HG/HH Galant

It was only when MMAL developed the larger Diamante from 1990 that the 1990s Magna diverted from the original Galant/Sigma family tree, so the name - now nestled onto a still-medium sized sedan (and hatchback) - made a comeback in May 1989 in boxy HG guise.

Mitsubishi pitched this sixth-generation front-wheel drive Galant as its fully imported flagship, supplementing the Australian produced Magna and fitting into the semi-luxury segment against the lower priced Europeans.

The Galant was available in a range of models from the base 77kW/160Nm 2.0-litre SOHC 8-valve four-cylinder SE five-speed manual or four-speed automatic hatch and sedan, through the high spec 102kW/173Nm 2.0 twin-cam GSR hatch.

From October 1990 there was a minor facelift to mark the HH series, along with a cracking four-wheel drive, four-wheel steered VR4 sedan, powered by a turbocharged 148kW/290Nm 2.0-litre twin-cam four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

The HH model also brought a four-speed automatic transmission for the GSR model.

Suspension on both HG/HH Galants is by MacPherson struts and coil springs at the front and a three-link U-beam with integral torsion bar, trailing arm, lateral locating rods and coil springs at the rear.

But it wasn't very successful in snaring the Mazda 626 and Honda Accord buyers it was meant to, even when the hotter HH models debuted.