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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.
forgettable, but not offensive.
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 - !!!!
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.
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.
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?
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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.
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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.
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.
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
A 1-year-old Mazda 626 or Millenia would also make a terrific ride.
"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.
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.
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.
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
Anybody get a copy of this issue yet?
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
Any one have any ideas or seen this before, please help.
thanks.
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.
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.
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
~alpha
-Andrew L
Are we supposed be talking about some Mitsubishi, or something? ;-)
-Andrew L
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.
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.
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.
~alpha