2004 Mitsubishi Galant

tsx

I've just recently got some updates on the upcoming 2004 Mitsubishi Galant. (from the Mitsubishi Dealer Autoshow)

Current model is not in the competative Sedan market anymore with the new Camry, Altima, Mazda 6 and the Accord - The sedan market standards are set much higher, bigger, powerful and more features.

The new 2004 Galant will be released next month in the New York International Auto Show. It's a brand new vehicle from Groundup. The Galant will use the enhanced version of both engines. The Galant will be equipped with a larger, more powerful, using the latest SOHC inline four assisted by Mitsubishi's Innovative Valve Timing and Electronic Control (MIVEC)which is equivlent to Honda's VTEC and Toyota's VVT-i. This engine will make 160HP and 160+ Torque.

The SOHC 3.0-Litre V6 will also use MIVEC, making atleast 220HP and 210+ Torque. Thew Galant is very similar to the new Camry, aggressive styling and overall a bigger vehicle. The front grill is very similar to the new Endeavour.

It will make it's public debut Next Month in April. Mitsubishi is finally catching with Horsepower numbers in the import market. With the New Galant, Lancer (plus the sports wagon), Endeavour and Montero Sport making their Debut in September. These models will sell like hot cakes.

regfootball

Look forward to the new Galant. Don't forget the Outlander (must be your sports wagon) is a nice rig (except its slow) and there are good Diamante deals right now (even if its dated). Lancer is nice too!

Mit is not a top dog but their offerings are solidly of 'Japanese character' but not pretentious like Honda or Toyota so the deals are still good.

Looks like the Galant will fall a bit shy on hp.

regfootball

thanks!

alpha01

Toyota and Honda are pretensious? Are you drunk?

argent

"Pretentious" doesn't seem right, although "fussy" could apply, especially to some styling cues. (Particularly the current Camry and Corolla, although the tail of the new Accord sedans is no prize, either.)

regfootball

by pretentious I mean the whole dealer experience and baggage that comes with owning a Honda or Toyota. Kind of the snob thing.

VW is a pretentious experience but in a more urban chic young kinda way.

jseg72

Is there anyway I can make the car much quieter during highway driving?

Kirstie_H

jseg72, you might try the general Mitsubishi Galant discussion to get ideas from other owners.

regfootball

on Autoweek website under NY autoshow.

Not sure if I like it.

alpha01

The new Galant is NOT flattered by the camera. Maybe it will look different in person. I also question the choice of the oversized 3.8L engine to go in the vehicle. Sure its torque rich, but is it too much so? Hopefully it wont face the same torque steer issues that Nissan hasnt been able to solve in the Altima and Max. And what will the fuel economy ratings be? How will handling be affected by an engine that is 1.4L larger than the 4cylinder that will be used?
Honda still leads the V6 engine race, if you ask me- good power, sufficient torque, wonderful sound, good fuel economy. The Nissan 3.5 and Toyota 3.0 VVTi are neck and neck for second, IMO (I'm not a pushover for absolute speed).

Time will tell how the Galant fares....
~alpha

regfootball

anybody care....?

alpha01

Saw the new Galant in person. I dont think many people will care, especially given the car's unattractivness. Those taillights! Uggh. If I had money right now, I'd go get a nice 2003 LS V6- carsdirect.com shows MSRP a hair under $25K, with selling price just over $20K!

~alpha

carguy58

Pontiac grille and Cadillac Deville headlights. The 99 Galant caught my attention. Than they had to put that beak on the 02 Galant. 99-01 was the best looking Galant.

maxamillion1

When the previous Galant was released, it was easily the best looking Japanese sedan until they add the ugly grille. Now the car is even uglier.

jemini

Wow, after hearing some of these comments, I'll probably keep my '01 Galant. I was seriously thinking of trading mine for the '04. I thought the look wasn't bad(in line w/ the '04 Maxima) and the 230HP V6 almost sold me...I guess I'll have to wait and see it in person, come September '03 and read the current Car&Driver or Motortrend magz and see what they think.

vadim_st

I just saw the new Galant at the NY auto show. They did not let people in the one on the floor, and it had dark windows. The car on the podium had doors open, and the interior did not look terribly bad, although apparently has this new techno style (with a lot of white rough-edged metal and faux screws, which now reigns in many new cars and makes me uncomfortable).
I have to agree with the opinion that the front is rather ugly at first sight. The rear is marginally acceptable to me, and the body looks fine (better than Camry, at least), although more generic now. I also think that the 99-01 style was the most elegant, with just enough chrome for sharpness.

regfootball

the interior photos of the '04 I have seen are not impressive.

Galant fans line up for your Diamantes instead. Considering how cheap I got my 01 and 02, and knowing how cheap they are new, its bound to be about the same price.

cayennered1

As the former owner of a 99 ESV6, I was very satisfied with the car and would have bought it off lease if Mitsubishi would have been negotiable (which they were not). Always thought the car was the most styish of mid size sedans and with after market leather it was attractive inside and out.

I leased an 03 Altima 2.5S and am very satisfied. Very stylish and much roomier than the Galant. 2.5S performs comparably to the 3.0V6 with mileage at 30 highway. My one complaint is noise levels are high.

Saw the 04 Galant at the New York show and thought it was a pretty attractive car. I'm not a fan of the Mitsubishi corporate beak, but the Galant is the least offensive looking of the group. Prefer the the base tailights to the upmarket clear ones and think the car basically resembles Sebring-Stratus in profile but more attractive. Saw the interior and it seems to emphasize a titanium center stack (looked like Mazda 6) and two tone door trim. Not bad, but not gorgeous either.

Compared to the super bland Malibu (will GM ever get it?) this car is a knockout. I like it better than the 6 and Camry and Accord are certainly no great styling examples either.
I would only put the Altima ahead of if it in styling.
 
With what's available right now I see no reason why the 04 Galant can't be very competitive.

regfootball

GM did get a clue with the Malibu....only problem is its called Vectra and is only offered outside of the USA!

panamaltd2

The 6? Are you talking about the Mazda6 because that car is considered without a doubt the best looking midsize sedan on the market. It does not even compare to the Camry or Accord in terms of styling. Plus the interior of the Mazda6 is tasteful executed rather than the tacky toy look of the new Galant interior. Sorry but I don't see many people dissagree with me on this point.

alpha01

I HATE the Pontiac orange of the 6's gauges, and I'm not a big fan of the center stack, either. But. overall, I think its a great car (though lacking in low end torque). Pity it isnt selling well.

~alpha

maxamillion1

but so is the new Altima.

The 6's interior also has its share of cheap plastic parts as well, but it isn't too too bad.

cayennered1

Perhaps it's just me but I see the Mazda 6 as a most generic looking sedan with styling reminiscent of cars like the Catera and other older Euro GM sedans. Certainly not unattractive and certainly better looking than Accord and Camry, but nothing special in my eyes.

I've seen some more detailed pictures of the Galant interior (check Edmunds future model photos) and I don't see it as less attractive than
the 6's interior.

Looks of course, are subjective so to each his own. Anyway, I'm most happy with the styling performance of my Altima and am not looking for a change for several years at least.

carguy58

Well the 6's tailights have been compared to the 96-02 Cavilier but I think the 6 is alot better looking than the Cavilier. I don't think the 6 looks like a GM Car. Its more italian looking than anything American. The 6 is not generic looking not at all. The Catera was a very vanilla looking car. The 6 has an agressive looking stance to it. I think the 02+ Passat has a beautiful look to it too definately sharper looking than the 98-01 Passat's.

panamaltd2

I have a 6 and it does not have orange lighting. Styling is a personal issue but from the amout of good looks and thumbs up I get driving my 6 I think most people agree. Also, the 6 has very little cheap plastic in it. Have you actually sat in one before? Trust me, I do not buy cars with cheap interiors. There is a large difference between the 6 interior and the Altima's. But really, I would take any car from Mazda or Nissan above any car from Honda, Toyota or Mitsubishi anyday.

alpha01

Does not have orange/red dash lighting? I havent seen a 6 any other way? Am I missing something?
~alpha

regfootball

The Mazda 6 interior is indeed a pretty nice place to be....

mishdanicko97

I'm satisfied with my '02 Galant so far, though I did like the chrome waterfall grille of the '99-'01 model better than the cleft pallete of the '02-'03.

You can definitely see a Chrysler "cab forward" influence in the new Galant (not surprising since Chrysler owns a good chunk of Mitsubishi). I think Mitsu pulled it off better than Chrysler does, though.

Nice to see variable valve timing in the 4 cyinder engine. The improvement I'd most like to see, however, is a 6 cylinder that runs on regular fuel. That's unlikely as the 215 horse version of the 3.8 liter engine in the Endeavor requires premium.

The '04 Ralliart Lancer is exciting too.

alpha01

Maybe its just a coincidental look, because Chrysler is moving away from cab forward with their new designs.

~alpha

cayennered1

I owned a 99 Galant V6 and while premium fuel is recommended it was not mandatory and I usually used mid grade fuel though reguler would be ok too. The basic difference is that the lower octane fuels provide less performance off the line, but don't do any damage.

I do see some of the Sebring-Stratus in the 04's styling. That doesn't necessarily mean it's cab forward.

purp3

I have a 2000 ES 4cyl Galant with 44,000 miles on it. Before this car, I owned a 92 Toyota Paseo. I've been having problem with the rotors warping on my Galant. I bought my Galant new. In 44,000 miles I've had to have the rotors turned 3 times. My Toyota didn't need the rotors turned for 88,000 miles. This should show that I'm not an aggressive breaking driver. I'm thinking my rotors are defective on my Galant. Anyone else experience the same problem? Any help you can provide would be great! Thanks...

galant56

Mitsubishi is at its best when releasing a new model after it has had a few years to study the competition. The redesigned 97 Mirage had all of the good stuff the much improved 93-97 Corolla contained, at a much lover price. Much like the somewhat decontented 97-2001 Camry, it seemed to me that the current Galant was not as much of an improvement from the mid-90s Galant. I look forward to viewing how much Mitsubishi has learned from the *knockout* redesigned Altima and Camry. New Accord has a surprising design defect, the supposedly wonderfull engineered front seats pinch my lower back.
The Altima is a tough one to compete with. The v6/5 speed Altima competes very well with many sporty and near-luxury cars in terms of performance. I have been very happy with my Reagan-era turbo Mirage and my current Mirage, I have a lot of respect for Mitsubishi engineering, the company sometimes hurts themselves by not having enough standard equipment, that does not appear to be a problem with the 04 Galant.

alpha01

Perhaps I was too quick to judge the Galant based on what I saw at NYIAS.

It seems that only the performance type model will have those very ugly tailights and body treatment... but there's still that 80s Aiwa boombox console to deal with... we'll see.

What about side curtains? Will they be available on the bread and butter 4cylinders?
~alpha

maxamillion1

I know a manual will not be available which is sad.

jchan2

Does anyone really care? Mitsubishi went and spilled all the beans at the car shows earlier in the year. Honda's strategy works much better in gaining more posts on edmunds boards. Hide everything until the last minute. Then we'll all be surprised rather than going "Oh, man. I saw this a year ago. At the car show."

aristotle

Does anybody know when the 2004 Galant will hit the dealers? I really liked the looks of my previous Galant ( 1995 Galant ES ). The only thing that I thought it needed were:

1. a more powerful engine
2. more leg room in the back
3. a more silent engine ( very important )
4. Less road noise
5. better material for the interior dash

I guess the newer Galants with V6 engines are already more powerful. I would think the rear legroom must also be better in 2004 model.

So, the only things ( I am mainly concerned about ) that remain to be seen are if the engine is quieter than the previous year models and if the cabin gets less noise from the road and from the wind.

If Mitsubishi has already fixed those problems, the 2004 Galant is bound to attract a lot of buyers if they price it right.

jchan2

Should be quieter.

wsag26

Realize when the Altima came out, all these people were talking about it. It was the buzz of the country. Then, it became Car of the Year, and Nissan got into revival process. Is it me, or is Mitsu trying to do the same thing, and get out of there "ONLY 16-30 year olds drive" it image? If they are, they're definitely not getting the same buzz as they wished too. The 2004 Galant was unexpected to me and probably to you when I went to the NY Auto Show earlier this year.

We'll have to see about it. Not so impressed with styling though. What kind of direction is it going in?

carguy58

I don't know who is styling their cars but their direction since the 02 model year has been not good. I'm hoping with the guy from Hyundai coming over to run Mitsu he can get a good design team in there. Mitsu had some good styled cars in the mid to late 90's period. I don't know what happened.

jchan2

I like the styling of the Lancer Ralliart and the Sportback. That's it. The Galant looks like a bloated camry. What happened?

asa0526

I saw the 04 Galant yesterday morning during rush hour traffic (along 880 South - SF Bay Area). The front looks good ... but I was disappointed by the rear. As soon as I saw it from my rear window, I got hooked. But when I slowed down to let it go past me, the rear was too edgy in design - love it or hate it.
It definitely looks more substantial to the current model. When I was next to it, I thought it was the new Maxima. Quite aggressive stance.
It's the (rear) same styling philosophy as the Altima - love it or hate it.
But it seems more aggressive - if not mascular than the Altima.
More men that women would probably go for this car.
Camry - 'Offend no one' styling philosophy, conservative rear design.
Mazda6 - Sporty
Altima - Sporty and bold design
Galant - Aggressive

jchan2

Here's what I think:
Galant: Something Aggressive
Camry: This is a bland one
Altima: Edgy
Mazda6: Sporty
Accord: EuroAsian combination. (Bland and Edgy)

alpha01

It seems the 04 Galant will not offer dual row side curtain airbags. Is this correct? If so, this is a MAJOR oversight, especially with the IIHS's new dyanmic side impact testing.

~alpha

maxamillion1

I went to the Charlotte International Autoshow today (Friday), and the new Galant was there.

First impressions:

It is bigger than the current car, but not as big as the pictures make it seem.

Two models were on display. A GTS and LS. The GTS was on a turn-table so I could not see inside it, but the LS was out in the open for everyone to see. Being the car freak that I am, I jumped right in.

Exterior:
The Exterior of the Galant is pretty nice looking IMO. The car essentially reminds me of the Altima/Maxima twins. As a matter of fact, a Maxima SL was parked right beside the Galant I sat in. The similarities were obvious, from the nose to the tail. The Alloys (which are now OPTIONAL on the LS)were nice enough, but looked somewhat small IMO. The color of the car was Ultra red pearl, and it had a nice gray leather interior. The tail is about the only thing I have reservations about, it just looks silly IMO. The front did not bother me, as a matter of fact, the front of the Galant looks better than the Maxima, though they are similar.

Interior:
A surprise I must say. From the pictures, the Galant looks somewhat cheap, but the materials seemed better in person. Mitsubishi tried to use VWs theme by using Black dash tops. It works overall, but the materials aren't better than the Camry or Accord, but they do beat the domestics, the Altima and the current Galant. I particularly liked the dash design. The materials were not soft-touch, but they do look sturdy, and long-lasting. The fit and finish was excellent! Down-right surprising.

Roominess:
I am not really a tall person (5'9") but I weigh over 270lbs. I was able to adjust the front seats of the Galant to a comfortable position. I proceeded to sit in the back, and I must say that the Galant had plenty of rear seat room. The Galant was definately roomier than the Mazda6 and Accord, but the Camry and Altima felt slightly more roomy.

Overall:
I really liked the Galant. It seems like a pretty good competitor to the Camry/Accord/Altima/6 crowd. I especially think it will compete more with the Altima/6 group. The interior was much better than I had expected, and the car looked downright attractive for the most part. The car felt pretty roomy, and the quality/fit and finish was excellent.

I definately added it to my list of cars to consider.

outback589

mitsubishi is on the right track with the new galant and endeavor...I hope they offer a 4WD supercharged version of the Galant just to give it a better image (think Subaru Impreza) and get people in the showroom so they can see what a great car it really is. The new car looks better than a camry and hundreds times better than an accord.

rtolentino2

Just like to know if the "white" gauges are available on LS models. I learned that it's only available on their GTS models including the two tone colors "black & beige" (as posted in their website) is only available for the GTS models- is it??? I would say the V6 3.8 230 hp.will definitely beat their competitors in this category of mid-size sedans!!! I can't wait to see the '04 models in the market here in Southern CA.

rtolentino2

Just curious, what's IMO stands for??

maxamillion1

outback589

What will the engine choices be on the new '04 galant?

maxamillion1

The 2.4L makes 160 hp, and 157 lb-ft of torque

The 3.8L makes 230 hp, and 250 lb-ft of torque.

Gas mileage is:

23/30 (I4 w/ Automatic)
19/27 (V6 w/Automatic) (LS)
18/26 (V6 w/ Automatic) (GTS)

alpha01

3450 lbs for the 4, and does anyone know the stat for the oversized V6? I'm thinking that with all that extra weight, the V6 may not be as quick as the Altima, Accord, and Camry 3.3L. Already, the MPG isnt as good as Accord and Camry. I must say, I like the design of the interior of this new Galant, but I'm skeptical of the materials quality given C&D's recent road test. Also, no side curtains is extremely disappointing for a 2004 intro.

~alpha
~alpha