Introduction
Now in its fourth generation, the Mitsubishi Galant was the would-be darling of our test. Praising its stunning monochromatic good looks, authoritative stance and trick suspension, we all wished the Galant would have posted better than sixth in our tests.

But there was no way we could ignore the facts. The sub-par fit and finish of our tester, its spartan interior, tiny back seat and rough ride all worked against our sport model, the GTZ. Those who were lucky enough to have the chance to drive the Galant through a stretch of canyon roads soon fell in love with the progressive suspension and racecar-like steering. So why did the Galant GTZ finish in the lower half of our standings? Let's find out.

Background and Our Test Vehicle
Replacing the Tredia sedan in 1985, the Galant was Mitsubishi's answer to the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, but with a touch of European flair. With the introduction of the turbo'd, all-wheel drive VR4 in 1991, Mitsubishi had a screamer on its hands, garnering praise from the press and a following of enthusiast owners. An entire makeover ensued in 1994, relegating Galant to a bread-and-butter Altima beater, and the latest redesign came in 1999. For 2000, the Galant receives traction control, an increased final-drive ratio and a host of safety features.

Perhaps it was unfair to include the Galant in our tests, even though it is considered to be a mid-size 4-door sedan. But it really isn't, it's a hybrid of sorts -- more like an FIA GT touring car than a family sedan. The GTZ is the hot ticket in the Galant line, with a sport-tuned suspension, black-on-white instrumentation, a rear spoiler and lower-front air dam.

Our test vehicle came loaded for bear, primarily because that's the only way you can get a GTZ—fully equipped. Mitsubishi builds plenty into the Galant GTZ – power moonroof, Infinity AM/FM/CD stereo, leather interior, dual power points, and the list goes on.

Exterior Design
In the styling ranks, the Mitsu posted a decent fourth, mostly because of its overly aggressive styling – probably a bit too much for the average family sedan. While the sports car purists in our group fell in love with the hard-edge design, Euro-flair and monochromatic color scheme, those on the other side of the tracks said that it was too overdone, a sports car and not a family car. Then again, doesn't the GTZ do both?

One item we would like Mitsubishi to change would be the rear deck spoiler. A lower profile version would look much better than the obligatory wing that is currently tacked on. Build quality is another area where the GTZ falls short. Our tester had mismatched hood and trunk gaps, and the nose had more ripples and dimples than an old Titleist golf ball. Granted, the Galant has not been known for outstanding fit and finish, but based on what we've seen from the latest Eclipse offering, we know Mitsubishi is capable of much better.

Interior Features, Controls, Materials and Design
Simple, functional and understated. That's the Galant GTZ's cockpit. The interior is designed with the driver in mind, but lacks must-have amenities such as decent-sized cup holders, useful armrests and passenger grab handles. The lack of the latter left us to wonder if Mitsubishi was looking to sell this vehicle to families, or to sports car buyers who are in need of four doors?

Deep front buckets offer excellent lower lumbar support, but lateral support is lacking, given the car's sporting nature. Like with the exterior, the sports car fans liked the hard seats and the others vexed them with a passion.

All agreed that the back seat was suitable only for kids. Trying to put two adults in back would be ludicrous due to the lack of head-, leg- and foot room. The back seat was so tight that one shorts-clad editor suffered skin burn from the hard, pebbled seatbacks that grinded against his exposed knees while testing ingress/egress. The couch does have decent seat rake, but there is no armrest, or any amenities whatsoever. But then again, it's a sports car with four doors, right?

Engine and Transmission
With the performance-oriented looks, ground-hugging suspension and sport seats, you would think Mitsubishi would turn up the heat in the engine compartment. Boy, would you be wrong. In fact, the GTZ shares its SOHC 24-valve, 3.0-liter powertrain with the other Galant V6 models, giving us the same 190 ponies to play with.

While we would have loved to test the Galant GTZ with a five-speed manual gearbox, row-'em-yourself gears aren't available with the V6. Nonetheless, the four-speed automatic was more than up to task, inspiring one of our editors to write, "Best tranny yet. Even more responsive then the Taurus'."

On the track, the GTZ turned out to be the dog of our performance evaluations, posting dead last in zero-to-60 and in quarter-mile speed and time, a disappointment to say the least. If we had our druthers, we'd like to see Mitsubishi boost the Galant's output by 10 (which would bring the horsepower rating to 200), widen the engine's torque band, add a manual transmission and make the GTZ a real family-sized, four-door screamer.

Suspension, Ride and Handling
The GTZ's suspension is where the car really shines ... that is if your name is Speed Racer. For the family looking for a coddling suspension for long cruises down the highway, this is not the car for you. On the other side of the coin, those who are willing to give up a smooth ride on the highway for a more sporty feel, communicative steering system and a kick-in-the-pants driving experience, this may be the vehicle for you.

The GTZ takes fun to a whole new level when driving canyon roads. Point the steering wheel in the direction you want to go and the GTZ responds instantly and perfectly, every time. Push the car hard and it begs to be driven harder, leaving an incessant grin on the driver's face.

Push too hard and the Galant pushes back ... or rather forward, with a fair amount of understeer and bottoming out. Load the GTZ up with a full five passengers and you'll be guaranteed to ride the whole distance on the rear bump stops.

Conclusion
While the Galant GTZ didn't do as well in our tests as we had hoped, it is the natural choice for those who are turning in their leased Eclipses and are in need of four doors. Sporty and fun, the GTZ is more sports car then family car, and with Mitsubishi's tag line of "Wake Up and Drive," our performance-oriented editors would have no problem doing just that with the GTZ any day of the week.

Editor's Comments
The Galant would be my top pick if it weren't for the fact that it can't be had with a manual transmission. And no car with a "sit and git" mentality is going to suit me. The suspension here is awesome, and for a guy that values handling above all else, this would have to be my pick. I like the styling on the outside, but the back seat is way too small and the rest of the interior could utilize more quality materials. – Dan Gardner

Sure, the styling is a blatant BMW rip-off, but who cares? The Galant was the best-looking car in our test. What puts me off is the cabin. This same interior might have gotten a passing grade five years ago, but now it's dated and cheap. Add in the small back seat and the lackluster engine performance, and the Galant suddenly becomes a mid-pack player to me – Brent Romans

Stereo Evaluation - 2000 Mitsubishi Galant