2004 Mitsubishi Galant: Another Baby Born in Hard Times
By MICHELLE KREBS
DETROIT
THE last time Mitsubishi Motors introduced a new Galant family sedan to Americans, the automaker was ailing.
It was 1998, the company's Japanese parent was spurting red ink, and sales had dropped in the United States. Mitsubishi's assembly plant in Normal, Ill., where the Galant was built, had not reached full production capacity a decade after it opened.
New management had taken over the marketing operation in California, and it had hired a new advertising agency, Deutsch, which introduced an attention-grabbing "Wake Up and Drive" campaign with commercials for the 1999 Galant. For a time, things seemed to be looking up.
Now, six years later, there is another new Galant. Again, the company is deeply troubled, suffering ills both familiar and new.
The Japanese parent is still bleeding, having reported a $1.9 billion loss for 2003. Despite being Mitsubishi's largest shareholder, DaimlerChrysler issued a no-confidence vote by refusing to provide more money for its troubled longtime partner.
And Mitsubishi has been rocked by scandals for nearly a decade: in Japan, there were payoffs to gangsters and cover-ups of defects; in the United States, there were falsified sales reports and a huge sexual-harassment settlement involving the Illinois plant. Lax lending practices, which helped to lift sales for a while, have come back to haunt the company; analysts say $1 billion in loans may have to be written off.
With sales again plunging in Japan and the United States, and production being cut in Illinois, Mitsubishi is counting heavily on the Galant, a car that has always been competitive but one that has never had a compelling, clear-cut image.
As chief executive of Mitsubishi Motors North America, Finbarr J. O'Neill is in the hot seat. Asked in a telephone interview to sell a prospective buyer on the Galant, he emphasized the new car's increased size, brisk acceleration and responsive handling.
Indeed, Mitsubishi has been trying to establish the Galant as a sportier, more stylish alternative to the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, the nation's best-selling cars. "For people looking for a fun-to-drive sedan, it is there," said Mr. O'Neill, who won respect in his previous job, as architect of a turnaround at Hyundai Motor America.
The front-drive Galant now shares its underpinnings with the Endeavor utility, and it has grown: by 2.6 inches in length; 4.6 inches in wheelbase, 3.9 inches in width and 2.2 inches in height.
The front end curves softly, with bulbous headlamps and a vertical bar dividing the grille. The gracefully arched roofline could have been lifted from a sporty coupe. But the rear is angular and hard-edged. My top-of-the-line GTS test car attracted little attention, except from a middle-age man outside an office supply store. He declared it "the ugliest car I've ever seen."
It is by no means the ugliest car I've seen, but the design struck me as quirky, with a mismatched front and rear. Others seem to like it, with some enthusiast magazines praising the design as fresh and different in a crowd of often dull midsize cars.
When I got behind the wheel, "cheesy" was the word that came to mind, prompted mainly by a strip of light-colored fake-wood trim, obviously plastic, across the dash. Otherwise, my test car's interior, with its black and cream leather upholstery, was attractive, roomy and comfortable, though it was not as refined as the Camry, the Accord or a relative newcomer, the Mazda 6.
Nor does the Galant have a large trunk; at 13.3 cubic feet, cargo space is among the smallest in the class.
The base engine is a 2.4-liter 4, which comes in the DE and ES models. If you choose the LS or GTS, you get one of the largest V-6's in the class, a 3.8-liter power plant (up from 3 liters in the previous model). With 230 horsepower (an increase of 30), the Galant beats every car in the class except the 250-horsepower Nissan Altima V-6. Peak torque, at 250 pounds-feet, is roughly comparable to the Altima's; the Galant certainly has plenty of get up and go.
But in a strange omission for an ostensibly sporty sedan, the Galant does not offer a manual transmission. Both engines are paired only with a four-speed automatic that can be shifted manually. Chief competitors offer five-speed stick shifts (and in the case of the coming Pontiac G6, a six-speed manual). Some have five-speed automatics as well.
Mr. O'Neill boasts that the Galant outhandles the Camry. That is true, but it is hardly the last word on the subject, given that the Toyota handles about as crisply as a strand of fettucine cooked al dente.
The new Galant's stiffer body, wider stance and longer wheelbase give it a smoother, quieter ride. The GTS's firm suspension delivers an extra measure of responsive steering and spirited handling over the LS, but it may ride too harsh for those who aren't driving enthusiasts.
Still, the V-6 engine is the Galant's greatest asset. Not only strong and powerful, it is smooth and quiet. Motor Trend magazine clocked the GTS at 6.8 seconds from 0 to 60 m.p.h., making it one of the quickest cars in its class. It also topped the magazine's charts for handling on the slalom course. In normal driving, I felt quite confident in passing maneuvers - and quite cocky when rocketing away from stoplights.
The Galant offers most of the basic amenities and safety features that you find on its competitors, with one big exception. Side-curtain air bags, which help to prevent head injuries in side crashes, are not available.
Repeating a strategy that worked at Hyundai, Mr. O'Neill instituted long warranties. The Galant carries a basic warranty of 5 years or 60,000 miles, a powertrain warranty of 10 years or 100,000 miles and free roadside assistance for 3 years or 36,000 miles.
Mitsubishi ranked below the industry average in the most recent Initial Quality Survey by J. D. Power & Associates, but it is offering free scheduled maintenance for three years or 45,000 miles.
When the 1999 Galant came to market, one of its main attractions was a bargain price: it was the least expensive V-6 sedan in its class. The Galant is still priced a bit lower than the class leaders, but it is less of an across-the-board bargain now.
The four-cylinder DE starts around $18,000 and the midlevel LS is $22,000, a couple thousand less than a comparable Altima. My GTS test car had a sticker of $26,572 - no bargain, it seemed to me.
Nor does the Galant offer a navigation system, satellite radio or an MP3 player, features that are options on several competitive sedans.
While Mitsubishi tries to position the Galant as a less costly alternative to cars like the Camry, it is itself under pressure from below, in the form of Korean-built sedans like the Suzuki Verona, Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima.
After a week of test-driving the fully loaded GTS, I concluded that the Galant is reasonably fun to drive, as was the previous version. What's different now is that other midsize cars have taken their fun pills, too: the Nissan Altima with its jaunty styling and spirited performance and the Mazda 6 with an attractive design and exceptional driving dynamics. Even the Pontiac G6, which replaces the Grand Am, promises tough competition.
Mitsubishi faces an uphill battle. The company sold fewer than 27,000 Galants in the first half of the year and just 3,290 in June - fewer than half its sales in the month a year earlier.
With so many clouds overhead, what Mitsubishi needs most is a breakthrough product, a high-volume equivalent of its Lancer Evolution, the screaming-fast pocket rocket beloved by street racers.
The Galant is a decent effort, with strong power and good handling, but there is little about it that sets it apart from better known midsize cars. A breakthrough, it is not.
INSIDE TRACK: A face in the crowd.
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