS, folding/heated electric mirrors, Kenwood touch screen entertainment system with Garmin satellite navigation, Bluetooth telephony, iPod, MP3, USB connectivity, alloy wheels, ABS, boot spoiler, leather upholstery.