2007 Mitsubishi Galant Ralliart

In house tuning is a hot ticket among car manufacturers, and it’s making its way from big buck tags like Mercedes AMG and BMWs, to more popular marks. Mitsubishi stamps its high-test models with the Ralliart branding. Built on their world-wide road rally heritage, Ralliart signifies peak performance, as in this 2007 Mitsubishi Galant Ralliart sedan. But our question is, will more power, sharper handling, and boy-racer visual cues peak sales?

Indeed, the 2007 Mitsubishi Galant Ralliart is not your run-of-the-mill sedan.  This factory tuner injects the brand’s family mainstay, the mid-size Galant, with a potent dose of road rally-inspired enthusiasm. 

Becoming the Galant’s fourth and new halo trim, the Ralliart brings with it several serious upgrades.

Those infusions start with the Eclipse GT’s robust 3.8-liter single overhead cam V6 with variable valve timing.  This fast revving engine spits out 258 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque at 4,500 rpm.  That beats out the standard Galant V6 by 28 ponies and falls just short of the prototypical turbo-4 MazdaSpeed6.

But unlike the all-wheel drive Mazda, the Ralliart is front-drive only, with all that energy going through a new five-speed automatic tranny with manual-matic shifting.  Shifts in auto occurred a bit early, with manual mode providing the control needed to get the most out of the power train, which on a trip to the track proved to be ample. While no EVO, this five-seater will scoot from 0 to 60 in a surprisingly swift 6.1 seconds, and finishing off the quarter-mile in 14.4 seconds at 99 miles-per-hour.

In spite of being front-drive, torque steer was minimal and easily corrected. But our launches still suffered somewhat from wheel spin in first gear even with standard traction control turned on. 

But, it is in handling where this car sparkles brightest.  With higher rigidity than lesser Galants, the Ralliart adds its own sport-tuned all-independent suspension.  The front and rear geometries utilize higher-rate springs and stiffer dampers, plus a thick 21mm rear stabilizer bar which furthers the car’s sense of balance.

Halts are courtesy of larger 4-wheel discs with ABS.  Stops from 60 to 0 were smooth and straight, but averaged a longish 140 feet.  We did experience heavy modulation under hard braking. 

When chasing track performance, street efficiency usually takes a back seat.  But not here.  The Galant Ralliart achieves Government Fuel Economy ratings of 18 city/27 highway.  Our tester posted a fine 24 on premium gas. Its Energy Impact Score is a respectable 15.6 barrels of oil consumed per year.

On the outside, the Galant Ralliart isn’t overstated. Though all Galants acquired new front and rear fascias in ‘07, the Ralliart uniquely displays a two-tone front end, sport mesh grille and color-keyed side skirts.

Sharing the same strong lines of its Galant siblings, the Ralliart takes on a brawnier stance thanks to its 18 inch 7-spoke aluminum wheels and low profile tires.

Inside, a well-appointed cabin takes on a driver-centric approach.  The dash is laid out in a straight-forward and precise manner.

The Ralliart’s well-bolstered, perforated leather-trimmed seats are heated with driver’s side power adjustments. The grippy steering wheel and aluminum pedals offer more performance savvy. The only real option on this four-door is satellite Navigation with a 7-inch LCD Touch Screen. The fixed rear seat has fast-commuter room for three.  And the practical trunk measures in at 13.3 cubic feet.

Pricing for the Galant Ralliart starts at a reasonable, $27,624.  Already very well-equipped, there are few options, beyond Navi, to push that sticker up.

With the 2007 Galant Ralliart, Mitsubishi extends a serious tuner push to its bread-and-butter family car. More mature than an EVO, it’s bound to entice conventional shoppers looking for a super solid sedan with an upshot of performance. With a reasonable price-point, a virtually loaded interior, and good fuel efficiency, the Ralliart peaked our interest, as it will a lot of others.