What a Great Car!

Just why there arent more Galants on the road is a mystery to me. I suppose, in a land that follows the automotive status quo more often than taking a chance on something new it only makes sense that Mitsubishis midsize, and soon to be flagship sedan is something of rarity. Its just too good to be popular.

Its like that with really good artists, great bands and the best movies. I mean, I go to the art museum hoping to be taken away into someones creative muse and am often left feeling flat. Then in some out of the way restaurant downtown Im blown away with some unknown artists incredibly lonely rendering of a gateway to a dark courtyard. I get into my car, turn on the radio and one vapid song follows another, nothing new, nothing that stirs the soul. And then Tom Waits announces a concert in my town and it sells out in fifteen minutes. I tell a colleague how upset I am not to get tickets and he looks at me baffled, "Whos Tom Waits?" The same could be said of any number of superb musicians that will never get played on

While driving around downtown, I wonder to myself why there arent more Mitsubishi Galants on the road. Then it dawns on me, maybe its just too good to be popular. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

So here I am, parking one of the best sedans in the midsize segment on the busiest street in my home town, while passersby do multiple double-takes as if theyve never seen the car before. Theres something wrong here. Its got new-edge styling in spades, a high quality

With all it has going for it, why isnt the Galant LS or GTS the most popular midsize car on the market? (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

Hey, Beta was better than VHS and where is it now? The Galant is proof positive that building a better widget doesnt mean success is necessarily around the corner. The real trick is to get on a persons individual radar

The Galant is proof positive that building a better widget doesnt mean success is necessarily around the corner. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

Mitsubishi needs to somehow get people behind the wheel of the Galant for a test drive, and its class-leading driving dynamics will do the rest. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

The trick, of course, is for Mitsu to get many more warm bodies tucked into the Galant LS heated, leather covered seats, crank up the 6-disc audio system and get a feel for its class-leading driving dynamics. Its really that good. Its been a while since I last piloted one around town, and the long stretch of winding roadway that connects my house to the ski resort on the mountain above is ideal for shaking the best, or the worst out of any suspension system. From takeoff the Galant LS 3.8-liter V6 is the epitome of smooth, relaxed power. Acceleration comes quickly, but not with the rush of high revs associated with turbocharged 4-cylinders or the banal grunt that comes from domestic overhead-valve powerplants. Rather, the Galants 230 horsepower mill delivers strong forward

While it doesnt feature as many cogs as some competitors, the Galants 4-speed automatic transmission, featuring Mitsubishis Sportronic manual mode, leaves little to be desired. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

Mitsubishis engineers have done an exemplary job isolating the noise, vibration and harshness, keeping any away from the cabin where its not appreciated. Of course, theres enough on hand when under full throttle to give a little thrill, but it comes across in a more sophisticated fashion than most competitors in this class.

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