Would you recommend an OZ for performance?

I've check out consumer reports and the ratings for base Lancers are not that great, and I havnt heard anything good about their performance, all I've heard is that they are slow. What do you guys have to say about going in the performance direction with an OZ, say if i wanted to add aftermarket toys to one.

The OZ is mechanically identical to the base model. It's just a cosmetic and trim package.

So in general, its not any better for performance than the base model.

if you're getting it just to drive, it's fine, but if you're planning on modifying it, then get the ES, it's identical, but with minor trim and suspension upgrades. and the upgrades are weak at best. not worth the extra price.

The OZ version is basically an ES with a slight appearance package and one minor suspension mofication. If you're looking for performance, I think the OZ would be a pretty big disappointment. If you can, however, afford a couple thousand more bucks, I would highly recommend the Ralliart. Here's some comparisons just to prove my point:

http://www.theautochannel.com/newcardb/comparetrims.html?trimid=16151&trimid=16153&trimid=16154

http://mitsubishimotors.com/MMSA/jsp/lancer/features_specs.jsp?t=mechanical

And some brief descriptions direct from Mitsubishi's website:
Lancer OZ Rally:
A little extra bling goes a long way. From the street up, the O•Z® Rally edition brings it. It includes 15-inch O•Z® Racing alloy wheels, a side ground effects package, a rear spoiler, carbon fiber-style interior treatments, a 60/40 rear seat and a sport-touch steering wheel, shift knob and parking brake handle.

Lancer Ralliart
Inspired by Lancer's rally heritage, the Ralliart delivers factory-tuned performance. It comes standard with a 2.4-liter, 162-horsepower, 4-cylinder MIVEC engine. It also comes with: a five-speed manual transmission, 16-inch alloy wheels with low-profile tires, Ralliart sport-tuned suspension with larger front and rear anti-sway bars, a three-point strut-tower brace, full-body ground effects and rear spoiler, Ralliart bucket seats, carbon fiber-style interior accents, aluminum pedals, four-wheel disc (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), front seat-mounted side impact air bags† and more.

If you shop right, the RalliArt can be had at an astonishingly low price and can beat nearly anything in it's price range/category. For example, I got mine for $14,900 OTD. Don't let people trick you into thinking that the extra show on the OZ translates into extra go. The RA on the other hand, handles beautifully and puts out a surprising amount of low-medium end torque, along with many other benefits.

Do you know where I could find the comparisons for the 2002 Ralliart and other models? The 02 is about the only one I could afford right now. And the Ralliarts seem pretty hard to find, I don't see them on Edmunds.com, Autotrader.com, and I don't think I've ever seen one in person before.

Okay, I did my own research and I now know that they started in 04.

Heres the truth Oz rally began in 2001 which was an upgrade from the lancer Es and then the Oz Rall ended in 2003 which then the Oz upgraded to the RalliArt. Get it?

Heres the truth Oz rally began in 2001 which was an upgrade from the lancer Es and then the Oz Rall ended in 2003 which then the Oz upgraded to the RalliArt. Get it?

no actually, they still offer the OZ trim and the Ralliart seperately.