Overview:
This week I drove the Mitsubishi Galant GTZ 4-door sedan and it goes on my top ten list of cars I’d want to see my kids buy. But then kids don’t listen to parents all that much. Actually that’s not totally true. I was pleasantly surprised that daughter Jen decided to look at practical and affordable cars after our little heart to heart.
Now I just can’t wait to see if she buys that glitzy waste of money anyway.
Surely this is a quality option to the better-known cars like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Overall it is in my top 10 pick for sedans this year.
Huge conglomerate: Today, Mitsubishi companies are Japan’s industry leaders in several sectors, including marine transport, aircraft manufacturing, shipbuilding, nuclear power engineering, waste treatment plants, satellites, defense contracting, glass, petrochemicals, oil products, beer, property and casualty insurance, and warehousing, among others. They are international and although the engine and trans are made in Japan, this Galant is built in Normal, Illinois, right here in the good old US of A.
Handling & Performance:
Very good.
Styling:
Common place but consistent with its cookie-cutter rivals.
Fit and Finish:
Very nice.
Conveniences:
As good as the rest.
Cost:
Good in the field of plenty.
Recommendation:
Well, take a good look at the competition. As I do here’s what I see. Oldsmobile has been discontinued, Pontiac is about to throw in the towel. Then when you consider newcomers to our auto market like Hyundai, the field narrows quickly.
So, knock out competitors as follows. On Price: Concorde, Impala, Intrepid, Maxima, Intrigue and Passat. And when you eliminate new to the market cars like Hyundai Sonata you end up with Galant, Taurus, Accord, Mazda 626, Legacy and Camry.
You will want to look at them all, but I like the Camry, Galant, and Legacy. I have tested the 2002 Camry and Galant and the 2001 Legacy and feel comfortable including it here based on track record. This is my order of preference.
The Competition:
Mitsubishi Galant $18-24,000, Chevrolet Impala $24-35,000, Chrysler Concorde $23-28,000, Dodge Intrepid $21-26,400, Ford Taurus $19-23,000, Honda Accord $15-25,000, Hyundai Sonata $15-18,000, Mazda 626 $19-23,000, Nissan Maxima $25-27,000, Oldsmobile Intrigue $23-28,000, Pontiac Grand Prix $21-26,000, Subaru Legacy $19-25,000, Toyota Camry $19-25,000, Volkswagen Passat $22-29,000.
Good News:
Priced and equipped well, it stands out as a quality competitor, you may be able to deal more than you can with the sales leaders and get just as good a car.
Bad News:
It lacks the good name Toyota has earned over the years.
Standard Equipment:
3.0 liter 195 horsepower V6 engine with 4-speed auto trans, dual front and side air bags, child safety locks, anti-theft immobilizer, anti-lock disc brake system, power steering, traction control, air conditioning, Infinity stereo with CD player, power locks, mirrors and windows, remote keyless entry, cruise control, adjustable steering column, lighted vanity mirrors and map lights, 8-way drivers power seat, leather trim, heater mirrors, fog lights and power glass sunroof.
Gas Stats:
20 City and 27 Highway MPG.
Pricing:
MSRP $24,712.
