 | |
| Also called | Mitsubishi Legnum Mitsubishi Aspire |
|---|---|
| Production | 1996–2006 |
| Class | Mid-size |
| Body style(s) | 4-door sedan 5-door wagon |
| Layout | Front engine, front-wheel drive/four-wheel drive |
| Engine(s) | 1.8 L 4G93 GDI I4 2.0 L I4 2.0 L 6A12 V6 2.4 L 4G64 I4 2.5 L 6A13 V6 2.5 L 6A13TT V6 twin turbo 3.0 L 6G72 V6 |
| Transmission(s) | 4-speed automatic 5-speed manual 5-speed semi-automatic |
| Wheelbase | 2,635 mm (103.7 in) |
| Length | 4,660 mm (183.5 in) |
| Width | 1,740 mm (68.5 in) |
| Height | 1,410–1,420 mm (55.5–55.9 in) |
The eighth-generation 1996 model continued the 1992 design themes but a station wagon (known in Japan as the Mitsubishi Legnum) was added. The liftback was deleted. This model won the 1996–97 Car of the Year Japan award. Despite being superseded in the U.S. from 2003, it remained on sale in other countries until 2006.
The American market Galant, introduced on July 7, 1998, graduated to the United States Environmental Protection Agency mid-size class. The front suspension switched from double-wishbones to struts, though the rear was upgraded with a stabilizer bar standard on all but the base DE model. ES, LS and GTZ models were offered with a 195 hp V6 engine, the 6G72 3.0 L, mated to a standard 4-speed conventional auto.
Mitsubishi opted to further develop the technology in its range-topping VR-4, which was now powered by an enlarged 2.5 L V6 twin turbo. The car featured either a conventional 5-speed manual or an advanced, self-learning 5-speed Tiptronic semi-automatic transmission known as "INVECS-II". Some models were also fitted with the same advanced active yaw control (AYC) as the Evo, to give it far greater agility than would be expected of such a large vehicle. Finally, as with the rest of the range, the VR-4 could now be had either as a Galant sedan or as a Legnum station wagon.
In some Asian markets Mitsubishi offered a 2.0 L MIVEC version of the 6A12 naturally aspirated V6 engine, badged as the "Galant 2.0A". Output was placed at 200 hp (150 kW) and 147 lb·ft (199 N·m) of torque. The larger 2.5 L 6A13 was more common in the rest of the world.
In 1998 the company introduced the Mitsubishi Aspire. Externally identical to the regular Galant, the new model name denoted the newly-introduced gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines.
