Ever since getting behind the wheel of Mitsubishi's dressed up Galant Ralliart,

Mitsubishi's midsize gets cosmetic surgery. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

I've had a certain soft spot for the car. It has never been the perfect midsize sport sedan, having its fair share of flaws, but there was something about it that always left me with a warm feeling inside. Its cool blue interior lighting and the laid-back nature of its torque-rich engine contributed, but what took the cake for me was its overall appearance. The triple black colour scheme, compounded with its angular lines and clever styling details led me to affectionately name it after the most famous intergalactic evildoer, hence the name Darth Midsize.

Well, Darth is back for '09, after being missing in action for model year ‘08, but he's been made over, and in a way he's not the evil Sith Lord of the medium-sized sedan market any longer. I kind of miss the way the old car looked, all stealth-like with its extended sills, large front air dam and matching ovoid head and tail lamps residing under clear lenses. I also liked the dark chrome wheels, the big, off-set exhaust pipe and the integrated decklid spoiler. It had a factory tuned look, and while it wasn't to everyone's tastes, I think it looked fantastic.

Lots of work went into fixing up the Galant's backside. It does look more conventional, though. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

The new car is more reserved, and I suppose less polarizing. It keeps the “squircle” headlamps, but gone is the defined hood and grille ridge, and the lower valance. Around back, it looks like a completely different car. The inset rear windscreen has vanished, having been replaced by a larger, flush screen without the sporty buttresses, and the trunk's new lid features more conventional looking wraparound taillight lenses. These changes will undoubtedly help it blend in a little easier amidst Camrys and Accords, and therefore help it appeal to a larger audience. The Ralliart looks sporty enough, and rides on Eclipse wheels once more, but they're off the new '09 Eclipse, with thin spokes laid out in a snowflake-like pattern. Finally, the Ralliart's colour pallete has shrunk - it's available in only three colours now, black, silver and red - no orange, blue, or funky silver-green. Meanwhile, lesser V6 and I-4-powered Galants are available in hues ranging from white to black, and just about everything in between including blue. I may not be in love with the look of the new Galant, although I can appreciate how it will appeal to more people - not everyone shares my enthusiasm for automotive oddities and eccentricities.

Motor goes unchanged: 258 horsepower is still plenty. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

Besides making over the exterior, Mitsubishi has also realigned the trim ranges and bumped up the Galant's standard equipment. The base ES model uses Mitsubishi's 2.4-litre engine with 160 horsepower and 157 lb-ft of torque, and comes with a four-speed automatic. Next up is the GT that gets the 3.8-litre V6 with 230 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque plus a five-speed automatic with manual mode. Topping the Galant range off is this, the Ralliart, which uses the same five-speed automatic and 3.8-litre V6 combo, but the engine is rated at a higher output to match the Eclipse at 258 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Prices have been slashed to $23,998 for the ES, while all models come with four-wheel discs, ABS, six airbags and traction control. Stability control is a no-show. At $32,998, the Ralliart includes aluminum pedals, leather heated seats, a sunroof, and navigation all as standard equipment.

In addition to its more powerful engine and sporty styling, the Ralliart features a performance suspension setup that includes a rear stabilizer bar and firmer springs and dampers. Compared to regular Galants, it's

Not much has been done to the interior, which is not a bad thing. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

definitely stiffer, but it isn't quite as stiff-legged as the Eclipse. Otherwise, the Galant, which rides on the same platform as the Eclipse, feels very much like its two-door brother; it likes smooth, wide-open, winding roads. And while there's the inevitable problem of having a lot of power routed through the same wheels that do the steering, its 258 lb-ft of torque doesn't create as much of a problem in the steering rack as you might think. The only times you're likely to feel the negative side of this, torque steer, is under hard acceleration at low speeds (from standstill or when hammering it out of a tight corner) where the tires simply struggle to cope and the car begins to self-steer, or in the wet. Once you're moving and momentum is on your side, torque steer isn't an issue.

What's more, bumps that might toss around a competitive midsize sedan don't cause the Galant's steering and suspension to unsettle at all, and even when pressing on in third gear around corners, rougher roads don't have the same ill effects as other high-powered sedans like the Maxima or the Acura TL, two notorious torque-steerers. The Galant Ralliart feels best at around 6/10ths or so; go beyond this territory and you're beginning to ask too much of its Goodyear Eagle RS-As, which despite having

Orange coloured instruments replace blue backlit ones. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

performance aspirations, aren't up to the multi-tasking that a high-power FWD car demands. The chassis does feel like it can cope - the body is stiff and in the case of the Ralliart, even more so because of its additional strut tower brace. One downside is that the Galant has a very large turning radius, which makes it feel a bit cumbersome at low speeds.

By nature of its big dimensions and nose-heavy layout (61-percent front, 39-percent rear) the Galant feels right at home on the highway. The five-speed Sportronic transmission, with its baseball-stitched gearshift lever, reacts quickly to inputs when in manual mode, but with longer gearing, keeps the big 3.8-litre engine quiet. It also boosts efficiency. 110 km/h yields just 2,000 rpm, which reduces thirst. It takes a while to empty its 67 litre tank too - my average fuel consumption was 9.1 l/100 km, which yielded a diesel-like range of well over 900 km according to its on-board trip computer. Mind you, refueling is going to cost a bit more given that it requires premium fuel.

Ralliart is most comfortable on smooth, fast roads. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

With lots of torque handy at low revs (big bore engines are handy for this), there's always reserve for passing. But, at the end of the day I was hoping that Mitsubishi would bring the Eclipse's six-speed manual to the Galant. I suppose it's too much to ask for, given that none of its non-premium mainstream rivals bar Nissan's Altima offer a manual transmission with a V6 in a four-door package, but hey, this is a Ralliart.

Like the powertrains, the interior has pretty much been left as is. There are a couple of little changes, such as the backlighting of the instruments and the console. The cool blue has been swapped out for orange to match Mitsubishi's new products like the Lancer and the Outlander. They've all been changed except the little group of controls to the left of the steering column - the traction control, instrumentation dimmer, and fog light switches - which are still blue. And, on the Ralliart, the pixilated silver trim has been replaced by a combination of dark-gray wood effect trim that's outlined with chrome, a look that's synonymous with Japanese cars. Otherwise,

Five-speed automatic is on the ball when it comes to dispatching shifts. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

everything is just as I remember it - the white-stitched leather-wrapped steering wheel, the slightly odd driving position and the extra-soft touch plastics used on the dash.

One thing that I've found with the Galant is that while the front seems like it's a touch short on headroom, and the steering wheel could use a telescoping function, there's not much to complain about. The Ralliart's sports seats offer more support than the standard buckets, and come trimmed in perforated leather, but they don't have a snug fit. They match the personality of the Galant Ralliart well, actually, as it's the sort of car that you wear loosely, comfortably. Although the Galant might be an older design, it doesn't trail the segment leaders in interior spaciousness by much. Sitting behind my seating position I found plenty of leg and knee room, and the rear bench, with its integrated headrests, was quite comfortable.

One thing that caught me by surprise was the navigation system's audible directions, which were given by an exclamative, middle-aged man, rather than the usual soft-spoken female. It's not really a complaint; the touchscreen system is easy to use and well laid out - it's just something to note. What is a complaint, however, is the location of the DVD unit that's used for the nav system - it's bolted to the upper part of the trunk, right by the opening, which decreases the size of the opening by a significant amount. Couldn't they have tucked it away in some corner, or,

The Galant is still a small-volume player, but that brings the benefit of exclusivity. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

better yet, fitted it directly into the dash? Trunk space is rated at 377 litres (13.3 cu ft), which isn't bad, but this is down on rivals.

Despite the update and the content and price adjustment, I can't help but feel that the Galant Ralliart and the rest of the Galant range will still be small players in the midsize arena. Sales of the segment as a whole are poised to grow, and Mitsubishi may see a small spike in sales thanks to the new design and much greater showroom traffic thanks to its brilliant Lancer and Outlander models, but on the whole it's unlikely that the Galant will become a high-ranking player, as is. Still, to the right customer the Ralliart has a certain appeal - a cool, sophisticated, laid-back presence. It's almost like a budget Acura TL or Nissan Maxima.

But here's the thing - the facelifted Galant is primarily here to tide the consumer over until something new and improved comes along. Mitsubishi is planning a make-over for the Galant in the same way that it's done over the aforementioned Lancer and Outlander. It was previewed last year as the Concept-ZT, and in concept form at least uses a stretched version of the Lancer's platform. The car highlighted some particularly exciting features too, such as a new diesel engine, SST twin-clutch transmission, and an all wheel drive system that's been borrowed from the Evo X. In addition, it's being developed for the international market rather than the current car, which is North American-built and focused. If the production version is anything like the concept, I'd put money down on the Galant to be Mitsubishi's next big hit, and a vehicle to watch out for.

For now, this updated Galant is certainly worth your inspection, especially if you're the kind of person who appreciates exclusivity, but may not have the money to buy that exclusivity in the premium segment. Mitsubishi offers many of the premium-type features that sport-luxury fans crave, along with that special appeal of not seeing five identical four-door copies parked alongside you in the shopping mall garage.

Specifications (Mitsubishi Galant Ralliart):

• Price Range (MSRP): $32,998 (base ES model starts at $23,998)
• Price as Tested (MSRP): $32,998
• Body Type: 4-door sedan
• Layout: front engine, FWD
• Engine: 258 horsepower, 258 lb-ft of torque, 3.8L, 24-valve SOHC V6
• Transmission: 5-spd auto w/manual mode
• Brakes (front/rear): disc/disc, ABS, EBD
• Dimensions (L/W/H/WB): 4,850 / 1,840 / 1,477 / 2,750 mm (191.0 / 72.4 / 58.2 / 108.3 in)
• Curb Weight: 1,700 kg (3,748 lbs)
• Tires: 235/45R18
• Cargo Volume (trunk): 377 L (13.3 cu ft)
• Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 12.9 / 8.1 L/100 km
• Observed Fuel Economy: 9.5 L/100 km
• Warranty (mo/km): 60/100,000 comprehensive - 60/160,000 powertrain
• Competitors: Acura TSX / TL, Audi A4, BMW 3-Series, Chevrolet Malibu, Cadillac CTS, Dodge Avenger, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Magentis, Lincoln MKZ, Mazda6, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Nissan Altima, Pontiac G6, Saab 9-3, Saturn Aura, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Camry, Volkswagen Passat
• Website: www.mitsubishi-motors.ca