Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Driven To Thrill! 2006 Mitsubishi Galant Review
The 2006 Galant has plenty of power to travel long distances and in comfort,by using the cruise control. The 2006 Galant is equal or surpassing in appearance as compared to any other 2006 4-door sedan on the market,in my opinion. The Galant has plenty of room for the "big guy or gal" and the seats,if you have cloth,are very comfortable with adequate cushioning.
The braking,due to the 4 wheel drive-power assisted brakes are just incredible,especially when you need to make the "sudden brake" to avoid a knuckleheaded driver invading your space. The acceleration of the 2006 Galant ES is one of my favorite features of this machine.
a really good car for young people, good line, good engine, really good price, very just price, good interiors.
New for 2006
The 2006 Mitsubishi Galant receives interior updates including chrome ring accents on the instrument cluster, black climate control knobs, black metallic finish for the center audio panel and a trip computer. ES, LS and GTS trims add bright, silver metallic finish for inside door handles, radio buttons and instrument panel accents, and when equipped with alloy wheels feature a tire pressure monitor system. Standard wheels are now 16-inch steel wheels with eight-spoke wheel covers for the DE and ES, 16-inch machine-finished multi-spoke alloy wheels for the LS and 17-inch 5-spoke aluminum alloy wheels for the GTS.
Interior Design and Special Features
The interior of the Mitsubishi Galant is clean and contemporary, and bright blue backlighting gives it a distinctive look at night. Materials quality is solid overall, but some surfaces look cheap. Controls are easy to find and reach. The seats are softly cushioned and roomy, but some people may wish for firmer support. Trunk capacity is just 13.3 cubic feet, but the opening is wide. Although there is a ski pass-through, the rear seats do not fold.
Body Styles, Trim Levels and Options
The Mitsubishi Galant is offered in four trim levels -- DE, ES, LS and GTS. The DE comes with air conditioning; power windows, mirrors and locks; keyless entry; a 140-watt CD stereo; and a height-adjustable driver seat. The ES adds body-color exterior trim, cruise control, faux titanium trim and a couple extra speakers (for a total of six). Optional for the ES, via a few grouped packages, are items like alloy wheels, a moonroof, a 270-watt Infinity stereo with an in-dash CD changer, leather seating and a power driver seat. Next up the Galant line is the LS; it offers much the same equipment and options as the ES but with a V6 engine and a standard power driver seat. Spring for the loaded GTS and youll get all of the above equipment as standard, plus 17-inch alloy wheels, projector-beam headlights, clear-lens taillights, automatic climate control and unique interior trim.
Safety
All models come with head- and torso-protecting side airbags for front occupants only, and all but the DE have standard antilock brakes. Stability control is not available. In NHTSA crash tests, the Mitsubishi Galant earned an impressive five-star rating for its protection of occupants in both frontal and side impacts. Frontal-offset crash testing conducted by the IIHS resulted in an overall rating of "Good," the highest. In IIHS side-impact testing, the Galant also scored "Good," though the agency noted that rear-seat head protection could be better.
Powertrains and Performance
The DE and ES trims come with a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine good for 160 hp and 157 pound-feet of torque. LS and GTS models come with a 3.8-liter V6 rated at 230 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque. A four-speed automatic transmission is standard on all Galants; V6 models get a manual-shift mode.
Driving Impressions
The Mitsubishi Galant delivers a smooth, quiet ride, thanks largely to its stiff platform, wide stance and long wheelbase. Minimal noise leaks into the cabin, just a slight rumble from the tires and a discernible whistle from the exterior mirrors at highway speeds.
The 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine in the DE and ES features Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing and lift Electronic Control (MIVEC), which switches between two different cam profiles for optimum power, response, and efficiency at high and low engine speeds. The Galant four-cylinder develops 160 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 157 pound-feet of torque at 4000 rpm, competitive figures for the class.
The V6 in the LS and GTS makes freeway merging easy. Passes on two-lane roads are completed without drama. The V6 is rated 230 horsepower and, more important, 250 pound-feet of torque, a substantial figure; torque is that force that propels the car from intersections and up hills.
The four-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly, although it does hunt a bit in hilly territory. In the normal mode, it shifts automatically. With the Sportronic feature, it can be switched into a semi-manual mode for more control; it will not shift up or down automatically when in the manual mode, so the driver has full control over shifting.
For its size and heft, the Galant feels decently planted on all but the most twisting roads. The GTS suspension feels firm. The suspension used in the DE/ES/LS models is softer, so the car moves around a little more when driven hard through corners.
The V6 models come standard with electronic traction control, which can selectively apply the brakes at one or more wheels and/or reduce engine power to control wheel spin on uncertain surfaces. Its especially useful in the rain, but even in dry weather can eliminate annoying screeches from the light when you take off.
Brake feel is solid and reassuring, but the Galant is not a light car. Anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) come standard on all but the base model. EBD proportions braking pressure between the front and rear wheels depending on how the car is loaded, and adjusts stopping pressure dynamically as weight shifts forward under hard braking. The idea is to send the brake pressure to the wheels with the most weight on them, which is where it can do the most good. This gives the Galant stable braking performance.
Competitively Priced
As always with the Galant, the new model will be competitively priced. Mitsubishi said base prices will range from "under $18,000" to "less than $26,000" for the cars four trim levels. They begin with the entry DE and then go to the ES, LS and top-line GTS.
All have decent styling, with Mitsubishis characteristic split-front-end treatment. Generally, though, the Galant looks as if mainly styled to look big, roomy and safe. It wont win any beauty contests.
The DE and ES have a more powerful 4-cylinder engine and the LS and GTS get a larger new V6.
Overall Review:
This is a well made and performing vehicle overall. I love the styling, and its a thrill to drive! It holds the road and has plenty of get-up-and-go. Id buy it again. If they resolve the glove box issue to my satisfaction, the fit and finish rating I gave would improve one point. The MIVEC engine has plenty of pep and a great sound for an inline four cylinder, seems more like a V6, but the gas mileage is V6 as well.
One thing they could add would be a telescoping steering wheel, not just tilt. Adjustable pedals would be nice as well. Mitsubishi makes many options packages contigent on having others, for no apparent logical reason. Example: On the Mitsubishi web site, when doing options for the ES, you must have a Sunroof package or the Leather & Audio package to get the Alloy Wheels with TPMS. This is a recent change, mine has the Alloy/TPMS but not the other packages. Unbundle the packages and maybe more people would get the options! Still, Id buy it again!
