QUESTION: Enjoyed your article on the web about the 1999 Mitsubishi Galant. My Husband and I are shopping for a new and SAFE car. We test drove a 1999 Galant and fell in love. However, the NHTSA crash tests show that the 1998 model scored poorly. I am concerned that the 1999 model might have the same results as the 1998 model even though Mitsubishi claims that the new steel frame has been improved for crash resistance. I could not find any information about the 1999 Mitsubishi crash test results on the web. Do you know where I can find these results?
ANSWER: This is one of the problems of crash tests, that new products take some time to get into the independent testing cycle. Another problem is that the independent groups only test one vehicle, one time, and some errors occur. I have seen identical vehicles such as the Toyota Corolla and Chevy Prism get listed with very different results from the same testing agency. The car companies all test vehicles very thoroughly, crashing dozens of each model before introduction, and all meet government standards. The rankings are really not indicating failure, but degrees of acceptability, BASED ON A SINGLE TEST. For obvious legal reasons, manufacturers do not make developmental tests available, and I like to refer to real world crash results, which are compiled by a few state agencies and insurance companies. Once again, these are not available for new cars, and sometimes don't reflect model changes.
I am much more interested in avoiding accidents than protecting against injury, and put more emphasis on handling, braking, and vision characteristics. I am high on the Galant, and feel you would enjoy owning one. I'm forwarding this to Mitsubishi for their comment, and will share any reply with you.
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