Mitsubishi Galant

lawman1967 · December 2003

Nope, I'm in sunny Los Angeles, and while Glendale was very professional, Duarte was not. At my 30,000 service they kept my car for NINE DAYS, trying to remove the ding THEY PUT THERE during my 25,000 oil change. Magically, my car had 167 more miles on it than when I dropped it off 9 days before.

Glendale, Duarte and Alhambra couldn't find my brake problem, nor could the regional rep nor the factory service trainer, all of whom looked at my car and said everything was fine. Of course, the car still went through right front brake pads ever 7,000 miles and warped the right front rotor, not to mention occasionally not completely releasing after the brakes were applied. I consider that as something wrong, wether the dealer or factory people could find it or not.

In fact, the regional rep said that he would not replace parts until he found the problem, but of course when I replaced the rotors and lines with aftermarket parts and rebuilt the calipers and master cylinder, the problem went away.

No more Mitsubishis for me, and the last contact I will have with them is when I file in small claims court for the cost of that repair and for all of the vacation days I used each time I brought it in for service (except for the first time). I have the (thick) stack of service invoices to prove it.

nicklx · December 2003

I am having a problem trying to sell my Galant. Does anyone have any suggestions? It is a 2000 with 64,500 miles (ES 4 cylinder, no leather or sunroof). I have it on cars.com and have kept reducing the price - now it is at $5895. I had it on ebay twice with no luck. Any suggestions? I've been trying to sell it for about 6 months and not one inquiry. Should I drop it to 5,500 or $5000. Thanks.

lawman1967 · December 2003

miles was only worth 6800 trade in, 7800 private party, so a 2000 with almost double miles would be worth much less.

gkearns56 · December 2003

This car is simply ugly. Look at the taillights and front headlights. Mitsubishi once seemed to do a very nice job offering an alternative to Honda Accord or Toyota Camary. I really wouldn't be surprised to see rebates on this car at this time next year (05). I once owned a Galant but the exterior of this car has to do a little something for me. This does nothing to inspire me at all!! Even the new 2005 Suburu Legacy coming out looks beautiful. It has some nice lines; HP to back it up (280 hp) and competitively priced. I was thinking of a second car but I will omit this one from my list. There are too many nice cars on the market.

lawman1967 · December 2003

The outgoing (1999~2003) Galant was a very attractive car. I agree with gkearns, the new just doesn't have that "something" that the old one did.

regfootball · December 2003

certainly not stellar. not a dud, though either. they could stand to clean up some of the detailing in the rear end.

forgettable, but not offensive.

rtolentino2 · December 2003

TO ALL '02-'03 GALANT OWNERS - CHECK THIS OUT BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE ---- I recently saw this topic at the internet this afternoon-12-04(Thursday).
NHTSA Capmaign ID no: 03V442000
Components: Fuel System, Gasoline Delivery and Fuel Pump.

Consequences: Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the fuel pump pressure.

Notes: Contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at 1-888-327-4236 OR Mitsubishi Dealers at 1-800-981-0452.

I learned that the 2002 Models are carry-over of all 2003 Galant models. I own a '02 Galant ES so I'd better go to my dealer ASAP - sounds alarming - !!!!

pat · December 2003

Might want to check up on this over in our Technical Service Bulletins discussion ...

carguy58 · December 2003

The 99-01 model was a gorgeous looking car. I didn't like beak they put on the front end for the 02 model year.

The new one I have seen it in picture's. The front end isn't bad looking but the back end just looks unfinished to me. I think 2 things the new Galant has going for it or what I hear from the grapevine is lots of interior room and the 3.8 liter V6(lots of power.)

If Mitsu evolved the 04 Galant from the 99-01 model it might have came out better on the exterior.

marcin · December 2003

With so many complaints about brakes in this forum, now when there is a lawsuit pending and notices were sent, I don't see any posts in this matter. Is nobody interested in getting this problem finally resolved with Mitsu???

fushigi · December 2003

I had my front brakes done @ about 22K miles on my 99 LS. It was done for free by the dealer, possibly because there was some suspension work to be done under warranty at the same time.

Rear brakes @ 60K; normal wear. Fronts again at 66K; normal enough. Both are more frequent than my prior car, a Mazda MX-3, which went 89K on the original brakes. But then the Mazda weighed about 800 pounds less and had larger discs.

The Galant is now at 81K and hasn't had any other brake issues. So I haven't had any real bad experiences and would in fact consider buying another Mitsu, most likely an Endeavor or another Galant.

cbnearla · December 2003

Anybody know what happened to this website? It's been down for over a week.

aristotle · December 2003

The other day I saw the 2004 Galant at the local dealer. I was quite impressed by the shape of the car although it does not look as beautiful as the 1995 model in the front.

Surely the car must perform well with the abundant horsepower in the V6 engine. What about the interior? I didn't get a chance to look closely at the interior of the car.

I am kind of surprised to see mostly negative comments about the Galant. Isn't there anything positive to say about the 2004 Galant?

I would be interested in seeing some comments from owners of the 2004 model year car. How do you feel after owning it for a month?

alpha01 · December 2003

Aristotle, Im not an owner, but I had a very thorough test drive with the car, and since you are looking for a vantage point on the new Galant that is more positive than negative, heres what I had to say after my November test drive:
--------------------------------------------
My impressions overall:

1) The lack of split folding rear seats is a major detriment to this vehicle, whose trunk is 1.3 cubic feet smaller than its predecessor, and smaller than the trunks of many smaller competitors, at 13.3 cu. ft. How can a car this big have such a small trunk. But, silver lining: cleverly, Mitsu chose NOT to use gooseneck hinges, but rather, the more sophisticated design which does not infringe on capacity.

2) The MIVEC 2.4L 4 feels decently peppy, and offers good power, but is SIGNIFICANTLY noisier than the Accord and Camry 2.4L engines, while returning 1-2 MPG fewer in city and 3-4 fewer in highway travel, according to EPA estimates. If you dont rev above 4000 RPM, you might not notice the extra noise, as this is when it becomes obtrusive. Unfortuantely, due to the MIVEC design, this is when the engine reaches its peak torque and starts to feel alive. Midrange power borders on impressive, and the transmission works well with the engine, delivering very smooth, appropriate shifts. The vehicle feels a bit pokey out of the gate, such as from a standstill at a stoplight, an impression that I didnt feel from the Accord and Camry, however. Overall, an improvement over the last generation non-MIVEC 4 cyl.

3) The front seats are firm and supportive, and felt excellent in my short trip. I got the impression that the comfort wouldn't fade. The seat is better than the Camry's, which suffers from a too-short lower cushion. However, the Camry offers standard 8 way power drivers seat, where as the Galant's is 6 way manually adjustable.

4) The ride is good, quite smooth, but felt somewhat floaty and decidedly Camry-like, especially compared to the previous generation Galant. Handling is a direct hit at the needs of 99% of buyers: NO SURPRISES, just roll and understeer. Steering is not up to Accord levels, but is decent overall, although on-center is vague, perhaps even more so than in the Camry, though I prefer the Mitsubishi's weighting.

5) My test-drive car did not have ABS. The pedal felt somewhat spongy intially, though fairly firm through its travel, which seemed a bit long, as in the drum equipped Camry LE.

6) The 16 inch wheel covers are very ugly, and do nothing to enhance the look of this car. The alloys that are part of the Diamond Package seem worth the price of that package by themselves, given the cheapness exuded by the wheel covers. Tires are a nice size, I personally like the extra tread width.

7) I found the interior well constructed, and pleasingly designed. Since my drive was at dusk, I had the lights on, and I enjoyed the bright blue instrumentation on black background. The dash is not overwrought as it is in the Endeavor, and I feel it hits its mark. The steering wheel however, is textured rather.... interestingly, and I'm not convinced.

OVERALL: This is a well conceived effort, and if Mitsu can boost resale (by not offering heavy discounts and significant fleetage), will prove a good choice if reliability is strong. Car and Driver correctly summed it up - the Galant does not do refinement, isolation, and comfort quite as well the Camry, nor does it do precision engineering and an involving driving experience as well as the Accord, but it is less expensive, won't be a dime a dozen, and offers a pleasing overall mainstream drive.

The car's major caveats are its engine noise and lowish MPG, small trunk/no folding rear seat, strange steering wheel, and unfortunate wheel covers. I also cant comprehend Mitsubishi's disinclusion of side chest and front and rear curtain airbags as an option, since Accord, Camry, Altima, 6, and Passat all offer this ideal combination of side impact protection.

~alpha

PS- My test drive was of a no-option ES 4cyl, which stickered, including destination charge, at $19,592.
----------------------------------------------

aristotle · December 2003

Thanks for your detailed comments.

1. Engine noise - If I get the V6 will it be less noisy?

2. Lowish MPG - Not good, can't do much about this, though!

3. Small trunk/no folding rear seat - I have a minivan for carrying larger items. So, this doesn't bother me too much.

4. Strange steering wheel - Got to see it to understand what you are talking about. In any case, I can live with it if does not affect my driving too much.

5 Unfortunate wheel covers I probably will get the Diamond package to get over this problem.

Bottomline: As long as the V6 model is not too noisy, I will wait for the dealers to discount the car and then buy it at the end of the model year. Will an used 2004 Galant LS V6 be available for about $14,000 in one year? This car loses its value rapidly, but is a great buy after a year of service.

I hope they change the front grill to make it more attractive.

regfootball · December 2003

steering wheel and rear folding seat should be fixed.

our diamante v6 is ok in the smoothness department. the new 3.8 is evolved over the Diamante so it should be smoother and much more powerful.

i doubt its a match for a nissan mill, but maybe sufficiently close and likely very superior to a GM pushrod motor.

alpha01 · December 2003

The Nissan 3.5L undoubtedly a very good engine, offering excellent horsepower and torque. However, fuel economy in the Altima, given its family oriented mission, is a bit low, and is the price you pay for the hp and torque. Torque steer also an issue.

The Honda 3.0L is resonably fuel efficient, quick revving, and offers great horsepower, but lacks low end torque. The silver lining in that cloud is that there is little torque steer.

The Toyota 3.3L seems to be a good combination... offering 20/29, 225hp, 240 lbs at a low 3600 RPM, and I havent read of torque steer issues. I recently test drove the 3.3L in a Camry SE and found it very responsive in all ranges, and very refined in character.

The Mitsu 3.8. I am waiting to learn more, and to drive this engine in the Galant. MPG is alright, but given that displacement, couldnt they do a little better than 230hp? Torque is greatest of all those mentioned in this post, but how well is it controlled in this front drive model? In this heavy vehicle, the 3.8 also puts A LOT of weight over the front tires, which doesnt aid handling. Can anyone comment on their experience?

~alpha

lawman1967 · December 2003

If your goal is a great car that already suffered a lot of depreciation, check out the Saturn L-series and the Hyundai Sonata. I would choose either of those proven models over a first-year car from ANY manufacturer except Honda or Toyota.

A 1-year-old Mazda 626 or Millenia would also make a terrific ride.

pat · December 2003

The Galant was included in Edmunds' latest Family Sedan comparo. Check it out - the article can be accessed from the Helpful Links box on the left side of the page.

aristotle · December 2003

I saw the following comments about the 2004 Galant in the 2003-2004 Family Sedan Comparison Test:

"you won't find full-length side curtain airbags, a folding rear seat, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel or a grocery net for the trunk anywhere on the window sticker. In addition, the quality of some of the interior materials is mediocre."

I believe all the above are rectifiable problems. If they can quickly address the above issues I am sure the Galant will be an able competitor.

regfootball · December 2003

more rectifiable than the issues with the 7th place GM model.

the altima and galant have similar traits. big motor. space. offbeat design. interior cheapness. the galant is nicer than the altima inside. the altima is nicer outside.

nice to have such good 5th and 6th place finishers.

I am sooooo totally bored with passat nowadays.

shado4 · December 2003

I test drove a 2004 Galant ES today and was pleasantly surprised.

Likes -

Roomy and comfortable. Exterior styling puts the Accord and Camry to shame. Ride and handling were very good...no rattles or squeaks to be heard. In fact this car was very quiet EXCEPT for the engine noise under acceleration. Trunk uses gas struts and not space-hogging metal hinges. Base 140W stereo with 6 speakers was OK...maybe a little muddy with the bass pumped up. Wonder what the Infinity system sounds like? Acceleration was more than adequate with the 4-cylinder engine. Can only imagine what the V6 will do!

Dislikes -

Engine noise...very raucous. Trunk was smaller than I expected. No fold down rear seat (shame on Mitsubishi!). Fit and finish were spotty, especially around the trunk area where I could see differences in the size of the panel gaps from the left side of the car to the right.

All in all, a very welcome surprise from the folks at Mitsubishi. Dealer tried his best to get me to buy today, but I'm holding out for a test drive of the V6, of which they had none in stock.

portknoxxa · December 2003

I was just wondering if anyone has test driven the 2004 mitsubishi galant gts. i'm looking to trade in my 2002 hyndai sonata gls which is all paid up and of course i was looking at the accord, altima, mazda 6. I saw a gts on the road and it just blew me away at first site i thought it was a redesigned diamante. i thoroughly like the design and look of the new galant. i priced one online for about $26,562. the only option pkg. is for heated mirrors and seats. everything else is std.leather, sunroof, spoiler, 17" wheels, abs, adaptive crusie, adaptive braking, side air bags etc. i've read the reviews above and as far as engine noise goes, that's what i expect from large cars that use 4 cyl. i hope the 6 cyl. is much smoother. waiting to test drive one.

maxamillion1 · December 2003

And I must say that the engine is downright impressive and reminds me of the Altima 3.5SE. The Engine sounds pretty good, but not as good as the 3.5L in the Nissans.

The interior was pretty nice. I drove a Titanium model with Creme interior.

The wood trim is very bright, like it many new Infiniti and Lexus cars. The leather was nice as well, but the padding for the seats was not the best I have been in. I really liked the dash board, and the gauge lights looked very nice, almost VW-like.

Some of the materials were a bit cheap (door knobs) but it was better than the Altima (the worse Japanese sedan-interior wise)

The interior was roomy though and better than the Accord, especially in the rear IMO.

I don't particularly care for the exterior, but it isn't any worse than other cars in the class.

Overall, I like it well enough, but I'd take the Accord or Mazda6 over all of them...but that is just me.

Have a Happy New Year

shado4 · December 2003

I've been reading some posts in other forums about a sedan comparo test in the February issue of Motor Trend. The Galant came in 2nd behind the Accord, and ahead of the Malibu and Camry. Don't know if or why not the Mazda 6 was tested.

Anybody get a copy of this issue yet?

portknoxxa · January 2004

On New Years Eve i finally got a chance to test drive a 2004 Galant GTS. When the 3.5 SE Altima came out I did not like the car. It just did not appeal to me so I did not get one. The Galant GTS did for me what the Accord or Altima could not do. I pretty much like every aspect of the car especially the exterior of the car with the "triangular" front and the tailights out back. The leather seats felt very comfy. and supportive and overall cabin feel was that of a spacious car. Liked the layout of center dash w/ the faux wood and titanium. Controls were easy to reach and i relly liked the information screen atop the center dash which gives compass, outside temp, inside temp, etc. The interior was beige, I'm getting the black. As for the test drive, the 3.8L V6 with 250ft/lbs of tourque, well of course the car had some real get up and go. the engine was smooth but was a little unrefined compared to the Altima V6. the engine had a nice growl to it, but was not loud or chattery, but nevertheless, this car has above average power, acceleration for a family sedan. Wind noise at about 70-80mph was minimal. The one thing I did notice was the slightly choppy ride, but that was due of course to the sport tuned suspension and what looked to me as being somewhat of lo-pro 17's, but overall still a good ride. To me this is the car "kinda" reminds me of the Sonata GLS, in terms of getting alot of car but for thousands less than the competitors. I priced an Altima 3.5SE for $28,500 and about the same for an Accord, the Galant stickered @ $26,292 inc. dest. charges, and is fully loaded. my payments would be about $320/month for 72 months with my trade in (2002 Sonata GLS) which is paid for. Unfortunately I'm going away for 2 weeks so my Kalapana black w/ black leather is going to have to wait a while, and that's going to be torture. P.S. the Mazda 6 does nothing for me either.

alpha01 · January 2004

You should also check out the Edmunds.com comparison test, which reviews the full dress GTS in a rather positive light.

Personally, I'm not a particularly big fan of MT or Edmunds.com comparos, but different vantage points and perspectives enhance understanding of the available choices, which I'm all about.

I'd like to see the Galant models reviewed by Car and Driver and Consumer Reports...

portknoxxa- Congrats on your Galant! (For reference though, the Accord EX V6 w/o Nav stickers at 26,900, not 28,5K)

~alpha

marak88 · January 2004

hello, I picked up my 99 galant last week after getting the timing built changed, but now, every time I start up the car in the morning or after it has been setting for a few hours the oil light will flash for about 4-5 minutes then go away, I checked the oil level and its full and very clean (was changed 1000 miles ago.
Any one have any ideas or seen this before, please help.

thanks.

gkearns56 · January 2004

"I have driven the GTS model by maxamillion1"; Hey Max lets not forget that this car is considered a "transplant". It is assembled by US auto workers in Normal, ILL plant. This new Galant is ugly looking. There is nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing that would have me buy one of these new 04 Galants. When you look at a car, there has to be something that inspires a person to want to have ownership in that product. In about a year you will see rebates on this car. Look at the Infiniti M45. This car is a fabulous car engine wise but the exterior is awful looking. SO much that Infiniti is rushing to redesign it after 2 years. Look at www.autospies.com (great website into future cars) under Nissan FUGA design in Japan, Oct 23rd volume. This is now a beautiful car. Look at BMW 7 series, This will be redesigned next year because of the ugly trunk. So in a couple of years when this low selling, low resale value on the Galant. Maybe Mitsubishi will get the message and start designing beautiful looking cars. Just look at Suburu's new 2005 Legacy. It looks extremely nice; They used to have so-so cars and they finally got the message too.

lawman1967 · January 2004

aren't everything. The 99-03 Galant was an attractive car, at least compared to its competition, but poor fuel economy and massive fleet sales put resale value in the toilet.

carguy58 · January 2004

It seems like Japanese Car Companies are trying make their cars more American looking because the Domestic Big 3 buyer always said Japanese Cars are bland. Look at the 03 Accord and 02 Camry. The 02 Camry looks like a Tarus and the Accord looks like a Buick on the back end. I like the older Accords and Camrys better. At least they didn't look like of rehashes of American Cars.

shado4 · January 2004

What some see as ugly, others see as beautiful.

The February issue of Motor Trend has a comparo of 4 sedans including the 2004 Galant, which came in 2nd behind the Accord. In the article the editors praised the Galant's "very appealing, muscular exterior style." The bottom line: "A fast and flavorful four-door wearing standout attire."

I myself think the new Galant is a real looker, much more so than the bland Accord or Camry.

gkearns56 · January 2004

"Styling is Subjective": If I was a betting person I would say this new 04 Galant will not be a good seller and will have rebates in the first year. Looks are VERY important to the majority of car buyers; otherwise we'd all just buy cars without giving the styling cues or curves that make up the body of a car a second thought. Furthermore, just ask BMW about their 7 series. A recent poll posted on the www.autospies.com website I gave earlier shows that almost 91% of former and current BMW owners disliked the styling on the 7 series. This is why there will be styling changes coming forth next year on this car per BMW. In addition, many of the 3 series fans have "screamed" loud enough to get management's assurance they would not make changes like the 7 series and that only minimal changes will ocurr to the popular 3-series. They knew they made a mistake in the 7 series styling. I owned a 1989 Galant and loved the reliability & styling which set it apart from other competitors. I have subscribed to consumer reports for 21 years. They also said the Chevy Impala 10 years ago was a great car. Hmmmmm, I guess they never make a mistake. The 04 Galant has an ugly front end and too much plastic for a cheap look. I would buy a new 05 Suburu Legacy before I bought this un-inspiring car. They look very nice based on the spy photos. Check out the www.autospies.com. Now these people can get the inside info.

shado4 · January 2004

> Looks are VERY important to the majority of car buyers; otherwise we'd all just buy cars without giving the styling cues or curves that make up the body of a car a second thought. <

I agree. But, like I said, what YOU may think is bad styling may not be seen in the same light as others. I LIKE the styling of the new Galant. It's bold and aggressive. It has an attitude not found in the likes of an Accord or Camry. Does that mean you're wrong and I'm right? Nope, it just means different strokes for different folks. There ARE people out there who consciously bought a Pontiac Aztek, you know. :-)

This world would be a very boring place if everyone thought the same way about automobile styling...we'd all be driving the same car in the same color.

gkearns56 · January 2004

by shado4: Yes, we all have different taste. If you like this car then I'm glad you think it's "aggressive" for you. I owed a 1989 and enjoyed it very much! I don't agree with "stylish and aggressiveness" suggestion. This car does nothing to inspire me. I'm just glad I'm not one of those people buying the ugly Aztec (as dealers use to hide them behind their dealership shops) or this Galant. Part of my decision will be resale because I know someday in 3-5 years I may have to sell my car. I'm sure this car will offer rebates in a year to attract buyers because its slow sells. This is coming from a person who owned a prior Galant and thought it was a fabulous sporty little car then. What have they done? (Even KIA had more sells then Misubishi; I like many of their products).

maxamillion1 · January 2004

If they were, the previous Galant, the Mazda6 the Passat and the Altima would be the best selling cars sold in America. NOT SO...

The Accord and Camry are ALWAYS the best selling cars in this class.

And NOBODY I mean, nobody goes on and on about their styling...neither is particularly sporty, even though an Accord EX looks good with splash guards and a sunroof visor. Makes a world of a difference.

To me, the Galant is no uglier than the Camry or Accord, and I keep hearing people complain about the wheel covers on the ES and LS models. NO car in this class has nice looking hubcaps...except maybe the Altima.

The Accord, Camry, Galant, and even the Mazda6 have ugly wheel covers.

Have a good one

alpha01 · January 2004

The Camry SE 4 hubcaps, even the LEs... are alright... have the chromed logo in the middle, a nice touch. Same thing goes for the 6. The Accord LX hubcaps are decent, but the LX V6 are really ugly, which I feel about the Camry XLE 4 as well. The Galant hubcaps are by far the worst of the bunch, no chromed logo or anything, look straight off the rack set of 4 at Pep Boys 29.99. Mitsu can do better. BUT HEY! How bout that Powertrain Warranty being extended to 10 years/100k!!! Looks like Mitsu realizes the lineup is less than stellar.....

~alpha

a_l_hubcaps · January 2004

I'm in the hubcap business, and it's not often I get to talk about my favorite topic here on Edmunds, so here's my input. I agree that the new Galant covers are really a sorry effort. I find this particularly odd because the ones on the 99-03 Galants (there were two, 15" and 16") actually looked pretty nice. The new ones look like the cover to a Rubbermaid trash can. Alpha01, I agree with your other ratings for the most part, though I have to say I like the 2002-04 Camry XLE caps better than the LEs. Another manufacturer that usually does nice hubcaps is VW...theirs have looked very classy ever since they started using the chrome-and-gray center emblem.

-Andrew L

anonymousposts · January 2004

that all car manufacturer's should use the bolt-on hubcap design. It drives me absolute nuts to see a later model car missing a hubcap.

a_l_hubcaps · January 2004

tend to make noise on the wheel because they are not fastened down around the edge, just in the center. So when you hit a bump, they rattle. No hubcap design is 100% perfect and idiot-proof. Bang-on hubcaps today are not like they were in the '70s, where they would just roll off during normal driving. If people would just install their caps properly, they would not come off. I even find bolt-on and locking caps on the road frequently, because people pound them down over the lugs or do not fasten down the locking nuts. There seems to be a particular problem developing with many late-model alloy wheel center caps...if you do not push them on right, the little clips break off, or the retaining rings pop out of position, and off they go on the first pothole. Bottom line: Whatever type of caps you have, remove them yourself before taking the car in for service, and reinstall them CAREFULLY afterwards. You will most likely never lose one.

Are we supposed be talking about some Mitsubishi, or something? ;-)

-Andrew L

carguy58 · January 2004

I think they suite a family of 3 or 4 more than their competitors do thats probably why. Also, Honda and Toyota have better reputations than Mazda or Mitsu do in terms of quality/reliability. Nissan is right up there with Honda and Toyota too.

ny_dude29 · January 2004

Shame on Mitsubishi for gracing such a beautiful name when you pronunce it, but the 2004 Galant is no distinction at all to what you think a name is all about. The build quality is still the same as it's predessor, which won no awards in any car magazine, reviews, or websites that rates automobiles consumers would buy. The car only has a larger attractive size to admire but the 4 cyclinder engine lacks the power that Honda Accord/Toyota Camry/Nissan Altima does for it's drivers. The interior is similar to the Chrysler/Dodge cheap plastic feel. Mitsubishi can forget about any profits for the Galant because today's consumers are not falling for just a car anymore that cannot be as outstanding like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. The only thing substancial about the Galant is the incredibly powerful 3.8 V6 engine. Mitsubishi please go back to the drawing board and crank out something like a Honda. Make car shoppers believe you have arrived.

gkearns56 · January 2004

"2004 Mitsubishi still behind the times ny_dude29"

You are absolutely correct. The Camry and Accord are proven to more reliable and have a much better resale too. That awful design on Galant too.

maxamillion1 · January 2004

For the most part, I agree about the hubcaps, but to me the only hubcaps that look good on the Camry are the SEI4 models.

The LE's hubs are ugly IMO. The XLE ones are too, but they look better.

To me, the LE's hubs are too small because the car is so tall.

As far as the Accord. I think those are ugly too, the EX rims look SO MUCH better.

And aren't the LX and LXV6 hubs the same, except for size? They look just a like to me, except for the size. 15s for LX, 16s for LXV6.

I feel different about the Altima though, the hubcaps for the S look good, and the 16s alloy wheels for the S and SL look REALLY nice, but I think the 17s for the SE are too plain.

I LOVE the styling of the ALtima....but not the interior.

I actually don't mind the hubs on the Galant, but the rims from the Diamond pkg. are ugly in person. They look better in pictues.

The GTS rims are nice though.

portknoxxa · January 2004

Well I just ordered my GTS and i want to be in somewhat of an exclusive club. Over 400,000 accords and over 400,000 camrys are sold each year and i'm tired of seeing them. they have never appealed to me. I do think that the accord is simply the best family/midsize sedan you can buy. BUT the galant GTS is for a different type of buyer who wants an overly aggressive styled car and also a sport sedan. The galant comes thru big time on both.

bbf65 · January 2004

congrats on your new galant.
i had the pleasure of owning 2 previous generation galants and enjoyed those vehicles.
and like you, i didn't want to have the same car as millions of others out there.

saw a gray GTS the day before and it looked good.

rtolentino2 · January 2004

To my dear fellow Galant Owners..........I'm really glad for making the right decision on buying your new GTS Galant'04 model!!!! You're both absolutely right, the Accords & Camrys are all the same, and if you want to have "identity" to yourself, Galant is the name to beat ......you'll feel the difference of owning a new Galant, the V6 engine 3.8 Liters 240hp tops them all in the recent car test & reviews, the 240 watts audio system-tops them all!!!! Congrats for you made the right decision!!! I own a 2003 Galant ES and maybe I need to upgrade to '04 LS or GTS Galant too. Enjoy the ride and feel the difference!!!! WAKE UP & DRIVE as Mitsu says,,,sorry for the Accords & Camrys, their style is no longer attractive & appealing to me!

alpha01 · January 2004

230 hp, not 240. Lets not let enthusiasm change the facts. Black is a very good color for this car, IMO, I hope to see a black GTS soon. Dont like the taillights.

~alpha

lawman1967 · January 2004

Glad to see that marketing and advertising work so well.

gkearns56 · January 2004

Being a former Galant owner myself (89) I can appreciate wanting to own a vehicle that not everybody has (400k Accords/Camrys sold). However, there a reason they sell that many; this is because of high quality, reliability and dependability. When the VW Passat was redesigned in 2002 it won midsize car of its class (beating out Accord and Camry). One main reason was the appearance of high quality materials used on the interior of the car. It gave the car a very posh, expensive looking interior. Soon the Accord/Camry have tried to up the ante by moving in this direction. I believe Mistubishi cars are reliable but they lack that high quality material look on items located within the interior cabin. This comes straight from three different car magazines. I tend to agree. This is why some people may hesitate on the purchase of a new Galant. Suburu did that on a few of their previous models and had to learn the hard way (Lack of sales). Now they have added newer designs, higher quality materials and have two new 2005 cars, Legacy, coming out that will defintely take sales away from Accord/Camry. I terms of Misubishi's 230 HP as someone mentioned, this is more then enough for this car in this size (for me especially) BUT HARDLY anything to brag about. The new Nissan Altima 3.5 engine is 245 HP; the G35 in 2005 will have 300 HP and AWD; the Acura TL has 270; Camry 240 and soon 280 for 2005. The new 2005 VW Passat will be 285 (based on the VW Vortex.com site). It seems like they have a product with great potential then end up just a pinch short in certain aspects to the majority of buyers. More customers are demanding greater "standard" or upgraded features in their cars; especially for the prices they are paying (cars aren't cheap obviously). Each car company is working hard to out do each other. We now see Acura's TL now offering XM satelite radio; DVD surround sound. I think sometimes it appears Mitsubishi gets a nice product but is just a step short of what the market is offering now. Who does their research on future customer "demands" and decision making? This car will be nice but put in the better quality interior material, add a bit more juice under the hood to satisfy those horse power hungry people and they'll draw many more buyers away from Camry/Accord buyers. This was how VW Passat managed to take some customers away from those companies.

Mitsubishi Galant

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