Mitsubishi 380 GT Series III 2007 Review

Overall rating: 3.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.5/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.0/5.0
Safety: 3.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
X-factor: 2.5/5.0

When a GT badge is applied to a local four-door sedan, it taps into decades of heritage and generates huge expectations. Can the Mitsubishi 380, which is one of Australia's standout sub-$30,000 buys, support the expectations generated by a GT badge on a model costing $45,000 with the standard front-drive mechanical package? The answer must be no, especially when the GT's plain wrapper colour-coded body parts and mesh grille only level it visually with the sportier $36,990 VRX.

Mitsubishi's experience with the 380 is a sobering example of what happens after a company buries easily recognised nameplates such as Magna, Galant and Verada for a meaningless series of numbers and letters. Even Toyota was forced to return to its old bi-level Camry/Vienta range with its current Camry/Aurion models and the sales speak for themselves.

The 380 GT is a Verada Xi by any other name and therein lies the problem. Always an outstanding model, the top-flight Verada was no more a GT than the latest 380 GT. Instead it sold on its many virtues as a luxury model, most of which are being missed by former Verada owners who don't equate a 380 GT as a luxury replacement for a much loved Verada.

Even after a short drive, the real GT buyers can only laugh at the misnomer when its 175kW/343Nm power and torque outputs are lower than most entry models in this class.

The 380 GT's situation has been complicated by substantial price cuts and feature upgrades that have placed the latest Fairmont Ghia and Holden Calais within a thousand dollars of the 380 GT. Factor in the extra grunt, dual-zone climate control, reach-adjustable steering columns, large centre screens and standard ESP of both its rear-drive rivals (none of which are available on the 380 GT) and the Mitsubishi faces an instant  $3000 price disadvantage.

For the record, ESP is still eight months away for a mid-2008 release.

The big ask for the optional audio-visual package is generated by the process where Mitsubishi has to supply the GT minus a sound system and a hole in the dash ready for the dealer to fill it with an aftermarket system. Although effective, it suffers aftermarket shortcomings when it leaves the GT with only a single CD player that has to be accessed by swivelling the touch screen into a horizontal position.

When this prevents the driver from seeing the screen and its touch controls, you can't operate it after that point without moving out of the driver's seat and looking from an overhead vantage point roughly where the central mirror hangs. Crazy? When it also pushes the 380 GT almost up to $50,000, it's not good enough in this segment.

Mitsubishi's short-term top-end model strategy is to re-package the left-over bits including the light-coloured leather interior from the overlooked and now discontinued 380 LX as the GT-L then throw in the sunroof and extra bootlid chrome for the same price as the stock GT. If you don't want the old LX's sand-coloured interior, you have to pay the same money for the standard GT on test then pay extra for the sunroof.

The GT therefore is the model that will continue as the 380 'hero' model after the GT-L extra value deal ends. Despite the new alloy wheels, chrome finishing strip on the bootlid and sportier instrument cluster (which works really well), these Series III upgrades are no match for the latest in your face highlights on Ford's runout BFII Fairmont Ghia and Holden's new VE Calais. These models ooze $45,000 presence which is the whole point of spending an extra $15,000 over a base model that is otherwise the same car.

When the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger, which are based on the same US Galant platform as the 380, are priced up to $10,000 cheaper this is a real obstacle. The GT's big clear caps over the tail lights don't help either. According to one wag, it looks like it's wearing safety goggles back to front.

Get past the presentation, and the rest of the 380 is good enough to support a model up to $50,000. Australian engineers worked hard to fine tune the chassis for local conditions and the result is agile, smooth riding, supremely quiet over any surface and grippy with the GT's 17 inch tyre package. In fact, the GT is an unbelievable advertisement for the $28,990 380 ES which is fundamentally the same car.

As always, the GT's 3.8-litre V6 is a class leader in refinement. It presents a better balance of economy and performance than most four-cylinder medium cars which the 380 GT will be shopped against by some buyers.

Fully laden, over a mix of freeway and city travel where the big V6 could lope along without strain, fuel consumption dropped below 10lt/100km to an average of 9.8. The big fours in Hondas, Subarus and Mazdas will struggle to match that and won't, if you fill them up with passengers and luggage. The GT certainly validated Mitsubishi's official line that a four-cylinder version of the 380 would offer no fuel consumption advantage over the V6 version.

Passengers loved the interior which was comfortable, roomy and quiet with plenty of storage. The only drawback is a side window line that might be too high for smaller children. At least the driver is spared the thick windscreen A-pillars that block forward vision in so many current models.

The 380 GT is a triumph of development. Alas its pedestrian origins are sadly too obvious when several expected 'exec class' features are not even available.

Instead of hiding the gap, the GT badge highlights it.