Worth waiting for

By Shaun Inguanzo
THE MITSUBISHI 380 sedan is an exhilarating experience.
The only question is whether Australians need another highprofile large car when Ford’s Falcon and Holden’s Commodore dominate the market and offer sufficient power and features for families and petrolheads alike.
The 380 standard model that was put to the test is attractive breed of car.
Promotional photos fail to exude the car’s low, coupe design which defines it from the more rounded, conservative shapes of the Commodore and Falcon.
The 380’s rear resembles a cross between Nissan’s Maxima and Holden’s Statesman, but from a diagonal rear perspective, the slanted appearance and convex bottom whisper ‘Monaro’ in a subtle manner while retaining the large car appeal.
The interior is engineered for maximum space so there is almost as much room in the 380’s cabin as in a large luxury vehicle.
With the driver’s and front passenger’s seat fullyextended, there is still enough leg space to feel comfortable.
The only hitch is that tall rear passengers may be nagged by the low roof.
The interior dash feels solid, rubbery and unlikely to crack after long term sun exposure.
Mitsubishi’s frontwheeldrive effort has almost eliminated torquesteering, leaving only the ‘torque’ which provides an adrenalineinducing rush.
Taking corners is easy in the 380 which provides one of the flattest and balanced turns on the market.
The 3.8 litre V6 engine is incredibly quiet and the car changed through its five automatic gears without a glitch.
Amazingly, the drive was so smooth that 100km/h on the Princes Highway felt smoother than other vehicles.
The iceblue dash lights are attractive and easy on the eyes, the MP3 CD player and sound system delivered quality sound.
Fuel economy is reasonable for a V6, between 10 and 11 litres per 100 kilometres for day to day driving.