21st Place: Mitsubishi Galant

Overview:

The Galant was an oft-overlooked sporty family sedan when it was introduced in 2004. Then, it offered an usually sound blend of a comfortable ride and agile handling, a spacious interior, and a powerful V6. But it has actually gone downhill since then, as Mitsubishi has stripped the model line of its best-value V6 trims, leaving it only to models like the Ralliart reviewed here, which are burdened with oversize tires and needless extra cost. At the discounts the Galant sells at, a mainstream V6 model with no "sport" additions would have been a strong finisher here. But as it is, its strengths are overshadowed by too many flaws, however easily Mitsubishi could have corrected them.

Driving the Galant:

The Galant Ralliart absorbs bumps sharply and noisily, thanks in part to its oversize wheels. The car handles well, with responsive steering that offers good feedback, but it doesn’t feel as nimble and fun to drive as the most sport-focused competitors. The 3.8-liter V6 is smooth and strong, but returns mediocre gas mileage and some torque steer.

Inside the Galant:

The Galant’s front seats could be higher, but they are roomy, supportive, and well-shaped. The rear is also too low, and headroom is somewhat lacking, but the seat cushion is well-shaped for maximum comfort and support, and there is plenty of leg space. The dash features liberal use of insubstantial shiny false aluminum, but trim pieces fit together well on it. However, assembly and materials quality is worse on the rest of the interior. The gauges are very large and clear, but some instruments could be simpler. Entry/exit is complicated by the low seats and rather small door openings. Drivers sit fairly comfortably, and have adequate overall visibility. The trunk is quite small, and the rear seats cannot fold to expand its volume.

Galant pricing:

The Galant is inexpensive by this group's standards, even on the near-loaded top-trim Ralliart reviewed here. However, it lacks the important and increasingly-ubiquitous safety feature of stability control, and doesn't offer as many extra luxury items as most other top-of-the-line family sedans.

Conclusion:

Don't let the Galant's near-the-back finish fool you: it's a solid family sedan in most ways. However, that doesn't mean you should consider buying one over the others in this group. It could easily move forward many places and earn a recommendation if the existing "ES" four-cylinder model were offered with luxury features and the V6. (When the Galant first came out, there were two models very much like that.) Adding stability control and improving the interior's quality would help even further. But as a 2009 update that is already on sale offered only cosmetic changes, the Galant should continue to stay off the shopping lists of most consumers in this class.

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