Hey, Beta was better than VHS and where is it now? The Galant is proof positive that building a better widget doesn't mean success
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| The Galant is proof positive that building a better widget doesn't mean success is necessarily around the corner. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
is necessarily around the corner. The real trick is to get on a person's individual radar screen. TV ads work wonders, and to this end Mitsubishi might be the best at expressing its cars' cool factor. The Galant surfaced with an extremely creative spot showing the car driving around the city as people on the sidewalks smiled and waved. The Flaming Lips song "Do You Realize" dreamily lulled TV-watchers into a happy state, capitalized on when the camera panned to a little boy in the back seat waving to everyone outside. Brilliant! One of the best car ad-spots that I've seen in years, that is until I laughed myself silly to a Galant GTS that withstood tossed bowling balls, barbeques, garbage cans, and compact cars, while out-handling its Toyota Camry XLE V6 rival in one zany TV ad dubbed "Accident Avoidance." No doubt, both ads sold a fair number of Galants that would otherwise have remained on dealer lots, but obviously TV advertising is not enough.
The trick, of course, is for Mitsu to get many more warm bodies tucked into the Galant LS' heated, leather covered seats, crank up the 6-disc audio system and get a feel for its class-leading driving dynamics. It's really that good. It's been a while since I last piloted one around town, and
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| Mitsubishi needs to somehow get people behind the wheel of the Galant for a test drive, and its class-leading driving dynamics will do the rest. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
the long stretch of winding roadway that connects my house to the ski resort on the mountain above is ideal for shaking the best, or the worst out of any suspension system. From takeoff the Galant LS' 3.8-liter V6 is the epitome of smooth, relaxed power. Acceleration comes quickly, but not with the rush of high revs associated with turbocharged 4-cylinders or the banal grunt that comes from domestic overhead-valve powerplants. Rather, the Galant's 230 horsepower mill delivers strong forward thrust balanced with even greater low-end torque, 250 lb-ft to be exact.
Mitsubishi's engineers have done an exemplary job isolating the noise, vibration and harshness, keeping any away from the cabin where it's not appreciated. Of course, there's enough on hand when under full throttle to give a little thrill, but it comes across in a more sophisticated fashion than most competitors in this class.
