Welcome to Autodrivel

I wouldn’t have thought that I’d be writing about the Japanese Volvo so soon, but here it is, the Mitsubishi Galant VIII is now among us. And apparently, it will stay with us until the very end, when her Majesty will turn off the lights.

Why do I say that? Simple, because Mitsubishi Galant VIII was built for eternity. We will find out the secret of the 5G radiation, the TV show “Wife Swap” will end, Chernobyl will be fully healed, but Mitsubishi Galant will still be among us.

Japanese cars of this era in general tend to be very reliable and built for life, but somehow Mitsubishi Galant managed to escape the tyranny of rust, which is the main reason why JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) cars are no longer among us. And yes, it’s a mid-size sedan, built to catch the eyes and money of 50-year-olds, but it also comes with sporty engines for those who want a family car but still want more than 82 horsepower. Where have we heard this logic before?

For those who want a car with enough grunt to out-grunt a typical bri’ish pub, the Mitsubishi Galant also came with a 280 horsepower 2.5 Twin-Turbo petrol engine capable of reaching 260 km/h and 0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds. WHERE HAVE WE HEARD THIS BEFORE??? Mitsubishi Galant – the Japanese Volvo S70. Except that, unlike the Volvo S70, where you usually find the 2.5 TDI or the 2.4 petrol engine, both engines being quite expensive when it comes to road taxes and insurance, Mitsubishi Galant usually comes with a modest 2.0 petrol engine that doesn’t bother or impress anyone and is the type of car that costs 1500 quid at most. Cheap and good, but so anonymous that nobody wants it.In a way like me. Except that I’m not good at anything.

Mitsubishi Galant VIII Engines 

Petrol

• 1.8 GDI 4G93 of 150 horsepower – The base engine for the Galant and one of the first engines with direct injection. We already know it from the Pajero Pinin, so I’ll talk about my severe depression, my addiction to Hemoro Easy with 60 tablets, my humanitarian repudiation in a Jean Calvin shirt, and others in general issues.


• 2.0 4G63, 4G94, 6A12 of 136 horsepower – The most popular engine on the Mitsubishi Galant in this generation, it’s a classic 2.0 petrol engine, without emotions, issues, or power.


• 2.4 GDI 4G64 of 150 horsepower – Just like the 1.8, we have a 2.4 with direct injection. But it has exactly the same power as the 1.8. Because you deserve it. Maybelline.


• 2.5 V6 6A13 of 163 horsepower – Maybe it has only 163 horsepower, but it has just so much more potential and it won’t disappoint you once you pump money into it.


• 2.5 VR-4 Twin-Turbo 6A13TT of 280 horsepower – Because if you add 2 turbines, it will go from 163 to 280 horsepower and who knows how much more. In fact, this was the famous engine from the rally Lancer, which dominated the dirt track races along with the Subaru Impreza. And it doesn’t even have specific issues.


• 3.0 V6 6G72 of 196 horsepower – If the 2.5 petrol engine shined more on the Lancer than on the Galant, the 3.0 V6 shined more on the Pajero than on the Galant. It’s reliable, but the performance is below the expectations you would normally have from an almost 200 horsepower 3.0 V6.

Diesel: 

2.0 TDI 4D68 of 90 horsepower – The only engine with two-digits horsepower, the 2.0 diesel is as reliable as it is slow. Kind of like the 2.0 SDI from VW. It will run forever, but it will take forever to gain speed.

SAMSUNG DIGIMAX 360

Mitsubishi Galant VIII Reliability Issues

• Both manual and automatic transmissions need inspected/overhauled around the 150,000 miles mark, with manual gearbox’s bearings of particular concern.


• The front suspension is quite sensitive and short lived. This is because, before deciding to use the Lancer as a battering ram in the world of rallies, Mitsubishi used the Galant for all kinds of motor abuse so it had to provide the best of performance and reliability was kind of an afterthought, much like I am when it comes to women. Sure, the basic versions of the Galant were not rally spec, but we still have MacPherson suspension at the front and antiroll bars at the back.


• I said I would talk about the GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) engines and why they are so famous in the sense that they should be avoided like those guys in shirts carrying Bibles who follow you and want to tell you about their religion. The idea is that GDI engines have direct injection, and carbon deposits can and will appear on the intake manifold, which needs to be cleaned constantly. Sure, modern engines like VW’s TFSI also have issues with deposits on the intake manifold, but GDIs were among the first engines with this technology and need to have the intake manifold cleaned every 60,000 km. Alternatively, you can avoid them altogether.

Mitsubishi Galant VIII Verdict

You could argue that the Mitsubishi Galant VIII is a car for those who look at the pension fund and intend to tap into it the following 3 months. You look at the interior, and it doesn’t express anything other than the resignation of the ’40s when you give up on your dreams and decide that this is your life now. A sea of black plastics that reflect your future. But at least it’s a reliable car. And if you find one with the naturally aspirated 2.0 petrol engine, you have a surprisingly sporty car that’s cheap to run and buy.

Which engines do I recommend? For petrol, once again, I recommend the 2.0 petrol with 136 horsepower, and for diesel, the 2.0 TDI with 90 horsepower is the only option on diesel anyway.