2004 Mitsubishi Galant GTS

It's tough to please everybody. So sometimes you simply have to take a stand. Mitsubishi's been able to crack the youth market with its kid-friendly Eclipses and Mirages, driven in no small measure by hip TV ads that resemble MTV videos.


It's tough to please everybody. So sometimes you simply have to take a stand. Mitsubishi's been able to crack the youth market with its kid-friendly Eclipses and Mirages, driven in no small measure by hip TV ads that resemble MTV videos. They're often laced with deafening music. And everyone on the screen should be carded. For parents and seniors looking for four solid doors and a modicum of styling, plus cheerful dependability, Mitsubishi needs another formula. That's because they're up against Brand T and Brand H, both of whose bread-and-butter sedan sales often top 400,000 units apiece annually. Throw in Ford's Taurus and you have a cool one million-plus basic four-doors. Mitsubishi would be content to sell 100,000 of its midsize sedans; that's not enough to seriously worry its Japanese rivals, but it would definitely annoy Ford.
To play in this league, you've got to have the basic package nailed down. Tier-two brands like Mitsubishi and Mazda struggle just to get on the radar screens of midsize sedan intenders. Their offerings, while suitable for the Japanese home market, have been closer to 7/8ths scale models of the big guys. Yet, not any more. Mazda took a more aggressive route with its well-equipped, snappy-looking and spirited Mazda6. Not surprisingly, Mitsubishi is taking a similar approach.
The new '04 Galant has been completely restyled; it's bigger (2.8 inches longer, 3.9 inches wider and 2.1 inches higher, with an inch more legroom in the rear) than its predecessor. Those increases add up to nearly 4 cu.-ft. more interior space. And that's essential in the midsize sedan class. People who buy these cars haul kids and cargo, and they don't want to quickly outgrow their purchases. Both Galant powerplants have been upgraded; the V-6, in particular, is now a lusty 230 hp, thanks to uprated intake runners and exhaust manifolds, bigger valves, higher compression, an internal weight reduction program in a newly-recast block and a punch-out from 3.5 to 3.8-liters. With 250 lb.-ft. of meaty torque, the Galant takes best-in-class honors. Mitsubishi's Sportronic electronic four-speed automatic is a decent gearbox; it won't override high revs, a feature that nearly makes you forgive the fact that it's not a five-speed.
Author: Ken Gross
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