The base engine is Mitsubishi's big 2.4-liter twin-cam 16-valve inline-4 rated at 140 horsepower and 155 foot-pounds of torque. Like the V6, the 2.4-liter engine was tuned to deliver power for good passing performance and good acceleration from a standstill. Mitsubishi's dual engine stabilizers (patented and used by other automakers) virtually eliminate the harmonic vibration typical of large-displacement four-cylinder engines.

All Galants come equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission that delivers excellent responsiveness in all types of driving situations. Mitsubishi's fuzzy logic computer programming allows the engine and transmission to better anticipate the driver's wishes and eliminate the irritating up- and down-shifting that's still a characteristic of some automatics. All of this electronic gadgetry works well.

Ride quality is first rate, effectively damping out nasty stretches of pavement. We were impressed by the noise suppression measures taken in this car. Mitsubishi has done a very good job of isolating the cabin from the suspension, thereby minimizing highway and tire noise. At the same time, Mitsubishi's attention to aerodynamic detail has helped reduce wind noise to a level that's comparable with the best in the class. The Galant may not be quite as quiet as a Camry, but you'd need a sound meter to measure the difference.

The Galant's handling traits, including the sporty GTZ, seem to be balanced in favor of comfort over aggressive response. In hard cornering, there's a little more body roll (lean) than you'd encounter in an Accord. Pushed past the limit of tire grip, the Galant goes toward progressive understeer - the faster the car enters a corner, the less it wants to turn. It's predictable and safe, just not as much fun as a high-performance sports sedan. While Mitsubishi would like us to perceive the Galant as a sports sedan (especially with the GTZ model), its suspension tuning feels more like family fare to us. However, there's nothing wrong with that. The Galant is very forgiving to driver errors, such as braking hard in the middle of a turn; while some cars would spin out under these circumstances, we had no trouble controlling the Galant. Steering response is reasonably accurate; it delivers acceptable road feel once the steering wheel had moved a degree or two off dead center.

Galant is available with antilock brakes, which allow the driver to maintain steering control during an emergency-stopping situation in dry as well as slippery conditions. ABS is standard equipment on ES V6, LS and GTZ models, optional on the ES, and not offered on the DE.

Braking is provided by discs up front and drums at the rear on four-cylinder models, with discs all around on V6 models. Braking performance seemed to be about average for this class. Though more expensive, disc brakes generally offer superior fade resistance to drum brakes. (Brake performance often begins to fade when brakes are used repeatedly until they overheat, such as going downhill on a steep mountain pass.) On the other hand, we didn't encounter any fade problems during our driving, despite repeated hard stops in the Galant.