Mitsubishi adds Ralliart sedan for 2007

The 2007 Mitsubishi Galant is a midsize sedan that is oddly reminiscent of domestic family cars.

There's the long, wide body that's longer and wider than major Japanese sedans like the Toyota Camry.

There's the Galant's styling, where block-sized headlamps draw attention to the hood in the fashion of old-style American cars. Even the rear on the new-for-2007 Galant Ralliart model reminds me of something that Chevrolet might design.

Uplevel, factory-option 18-inch wheels are also new for 2007. The major Japanese brands -- Toyota, Nissan and Honda -- don't offer wheels and tires this large on their midsize cars.

And there's the generous interior space of the Galant. The 42.6 inches of front-seat legroom is better than that in the Camry and Nissan Altima.

Starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $20,524 for a 2007 Galant DE sedan. All Galants come standard with automatic transmission. No manual is offered.

On the other hand, the Camry, which ranks as the best-selling midsize car in the country, starts at $19,090 with manual transmission and $20,140 for a base 2007 CE model with automatic transmission.

The 2007 Nissan Altima, another midsize Japan-branded competitor, starts at $18,565 with manual transmission and $20,915 with automatic transmission.

Mitsubishi officials don't say they purposely went for an American look in the refreshed, 2007 Galant. But they're certainly looking for better sales, following several rough years for the company, both in Japan and the United States.

Mitsubishi's financial troubles have led to limited advertising dollars, and as a result, the Galant has seen its U.S. sales decline annually over the past five years in the hotly competitive mid-size segment. Last year's tally of 27,673 Galant sales amounted to only 28 percent of the 97,343 Galants sold during calendar 2002.

The sales also pale in comparison to the 448,445 Camry cars sold last year.

So, in an odd way, the Galant now is a Japanese-brand mid-size sedan that's not a me-too car.

Because of styling as well as rarity on the roads, it's an alternative for folks needing a five-passenger, affordable sedan.

The Galant also comes with the best manufacturer warranty of all Japanese branded, mid-size sedans. Limited, bumper-to-bumper coverage lasts for five years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first, while the powertrain is covered for 10 years/100,000 miles.

Bumper-to-bumper manufacturer warranties at Toyota, Nissan and Honda typically last for three years/36,000 miles.

It's worth noting the Galant is a recommended buy of Consumer Reports with an average reliability rating.

Like its major competitors, the front-wheel drive Galant is offered with a choice of four- and six-cylinder engines.

The base, 2.4-liter, single overhead cam four cylinder offers 160 horsepower and less peak torque -- 157 foot-pounds at 4,000 rpm -- than the double cam units in the base Camry and Altima.

Given the fact the Galant is a good deal heavier than the Camry and Altima, shoppers might want to test drive a Galant with the 3.8-liter V-6, too.

This single overhead cam engine is less noisy than the four cylinder. Obviously, it's more powerful, too, with 250 horses and 258 foot-pounds of torque at 4,500 rpm in the Galant Ralliart model with variable valve timing.

The test Ralliart moved briskly whenever I pressed the accelerator. A few times, I squealed the wheels and felt my body pushed into the driver seatback. Too bad the power can be accompanied at times by torque steer -- that unsettling tugging of the steering wheel to one side or the other that happens in some front-wheel drive cars.

The Ralliart comes standard with a sportier suspension, the 18-inch wheels, mesh grille and some other styling updates.

So, I expected the tester to ride harshly, but it didn't. Reminiscent of some American performance sedans, the Galant rolled over manhole covers in the pavement, for example, but didn't make me and my passengers feel any of it.

The only big roughness in the ride came when I was on some poorly repaired road patches.

Overall, the Galant felt controlled and firm. I appreciated how well it clung to the road in sweeping curves and on off-camber downhill road conditions.

The steering wheel seemed overly large in diameter. And the turning circle -- a trucklike 40.7 inches in the Ralliart model with 18-inch wheels -- meant I had to plan carefully for U-turns.

Mitsubishi is the first auto manufacturer to factory-install the Rockford Acoustic Design premium audio system into its vehicles. It's standard in the Galant Ralliart, where it produced strong, clear tunes. It's optional on two other Galant trim levels.

Because rear seatbacks don't fold down, there was only a narrow pass-through area from the 13.3-cubic-foot trunk of the tester. And I noticed on the test car, with so few miles on it, that rust had appeared where the tailpipe connected with the muffler.

Still, the Galant's optional navigation package with touch-screen multi-communication system is fascinating. It can gather and share data that other cars don't, including lap times, altitude, the time for the next maintenance of the air purifier, even what the outside temperature was three hours before.