Picture Gallery: 2009 Mitsubishi Galant Ralliart | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 |Discuss
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This isn’t the first time I have driven this vehicle; I drove the 2006 Galant GTS a few years ago. Going by vague memory, this was essentially what the Ralliart is today: a fully loaded Galant with an upgraded 3.8-litre V6 engine, large alloy wheels and sporting intentions.
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This 2009 Ralliart, though, comes equipped with a GPS navigation system and 18-inch wheels this time around (17s were offered back in 2006). The most surprising part was when I looked up the price for this vehicle — the base Galant starts at $23,998 and comes fairly well equipped for that price. The Ralliart, with the large V6 engine and navigation system, comes in at $32,998 — a bargain!
As I mentioned last week, though, this is one tough segment and not only do vehicles need to offer value, they need to stand out among the crowd, and most importantly, they need to appeal to a large number of buyers.
The Galant does seem to stand out for a few reasons, most notably not a reason Mitsubishi would tout, and that is that very few are seen on the road. If you like to be different, here is your chance; other stand-outs are the large 3.8-litre engine, the standard navigation system at a low entry price and this being a rather large car with sporting intentions.
2009 Mitsubishi Galant Ralliart
MSRP as tested (including destination): $34,493
For more information on Mitsubishi and the Galant visit Mitsubishi Canada
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What I was wrong about was that it would be in the way of visibility. It really is not at all, but it is somewhat of a distraction because it is so “in your face.” I have been leaving it on the trip information display, which gives me fuel economy, both instantaneous and average over the trip.
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The rest of the interior is… there. The seats are average and interior room is average, although headroom seems limited with the sunroof cutting into it. I am not a particular fan of the dash; along the window seam there are little rubber or foam pieces sticking out making the fit and finish look awful.
The controls are easy enough to use, although the auto-climate control is a little finicky, wanting to blast you with cold air then heating up the cabin to the point where it is too hot; then you adjust the temperature down and it blows cold air again to adjust. I have been just turning it off, opening the windows (which are not auto-up, and only auto-down for the driver) and sunroof and enjoying what is left of our nice, summery weather.
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In parking lots, though, the Galant is horrible. The turning radius is absolutely atrocious! If you do not have three lanes worth of space to make a wide swing into a parking spot, you will look like a new driver as you reverse and forward five times to get into your spot.
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The 3.8-litre engine produces 258 hp through a shiftable five-speed automatic transmission and drives the front wheels. Is there a lot of power to shred those front tires and do a smoky burn-out? Sure! But buyers of this car are not generally looking to do that. What they will do is cruise the highway and drive around town.
The power supplied by the V6 engine does that extraordinarily well, as it produces gobs of torque. Cruising around at 80 km/h, the engine barely turns 1500rpm — almost idling along. Around town, you may never seen the tachometer rise above 2500rpm, which means a very quiet and smooth ride to grandma’s house.
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And despite the large displacement engine that produces enough power to squawk the tires in second gear in an automatic vehicle, I still managed a fairly respectable 11.2L/100km over the week. At 120km/h, the Galant spins the engine at only 2,200rpm, but fuel consumption isn’t the best at that speed. However, ease off to 100km/h, and fuel economy is excellent.
*Rating out of 5:
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*Rating based on vehicle’s classification
2009 Mitsubishi Galant Ralliart
MSRP as tested (including destination): $34,493
For more information on Mitsubishi and the Galant visit Mitsubishi Canada
to our site.
September 24, 2008, 01:06:10 pm GALANT effort.....maybe 4 years too late........!!!
September 24, 2008, 03:50:30 pm I've got a friend who was looking at the ordinary mid-sized sedans... (Camry, Altima, Accord, G6, ect...)
He stumbled upon a heavily discounted 08 Galant with the 3.8, every conceivable option, and picked it up the next day.
If we're being honest... The Galant offers a LOT for the money when compared to the other .. possibly 'less inspiring' competitors (Although... is there a truly inspiring car in this segment?)
Great warranty's too
September 24, 2008, 04:41:36 pm The Mazda6 GT V6 (w/o the luxury package) costs the same as the Ralliart, weighs less, has more passenger room and trunk space AND is more powerful without requiring premium fuel as the Mitsubishi does. Mitsu's gotta take a page out of that book if it wants to seriously aim at the perennial favourites in the segment. Mazda's got a game plan while Mitsu's still playing bush league, IMO. Maybe recycling the Evo IX's AWD system (like they're doing in the Lancer Ralliart) in a Galant redesign will help bring it to the next level. And while I'm at it, if you're going to require customers use premium fuel, might as well be pumping it into a turbo 4 rather than an iron block 3.8L for the same power.
September 24, 2008, 04:52:20 pm Probably fine if one got it cheap enough and planned on keeping it a long time. Resale values would be rough.
September 24, 2008, 07:57:29 pm
Looks like They have sorted out the back end. Perhaps a bit generic.
September 25, 2008, 12:11:04 pm Mitsubishi??? Are they still around? Wow, I guess they are. Why they even bother with cars is beyond me, they should get back to doing what they know best, which is..ummm...hmmm...someone help me out, what is Mitsubishi good for anyways???
September 25, 2008, 01:02:27 pm
Another pointless and useless post
Back to the car itself, I was kind of disappointed with the car not being available with AWD.. however the criticism with being a powerful FWD car is kind of harsh... the Acura TL is also a very powerful FWD car, yet it doesn't look like people mind too much (judging from the number of them on the road, esp. around the GTA)..
One thing that's gotta go is the steering wheel. What's wrong with a simple 3 spoke wheel??
September 25, 2008, 01:07:15 pm
September 25, 2008, 01:19:20 pm
FYI:
Mitsubishi Corporation is Japan's largest economic conglomerate and one of the largest in the world.
As far as Mitsubishi Motors goes (the car manufacturer), they know how to build cars for sure; however, some of their cars are dated and in big need for a redesign. There is more to the world than Canada/US you know, and Mitsubishi Motors is a major player in many parts of the world. Right know, Mitsubishi Motors is still in the process of recovering from the mismanagement that plagued the company for many years (decades) and they are slowly revamping their line-up. MMC also managed to turn the corner to profitability two years ago as well.
I hope this helps you a little to get up to speed ...
September 25, 2008, 04:44:44 pm
FYI:
Mitsubishi Corporation is Japan's largest economic conglomerate and one of the largest in the world.
As far as Mitsubishi Motors goes (the car manufacturer), they know how to build cars for sure; however, some of their cars are dated and in big need for a redesign. There is more to the world than Canada/US you know, and Mitsubishi Motors is a major player in many parts of the world. Right know, Mitsubishi Motors is still in the process of recovering from the mismanagement that plagued the company for many years (decades) and they are slowly revamping their line-up. MMC also managed to turn the corner to profitability two years ago as well.
I hope this helps you a little to get up to speed ...
You sound like Barrie, if we change Mitsubishi Motors for GM
September 25, 2008, 04:48:35 pm
Another pointless and useless post
Back to the car itself, I was kind of disappointed with the car not being available with AWD.. however the criticism with being a powerful FWD car is kind of harsh... the Acura TL is also a very powerful FWD car, yet it doesn't look like people mind too much (judging from the number of them on the road, esp. around the GTA)..
One thing that's gotta go is the steering wheel. What's wrong with a simple 3 spoke wheel??
September 25, 2008, 04:56:36 pm
FYI:
Mitsubishi Corporation is Japan's largest economic conglomerate and one of the largest in the world.
As far as Mitsubishi Motors goes (the car manufacturer), they know how to build cars for sure; however, some of their cars are dated and in big need for a redesign. There is more to the world than Canada/US you know, and Mitsubishi Motors is a major player in many parts of the world. Right know, Mitsubishi Motors is still in the process of recovering from the mismanagement that plagued the company for many years (decades) and they are slowly revamping their line-up. MMC also managed to turn the corner to profitability two years ago as well.
I hope this helps you a little to get up to speed ...
You sound like Barrie, if we change Mitsubishi Motors for GM
Did you see my previous post on this thread? I'm not blindingly defending Mitsu by any means, much less the Galant, just responding to some ignorant comments (troll?).
September 25, 2008, 11:54:13 pm The Mitsubishi website says 258 bhp Wing.
September 26, 2008, 07:40:32 am That be a dyslexic moment.
September 26, 2008, 10:44:22 am You people make me laugh...Carcrazy, do you even know your stuff?? Have you researched Mitsubishi motors? JD Power ranks them mid-low on the initial quality survey and Consumer guide only has 1 best buy and that's for the eclipse from 2000-2005, they don't have a recommended model...but ya, you're right, they make a quality product...learn the facts.
September 26, 2008, 11:20:40 am Another 'Consumers Reports is my Bible'-thumping troll. Your ignorance is self evident in your comments in the corrections noted by car-crazy.
Please return to your consumersreportshelpsmedecidemylife.com website, unless you have something relevant to say or wish to be a constructive part of this blog or the world in general.
The BIGGEST problem I had with the Gallant was the inability of the salesepople to understand that they arent the equal to the Camry in ths class, so their interest to play was limited. Almost arrogant - but at the time, the Lancer was flying off the shelves and their desire to overcome the issues of the past issues was moot. I'd take a V6 Camry SE at this level.
The new Mitsu stuff is great, but the Gallant is an antique compared to the Mazda 6 and the Accord.
September 26, 2008, 11:38:47 am
Please return to your consumersreportshelpsmedecidemylife.com website, unless you have something relevant to say or wish to be a constructive part of this blog or the world in general.
The BIGGEST problem I had with the Gallant was the inability of the salesepople to understand that they arent the equal to the Camry in ths class, so their interest to play was limited. Almost arrogant - but at the time, the Lancer was flying off the shelves and their desire to overcome the issues of the past issues was moot. I'd take a V6 Camry SE at this level.
The new Mitsu stuff is great, but the Gallant is an antique compared to the Mazda 6 and the Accord.
September 26, 2008, 12:42:07 pm
Yes I did. Please let me know which of my statements do you consider as being inaccurate or not a fact and I will try to elaborate.
As long as your opinion is built on JD Power IQS and even more, Consumer Guide "recommendations" (did you mean Consumer Reports?) and you consider those "facts", well .... I give up to your wisdom.
September 26, 2008, 02:51:56 pm
I do not question the data or service they provide, but the suggestion that if C/R doesn't have a car as 'recommended' that the balance of the product line is crap is a pretty narrow view.
September 26, 2008, 03:26:23 pm David was referring to the Consumer Guide (www.consumerguide.com) not Consumer Reports. How reliable the CG is? Not at all IMO. I just looked what they said about their long-term Eclipse and one thing stands out - trouble free.
Consumer Reports only recommends the Endeavor and the Outlander (with a note for their outstanding reliability
Anyone having doubts that Mitsubishi's are reliable cars should do a little bit more research. They have all sort of different other shortcomings, depending on the model, but reliability is not a concern.
September 26, 2008, 04:16:08 pm Wife had a 2004 Lancer Sportback for 4 years and it was a terrific car, went like stink, and rode really well. Problem free, in-laws bought it off lease.
Compared to my 2003 Ion 3 that was in for 14 warrantee repairs in 2 years, the Lancer was a bank vault compared the Plastic Bottle I drove.
If the aforementioned strutting of the Mitsu dealer with the newly hot Lancer last year didnt make a Honda shop look like a bunch of grovelling salespeople, we'd likely be driving a Lancer.
September 26, 2008, 07:57:25 pm Thanks MMNA for making a crappy Eclipse, Endeavor, and Galant. The only good Mitsu's come from Japan.
Just like the Galant, Endeavors can be picked up cheap. My uncle bought one used a little while ago for a good price.
For a long time Mitsu was afraid of being different, not taking any risks and doing whatever everyone else is doing but slower... but they are slowly changing.
Is it really that crazy to bring in more global models and stop selling that American made sh*t?
September 28, 2008, 02:03:19 am Mitsubishi is the oldest car maker in Japan, from data I've seen (also consumer guide) Mitsubishi is up there with Toyota, Honda, and Subaru, and way above Mazda and Nissan in reliability.
My first car was a 95 3000gt Sports car that had a rebuilt title, I was honestly scared at first buying it, but over the 3 years I had it, it won me and my trust in Mitsubishi over. It was as durable and reliable as any car I've been in, (mostly Toyotas and Hondas). I drove the car hard most of the time and even drove it with no oil for almost a week. She still drives and looks like the sports car I've always dreamed of owning since being a kid.
Now I also own a 6-speed 2007 Camry SE V6 with 270hp as my daily driver, in almost every practical way it is better but I still dream about my Mitsubishi 3000gt.
September 29, 2008, 12:39:48 am I worked for Chrysler for many years and I have always had a real fondness for the Mistubishi cars. They are well built and a little off the mainstream, which I like. They are generally very reliable, too. The Galant is not the most up to date car out there but I like the interior a lot more than the Camry.
I recently went to visit a friend of mine who works at a Mitsu dealer. Out front was a 2008 Glalant 4 ES four cylinder. List on that car is $24,500. You could drive it away for $20,000.
The Galant is a lot of car for $20k, in my opinion.
September 29, 2008, 06:18:12 pm I own a 2004 fully loaded Galant ES. Sure it may not be as refined as a Camry or Accord, but the car costs thousands less than the equivalent models from Toyota, Nissan or Honda equipped with leather seats, alloy wheels and a sunroof. To date there has been only 2 trips to the dealer for warranty work, to replace a faulty ABS and oxygen sensor. I have been quite pleased with Galant and would not rule out owning another Mitsubishi product in the future.