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Diamante is Spanish for diamond, and that`s what Mitsubishi has come upwith-a real gem of a luxury four-door sedan to compete against the likes ofthe Lexus, Acura and Infiniti.

But Diamante is a diamond in the rough-and “rough“ probably is the best word to describe the styling of the newest member of the Japanese luxury sedancrowd.

A few years ago General Motors came under justified criticism that,because so many of its cars looked alike, you couldn`t tell the cheap (figure of speech) ones from the expensive (matter of fact) ones.

Try and tell the Diamante from Mitsubishi apart from an Infiniti Q45 from Nissan. About the only evidence provided to solve the mystery is that theMitsubishi carries the red diamond logo in its nose.

Diamante is offered in two versions, base and top-of-the-line LS. Bothare built on 107.1-inch wheelbases and are 190.2 inches long overall, or aboutthe size of a Buick Regal. The dimensions mean it`s a full-size, front-wheel- drive, four-door sedan designed to hold four adults and their luggage. Theluggage will fit admirably; the two adults in back better have short legs.

The base model is powered by a 12-valve, single overhead cam 3-liter V-6that develops 175 horsepower. The LS features a 24-valve double overhead cam, 202-h.p. version of the same 3-liter V-6. Both are teamed with a 4-speedautomatic with overdrive. We test drove the LS with its 18 mile per galloncity/24 m.p.g. highway rating.

The powertrain can be very peppy if you push the button on the shiftlever that disengages the overdrive, or it can be fuel efficient if you justleave it in OD. In either mode, the 3-liter V-6 is quiet.

It`s good that the car operates with little or no commotion, becauseyou`ll need the silence to acclimate yourself to the numerous buttons thatconvert the Diamante from a car into a temple for computer freaks. You`ll needa computer just to tally the number of buttons on the console, dash andinstrument panel.

There are so many buttons, you may never get a chance to drive the carbecause by the time you figure them all out while sitting in the drivewaybefore heading off to work, it would be time to turn around and head homeagain. If an employee where you work is missing, chances are he or she bought a Diamante and is at home reading the owner`s manual.

The front-wheel-drive Diamante comes with four-wheel independentsuspension featuring the same multilink independent rear suspension as offeredin the sporty Mitsubishi 3000 GT. To upgrade the ride and handling, there`s anoptional Euro handling package that includes active suspension to control bodyheight, roll, pitch and dive.

And the Euro handling package includes traction control to prevent wheelspin on slippery surfaces, plus trace control to keep the body from leaningoutward in a sharp corner or turn at speed.

As for speed, there`s also the power/economy mode transmission shift point button if you want to operate in economy mode for top mileage or powermode for optimum off-the-line or passing acceleration.

By pressing the electronic control suspension button, you can get a sixsettings that the owner`s manual details as auto, soft, medium soft, mediumfirm, firm and sport that change automatically based on road surface anddriving conditions. By pressing the button, you also can adjust car height in auto, normal, high and low modes. You know which setting you`re in based on a series of three lights for sport, high or extra high.

How does all this work? How can three lights let you know about 10suspension settings? It`s a miracle.

Then there`s the traction control and trace control button that allowsyou to turn either or both on or off. If the roads are wet or snowy, turn iton so the wheels keep their traction when starting from a standing stop oraccelerating through a turn or making a sharp corner.

It`s all supposed to mean he car sits flat on the road regardless whatmaneuvers you put it through and regardless whether the pavement is dry orwet, straight or winding.

By the time you get done reading the manual to understand all thesystems` operation, some other automaker will have come up with a system that does all of the above on its own using microprocessors so you needn`t touchbutton, dial or lever.

Once you master all the engine/suspension paraphernalia, it`s time totake on the radio, which offers controls in the dash and the steering column. Press the “field“ button and you have a choice of “cabin,““studio,“ “hall“ or “stadium“ sound. We did and noticed littledifference among the four. Next press “position“ to activate front to rear- side to side speakers. Finally, press “sound“ and you get the choice of“classic,“ “rock,“ “vocal“ or “jazz.“ To enjoy rock in a cabin onyour own, you can plug earphones into a jack on the radio face.

As with “field,“ we couldn`t tell any difference in any of the four“sound“ settings, but by now our index finger was starting to throb.

Obviously, since Mitsubishi was so late in coming out with a rival toLexus, Infiniti and Acura, it opted to load the car with every electronicgadget known. With anti-lock brakes, an air bag, traction control, a powerful engine and a suspension that does everything but pay your bills, you have alot of goodies wrapped into one package.

Oddly, however, it neglected a few details. For example, the key willlock or unlock the driver`s power door lock, but not any of the other threedoors at the same time. And in trying to make the Diamante an electronicValhalla, why did the engineers position a parking brake handle right at thedriver`s knee along the center console?

Base price of the LS we drove is $25,135.

Standard equipment-driver`s-side air bag, anti-lock brakes, automatic air conditioning, AM-FM stereo with digital clock, power brakes and steering,power doors/windows/seats/mirrors, cruise control and tilt steering-showsconcern for driver safety and comfort.

Options included the Euro handling package with its electronic (active)suspension at $1,670, a luxury package with leather seats/door trim/steeringwheel/and console lid for $2,100, a power sunroof for $863 and floor mats for $90. The sticker totaled $30,226, which included a $368 freight charge.