Video reviews of cars from the ‘90s are slouching toward old-timeyness. The close-up on the reviewer to start (a hint of “hw” beginning his “whats” and “wheres,”) the zoom out to reveal the car, the occasional overlay of blurry text to describe certain features—it just screams vintage.
These reviews can be interesting time capsules for 21st century drivers, who may or may not remember driving or being driven in the ’90s. One charming review for the Mitsubishi
Galant GSX shows us just how far we’ve come in the automotive world. The Mitsubishi Galant GSX: Manual magic
Mitsubishi made a few great cars in the ‘90s, says Road and Track
, the original Galant among them. The GSX was Mitsubishi’s all-wheel drive version of the Galant, which the MotorWeek reviewer leads with as his first interesting fact about this updated sedan. It is implied that all-wheel drive was not common for imported four doors of the time. This and the cute spoiler on the back give a very ‘90s impression of sportiness.
The review
shifts to the interior, where we learn that the buttons are mostly reasonable, but the radio is complex and too low down on the console for drivers to comfortably fiddle with while zipping across town. Even to modern day eyes, so accustomed to pushing buttons and touching screens all day, the radio does in fact look too complex. The other interior complaint is very of its time as well: the reviewer is annoyed that the shifter does not click into place in a satisfying fashion. This perks up the ears of a listener from 2022, who would only be driving stick as a result of deep commitment and an indulgent mechanic. In the ‘90s, manual transmission was standard, so the Galant GSX fell right in line with its peers.
Safety concerns
A road test follows. The reviewer calls the acceleration from 0 to 60 in 9.4 seconds “adequate.” By comparison, the 2023 Toyota Camry can do 0 to 60 in 7.8 seconds, and the loss of almost two seconds in 30 years seems … not terribly impressive? Perhaps this reviewer had high expectations.
The biggest giveaway for the car’s age, besides the manual transmission, is in the safety feature discussion. As the Galant GSX screeches to a stop on the road, the reviewer praises the ABS capabilities of the car. He reports that they had to pay $1,500 extra for this optional system, and is pleased they made the investment. Auto locking brake systems are nearly universal these days, but people were still debating their merits in the ‘90s, as indicated by this New York Times
piece from 1994. The reviewer does his final safety check, and reports without inflection that there are no airbags for driver or passenger, but backseat passengers, luckily, could be secured by shoulder belts. Hopefully the Galant’s driver wasn’t trying to figure out the complex radio.
MORE: Almost a Classic: The 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse
Beyond the ‘90s
A poignant line from the review referred to Mitsubishi as an “up and coming Japanese carmaker.” Despite a surge of enthusiasm in the ‘90s for cars like the Galant GSX, the 21st century hasn’t been the firm’s moment. Notwithstanding the recent success of the Outlander SUV, Mitsubishi is only a minor player in the U.S. auto market, at best.
In 2021, it began winding down its European presence as well, says The Irish Times
, and it intends to shift the majority of its wares to Nissan platforms by 2026, reports The Detroit Bureau
. So we may not see a whole lot of Mitsubishi on American roads anymore, but we’ll always have our ‘90s memories. Ready to insure a more current sedan? Jerry
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