chicagotribune.com's view

The Mitsubishi Galant took us by surprise. Over the years we`ve found Mitsubishi cars strong on styling and weak on just about everything else. Typically, Mitsubishi cars were associated with lackluster performance, laborious ride and handling, cramped interiors, noisy operation and over inflated price tags.

Then, low-volume sales meant you couldn`t get repair or replacement parts at the local discount store or mass merchandiser. And independent mechanics weren`t always ready or willing, much less able, to take on any service challenge.

Along comes the Galant. The fuel injected 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine is teamed with automatic only, a quick but quiet combination. Ride is smooth and a dash button lets you switch from boulevard soft to firm sporty suspension based on road conditions. Handling is as precise as in a sports coupe though this is a luxury sedan.

The front-wheel-drive Galant is built on a 102.4-inch wheelbase and is 183.1 inches long, slightly bigger than a Chevy Cavalier. Curb weight is 2,800 pounds, but the car feels much lighter.

Wide seats offer good support and little niceties such as a second set of radio and heater controls built into the steering wheel housing show that driver comfort is a top priority.

Though the domestics insist that the price tag dictates whether a car can be considered a luxury vehicle, the Japanese let features and equipment determine whether the luxury tag is justified. Whereas Cadillac plants the division`s crest in the Cimarron`s taillights, Mitsubishi plants the driver in a lounge type seat that makes short hauls or long trips pleasurable.

Standard equipment includes air conditioning, cruise control, power brakes/steering/windows/door locks/exterior mirrors, AM/FM stereo with cassette, steel-belted radial tires and digital quartz clock.

There were two main objections and one lingering doubt: The objections being a too massive and cumbersome center floor console to house the basic radio controls and styling a bit too plain, too much like Cressida and Maxima, to say that this is a Mitsubishi, not a Toyota or Nissan.

The doubt is that volume remains low and you`ll have to return to the dealership in most cases for the higher priced parts or service you`ll need unless you have a good independent mechanic. Sales totaled only 12,766 units in `85 and less than 3,000 the first four months of 1986.

Galant starts at $13,899 up from $13,219 at the outset of the model year before the yen-versus-dollar situation forced price increases. But the car costs several thousand less than a Cressida or Maxima, and yes, Galant is in the same league as those two.

Chrysler and Mitsubishi are teaming up to build 240,000 small, sporty cars in Bloomington-Normal for 1989. If they would combine on a Galant-type vehicle in the 150,000- to 200,000-unit range, the fears over parts and service would be solved.