Road Test: Mitsubishi 380 VRX

By Feann Torr - 11/May/2006

Mitsubishi has been trying very hard to convince buyers that it's 380 large car is a sweet machine, and things are starting to look more positive for the marque. Even so, Mitsu has slashed prices on its entire range of vehicles, dropping the entry-level 380 price from $34,490 to $27,990, and even reimbursing some recent buyers who just missed the price drop.

Between the special edition models, an early Series II upgrade and the price reductions, you'd think the Mitsubishi 380 was a complete dud, a bucket of bolts in the vein of the P76 Leyland. But it's not - in fact it's a very capable car, as I'll explain in this road test, and has been awarded 'Australia's best large car', which is quite something. But at the end of the day, it's the sales figures that ultimately do the talking, and if new car buyers aren't taking to the 380, the big chieftains at Mitsubishi must take action and try to stem the bleeding.

But I'll leave the business decisions to the suits - price reduction or not, I'm much more interested in how this car performs. Does it live up to its status as the sportiest and quickest 380 in the Mitsubishi line-up, or is it already a has-been model, powered by low-tech machinery? Let's take a look:

Mitsubishi's 380 VRX is a very capable sports sedan, featuring an rorty V6 engine that feels stronger than the specs suggest Mitsubishi 6G75 3.8-litre V6 The fuel injected vee 6-cylinder engine has a 3.8-litre (3828cc) capacity and while the engine block is made from cast-iron, the cylinder heads are aluminium alloy. Single overhead camshafts (SOHC) actuate 4-valves per cylinder, two intake and two exhaust. The V6 engine has a 10.0:1 compression ratio, and can take 91 octane petrol or higher, which fills a 67 litre fuel tank. Fuel Consumption: 10.8L/100km (combined cycle) Max Power: 175kW @ 5250rpm Max Torque: 343Nm @ 4000rpm 0-100km/h: 7.6 seconds

The sports model, the sprinter, the athlete of the 380 range is the VRX, and I personally thought that it could have done with some more visual baubles, such as larger wheels and perhaps a rear spoiler, a la it's rivals: Ford Falcon XR6 and Holden Commodore SV6.

It’s got an understated look to it, where the finer visual details are quite nice. The fog light nacelles, the clustered headlights and 17-inch mags are easy on the eyes. The VRX doesn’t sit close enough to the ground for my liking, but at the same time ample ground clearance makes it a more practical vehicle to live with day in, day out.

The rear end I don’t mind ,with the slight spoiler lip and jeweled brake lights with vertical indicators. It’s got a rather sleek profile too, the wedge shape works remarkably well, and gives it a much more modern look than its forebear, if somewhat Americanised from certain angles.

When we start talking about the mechanical aspect though, there's no denying the VRX's athleticism. I was initially surprised by the GT's grip and handling when we tested it in late 2005, and the VRX turns the dial up another notch.

Simply put, the VRX does what the brochures say - it’s incredibly good through a corner. For a front wheel drive, it also very planted, and the 3.8-litre engine has a powerful feel, as though it's breathing easily and there's very little friction slowing down its progress. And one aspect about the engine that impresses more than any other is its tractability.

Example: in this manual model, I found that I could take off in second gear without having to ride the clutch. Don't believe me? Ask my mum. She was quite impressed too.

The way it puts the power down, the way it transfers torque to the driving wheels, is so clean and tidy it's a wonder more people haven't tacked on to the vehicle's biggest draw card (and no, I don't have Mitsubishi shares). The 380 VRX's powertrain is surprisingly good, and for power down and tractability, the Commodore and Falcon come in second and third places respectively.

Here’s another example: 5th gear, 100km/h on the freeway. Put the boot in and there’s nary a shudder through the driveline - the car just does what it’s asked and responds, adding speed much faster than I was ready for. It responds, it pulls cleanly and I get the feeling it could be to do with the flywheel.

Featuring single overhead camshafts (SOHC) per cylinder bank, Mitsubishi's 3.8-litre V6 is quite the performer, and sounds great too. It features a rather large end pipe which contributes to its aural output, sounding quite growly from the street (it's more subdued from the cabin).

Mitsubishi claims a 0-100km/h dash in 7.6 seconds. We actually managed to record a slightly quicker time than that, and it certainly felt much more rapid than those number would suggest. Power is more than adequate at 175kW, or about 235 horsepower, and it feels like there's more torque than the stated 343 Newton metres.

Before we get to the vehicle's everyday operation, let's look at it's weekend prowess. After all, Mitsubishi did design the 380 to be a drivers car...

The steering is very good for a FWD vehicle - it's responsive and has medium weight to it underhand. I wouldn’t say it’s an oversteerer, but understeer is not chronic; it’s mild if anything, and the vehicle feels balanced and confident when tipping into corners, though I should mention that torque steer does make itself felt at times, which can soemtimes pour cold water on your spirited weekend travels.

When in a low gear, driving through a medium-to-tight corner and you dial in more power via the throttle, sometimes the wheels tend to grab a little too well and spin up, which can exert pressure on the steering wheel as the driving wheel's direction reach a state of flux. This again shows that the engine puts down its power in a highly effective manner, but when it impinges on the car's handling, it's time to whinge a little bit. The torque steer issue doesn't kill the car's sporty character though, and I only experienced this niggle two or three times during our seven day test, and generally speaking the VRXpossesses good levels of grip.

When driving through a mountain pass near Kosciusko, I was constantly surprised by how well the VRX tracked through corners. It is indeed a drivers car, and a very rewarding one at that, which is quite a feat for a front-wheel drive motor vehicle. The suspension is one of the keys to the car's ability to push through corners without becoming flustered, and it's been set up almost perfectly in this application, creating a reassuring relationship of mutual benefit with the other chassis elements.

The only area where the suspension disappoints is squat. During acceleration the car’s front end tends to pitch up and the rear end squats down, which doesn't feel very sporty. I should mention that the same can’t be said for dive. Even under heavy braking (and the brakes are quite capable, fitted with ventilated discs front and rear, measuring 294mm and 302mm respectively) the car exhibits very little nose dive as the weight dramatically shifts to the front of the vehicle.

The 5-speed manual gear box was very much to my liking, and I'd take it over the 5-speed auto if I didn't have to commute two hours every day. It had a solid shift feel, there wasn’t too much notchiness, and I never got left out in the cold searching for a particular gear ratio, even when enthusiastically manhandling the gear lever.

And thanks to the engine's aforementioned tractability, every gear has its use as well. It’ll sit in 5th gear at 60km/h @ just over 1000rpm, and will still respond to throttle input, while the lower gears give the car quick bursts of speed, and will get things going if your towing a trailer. The clutch is easy to operate and isn't overly heavy and, just for the record, I must mention that at one point I was controlling the car at 30km in 4th gear and accelerating up a hill. Impressed yet?

The gearbox and engine combo work really well, making it a very easy car to drive in any condition - boring commuting or hard-charging cornering, vague sight seeing, rushed family visits and even load lugging journeys from the nursery or hardware store. It’s always a happy customer in almost all situations and is pretty good around town to boot. The suspension on the sporty VRX could be a touch harsh at times when riding over deeper holes in the asphalt, but all in all it's a splendid compromise when one considers it’s at-the-limit capability. For the sports model, the VRX manages the majority of undulations and protuberances in the road with aplomb, riding over these scarred surfaces without untowardly disturbing passengers in the car. Obviously you’ll feel a few of these bumps, but the VRX has not compromised its ride, despite having very good handling characteristics.

Sitting inside the sporty 380, and there's a lot to like - particularly the roominess. The cloth trim I really liked too. Don’t get me wrong, leather’s great, but there’s something quite pleasing about the supple seat cushions and good old-fashion cloth upholstery. The car is very roomy on the inside, contributing to the interior’s comfortable design direction, and is match for the Falco-dores out there for room to move.

The rear's very large too. The seats cater for extra large buttocks, but in a case of form over function, the rear windscreen tapers down quite sharply, which impinges on head room for rear seat passengers. Over bumps, taller rear seat passengers may bump heads, which is rather funny for the driver, but not so amusing for those with meticulous hair grooming habits. As I found out.

Mitsubishi's VRX features a good quality stereo, supplied by a 6-stack in dash CD player, and while the HVAC controls look like big and toyish, this makes them exceedingly simple to decipher and use. Carbon graphite inserts in the doors and across the dash designate the sporty VRX model, and the car features good dash plastics and headlining materials. The steering wheel has a large diameter and was too thin for my liking, but the audio controls behind the spokes are very practical and quite efficient once you get used to their functions. Other features like cruise control work well, the trip computer has loads of features (average fuel, instant fuel, total time, total km, average speed, set speed, tank range, total fuel in tank) and the chrome-rimmed dials in the VRX are really nice too: the speedometer in the middle, tachometer on the left, and they light up blue at night, giving the cockpit an suitably technical feel.

Sitting inside the car and looking out, visibility isn’t the best in class. The A-pillars and the D-pillars can be obtrusive, and another quibble I had while driving the 380 VRX was that the window sill was too high. If you’re 6'4" tall, the height would be perfect and your elbow would be relaxed, but for anyone not that tall, you may find your elbow is crooked at a high angle when fat-arming it.

Overall: 4/5

As a sports sedan, the VRX is a success. It's a real drivers car, and despite it's large size and decent kerb weight (1635kg), it sticks the road, has more than a modicum of balance and is surprisingly rewarding to drive hard.

Mitsubishi has been doing it tough lately - in Australia at least. Large locally made sedans are falling out of favour as rising oil prices take their toll on hip pockets, and it hasn't sold as many 380s as it would have like. In Japan however, the new Outlander is currently doing good business, outselling Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V with ease.

But that's besides the point. The 380 VRX is the sports model of Mitsubishi's large car range, and much like the luxurious GT we tested in late 2005, it's a real drivers car with an emphasis on driver enjoyment. And for $36,990 the Mitsubishi 380 VRX undercuts Ford's $39,710 XR6 Falcon and Holden's $39,990 SV6 Commodore by almost $3000, making it a good value proposition.

I think the 380 VRX does a very good job of taking the fight to the nat-atmo Ford and Holden 6-cylinder sports sedans, and save for a few niggles here and there, it's a very good car with a strong engine, while being a highly rewarding drive for those who don't mind flexing its considerable muscles. Don't knock it 'til you try it.