|
Twists and turns: The Mitsubishi Galant handles it all
Tony Whitney & Tim Dimopoulos
Buyers tend to underestimate Mitsubishi products. The company may be a relative newcomer to Canada, but it's had a long and distinguished history in Japan and other countries.
Mitsubishi's products deserve comparison with vehicles from rivals such as Toyota, Honda and Nissan, but it's still working on establishing a "new nameplate" in Canada. Years ago, Mitsubishi built vehicles that were sold here under various Chrysler brand names, such as Dodge Colt, but that era has passed into history.
Under its own name, Mitsubishi has been selling vehicles in the US for many years now and has a very good reputation. In Canada, Mitsubishi has established a widespread dealer network and a first-class management and PR team, so the future looks bright.
Our most recent Mitsubishi experience was with a Galant V-6 sedan. To clarify where this particular product fits into the market, it's worth underlining that the Galant competes in the mid-sized sedan segment that includes strong sellers like the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Altima, Chrysler 300, Ford Fusion, Mazda6, and Chevrolet Malibu. It's a busy category and a tough one to succeed in and many entries are strong "fleet favourites."
The US-built Galant is a handsome car and one that stands up well against its main rivals. There's quite a bit of individuality in the design approach and a pleasing lack of gimmicks, which should appeal to fleet operators or for that matter, anyone who values practicality and restrained taste over flashy styling.
We liked the neat angles around the body and judged it one of the few sedans to include clear taillights as a worthwhile styling feature. This is a popular add-on with the younger "tuner crowd," but it works well for the Galant and offers a hint of the car's performance characteristics. One tester described the front end as "classy and muscular."
This is a roomy car and even the back seats are ample for adult passengers, with decent amounts of leg and shoulder room. For business users, it's good to be able to invite clients to climb into the back seat without a pang of embarrassment.
Like its rivals, this car seats five. The front seats are well shaped and comfortable and the driver doesn't slide around too much under hard cornering. They're also large enough for bigger folk--something not always the case with Japanese nameplate products. Incidentally, the driver's seat was powered on the model we tested. Many rivals have comfortable seats but fall a little short when it comes to hip support. Not this Mitsubishi.
The trunk is roomy and well trimmed, and should accommodate plenty of luggage and business samples, even for a long trip. The wide opening is handy for large loads. On the minus side, the Galant doesn’t feature fold-down rear seats to expand cargo carrying capacity, but that complaint can be leveled at several of its rivals too.
The cabin features an odd mixture of high-quality trim components, and a few fittings we thought were a little flimsy. Perhaps some work is required here to bring these elements up to the high standard of rival vehicles. Just about all functions that can be powered, are powered. These include windows, mirrors, locks and various other items.
The stereo system in our tester was outstanding and a real pleasure on a long trip. The top unit available has 270-watts of power, eight speakers and a six-disc CD changer. It also plays MP3s.
The trip computer/information screen offers some fascinating information like current and historical elevation from sea level. This is not something most drivers would consider important, but we had fun with it nonetheless. We thought the screen was a little on the small size and one tester discovered it blanked out in temperatures under -10 degrees Celsius. If there's one thing that will send electronics awry, it's extreme cold. The unit bounced back to normal operation when the cabin warmed up with the excellent heater.
The main instrument cluster consists of three readable white dials that slightly overlap one another. Most of the controls, including those for climate and sound systems, are grouped on an attractive and practical central panel.
The steering wheel has a nice grippy rim and is just the right diameter--not too large, not too small. The car has a fairly good roster of safety features, but side curtain air bags and stability control reportedly won’t be coming until the 2007 model year.
Power for our Galant came from a 3.8-litre single overhead cam V-6 with a lusty 230 horsepower--described by one staffer as "brawny." It certainly gets the Galant off the mark briskly and the car has excellent mid-range overtaking power. More thrifty business users can buy a Galant with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder offering 160 horsepower.
Transmission for the V-6 is a four-speed automatic with Sportronic semi-manual mode. It's a good transmission and complemented the V-6 with excellent response to road variations, and smooth operation. Suspension is fully independent and ABS brakes are standard.
Our test team was especially complimentary about the Galant's ride and handling. In so many cases, you get one thing or the other, but not with the Galant. It combines sporty handling with considerable ride comfort either on the highway or around the city. It may not be quite as refined as the Camry or Accord rivals, but it’s well up there and deserves comparison with both.
As far as sportiness goes, the combination of neutral handling and very accurate and responsive speed-sensitive steering puts the Galant at the top of its class. A good driver could get this car moving along a winding road a fair bit quicker than a similarly-skilled individual in a Camry or Accord. It’s "well done Mitsubishi" in the handling department for sure. Not too many cars in this class are as much fun to drive.
A "Ralliart" version is promised for next year--a model that fits into Mitsubishi's program of performance in all categories. Mitsubishi has more justification than most automakers when it comes to tuned cars, having won many World Rally championships and Paris-Dakar rallies.
The Galant deserves more attention than it's getting. It's sporty, roomy, comfortable, good-looking and well built. Pricing is quite reasonable, even for the agile V-6 powered car. The more modest four cylinder car is even more affordable.
Mitsubishi has a progressive fleet program and the warranty is quite good (five years or 100,000 km on the entire car). All things considered, the Galant is an attractive business-use prospect.
|
