Galant

Vehicle: 2007 Mitsubishi Galant Ralliart
Price as tested: CDN$36493

Performance: Ralliart is the performance designation for Mitsubishi products. That means the subject to this test drive is the performance-oriented Galant. This Galant features a 3.8L V6 with Mitsubishi’s advanced MIVEC variable valve timing. That means its 28 more horses and 8 lb/ft of torque more than GTS. Despite it has 8 more pounds feet of torque, its maximum torque arrives 500rpm higher than lesser motor. That means the result isn’t significantly better than its lesser silibing. In the meantime, 28 more horses shows up 500rpm higher than standard 3.8. All those upgrades didn’t created desired effect even with the MIVEC. However, the engine remains one of the smoothest and most responsive V6s in the market. When it revs pass the redline, the extra 28 ponies hang on to itself really well. The 5-speed automatic with Sportronic is a willing partner to this motor. The shifts are smooth and never hunt for gears.

Handling: With 258 hp going through the front wheels, there are 2 things bound to happen. Torque steer and understeer are obvious partners to this Ralliart. Despite of all the chassis upgrades, rebound suspension and steering settings; Mitsubishi engineers still can’t get away from the fact that this is a high horsepower front-driver. Just like all the “Project America” platform I have driven before, Ralliart’s steering is precise and provide excellent feedback. The response is quick without being twitchy. The amount of body rolls are acceptable. Even with all those understeer and torque steer, Ralliart remains a docile and swift sedan to perform through corners.

Brakes: With 4-wheel discs, 4-channel/4 sensor and standard ABS; Ralliart’s pedal feel is exceptional. The stopping distance is short and modulation is solid.

Interior: Just after 2 years on the road, Galant’s interior started to feel outdated. There are plenty of cheap materials that are brittle. Both turn signal and wiper starks feel like something made in the 70s. The center console looks bulky even though it offers excellent ergonomics. The leather seats, however, are comfortable and well-foamed.

Conclusion: If the new Lancer and Outlander are the indications of Mitsubishi’s future, the next Galant will be both a contender and great car. The current car, however, has been consistently beaten by its peers.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2007 MITSUBISHI GALANT RALLIART
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Performance: 3/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 3.5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 3/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 2/5
Value-for-money: 2/5

Overall rating: 3/5

Vehicle: 2005 Mitsubishi Galant GTS
Price as tested: CDN$33098

Performance: There are 2 engines available in Galant. An adequate 160hp 2.4L 16-valver or the one in our loaded GTS tester, the 3.8L 24-valver V6 which also standard in Endeavour SUV. 230 ponies and 250 lb/ft of torque provide competitive performance in this segment. With excellent throttle response and class-rivalling refinement. Its also surprisingly willing to rev through the redline. The biggest pet peeve has to be its Sportronic 4-speed automatic tranny. While its a decent 4-speed unit with acceptable work ethics. 4 gears simply fell behind its competitors given many of them have 5 gears. So upcoming new 06 competitor even has 6-speed available.

Handling: Given Galant is based on Mitsubishi’s excellent platform share with Endeavour and upcoming new Eclipse, the level of stiffness and solidty have proven to be among the best in the industry. It completely lacks of groans and rattles, also flex-free when pushed. The steering provides the same highly regarded dynamic traits as Endeavour. Its sharp, repsonsive, swift and provide plenty of feedback through the meaty 3-spoke leather steering wheel. The sports suspension also absorbs bumps and expansion joints decently thanks to excellent damping. On the other hand, it still has that safe understeer that is typical of family sedan. The body rolls are well-controlled.

Brakes: With 4-wheel discs and standard ABS, Galant’s brake pedal is a very capable one. The electonic braking force distribution also works well during hard braking.

Interior: The white instrumentation gauges standard in our uplevel GTS are clear and analog. The seats are comfortable with decent support. Extra nod has to give to Mitsubishi engineers by designing 5 large knobs for stereo and effective automatic climate control. Unfortunately, the interior is surrounded with hard and brittle plastics that is completely unacceptable in a car costing over 30 grand. The glovebox and center console have hollow sound that feel really cheaply made.

In terms of cargo space, the high liftover matched with instrusive trunk hinges have created a chaos when you need to load up the cargos. To make the cargo space looks worse, Galant doesn’t even have fold-down rear seats.

Conclusion: Galant could well be a class beater if it comes standard with 5-speed automatic and proper interior materials on the loaded GTS model, or standard side curtain airbags in base model. That’s a pity because its a car that has such an excellent potential thanks to its excellent powerplant and chassis.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2005 MITSUBISHI GALANT GTS
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Performance: 4/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4.5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 3.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 3/5
Value-for-money: 2/5

Overall rating: 3.5/5