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. 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.

The new '04 Galant has been completely restyled with edge-y, refined detailing, and it's larger than its predecessor.

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.

Inside, sporty cues continue with conveniently located and very readable, glare-limiting, round, white-faced instruments, and a chunky, four-spoke steering wheel.

Mitsubishi cleverly builds the new Galant on its Endeavor SUV platform (which makes us wonder if all-wheel-drive can be too far away—). An odd-looking (to our eyes) corporate twin mouth grille, with its flat snout (that resembles a Pontiac design reject), and scarlet three diamond logo, is a prominent feature. The rest of the car is generic Nissan—not a bad cat to copy, these days. Edge-y, refined detailing, a very decent coupe-like roofline, blacked-out center pillars, a pleasant side elevation and a vestigial spoiler (on the GTS) bring up the rear. Maybe the best thing you can say is that it's not offensive, and for many buyers in the class, the Galant's virtual anonymity is probably a plus.


Under the skin is a revised, more rigid platform suspended independently all around with front MacPherson struts and a competent multi-link rear. Thanks to considerable chassis stiffening (Mitsubishi claims a 100 percent improvement in rigidity), a nearly 2-inch wider track and five inches more wheelbase, all traces of choppiness are gone. The Galant's ride is competent and predictable, but not overly sporty, despite the GTS status, which denotes bigger roll bars, 17-inch, five-spoke alloys and P215R55-17 all-season performance radials. Don't look for external GTS labeling—there isn't any. But the spoiler, trick wheels and specially embroidered floormats will cue the cognoscenti that this is the topline Galant.