1994 Mitsubishi Galant GS

By offering only eight models in the U.S. market, Mitsubishi can focus a lot of time and energy on each product. Its only player in the brutally competitive midsize sedan segment is the Galant, which emigrated from Japan and now is produced at the Diamond-Star plant in Normal, Illinois. The Galant's introduction in 1989 netted it our Import Car of the Year honors. For 1994, Mitsubishi's sport sedan was completely redesigned, with more horsepower, more standard features, and a higher number of grins per mile.

The restyling was a success from a sales standpoint; respondents to our owner's survey cited looks/style as the primary reason for purchasing the Galant. Its safety features (standard dual airbags, front/rear crumple zones, three-point belts with adjustable anchors, and optional anti-lock brakes) were the second-ranked purchase motivators. Price slipped in at third place (the range of Galant models-S, ES, LS, GS-started at $13,600). Our long-term GS based at $20,494, and with the added options (ABS, keyless entry) and destination, its $22,061 as-tested price was still a good value for this market segment. In a tie for fourth place on the purchase-influence list were quality and performance.

The odometer reading on our long-term car beat the owners' average by just under 600 miles (18,321, them; 18,888, us). Only 9.6 percent opted as we did for the sportier five-speed manual transmission; 90.4 percent chose the easy-to-drive four-speed automatic. Respondents did better in the fuel-economy department, eking out just over 25 mpg for the four- and five-speed transmissions combined, compared to our 22.9-mpg average.

Although over 75 percent of owners were enthusiastic about recommending the Galant to others, only 69.4 percent said they would buy another Mitsubishi vehicle; 10.8 percent probably wouldn't purchase a Galant again nor recommend one to others. Overall, the Galant scored more good than excellent ratings. Out of eight performance categories, only two-handling and fun to drive-rated a higher percentage of excellent than good. And only handling received a combined good/excellent rating over 90 percent.

Our long-term Galant had 15 different pilots during its year with us, and while opinions on the exterior styling were split (some liked the sporty look, others thought it was too generic), all agreed the handling was first-rate. Our test numbers support our feelings, as well as those of the survey respondents: 64.0 mph through the slalom and a 0.80g rating on the skidpad. "A very quick and agile car," wrote one editor. Handling was classified by 54 percent of the owners as excellent, with 39 percent calling it good. The Galant also scored high in the fun-to-drive department. Just over 44 percent said it was a blast to drive, while 39 percent felt it was just a notch under that. "It handles like a sports car," expressed one respondent.

Although 47.6 percent felt their Galant's acceleration was good, compared to 36.9 percent who said it was excellent, our long-termer, equipped with the 2.4-liter DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder powerplant, ran 0-60 mph in 8.1 seconds and passed through the quarter mile mark in 16.1 seconds at 85.5 mph. This is comparable to sedans like the Acura Legend and Lexus ES 300, both of which have bigger V-6 engines and carry higher sticker premiums. Overall performance also had more owners (47.1 percent) reporting their Galants as good rather than excellent (41.7 percent). Braking ratings were similar to those of performance. Our 60-0-mph instrumented testing netted a 132-foot braking distance, comparable to many other vehicles in its class and price range.

Editors and owners both agree that the Galant falls short in rear seat room. While 37.1 percent said overall comfort was excellent, only 23.3 percent reported excellent rear seats. "About an hour and a half into our trip to Big Bear," confessed one MT editor, "the passengers started a barrage of whining about being uncomfortable. It was great torture for the driver!"