While the exterior design catches my heart, the interior receives no less praise. Although it doesn’t have Volkswagen’s build quality, it rivals well with the best of others in terms of fit and finish. Remember, it is built in Japan instead of Holland. The styling of dashboard is also far more handsome than most Japanese sedans, matching the aggressive exterior very well. There is sufficient of space - roughly equals to Camry and 406 but marginally eclipsed by Passat and American Accord. Seats, driving position and ergonomics of controls are all in Japanese standard, so is reliability. 

What makes the Galant unique is not only the styling, it also includes the engines. Don’t be surprised, Mitsubishi offers no less than 7 petrol engines for the Galant, and some of them features very interesting technology. 

For Japan: 

• 1.8-litre GDI four-pot: this is the most commonly used GDI engine in Mitsubishi’s range. Rated 140 hp in JIS.
• 2.4-litre GDI four-pot: this long-stroke engine came from Space Wagon (Grandis) and now powers the top-spec Galant in Japan. It is rated at 165 hp in JIS and a V6-challenging 170 lbft of torque.

For East Asia: 

• 2-litre MIVEC V6: this compact V6 came directly from the FTO coupe. The variable valve timing and twin-cam heads help it to achieve a full 200 horsepower output, although it desperately needs rev and 5-speed manual to compensate the lack of torque. It is installed in the Galant VR-M which is expected to phase out next year.

For Europe: 

• 2-litre dohc four-pot: base engine. 136 hp.
• 2.4-litre GDI four-pot: differs from the Japanese 2.4 GDI by the reduction of air-fuel mixture ratio for adapting to European fuel. Rated 150 hp in DIN.
• 2.5-litre sohc V6: smooth and quiet. For effortless driving. 161 hp.

For USA: 

• 2.4-litre four-pot: the 145 hp engine is built in the USA and also supply Chrysler.
• 3.0-litre sohc V6: 195 hp and 205 lbft, sufficient to rival Accord and Camry.

For transmission, Mitsubishi offers several versions of its Invecs-II auto gearbox. All of them feature adaptive shift program by means of Fuzzy logic control (just like my rice cooker). Without surprise, the Japanese Galant gets the most advanced box, with 5 ratios and the so-called "Sports Mode" control, that is, Tiptronic style manual control. Stuck in traffic, the auto mode is undoubtedly most suitable. When the traffic gets clear, push the gear level to the left column (for RHD cars) and then you can use the + and - pattern to upshift and downshift manually. It’s clear and no fuzzy at all ! although it is incomparable to Alfa’s Selespeed in terms of speed, it is already better than all its direct competitors which are only provided with conventional automatic transmission. 

Again, the best thing is reserved for Asian. What the European gets is the 4-speed version, which is probably unsold stock. Yet it is already superior to the American Galant’s 4A without Sport Mode. 5-speed manual is offered for all models except American’s V6. 

When comes to chassis, the Galant’s win hand is finally down. Driving leisurely, its soft suspensions ride smoothly while the light steering aids driving ease. However, assessing a car’s handling requires pushing it towards the limit, then you’ll find the Galant rolls too much while steering feel is fading out. Soon the car is prone to understeer and runs wide. Compare with European benchmarks, namely 406, Passat, Mondeo and Primera, the Mitsubishi bias towards comfort instead of handling, yet it ultimately can’t match the suppleness of 406 or the fluency of Passat, because its soft suspensions were somewhat set up to compensate the lack of chassis stiffness. That’s why on the most demanding road, the European benchmarks feel not only more sure-footed but also more refined, with less suspension noise generated.  

There is a sportier version called GTZ on sale in the USA, which has marginally stiffer suspension, rear spoiler and funny white-face gauges. However, it doesn’t improve handling by too much so that some American journalists still prefer Accord’s handling.  

That’s in the keen driver’s point of view. For the majority of family men and women, Galant is still competent enough. Considering the poor Camry can satisfy the most American families, I can’t see why the Galant cannot. 
 

Galant VR4 and Legnum VR4

VR4, what a terrific name. If you know, VR4 used to imply the combination of 4WD, 4WS, 4-valve per cylinder and intercoolered turbocharger. So far, only Mitsubishi and Nissan had ever put all these things into a road car ... in Nissan’s case it is the Skyline GT-R, for Mitsubishi it is VR4. How many different VR4 the 3-diamond had ever developed ? Three. The first one was the 2-generation-ago Galant VR4. The second was the 3000 GT VR4, or simply called GTO in Japan. The latest Galant VR4 is the third one. 

It should be clarified that the new Galant VR4 has discarded the 4-wheel-steering in exchange of Active Yaw Control (AYC). This is the outcome of a revision made in ’99. Before that, the VR4 was criticized as having too much understeer while the steering was too light. So Mitsubishi retuned the suspension damping, power steering and added Lancer Evo V’s active yaw control to the rear axle. The latter completely cured the understeer problem by transferring more torque to the outside wheel during cornering. This is another example proving racing experience improves road cars.  

Unlike the ordinary Galant, the VR4 handles like a dream. Thanks to the chassis strengthening including tower braces over suspension, high specification springs and dampers, wider tyres and 4-wheel-drive, it has extremely high cornering limit yet always remains stable and composed. AYC helps it to steer neutrally all the time, even approaching the limit. In contrast, Audi’s Torsen quattro always presents too much fail-safe understeer near cornering limit, which could be secure but not so exciting as the Galant VR4. The Mitsubishi’s suspension and chassis are very well sorted. 

The improved steering is now full of weight, even heavier than the Porsche-tuned Subaru Legacy B4 RSK. It is also full of feel, plus the precision and response that inspire full confidence. Momo steering wheel and Recaro sport seats further enhance the ambience of excitement.  

Heart of the VR4 is still the four-cam V6 displacing 2498 c.c., with twin turbochargers and individual intercoolers. This is where the Galant superior to the Lancer Evolution, because the latter is limited by rally regulations to have no more than 4 cylinders (therefore rougher), single large turbo (therefore laggy) and 2 litres of displacement (therefore less torquey). Although both machines are bounded to the 280 hp voluntary limit, the Galant’s V6 feels more mature right from idle. The two small turbos provide quicker response and stream of torque at low rpm, then the V6 spins smoothly and linearly towards 6,000 rpm, without the sudden explosion found in Lancer. In terms of pure performance, VR4 is undoubtedly inferior to the flyweight and high-boost Lancer, but it is far easier to live with - because of smooth ride and spacious cabin. The 16-inch-only wheels and high profile (50) tyres might not look very attractive, but they benefit ride comfort. It is a good balance between Lancer’s intense driving pleasure and Audi S4’s effortless performance. 

In terms of performance, the VR4 rivals strongly with its direct competitors such as Legacy RSK and Skyline 25GT, if not the more expensive Audi S4 and BMW M3. In particular, it feels decisively more punchy than arch-rival Legacy. It is believed to be capable of reaching 60 mph from rest in 6 seconds flat. Estate version (which calls Legnum in domestic market) takes just a couple of tenths more. This already included the 5-speed Invecs-II Sport Mode automatic. 5-speed manual is also on offer, but for the cheaper Type V rather than the AYC-equipped Type S, what a pity. However, the Tiptronic-style automatic shifts smoothly and responsively. 

A couple of years ago, the VR4 was still trailing Legacy RS in terms of driving fun. After the magical surgery, it became the car to be beaten.