Another in a series of my reviews that appeared in the online version of African Americans On Wheels, a now defunct automotive magazine that was included as an insert in the Sunday newspapers of major cities.
I like to think of this generation of Galant as the end of Mitsubishi’s awesome American decade that started with the 1989 Galant (and its lust-worthy VR-4 variant), Mirage, Eclipse, and 3000GT. Like its Chrysler partner, the nineties were the decade where it could do virtually no wrong. All of these cars were then either discontinued or replaced with “meh” models. The 2000 Eclipse lost both the hot turbo four, all-wheel drive, and any desire to actually own one. The tidy Mirage was replaced with the Lancer and its awkwardly tall greenhouse. Finally, this impressively styled Galant became a bloated, stylistically-challenged mess. They even botched the mid-sized crossover market with the ironically-named Endeavor, which was a license to print money for virtually every other automaker. Now a shadow of its former self, the fallout from Covid-19 may push Mitsubishi out of the U.S. for good.
For now, enjoy this review from peak Mitsubishi. I’ll also post a review of its Eclipse brother and a GTZ V6 in a few weeks.
There’s one thing that’s noticeably absent from the mid-size market: Style. After being lost in the bland crowd with last year’s Galant, Mitsubishi is betting that car buyers are ready for a little style again.
Mitsubishi pulled out all of the stops on this newest Galant, which mimics the styling of its flagship Diamante. The smooth curves of last year’s model have been replaced by hard, chiseled edges highlighted by forward-tilting head lamps and grill. The side is probably its best view, with slightly flared fenders and doors and a C-pillar that widens at the base. Even the wheel covers look cool. The overall effect is upscale European rather than a midrange Japanese.
More treats are found inside. The grey interior with woodgrain accents and velour seats resemble that of an upscale Chrysler. Aside from the usual amenities, the Galant also features such niceties as angled power window switches and a console lid that opens 180 degrees to become cupholders for rear passengers. Our mid-level ES model also includes air conditioning, a remote entry system, leather-wrapped steering wheel and fog lights.
With its quick takeoff and smoothness, the standard 2.4-liter four more than holds its own against the newly optional 3.0 liter V6. The engineers tuned it for American driving tastes, which means lots of low-down torque for quick takeoffs. Although it’s smooth on the open road, passing power at highway speeds is limited. The four-speed automatic, standard on the ES, LS, and GLX, shifts smoothly; a five-speed manual is standard on the base DE. Handling and ride are both excellent. Antilock brakes are a glaring omission and only available as part of a $2510 “Premium Package” that includes such frivolities as a glass sunroof and alloy wheels. Mitsubishi should either make them standard or a stand-alone option.
Rear-seat passengers will find themselves quite comfortable, and the roomy 14 cubic foot trunk includes a cargo net that separates the front third of the trunk so small packages don’t roll all over the place. A fold-down rear seat allows for even more cargo room.
At $18,969, our nicely loaded Galant is a rare mixture of style, practicality and affordability.
For more information contact 1-800-55MITSU
SPECIFICATIONS
Type:Four-door Sedan
Engine:145-horsepower, 2.4 liter inline 4
Transmission:Four-speed Automatic
EPA Mileage:21 city/28 highway
Tested Price:$18,969
It’s too bad that in the US market, the styling wrote a check that the powertrains and suspension, or even interiors, couldn’t cash. Overseas they still had the crazy AWD turbo variants, high tech suspension options, etc. Much nicer finished interiors as well. This generation also just about coincided with the 0/0/0 deals that seemed to seal Mitsu’s reputation in the US as bottom-feeder cars for the credit-challenged.
Still, cost cut as they were, these look nice and the basic drivetrains are rock solid and simple. Many went to an early death as the result of abject neglect and abuse rather than any inherent design flaws.
“ Now a shadow of its former self, the fallout from Covid-19 may push Mitsubishi out of the U.S. for good.”
Since 2012, Mitsubishi sales have continually grown, not decline. The narrative they are gasping for breath is so tired; last year they sold more than twice the amount of cars they did then when they finally bottomed out of the recession. Mitsubishi is fine.
This French article posted on June 22 mentioned which strategy then Mitsubishi might follow.
https://www.leblogauto.com/2020/06/mitsubishi-annonce-quil-pourrait-reduire-voilure-aux-usa.html
I wasn’t following some narrative. I was specifically referring to this article from 6/22:
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2020/06/mitsubishi-in-america-slow-fade-out-ahead/
Most glaring:
“In a shareholders meeting last week (reported on by Automotive News), the automaker’s CEO, Takao Kato, announced a turn away from North America and China. The company’s focus will now be on Southeast Asia and Pacific nations.
‘Even though we increased sales volume in the megamarkets, we have not yet achieved the level of profit we expected. We aim to increase sales in the regions where we can offer our core products. We will gradually reduce our commitment to megamarkets,” Kato said, referring, in part, to the U.S.'”
You’re quite right. Mitsubishi may very likely exit the US. The alliance partners (Renault, Nissan, Mitsubishi) are all in very bad shape right now, and they’re planning a major retrenchment that would see Nissan pulling back in Europe to create less overlap with Renault, and Nissan focusing on the US while Mitsubishi would focus on South east Asia, which is the only geographic area that they have enough of a market share to make it worth investing in any further.
I’m quite convinced Mitsubishi is toast in the US. The US requires a certain minimum market share in order to make it viable to have advertising, marketing, dealers, parts, etc. It’s very expensive to support a brand in the US. They can’t afford it any more.
I’m always hugely impressed by how much information you manage to cram into such a short space.
In the late ’80’s Mitsubishi had established a niche for itself as a slightly quirky, electronics heavy alternative to Honda, Toyota, or Nissan. Their cars were slightly unconventional (not Saab or Renault unconventional) versions of the familiar three box sedan and with lots and lots of buttons and electronic toys. Programmable electronic suspensions, graphic equalizers, digital gauges, automatic climate control, AWD in the Galant and Eclipse. They were sportier and more youthful than the Accord or Camry. The Eclipse was white hot and the Starion was pretty exciting. I still see the occasional Diamante running around.
Then, as you said, the replacements became flabbier and more boring and nowadays Mitsubishi is a sub Hyundai-Kia-Nissan brand. Mitsubishis also became synonymous with blowing blue smoke out the tailpipe. If your credit doesn’t qualify for an Altima, try the Mitsubishi dealer!
About the only reason anyone would buy a Mitsubishi nowadays is I’ll bet that a year old one depreciates immensely and is a great buy. Bargain pricing is usually the end of a brand.
They also finance fairly shaky credit applicants, and in a more positive light, are comparatively mechanically basic, rugged, and in terms of layout and architecture, are relics of 15 years ago. This, despite having a shocking number of current safety/tech features buried under the old-tech look, and their basic engineering seems rather sound (the vehicles for sale in the US, excluding the Mirage, have had very good crash test ratings for quite a while; for instance, their whole lineup performed very well in the first 25% offset tests a decade ago while lots of top-tier and luxury cars failed miserably).
These were reviewed very positively when they came out. I perused my local Mitsu dealer’s lot after hours, looking them over as a possible replacement for the Sentra I was commuting in at the time. Even then, my ex asked in a snarky tone, “Are we really looking at a Mitsubishi? Really?”. The only Mitsubishi product I’ve driven since the late 80s is a co-worker’s Outlander Sport, which did NOT impress me with its whiny engine and rubber band CVT.
One Mitsu product (it may have been this one) sold more than a few examples due to its passing resemblance to a BMW 5-series. Your’e spot-on about its rise and fall, and the reasons for it.
One other random recollection. When I first heard of the Mitsubishi logo referred to as the “diamond star”, sometime in the 80’s, I finally understood the inclusion of that phrase in the early 70’s T-Rex song “Bang a Gong”, which had always mystified me.
I don’t believe the Mitsu logo appeared anywhere prominently on the cars until long after that song was written. In fact, they made exclusively minicars until a year or two before the song debuted, when they introduced the Debonair in Japan. And they also didn’t export to the UK until 4 years after the song came out, and when they did they didn’t use the Mitsubishi name, instead calling themselves Colt.
Would be a neat connection, but I think it’s happenstance. The song was likely referring to a generic desription of a center-locking hubcap or wire wheel. And at least in the US, Diamond-Star usually refers to the late 1980s production joint venture with Chrysler (the pentagram-shaped “star”).
In Japan, the Mitsu logo is a representation of three water chestnuts, they being the house symbol of the founding family, which in Japanese are shorthand-represented by diamonds.
The Subaru/Fuji Heavy logo includes a circle of diamond-shaped stars representing the Pleiades star cluster. Hmmm…
Thanks for the info. I was aware of the Subaru representation of the Pleiades cluster but always thought it a poor representation of that lovely celestial feature, best seen out of the corner of the eye.
Reminds me of 2018 when my wife and I were driving around the nearest suburban area in which you can swing a dead cat and hit a dealership. Yep, car buying time again.
Driving around, my wife to me: “Mitsubishi. Didn’t they make the Eclipse? Is there anything we want to look at there?”
Me: “Nah. Look them up on your phone.” (Drives past dealership.)
Her: “Huh. You’re right.”
I had one. Good car.