Mitsubishi 380: First Look

By Feann Torr - 28/9/2005

Mitsubishi's Australian operation has a lot riding on its new large car, the 380. More than $600 million in fact.

But as the first details of the Magna's long overdue replacement wing their electronic way to media outlets everywhere, this hack is very pleased with what he sees:

Gone are the Olivier Boulay influenced ideas - the Euro-trash snout, the odd-looking headlights - which sometimes gave the overall sensation that the Magna wasn't quite sure of itself.

And in it's place is one of the most modern-looking locally built large cars on the market today, displaying a restrained overall style on what is a very solid and handsome basic shape - bequeathing the car with some much-needed self-esteem.

And that's not all: it's got a bigger, more powerful engine, one of the most impressive standard features lists of any locally built car, a new suspension system, upgraded brakes and stylish new interiors, all assembled via a strict new manufacturing process, one that Mitsubishi insists will provide for an ultra high quality car, still backed by its 5/10 year warranty.

One of the key reasons customers weren't flocking to the Magna was because of the way it looked - we got plenty of letters attacking the styling. And like many aspects of the new car, Mitsubishi has listened to customer feedback, and the results are there for all to see.

But before Mitsubishi cracks open the bubbly, it will have to examine the sales charts after a few months in dealerships, but compared to the 380's predecessor, the Magna, one could brashly suggest that it will, at the very least, be more successful than the Magna and perhaps even be a much bigger success for the company.

From the front, the car is a much cleaner, simpler design than the Magna, and more angular too, which suits the car's larger size quite nicely.

Again, the headlights are less curvy, going for a more pleasing angular take, with three distinct elements behind the frosted lens - driving, high beam and indicator lights.

The grille is now a single aperture (and a much simpler affair, thankfully) adorned with a conservatively-sized Mitsubishi star. Sports models (GT, VRX) get black mesh grille backings, while luxury and base models get three chrome horizontal bars.

Sports and luxury models get a deeper front apron that incorporates stylish (and not too large) driving/fog lights and the obligatory 17-inch wheels.

From the side, it's clear that the new car is based on the American Galant, but this is no bad thing as it gives the 380 a more aggressive profile, starting lower at the front and rising towards the tail.

The surfaces are generally flat and clean, giving it a dignified appearance, and if you wander round to the rear you'll notice that the rear windscreen has a steeper rake than the Magna, and is pulled back further across the boot giving it a sporty, almost coupe-like appearance.

As a side note, Holden's new VE Commodore is also going down this path with a shorter-looking boot as the C-pillars are pushed towards the rear.

Styling of the 380's rear end is quite different to the Magna. Beginning with the bonnet and continuing the shoulder line through to the boot deck, the 380 has a wedge shape that gives the rear end a sportier look, some may even say a European look, not dissimilar from the Holden Vectra.

The squared-off brake lights are not as radical as the Magna's items, and this works in the car's favour I think, and VRX and GT models get very impressive clear lens brake lights, arranged in an eye-catching horizontal fashion. The clear lens seamlessly integrate into the subtle boot lid spoiler as well.

Shorter than the Magna by a scant 23mm (380 4837mm/Magna 4860mm), the new 380 is however much wider, fattening up by some 55mm in width (380 1840mm/Magna 1785mm) and taller too, increasing height by 44mm over its predecessor. The increase in width and height will please many drivers who thought the Magna was a bit narrow when compared its traditional rivals, the Falcon and Commodore.

One area where the new 380 doesn't fare quite as well is in the boot space stakes. While more than spacious in its own right, the 437 litre boot is however down on Commodore (465 litre), Falcon (504 litre) and even it's originator, the Magna (470 litre).

Powered by a SOHC 3.8-litre V6, the new 380 develops 175kW of power @ 5250rpm, on par with Holden's volume-selling Commodore models and 15kW shy of Ford's new BF Falcon.

But Mitsubishi claims it's cars are faster than both Holden's and Ford's large cars when using low octane 91 RON fuel, boasting a 0-100km/h sprint time of 7.76 seconds. Using 95+ RON fuel, the time drops to 7.6 seconds.

Only one engine tune will be offered across the range - VRX and GT models get the same 175kW mill as the entry-level model, simply called the 380. Fuel consumption figures are slightly better than average, with 11.4 l/100km for manual and 10.8 l/100km for the auto on the combined city/highway cycle.

When I first read that I thought that Mitsu has made a typo, but no - the auto less thirsty than the manual apparently.

Torque figures can argue with Holden's Alloytec engine, besting both the 175 and 190 version of the engine, but again Ford's straight six wins out -- but it should be said that the Ford 4.0-litre is larger than both GM and Mitsubishi powerplants, giving it a distinct advantage.

The new 3.8-litre engine makes 343Nm @ 4000rpm, with the company claiming a "meaty torque curve shows over 300Nm from 1500rpm all the way up to almost 5000rpm," that will be of more interest to those looking to tow trailers. The superceded 3.5-litre generated 316Nm @ 4000rpm in comparison.

Furthermore, Mitsubishi states that the new bent 6-cylinder motor is based on the 3.8-litre unit used in the US Galant, "but has many different hardware details, and a completely different engine management system, which incorporates technology not found in any other Mitsubishi vehicle."

Designated 6G75, the new engine has a single overhead cam (per cylinder bank), 4-valves per cylinder and a 3828cc capacity. The cylinder block is an all-new design, made of cast-iron, while the heads are aluminium.

Other features, such as the crankshaft, con rods, pistons and heads are also new to the 6G75 powerplant, and the compression ratio has risen from 9.0:1 to 10.0:1.

Mitsu's new engine redlines @ 6100rpm and hits an invisible wall (torque is reduced) @ 6500rpm to avoid damage to engine internals. Interestingly, the company chose to go with the more aggressive camshaft profile that was developed for the Ralliart Magna a few years back, and reckons that it's far from peaky, but still delivers a 10% valve lift increase and 8% more overlap. You won't hear me complaining about that.

Gearbox choices for the new Mitsubishi 380 include the 5-speed manual gearbox and the 5-speed automatic gearbox, the latter of which is expected to dominate sales. All models are front-wheel drive. The new 380 will be the only locally made large car to offer a 5-speed auto transmission in its base model, and the company says the extra ratio logically results in improved fuel economy and performance.

The suspension has also been dabbled with to improve roadholding and handling, something we're very keen to test in the real world. The VRX Magna models we have tested in the past have proved to be quite versatile, so we're hoping that the new 380 will be an ever crisper cornering tool.

Employing what Mitsubishi calls the BOS system (Body Optimised Suspension), it involves fully independent suspension arrays front and rear. Up from is a coil over MacPherson strut with and lower A-arm, and a multi-link design at the rear. Stabiliser (anti-roll) bars have been fitted front and rear and the dampers have been "specifically tuned to give a sporty and fun drive with high dynamic capabilities in line with the car's positioning in the market," according to Mitsubishi. VRX and GT models get a sportier suspension tune, and the new body shell is more rigid than before, with somewhere near twice the torsional stiffness of the Magna.

Taking care of deceleration are ("utilising Mitsubishi's extensive rally experience") front ventilated discs measuring 294mm diameter, with big twin-pot calipers, and at the rear are 284mm ventilated discs with single pot calipers. ABS is a standard feature on the 380, as is electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), and Mitsubishi reckons the upgraded brake system improves stopping distance by 14%.

On the topic of safety, all 380 models feature driver and passenger SRS air bags plus side air bags as standard, while all three rear seats have three-point lap-sash seat belts.

Mitsubishi has tailored each model released thus far - 380, LS, LX, VRX, GT - with their own individual interiors (two more models, the Exceed and GTVi are yet to be released).

And it has to be said that the overall layout of the new cabin looks quite nice. One of the more prominent new features is the rather spiffy-looking trip computer, one that will rival the Commodore's impressive dot matrix displays.

The new look steering wheel is also rather tasty, featuring a futuristic four-spoke style with two horizontal bars and a further two closely space vertical bars. The omission of steering-wheel mounted cruise controls is disappointing, but there are audio toggles behind the wheel (thanks Lee).

New look instrument clusters, not to mention control knobs and switches, are backlit with trendy 'ice-blue' LED lamps that the company says help to "create a sophisticated and co-ordinated interior ambience."

Base model 380s come with 2-DIN AM/FM radio with CD and MP3 and six speakers, while higher spec models get an integrated HVAC panel with a 6-CD in-dash stacker (+MP3) and an eight speaker setup.

It's good to see that air conditioning and automatic climate control are standard features on all models too, as are power operated driver's seats (4-way on 380, 6-way on LS, VRX and 10-way on LX, GT. Things like remote keyless entry, power mirrors, an engine immobiliser and power windows on all doors are standard across the range, as is the option of Bluetooth capability (standard on the GT model), while the new 10-function trip computer includes the following functions:

average speed
instant fuel consumption
average fuel consumption
total fuel used
range to empty
travel time
total distance travelled
speed alert
rest reminder
service reminder

So there you have it - the new Mitsubishi 380 revealed for all of Australia - and the world - to see. More than just an American Galant with a new front end, the 380 is a vehicle designed for Australian drivers. It's got masses of interior space, a powerful new engine and the new look will do wonders for repairing Mitsu's image in Australia after the lackadaisical Magna turned many of the faithful away.

The 380 also represents what could be Mitsubishi Australia's last chance to keep it's operation running here, as it's Japanese bosses would be unlikely to issue another $600 million cheque to keep its Australian arm afloat if the 380 fails to win over buyers, no matter how crucial it is to the overall company's grand plans.

But I get the feeling that the new 380 could be a big bread winner for Mitsubishi, even in the face of rising petrol prices and shift away from large cars. Sure, it's as wide as Commodore and almost as long, but it disguises its length very well, almost looking more like a Mazda6 in size. And if people buy cars based on looks alone, then it can't do any worse than the Magna, that's for sure.