Newbie Advice - 2.5 V6 Sport

[James TC]

Hiya,

I'm looking into getting a Galant 2.5 V6 Sport in a few months time and before I go ahead and test drive one, I wanted to get some initial opinions on what the car is like. Going through car reviews and alike is ok but only to a certain extent. What I need is some feedback from you real owners out there!

Is the 2.5 V6 a responsive engine or is it a bit lazy? Is it also flexible meaning power and torque are quite well spread throughout the rev range?

I've read a few reports stating that driver involvement is not fantastic. Is this really the case? What's the handling like? Does the Sport trim actually include a sports type suspension system?

Thanks for your help.

James :)

[Kieran]

Welcome to club VR-4 James:harro:

The suspension systems are the same. The 'Sport' trim makes the car sit 10mm closer to the ground INSERT INTO post VALUES (deeper front airdam); but there's no difference INSERT INTO post VALUES (suspension wise) in actual ride height or damper settings.

I don't own a V6, but I can tell you that it's been praised by the motoring press in the past for being very smooth, flexible and powerful.

And now over to the people who actually OWN one of them to tell you more!:D

[Brind]

I could tell you what the 2.5V6 engine is like but someone went and stuck two turbos on it. :rolleyes: :D The 2.5 is the same engine used in our VR-4's just without the turbos etc.
The engine is very quiet and smooth even with turbos so I'd guess it wasn't too different without.
Very strong engine and if it can take 280bhp and then on to about 400bhp on modified engines you can safely say it is pretty much bullet proof.

I can't comment on the ride or handling as the two cars don't compare there.

Welcome to the club James.:)

[James TC]

Thanks for the replies so far.

At least I know the situation with the suspension setup. Look forward to more comments about the 2.5 V6 INSERT INTO post VALUES (non turbo) and what it's like when put through it's paces.

Cheers,

James

BTW - Great club and forum :)

[zedy1]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Brind
[B]I could tell you what the 2.5V6 engine is like but someone went and stuck two turbos on it. :rolleyes: :D The 2.5 is the same engine used in our VR-4's just without the turbos etc.

welcome to the c;ub james
the 2.5 tt has the 6a13tt engine wich is quad cam in short and the 2.5 v6 engine has single cams on each head, but it may share the same block

[Nick Mann]

I did have a V6-24 estate before the VR4. It gave me almost 3 years of enjoyable motoring. It is more expensive to run than a Mondeo / Vectra / 406, but a much better car. The V6 is not as powerful as some of those previously mentioned, but the performance is good and the economy for a 2.5 was very good. I used to get 30-35 mpg on the whole. The car pulled well at low revs, so the torque must have been okay. I can't say if it is better or worse than others. The suspension was a little soft, but provided good comfort and good handling and so could manage speed bumps with ease!

Bear in mind that the 54,000 service INSERT INTO post VALUES (and 108 etc.) involves 6 platinum plugs at approx £15.00 each and a cam belt change plus more and comes in at over £500!

I would give the car a very good review, and would reccomend it to anyone who was thinking of something along those lines.

[ritch_w]

great car buy one now!

engine is pretty good are you going for manual or triptronic?
the engine is pretty torquey so no need for stick shifting.
best bit is when you are doing 50 and come across corsa boy, hit the kick down and you take off!!!

can get 30mpg with hooligan driving

[ritch_w]

oh, forgot to mention the only minus point - on dark cars the front bumper shows up stone chips make sure you get a light colour or that the dealer or whoever you get it from gets any stone chips repaired or painted.

Servicing as Nick says £110 for normal service then the biggy at 54K - however I worked with a guy last week who has an Alfa Romeo GTV V6 and his services arent any cheaper than £400 usually £800+ at an alfa specialist. He now despises the car due to the cost of servicing and replacing parts on a weekly basis!

He nearly cried when he found out how much the Galant V6 cost to service and that i didnt shell out £100's on parts at every service!!!

[adam_shaw]

I'm now on my second V6, the first an older V6-24, and this one a Sport - they are really the same - the ride doesn't feel as squidqy on the sport, but I put that down to the wheels INSERT INTO post VALUES (17" on the sport, versus 15" on others)

In my experience it has plenty of grunt, and can move if you want to INSERT INTO post VALUES (cruising at 200Kph/120mph on the autobahn a few weeks ago); the torque has to be good since it has won the tow car of the year thing in the past INSERT INTO post VALUES (I know I'm a witch....)

Servicing costs are higher than others, but provided the biggy 54K is some way off, or just done any of these cars make a good buy, I feel you get a lot more style, and goodies for your money.

Besides you just don't get people walking round a Mondeo in the filling station trying to figure out WTF it is.

Equipment levels are great, climate control, later models all seem to have a really good sized INSERT INTO post VALUES (from the shogun I guess) sunroof.

Auto boxes are good, though I had to have my last rebult at 100K - I think through lack of servicing by the previous owner, which brings me to the next obvious point,

Service history is a real good thing, any Mitsi dealer will give you a years bumper to bumper unlimited mileage warranty - which can only be a good thing.

You can then keep this going yourself for between 275-400 quid a year, which considering the cost of parts is good protection.

Any more questions, don't hesitate to ask, by the way Welcome :welcome:

[colVR4]

Glad you could join us INSERT INTO post VALUES (the V6 Sport community that is) :D

I have had a V6 Sport for nearly 6 months now and I am impressed with the car. I had a run up to Lancashire this weekend INSERT INTO post VALUES (Southport to be precise) and the car proved to be a very comfortable cruiser. The triptronic is great for plowing along in the outside lane.

..it also comes in handy when corsa/nova/focus boy sits 2 inches of the bumper so you can slip across into trip, drop it down to 3rd and say bye-bye :devil3:

The only gripe I have is with the suspension which I find a little too soft. It doesn't allow for really spirited INSERT INTO post VALUES (and I mean REALLY spirited) driver around the B-roads in Norfolk. I am looking to have it lowered slightly and a stiffer set-up.

I get on average about 30mpg from the V6 which isn't too bad, and since I fitted the K&N replacement panel filter I am finding that there is a more even spread of power through the rev bands.

Stone chips are a problem with the low bonnet line though and I am already looking at a stone chip repair kit to remove some of the larger, more unsightly chips in the paintwork :INSERT INTO post VALUES (

It does attract a lot of attention though, and I often caught blokes looking at it at the lights, around town, etc trying to figure out what it was!

Great tip for quick getaways in the wet for anyone with the trip box. If you have found a lack of grip when flooring it from a standing start at a junction :rolleyes: put it over in manual and select 2nd gear whilst still stopped. The box will hold 2nd even though you are stationary, that way you can floor it from the line and you should get more grip. The torgue at low revs will mean that you still launch off pretty quickly :cool1:

I have tried this and it works a treat when the corsa boys are spinning their wheels.

[colVR4]

blimey that was an epic... :typy:

:D

[James TC]

Thanks for all the really useful replies so far. If I was being honest, I'd tell you that it's between a Honda Accord Type R and a Galant 2.5 V6.

I know the Accord Type R is a fair bit quicker and the suspension and handling is pretty sublime and spot on. However, with a little nipper on the way in January, I am looking to get a good alternative and the Galant looks like a good one at the moment. I'm still only 26 INSERT INTO post VALUES (is that young??) which means insurance is playing a big part in what I can afford - VR4?? maybe in 10 years time!!

I don't mind modifying the Galant in future INSERT INTO post VALUES (maybe coils and shocks to better the suspension all round) so that should be bearable for the first year or so of ownership.

Just two main questions pop to mind at the moment:

1) Is the 2.5 V6 first cambelt service due in at 56k?
2) Are there any Mitsubishi/Japanese performance car specialists around the Midlands area who would be happy to service a Galant V6?

Cheers,

James

[enigma]

Do not dismiss the VR4 on insurance grounds.......get some quotes.....you wont regret it!

[adam_shaw]

Hi James,

The CAM belt service is ever 54K, and the last V6 I had was still going strong after 110k.

As for servicing I get the feeling most on here entrust their cars to Mitsi dealers, if only for the sake of the warranty.

Like was said insurance isn't the stopper on a VR4, I'm 27, live in the SE, with 4 years NCB and the insurance only wanted another 100 quid to up the insurance from the Sport to a VR4, what put me off was the 4500 service intervals.

If I'm having a good/bad month INSERT INTO post VALUES (good for the company, bad for my travel) I can do that easily which could mean the dealer seeing the car nearly as much as me.

As for dealers http://www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk/dealers/search.asp , specialists - I don't know, where is the Midlands contingent?

Adam

[colVR4]

I was under the impression that the cambelt service was 45,000 miles. Is this not the case then?:Ponder:

[ReggieK]

Originally posted by colV6Sport
I was under the impression that the cambelt service was 45,000 miles. Is this not the case then?:Ponder:

45k = VR4
54k = V6

So I am led to believe.... ;)

[Nick Mann]

Spot on, ReggieK.

There are plenty of Mitsubishi dealers around Brum:

Harbourne; New Oscott; Bromsgrove; Wolverhampton INSERT INTO post VALUES (Castlecroft - may be non-mitsy now) and one near Cov as well.

There is a place in or near Dudley called extreme which used to be the only ralliart company in the uk. However, Mitsy decided that they were missing out and took the Ralliart name to there own dealerships.

If you want to chat about it, PM me and I'll give you a call.

[James TC]

I think Adam's convinced me to get some quotes on the VR-4!!

Forget the Honda, give me a twin turbo Galant any day. :D

Is there a significant difference in service costs between the V6 and VR-4? INSERT INTO post VALUES (Probably a silly question but I had to ask!!)

I think I will also scrap the idea of finding a specialist and stick to a Mistu dealer. There's one on my doorstep so maybe locality is better than trying to save a few bob here and there.

I also noticed the VR-4 club got a mention in a Japanese Performance magazine article concerning the recent Jap Performance day at Santa Pod - nice one. :cool:

James

[Brind]

Don't think about it... do it! assuming you can afford it of course. :)

[adam_shaw]

Servicing breaks down like this,

For the V6-24 I was getting away INSERT INTO post VALUES (can't believe I think of it that way) with 2-300 pounds for each minor service INSERT INTO post VALUES (thats everything upto 54k)

Each major service INSERT INTO post VALUES (every 54k) was a little heavier, the first was 600 pounds, the second 900 INSERT INTO post VALUES (but that did include new brakes all around)

All of this is with Mitsubishi.

Now, just after I signed on the line for the Sport, the same dealer got a VR4 and amazingly offered to buy the Sport back for what I had paid if I wanted to go for the VR4, then I did the math.

Insurance: +100 INSERT INTO post VALUES (negligible, given the twin turbo/awd/ayc fun...)
Fuel: get steady 30mpg from the sport, no matter how heavy the right foot, can go to single figures on a VR4 INSERT INTO post VALUES (but I have a company fuel card...)
Servicing: each intermediate service INSERT INTO post VALUES (4.5k) around 200, plus the minor at 9k - given I can do 4.5k in a month many times, this is what stopped me, but if you do 'normal' miles, it'll mean 3 trips to the dealer a year, which isn't so bad...

Do it, you know you want to...

[colVR4]

I have just had a quote through from a mitsi dealer near me for a service at 72,000 miles. The cost is £267 INSERT INTO post VALUES (breakdown to follow when I remember to bring it to work). Considering that Marshalls at Cambridge were going to charge me £370 its quite a lot less for the same work.

After speaking to the garage they said that on average the servicing should cost between £200-£280 for a regular 9,000. I don't think this is too bad, but I still remember the days of paying £90 for a 12,000 mile service on my Peugot 205 1.1 ,but if you are going to have a luxury sports car :D you have to pay the price.

[James TC]

This is all very useful stuff to know. Thanks for all the help so far.

Just a couple of detail questions:

1) Is the wood effect trim an option? Can you find Galants without the wood effect trim INSERT INTO post VALUES (not very keen on them at all)?

2) Am I right in thinking that the Sport package only came out with cars on or after the year 2000 and the Sport package always includes those lovely 17" double spoke alloys?

James

[colVR4]

Yes and Yes....I think.

I have a 2000 INSERT INTO post VALUES (W) Sport and I don't have the 'Pipe and slippers' optional interior INSERT INTO post VALUES (jk :D). Also, as far as I am aware, the 17" alloys are standard with the Sport model.

[adam_shaw]

Also Yes and Yes,

V6-24 before 2000 got the lurvely plastic wood, and even the newest VR4 I saw INSERT INTO post VALUES (2001/Y) had it.

My Sport is a 2000, and has the carbon effect dash INSERT INTO post VALUES (you can see it on the post 'My Galant' - there is a picture of my interior); the 17" wheels were standard on the Sport, and the last end of line models sold in the UK all had Sport trim INSERT INTO post VALUES (Carbon Dash/Momo wheel/17" twin spokes/VR4-ish body kit) as standard.

If you can find a really late one 52/03 you should even see Leather as standard.