1990 Eagle Talon cohort photos by cjcz92
(first posted 6/28/2016) Take a compact sports coupe designed and engineered in Japan, manufacture it in the United States through a joint Chrysler-Mitsubishi venture, and sell it in the United States and Canada under a new line of cars with no brand equity, consisting of rebadged Mitsubishis and Chryslers, as well as former AMC cars, two of them Renault-derived. Can you guess where I’m going with this story?
Yup! That’s the basic gist of the Eagle Talon’s creation story, Eagle being Chrysler’s perplexing attempt at an “import fighter” brand in the late-1980s to late-1990s. The Talon was Eagle’s halo car, and as a result, the car most people associate with the Eagle brand, if they even remember it today.
Introduced in 1989 as a 1990 model, the Talon was part of a trio of compact 2+2 sports coupes that also included the better-known Mitsubishi Eclipse and the all but forgotten Plymouth Laser. Produced in Normal, Illinois, the appropriately nick-named “DSM coupes” were the first product of Diamond-Star Motors, originally 50-50 partnership between Chrysler and Mitsubishi.
Engineering and styling was done large in part by Mitsubishi, with the coupes sharing little with the plethora of aging EEKs Chrysler was currently selling. Based on a platform derived from the Mitsubishi Galant, the Talon and its siblings rode on a 97.2-inch wheelbase and measured less than 173 inches overall. With a low nose, low roof, upswept beltline and fastback roofline, the DSM coupes exhibited sharp yet modern aggressive styling that helped make them usher in the 1990s, a decade that would prove to be far more expressive in automobile styling than the very conservative 1980s.
Initial models were quite sinister looking, with their pop-up headlights, thin running lights, and full-width taillights. The Talon was set apart from its siblings by its unique grille, wheel designs, and rear fascia with exclusive taillight clusters. It was also common for early TSi models to feature accent color ground effects and all Talons received higher-trim Eclipses’ wraparound deck lid spoiler and blacked-out A- and B-pillars for a bit of added distinction. Apart from these minor cosmetic differences, the DSM trio were more or less identical inside and out.
At least relative to the Laser, in some respects the Talon was positioned as the premier DSM coupe, initially lacking the base engine and offering features not available on the Laser such as optional leather front seat upholstery (with all-vinyl rear) and fog lights. Eagles also boasted a standard rear spoiler and in later years, standard air conditioning, whereas Plymouths didn’t even gain all-wheel drive until 1992. Mitsubishis predictably covered all bases.
(DSMtuners.com)
Powering the Talon and its siblings were one of three inline-four engines, all made by Mitsubishi with no K-engines in sight! The base engine was the SOHC 4G37 1.8L making 92 horsepower and 105 lb-ft torque; an engine not available on the Talon until 1993 when the “stripper” DL model was added. Base Talons through 1992 were powered by the DOHC naturally-aspirated 4G63 16-valve 2.0L producing 135 horsepower and 125 lb-ft torque. With the addition of the DL, this model became the mid-level ES trim for 1993-1994.
The turbocharged 2.0L 4G63T was reserved for the top-spec Talon TSi, which was available in both front- or all-wheel drive. Output for the turbo varied slightly depending on transmission and drive wheels. Horsepower for the TSi with the standard 5-speed manual was 195, except in front-wheel drive models for 1990 when ratings were 190 horsepower.
All Talon TSis equipped with the 4-speed automatic were rated slightly less, at 180 horsepower due to a smaller turbocharger and fuel injectors. Regardless, all 2.0L turbos put out 203 pound-feet of torque. Talons with the 2.0L engine through 1992 and thereafter all Talons, were distinguished by their unique bulge on the driver’s side of the hood, reportedly required to stuff the 4G63 under there.
Suspension-wise, first-generation Talons featured MacPherson struts up front and a twist-beam rear setup. All-wheel drive models gained a fully-independent rear multi-link suspension, as well as limited-slip center and rear differentials. Anti-lock braking was an option from 1990-on, while power steering was standard on all but the 1993-1994 DL model.
The interior of the Talon and its siblings were appropriately driver-focused in layout. Instrumentation was clear and comprehensive, with standard analogue gauges for speed, tach, fuel, temp, oil, and turbo boost. Controls for lighting and wipers were divided between steering column stocks and sporty-looking red-accented buttons arranged on either side of the instrument cluster.
Heating, ventilation, and air cooling were controlled via several large dials, a virtually idiot-proof and somewhat ahead-of-their-time feature most cars with manual climate control would soon adopt over the next few years. Only the radio, with its many tiny buttons and sliders, would be considered “complicated” to some, though it was probably not much of an issue for the younger demographic in which this car was aimed at.
Front seats offered the expected high level of support and came in several different fabric and leather upholsteries, depending on model and trim level. Rear seats were predictably tight and best reserved for smaller bodies. Somewhat curiously, air bags were never even made optional on first generation Talons, necessitating the often pesky motorized seat belts.
Despite sporty looks and reasonably peppy optional engines, front-wheel drive DSM coupes suffered from moderate torque steer, excessive wheel spin on hard acceleration, and a tendency to fishtail in quick turns. All-wheel drive models, on the other hand, greatly improved these maladies, offering far superior straight-line performance and cornering abilities alike.
Despite the all-wheel drive system’s added weight, zero-to-sixty acceleration was just as good at an impressive 6.5 seconds with the 5-speed manual. If there was any doubt that lower trim, front-wheel drive Talons were merely inexpensive compacts masquerading as performance cars, there was no question that the Talon TSi all-wheel drive was a true sports car.
Apart from a cosmetic exterior facelift for the 1992 model year, changes to powertrain and equipment levels were fairly limited over this generation’s five-year lifespan. Highlighting this facelift was the removal of the pop-up headlights for simpler, rather nondistinctive-looking composite units. Lower air intakes were also redesigned, and the hood and front fenders received tweaks to accommodate the larger headlamp openings.
Moving aft, the Talon received new rocker panels and lower body cladding for an even more aggressive appearance. A restyled rear fascia included new taillight clusters with amber turn signals for the “import” look. The license plate cutout was now located between the two taillights, with non-illuminated taillight surrounds still giving it the full-width effect. Bumpers and wheel options were also new.
The Talon lineup grew in 1993 to include the aforementioned base Talon DL, which featured the new-to-Eagle 1.8L Mitsubishi 4G37 inline-4. Non-turbo 4G63-powered Talons were now known as the Talon ES, while turbos were still the Talon TSi. Besides this, changes to the Talon were far and few between for the remainder of this generation. Along with the Eclipse, the Talon would be fully-redesigned for 1995. The slower-selling Laser, which never caught on, bit the dust.
In the end, the Eagle Talon was a competitive compact sports coupe offering an attractive value in base models, impressive performance in the TSi AWD, and sleek, aggressive styling across the board. Unfortunately, the Talon was always sort of an orphan, as both the car and the brand were locked in ongoing identity crises for their entire existences. Chrysler’s ill-conceived vision for a premier import-fighting brand never attained mainstream success or recognition. Never able to un-clutch its talons from the soil, Eagle in fact reached its summit with the Talon.
It’s highly questionable if Chrysler even had any real plans or long-term goals for Eagle, as the very thought that Eagle ever had a fighting chance is unimaginable. Except for unique taillights and badging, every Eagle after the AMC-based Eagle Wagon had at least one virtually identical Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, Mitsubishi, or Renault sibling. A disjointed, mishmash of vehicles and unmemorable advertising only added to the confusion.
Eagle permanently retracted its wings after a brief 4,304-unit 1998 model year, by which point the Talon was its last remaining offering. Though the whole Eagle experiment is an undisputed failure, if there is one thing about it that can be called some sort of success, it is the Talon. Forever living in the shadows of the Eclipse, against these odds, over the course of its nine-year production Talon sales amounted to 189,142 units, with 141,746 of them first generation vehicles alone. An impressive number for a brand with no clear purpose in life, the Talon’s sales and enthusiast following made it Eagle’s greatest and only hit.
Related Reading:
1991-1999 Mitsubishi 3000GT and Dodge Stealth
The cars are not familiar but the HVAC controls are, the same set was in the Mirage VIE X I had.
Chrysler’s Geo. Sad.
Wasn’t the Eagle brand created, in part, to meet certain purchase contract terms of Chrysler’s acquisition of AMC from Renault?
Yes. Part of the contract terms was that Chrysler would sell 300,000 examples of the Renault-engineered Premier and sell 260,000 of the Renault-built PRV V6 that was available in the Premier.
And part of it was probably to placate the dealers, not cutting them dead with the inevitable resultant lawsuits. Dropping the brand eleven years later would have been easy because by that time, 99% of all sales for Jeep/Eagle dealers were Jeeps, and the Eagles were probably just taking up floor space.
Very much like Studebaker having to placate Packard dealers when it was decided no more real Packards will be made.
Jeep/Eagle division was merged into Chrysler-Plymouth, so quite a few stores combined. By the time Eagle brand was dropped, Jeep sales were good enough for stand alone former AMC shops to care.
Good writeup on an interesting car. The equivalent Galant generation offering engines combining twin cam 16 valve engines and then adding a turbo on the top really lead to a new level of performance. This then lead to an AWD option that in my opinion made it the best compact for performance fans at the time. A well styled, simplified super coupe was a natural offspring. I wonder if the styling was Mitsubishi or Chrysler, I would guess Chysler, the aggressiveness looks more American than Japanese.
The Eagle brand was doomed by the failure of the mid size Premier. A huge investment had been made by Renault to redesign their large Euro offering into an acceptable American mid size sedan. In many ways it was more advanced than the domestic competitors and the Japanese were not yet in the space during the cars gestation. Unfortunately by it’s debut AMC was moribund and sold to Chrysler.
Chrysler thought enough of the Premier to anchor a new brand around it and base all future large Chryslers off of it. The prices that had to be charged to make the whole enterprise viable proved impossible and the Premier failed badly and ultimately with it the Eagle brand
Key points on Eagle…
Chrysler only wanted Jeep and the plants and the technology that AMC had for four wheel drive (it was about the most advanced available at the time); there was absolutely no interest in the Renault products at all; that was forced upon Chrysler as terms to acquire Jeep. Production requirements were set.
The Premier might have been decent on paper, but it was hugely unreliable and word traveled fast.
Chrysler had to meet the production requirement and a Dodge version was created to move iron. The sooner this car could be cancelled after reaching the production levels, the better. Having two cars to eat up production was the only way.
While some may say that this car was advanced, it was killed by dumb design decisions and poor engine reliability.
More on the Premier: http://www.allpar.com/model/premier.html
More on Eagle: http://www.allpar.com/history/eagle.html
The Premier architecture had a somewhat star-crossed half-life under the skin of the LH.
LH maintained that French Longitudinal FWD configuration – according to a Chrysler engineer I knew, to minimize tooling investment at the Bramelea Ontario plant where both were built.
Not to be too down on the Premier. It did offer a Pug 505 Volvo 740 level car for the heavily discounted price of a Taurus or Dynasty. A euro import buyer used to Euro style maintainance could make on good deal on Chryslers back. Of course many of these folks are all about the emblem and the image they feel that confers.
Remember the platform continued with the LH and much more bloat in the nineties style. I don’t see how the LH could have happened without the Premier with all that was on Chryslers plate with the Neon and new pickups in the works in the cash starved early nineties.
The LH was similar style of driveline, but not same design or platform. No parts were shared from the AMC/Renault car.
Just as the Neon was all new versus the Omnis.
It indeed was off the Premier platform and designed by Francios Castaing, who Chrysler inherited from AMC. Elements of the brake system, front suspension, and the ultradrive automatic were derived from the Premier.
This car was the first true Ricer Rod in the US, at least in volume. Cheap to buy used with plenty of ‘speed’ parts available for the Mitsubishi Turbo 4, you saw tons of these riced-out in the mid-90s.
Is “ricer rod” a little unsavoury? Pun intended btw.
Depends, there are some tastefully done examples but I find much of the so-called ‘Sports-Import’/Tuner crowd to be even worse than the mullet-headed redneck stereotype of 80s-era Camaro/Firebird owners (Although criticism of the ricer crowd can be a dicey prospect in mixed company).
Good chance the example in this post was at some point in the Ricer Rod journey, seeing the front fascia trimmed (presumably for some shockingly tasteless ‘air dam’ gimcrack).
Rice burner is the established term, it’s definitely an accurate statement, if you heard a LOUD 4 cylinder from several blocks away in the late 90s chances are it originated from a chalky red DSM.
These were the little brother to Mitsu 3000GT/Dodge Stealth twins introduced in 1991. Mitsu gambled on using front drive platforms and adding all wheel drive capability to turn them into higher performance cars across their line which I assume was a money saving move. They were all interesting cars which appealed to a lot of customers because of their styling and image.
Yeah, all were Galant derivatives. Really, the DSM cars always struck me as the more sensible, desirable choice. It would have been better if they’d opted for airbags for the first generation, rather than the insufferable mouse belts, but in terms of performance for the money, the Eclipse/Talon/Laser was quite a deal. The GTO/3000GT/Stealth was vastly more expensive, not that much faster, no more practical, and generally more cumbersome.
These were really fast for their time. A guy a few years older than me bought a turbo Eclipse with front-wheel drive when I was maybe a senior in high school, and it just walked away from me and my poor ’65 Mustang. Of course, the Mustang isn’t really a fast car. His Eclipse could do some awesome front-wheel drive burnouts, too.
While Eagle was indeed a failure, this specifically was a very competitive product for its time. I knew a few who owned these in the early 90’s, and they were quite a nice package. The fact that they morphed into the more successful and more aspirational 3000GT/Stealth even after the demise of the Eagle brand, and in the early years of Mitsubishi’s stand-alone nationwide presence is a triumph for DSM, all things considered. Mitsubishi was really on a roll in the late 80’s and 90’s. I often wonder whether Diamondstar “watered down” Mitsubishi to the point of its current barely relevant state. It’s been said before here that they really were a force to be reckoned with in the 80’s, and having owned or regularly driven an ’82 Dodge Challenger, an ’85 Chrysler Conquest and an ’88 Dodge Ram 50 (all purely rebadged Mitsu products and all excellent vehicles with stellar build quality, great powertrains and impressive feature content for the price point), I’ve often been saddened by Mitsubishi’s spiral over the past 20 years or so. While DSM was a launching board for Mitsubishi in the US, it makes me wonder sometimes if it didn’t tarnish the brand a bit.
True, although I’d say these morphed more into the Lancer Turbo than the 3000GT.
It was the ‘speed’ part aftermarket that came into being ricing out these that put Mitsubishi on the map in the US.
Whatever residual popularity Mitsubishi has in the US is rooted in this car (and Mitsu’s popularity in Latin America, which gives them a base among Hispanics).
Traveling in Latin America you still see a lot of Mitsubishis.
“I often wonder whether Diamondstar “watered down” Mitsubishi ”
Huh?
DSM was the 50/50 joint venture entity that owned the IL plant. And Chrysler sold its share by 1992. Renamed to MMC. So “DSM” was not around as long as some “tuners” assume.
Mitsu did all their own damage to the brand here, starting with “No payments for a year!”
My brother had a customer with one of these and a Viper. This was the fast car. My brother modified the engine and drivetrain (AWD) so it could run 8 sec 1/4 miles. It also was still a street car. It got good gas mileage and he said it was fun on snowy days. His biggest issue was the clutch. My brother died before he solved the clutch problems for longevity (important in street racing) but at the track it was quick.
Nice write-up! These all seem to have ended up very badly (abusive owners, then junkyard). Not surprisingly, I like the 1990 body better than the 1995 restyle (my love of the 80s design is well documented on this site). In fact, had I been born in the late 70s instead of 1982, I might have sought out one of the early ones in college or something, while they were still plentiful and not completely abused.
These always appealed more to me (again, only the 1990-94 body) way more than the Probe.
In their Turbo AWD guises, these had it all over a Probe.
If memory serves me correctly, the next gen Eclipse really caused outrage with the enthusiast crowd when they ditched the Turbo 4 for a V6 (ostensibly for ‘driveability’ reasons).
A lot of people would just buy one Mitsu Turbo 4, drive it into the ground, then swap their kit onto the next, rinse and repeat.
Mitsubishi really ruined themselves in the US when they tried to go mainstream, for a time they were among the leading Japanese performance automakers.
We had a Mitsubishi Eclipse turbo when I was in HS. I’m not a sports car guy (of any sort) at all, but it was fun for 17 year old methe times I got to take it out.
Chrysler and Mitsubishi had a long and profitable relationship. The two smaller automakers combined resources and sold a ton of cars. Colts and RAM 50 pickups seemed to be everywhere. Enter Daimler-Benz and that all came to a screeching halt. DB was only interested in selling Jeeps in Europe. They sold off their interest in Mitsubishi for cash, killed off the Plymouth marque and did little or nothing to develop new products. A few years later DB sold off the bones of Chrysler to a private equity firm and sneaked off like a thief. Chrysler went into bankruptcy, later bought by Fiat, and Mitsubishi has been struggling to survive ever since.
Mitsubishi is now partially owned by the Nissan/Renault Group by at least 34%.
Yeah, I spotted that in this month’s Motor Trend Magazine that showed up in my mailbox yesterday. I guess we’re about to see Mitsubishi morph again. I hope we get a new Lancer soon. Although my wife’s car has grown on me, its nearly decade old generation needs more than a facelift next time. A new generation would be nice….
Would it be ironic if the next Lancer or Sentra vice versa would be based from each other? How about the next Mirage or Versa touche’?
Or, and consider me crazy, but how about a new Diamante based on the Maxima, or a new Galant based on the Altima?
Or would this be history repeating itself? ;o)
I’m not so sure I’d like seeing an Outlander based on a Rogue, although up until last year, the Outlander looked like they just took my wife’s Lancer and pumped air into it…
Sounds pretty good to me but the Altima and Maxima are almost identical in size and design so one of them has to go. The Galant can be the next Altima while the Diamante would be the next Infiniti M37.
Isn’t the Versa actually a reskinned Clio?
Hard to imagine what a Nissan/Renault/Mitsubishi alliance brings to the table since Mitsubishi is only strong in markets where NR already has a presence.
Actually the Versa and Clio may share some design similarities, but they were still different in body designs. The pattern always appeared that the Clio used the Versa’s previous chassis while the contemporary Versa used a newer chassis one generation after the ones used by the Clio. Similar formula that the Audi A4 used the larger Passat chassis and the shorter A3 used the chassis from the older Jetta and Golf. Its just my hunch though unless somebody can shed a light on this analogy.
Wait, I got it… A new Mitsubishi Eclipse based on the Nissan Z… oh yeah.
The factory brochure shot of the interior contrasts nicely with the current interior of this example, yikes!
Overall the DSMs never looked good to me, in direct contrast to my utter love of their big brother 3000gt/Stealths, I thought these looked like stubby bubble cars. And while I’m a big fan of pop-up headlights, I actually found the facelift without them more pleasing. It seems to me the light strips housing the parking/driving lights were intended to appear as though they had high tech ‘thin’ headlights that were all the rage in the early 90s, but the output would be crap(as they were in cars with actual high tech ‘thin’ headlights) so the pop-ups were functionally supplemental only, they did nothing to make the car more sleek.
I saw an absolutely pristine example of one of this trio the other day in traffic. As I got past it, there was an older-ish woman behind the wheel. Unexpected, but it explained its condition.
A former roommate and good friend had a pre-facelift TSi AWD 5 speed he picked up for $1500 about 8 years ago. Great car, surprisingly fast and handled great on the icy, twisty mountain roads. Very low seating position yet very comfortable.
He beat the crap out of that car, drove it for a few years without ever cleaning it or changing the oil. Only issue I remember was a charging problem I helped him fix.
He sold it to a local kid for about the same price he paid for it shortly before moving back to Ontario. I saw that car everywhere for the next few weeks, then saw it getting hooked up to a tow truck on the side of the highway. I must have been bad because I never saw it again.
Now I know why you asked about the Eagle Talon photobombing the Heckflosse here:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake/cc-outtake-1966-heckflosse-reporting-for-duty/#comment-403394
Having worked at a Jeep dealer that was formerly a Jeep/Eagle dealer. I can tell you that a lot of the Eagles they sold were due to price shopping. The Mitsubishi dealers were somewhat stubborn on their pricing, and Jeep/Eagle dealers were much more eager to move their inventory of Eagle Talons due to the lesser popularity of the model.
I had sold several of these when I was at a Mitsubishi dealer in the late 90’s. They were very well-liked cars, reliable and fun-to-drive too. The one Eagle Talon that I remember vividly was a mint-condition white one traded in by an older woman for a new 1997 Mitsubishi Galant. The Talon was a Turbo AWD, IIRC around a 1991, loaded with everything and only about 20k miles on the clock. It was like brand new. A family came in and bought it for their 18 year old son. Sadly this doesn’t end well. He had the car only three days, and was racing one of his friends, lost control and hit a pole. He suffered major injuries and was paralyzed from the accident. I will never forget seeing the smashed Talon get towed into our dealership. It is a vivid memory that I cannot forget.
When the second generation Mitsubishi Eclipse came out around 1994-95, there was also an Eagle Talon version that lasted until 1998 when the Eagle brand was discontinued. It seemed that the Mitsubishi Eclipse version of the first gen Diamond-Star trifecta was the most popular. In fact there was also a 3rd Gen (2000-2005) and 4th gen (2006-12) version of Mitsubishi Eclipse that had optional V6 engines that replaced the turbo 4. A lot of them were chick cars.
Late last night I watched the Motorweek review of the 1990 Talon TSi AWD; to see this here today is quite the coincidence.
I remember when these seemed to be everywhere in the 1990’s. As others have already stated, you got a very fast car for relatively little coin in any turbo DSM. I don’t recall any of my friends owning one of these first gen cars, but my best friend and his family owned half a dozen of the second gen Eclipses between them. He personally had a silver 1995 GS, his sister had a green 1996 GS, and his parents went thru four separate GS-T’s over the years (three bright red Spyders, one gray coupe). They were all very good cars, a contrast to what most folks will tell you. Proper maintenance was always observed on them, so that could very well be why. The GS models had a very distinctive exhaust rasp not present on the GS-T’s. The Spyder had a back seat that was vastly more comfortable than the hatchback, a very strange trait I’m sure few other cars shared. His GS coupe was decently swift, but the 1995 Celica GT I concurrency owned at the time would handily walk away from that car, in both outright speed and agility. The GS-T’s were a whole other story; crazy sneaky power delivery once the turbo spooled up. Lots of people would attempt to antagonize my friend into what would turn into showing them up in the Spyders for some strange reason (chick car persona? IDK)… Then an old roommate of mine had a third gen RS (deep red). That was also a very nice, much faster and roomier car than the prior Eclipses. Plus, she had two 12 inch woofers in the hatch, so free back massages were just a twist of the volume dial away, lol. Looking back, my friends and I were totally young 20 something coupe people. Lots of fond memories of these cars.
My wife’s first car, bought used in 2000, was a ’95 Talon TSi AWD. Her Dad picked it out for her, I suspect because he wanted to be able to drive it when she was home from college. I wish she still had it when I met her; sadly it met its demise in an accident in summer ’03.
Somewhat ironic that my decidedly non-gearhead wife’s first car was faster and more sporting than anything I’ve ever owned. I asked her about the performance and she described it as “zippy”.
I was a fan of the first-generation DSM cars. I still like the way they look.
Back in the early 90’s there was a PC DOS game called Car & Driver (based on the magazine) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_and_Driver_(video_game)
The Talon was one of the featured cars. It also happened to be one of my favorites in the game because it was the only non exotic car represented. It was closest to an “everyday” car… So I loved to drive it and push it to its limits. Despite the primitive graphics, it “felt” right. I remember the engine sound and handling felt like a four cylinder. It’s hard to explain especially with the primitive graphics.
I still play it using DOS Box emulator.
The original AMC Eagle AWD wagon was sold only one year by the Jeep-Eagle division (1988). So would the 1988 model be an Eagle Eagle? Ironic that the first Eagle that Chrysler killed off was the only one that would have a fighting chance selling today.
It must have been rough being a Jeep/Eagle dealer, having to stock parts and train mechanics for the products of essentially four different manufacturers.
While I never thought these were pretty, I did think they looked taut and athletic which matched their performance.
I remember the car mags loved these things. I forget which one said something like “Why can’t people figure out what driving is all about and demand more cars like these?”
I am glad these pre-dated the Fast & Furious movies so I never had to see one done up in that style, all filled up with “NAUS” and the 27-speed upshifts.
I don’t know if it was their massive modding community or something else about them, but these were starting to get a little thin on the ground when I was in high school 20 years ago! Now, like many of their contemporary Probes and Preludes, I cannot think of the last time I saw one.
I remember really disliking their styling at the time, but now the first generation has grown on me quite a bit.
I’m pretty sure the concept and design of these was largely inspired by the Integra, adapted by Mitsubishi to be cheaper yet more powerful… the styling is almost a dead ringer for the front of the first generation. Does the Galant-derived platform afford it any space over the Civic based Acura? Also I’m guessing as used buys the Eagle version of any product that was sold by Chrysler/Mitsubishi (DSMs, Premier, 2000GTX, the Colt /Summit family and the Vision)is the most bang for buck since they were generally optioned very well and suffered the hardest depreciation when the brand went extinct.