Mitsubishi Diamante LS

As the price of near-luxury cars continues to rise above the $30,000 mark, Mitsubishi bucks the trend with the introduction of its all-new $26,000 Diamante sedan. Touting the looks, performance, and features to compete with the established prestige marques, but priced at thousands less, the Australian-built Diamante promises to attract value-conscious nigh Sybarites.

Although the new front-drive Diamante rides on the same 107.1-inch wheelbase as its predecessor, the similarities between the two generations end there. Following the "bigger is better" philosophy, the '97 Diamante is 3.9 inches longer, with a subsequent 7.4 cubic feet of additional interior space. The new elongated, chiseled exterior design is the result of careful attention to aerodynamics. Subtle cues such as the V-shaped nose, sculpted bodyside cladding, sharply raked windshield, and arched decklid illustrate the steps taken to achieve an ultraslippery 0.28 coefficient of drag. Moreover, the European influence is obvious from the headlights-under-glass to the BMW-esque rear fascia design.

This new-found aerodynamic efficiency contributes to the Diamante's improved fuel economy, despite the larger engine housed between the fenders. Sharing a common V-6 block with the Montero, the Diamante's 3.5-liter/210-horsepower SOHC powerplant was tuned to address the demands of torque-hungry American drivers. Displacement increased by a half liter over last year's model, bringing a 16 percent gain in peak torque, with a significant improvement in the low- and midrange. Unlike the '96 model, one engine fits all-putting V-6 power in both the premium LS model and the base ES.

Off the line, the 24-valve V-6 provides smooth, quiet power befitting a luxury sedan. At high rpm under full throttle, however, the iron-block, aluminum-head engine loses some of its poise, delivering a dose of noise intended to reward the driver. We'd prefer the aural gratification come more from a growling exhaust note than engine thrash. Nevertheless, the premium-fuel powerplant delivers swift 0-60-mph times of 8.3 seconds, outaccelerating the last Diamante sedan we tested by 0.6 second.

One key to the new car's performance both on the track and off is its redesigned four-speed automatic featuring adaptive transmission-control management (ATCM), which allows the smart system to match gear selections to driving conditions and optimizes shift action to complement a specific driving style. While many similar transmissions rely on a handful of programmed "logic maps," Mitsubishi's ATCM computer calculates shift parameters on the fly, allowing the transmission to transition seamlessly from aggressive S-curve carving to sedate highway cruising.

The MacPherson strut front and multilink rear underpinnings have been tuned to better absorb bumps, but at the sacrifice of rather prominent body roll under high-stress cornering. Despite this significant weight transfer, however, the Diamante, with the aid of 215/60VR16 Michelin Energy MXV4 tires on 16x6.0-inch aluminum wheels, managed a respectable 63.6-mph slalom run, competitive with the Acura 3.2TL and Mercedes-Benz C280.

The Diamante also performed well in the 60-0-mph braking test. It stopped in 127 feet with the help of the standard two-piston discs at each corner and the optional three-channel anti-lock system.