Ralliart Team Helps Mitsubishi Build Up an UnderdogWhen Mitsubishi pulled off the covers of its two project vehicles at
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| Back in 2004, Mitsubishi presented this at SEMA, the Galant Ralliart Concept. (Photo: Mitsubishi Cars North America) |
the 2004 SEMA tuner car show, it had an instant hit on its hands. The Galant and Endeavor Ralliart Concepts were immediate stars garnering plenty of positive feedback, and everyone thought that these sporty vehicles would get the green light right away - especially the Galant. But they didn't, and for a while it was thought that the idea had been killed off due to Mitsubishi's poor state of financial health. Nevertheless, at this year's Chicago Auto Show, two years after its original introduction, the Galant Ralliart made its official production debut.
Part
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| This, the new '07 Galant Ralliart is quite similar in looks, losing little of the original's sportiness. (Photo: Mitsubishi Cars North America) |
of what made the original Ralliart Concept so appealing was that it looked like a true sports sedan, and thankfully, none of its sportiness was lost in the conversion. Its low, wide stance has been improved with the addition of an aggressive body kit with integrated fog lamps and a wide, low-mount intake. While all 2007 Galants will get the new chrome-colored nose cone, as well as new, less cluttered front and rear bumpers, the Ralliart's exterior is dressed up slightly differently. It features unique elliptical projector-beam headlamps, but it drops the nose cone in favour of mesh grille inserts. Rounding out the tail, the Ralliart features a subtle rear spoiler, and a large-diameter chrome-tipped exhaust pipe. Ralliart bi-colour badges on the front grille and trunklid advertise that this is no ordinary Galant.
Mitsubishi has dressed up the interior of the Galant Ralliart as well,
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| Improvements to the interior include better seats, a new steering wheel and sporty dash accent trim. (Photo: Mitsubishi Cars North America) |
with luxurious and sporting appointments. Among the list of upgrades includes a new steering wheel from the Australian Mitsubishi 380 sedan, perforated heated leather sports seats, a baseball-stitched gearlever, aluminum pedals, and new textured trim, which replaces the bright-silver plastic or gray-tint wood fitted on standard models. As the range-topping model, all Ralliart models have a standard power sunroof, auto-dimming rear mirror, digital climate control and the excellent Rockford Fosgate DSP sound system from the Eclipse, albeit slightly toned down in 360-watt form. The only major option for the Ralliart is a new DVD-based navigation system, which uses the housing for the multi-function trip computer and compass on the dashboard.
The
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| It may not be the most powerful V6 on the market, but out of all its competitors, it's got the most pulling power. (Photo: Mitsubishi Cars North America) |
main thing that separates the Galant Ralliart from just any old Galant can be discovered under the hood. Mitsubishi has given this special sporting version the same heart as the new Eclipse, which means a big, burly 3.8-liter V6 with MIVEC variable valve timing. Compared to the non-MIVEC version of this engine, featured in the Galant LS and GTS, the Ralliart's variable valve timing helps pumps out an additional 28-horsepower for a grand total of 258-horsepower. But, has Mitsubishi been out-gunned in this high performance party? The 3.8-litre V6 might have given Mitsubishi the lead had it been on the ball releasing the Galant Ralliart just after the concept debuted, but two years down the road it's merely warm, instead of piping hot. But horsepower isn't everything with the Galant; its surprise is the 258 lb-ft mountain of torque the engine produces - more than all of its competitors, including the new 3.5-litre V6-equipped Toyota Camry.
