The American-built Mitsubishi Galant is one of those vehicles that should have been replaced a while ago, but it hasn't been--and it's the longest-lived family four-door on the market, since it was last redesigned in 2004.
The Galant strikes a pose like that of the old Nissan Altima, and in its early life it was almost competitive with the likes of the Altima, Accord and Camry. The exterior still strikes us as blandly handsome, and the efficient interior suffers mostly from open-grained plastics--it's well-organized and the driving position is good.
However, time hasn't been kind to the Galant lineup--Mitsubishi dropped the V-6 and performance Ralliart editions last year, leaving just the Galant ES and Galant SE behind. Both of these are four-cylinder vehicles, and the 2.4-liter four only musters 160 horsepower, well off the mark of today's base Hyundai Sonata, or even the Honda Accord. Even so, it's acceptably pleasant to drive, so long as you steer clear of any extreme driving. The steering is firm enough to the touch, the brakes modulate well, and ride quality is resilient. At 20/27 mpg, fuel economy is respectable.
The Mitsubishi Galant's cabin hails from a brief period of time when silver-painted control stacks were the hip thing. That day has passed, and now the Galant's stereo and climate controls look as if they came from an old boombox and can be difficult to read at a glance besides. Furthermore, the quality of the materials has become subpar. Most plastics and other surfaces just don't match the refined look and feel of the Galant's many more desirable competitors. There's also no telescoping steering wheel, a glaring omission in this class.
On the upside, the passenger package is relatively roomy considering the Galant's size, and the seats prove to be softly cushioned. The trunk offers 13.3 cubic feet of capacity, just a foot or two less than the competition although the opening is usefully wide. The rear seat does not fold down to permit cargo volume to be enlarged, and although there's a ski pass-through, the rear seats do not fold down
In the Galant ES you'll find standard cruise control, air conditioning, keyless entry, and a 140-watt, six-speaker sound system. The SE adds automatic climate control, heated seats, hands-free Bluetooth, and a Rockford Fosgate audio system, as well as larger alloy wheels, a spoiler, and fog lamps. The SE also gains the navigation system and rearview camera formerly listed as options, which means this Galant is essentially fully equipped..
Most notably, the new Galant does away with the old car's black bar front grille, and replaces it with a metal mesh grille. A new lower intake is flanked by integrated fog lights. The hood is also sporting a new look, now featuring sharp creases.
Out back, the Galant receives new taillights, as well as newly sculpted rear fenders. Mitsubishi says the Galant's interior has also been revised, but the only real noticeable change is a new shift gate.
The other major change was the removal of the Sport trim level, and the V6 engine option. Now the Galant will be available in just two flavors -- four-cylinder ES, and four-cylinder SE.
The SE adds a power sunroof, 18-inch alloy wheels, foglights, a back-up camera, heated mirrors, a rear spoiler, automatic climate control, auto-dimming rearview mirror, dual illuminated vanity mirrors,
Every Mitsubishi Galant is powered by a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine attached to a four-speed automatic. Output is 160 hp and 157 pound-feet of torque, totals that trail those from almost all of the Galant's competition. Fuel economy is an estimated 21 mpg city/30 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined.
Safety
Both four-cylinder models receive motivation via a 160 horsepower, 157 lb-ft of torque 2.4-liter MIVEC four-cylinder, mated to a Spotrtronic four-speed automatic transmission.
All models come standard with dual-stage front air bags, front passenger occupant sensors, side curtain air bags, and seat-mounted side-impact air bags.
The 2011 Mitsubishi Galant comes standard with stability control, antilock brakes, front side airbags and side curtain airbags. In government crash testing, the Galant achieved four out of five stars for driver protection in a frontal crash and five stars in all other front and side crash categories. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the Galant its highest rating of "Good" in the frontal-offset and side-impact tests.
Driving Impressions
With only 160 hp charged with moving 3,400 pounds of Galant, there's not much in the way of straight-line thrust. Nevertheless, once underway the 2011 Mitsubishi Galant maintains a flat, predictable stance and feels smaller than it is. A surprising amount of road feel is communicated through the driver seat and the steering. Although the steering is a little vague on-center, it is quick and responsive. None of this entertainment comes at the expense of ride quality, which is smooth, forgiving and ideal for weekday commutes.
reference:www.thecarconnection.com,www.edmunds.com,www.leftlanenews.com
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