Yup...
The Vr4 was also sold by Ralliart in the UK... not loads of them, maybe 100 or so, cant remember the exact numbers. While its no e39 m5 rival, it can hold its own against the m3 and earlier m5's. Those who have met the vr4 on track etc will confirm this.
As for reviews, heres a few links, most of which are good reading (popular as an HSV rival in NZ)...
http://www.aas.com.sg/features/archive/f07992.htm
And this is from Evo:
EVO August 1999.
Subaru Legacy RSK-B4 vs Mitsubishi Galant VR4
Think four-door saloon, supercar performance and affordable prices, and I ‘d wager an Impreza Turbo or Lancer Evolution would come immediately to mind. But if you’re the more mature, family man type and want that supercar-humbling performance in a less obvious package, then Subaru and Mitsubishi can offer you two cars which will have the sort of effect that a Mars Bar has on Marianne Faithful.
Available through your local Mitsubishi dealer, the £28,995 Galant VR4 is a sort of grown up Lancer EVO. Meanwhile the £26,450 Legacy RSK-B4 – available via your regular grey importers offers a taste of Impreza Turbo thrills in a bigger packet.
Visually, neither car wins any beauty prizes, both suffering from a mismatch of wings, spoilers, scoops and sill extensions, with the Legacy coming out top by virtue of it being least the offensive to the eye. :nono: The Legacy also wins inside, with a simple, smart instrument display, hip-hugging seats and high quality plastics. The Galant has a two-tone red leather steering wheel. Need I say more?
The appeal of these two saloons, though, is the hardware they pack – and their ability to make the most of it. The Galant is powered by a 2.5 litre, twin-turbo 276bhp V6 hooked up to a five speed ‘intelligent’ automatic transmission ( adjusting shift patterns according to your driving style ). It also comes with Active Yaw Control (AYC); as found on the Lancer EVO6.
All of which gives the VR4 a positively ‘Star Wars’ feel compared with the more ‘Ben Hur’ approach of the Legacy. The Legacy’s flat four also benefits from a pair of turbos (helping produce an identical 276bhp) and has a chassis tweaked by Porsche. But its five speed manual ‘box and four-wheel drive are taken largely unchanged from the regular Impreza Turbo. No bad thing.
On the road, though, it’s the Galant that really shines. The weighty feel to the steering and armfuls of feedback from both helm and chassis encourage you to press on as soon as the traffic frees up. Any thoughts of the auto-box hampering progress are dismissed the first time you ask it to kick down. On only a couple of occasions did it need time to think before selecting the appropriate gear. Otherwise it delivers smooth, effortless and unobtrusive changes whenever your right foot demands.
After the Galant, the Legacy’s a bit of a disappointment. Over-light steering and continuous fidgeting on those 215/45x17 Bridgestones (the Galant wears identical size tyres)
means you have to work hard just to keep the Mitsubishi in your sights.
Turn in too fast, and where the Galant can call on AYC to see you through the corner, the Legacy feels clumsy, rolling onto its dampers and relying on the tyres to resolve the situation. It’s hard to believe the Legacy comes from the same stable as the Impreza.
And it’s not only through the twisting stuff that the Legacy loses out. A noticeable trough of turbo lag below 3500rpm allows the Galant’s six-cylinder grunt to pull out half a cars length over the Legacy, and by the time the Subaru’s boxer engine has called upon its second turbo at 4500rpm, the VR4 is two, nearly three lengths further down the road. Subaru’s claim for the RSK-B4 reaching 60 in under 6secs is as bold as the Mitsubishi’s 6.7secs claim for the same discipline is conservative.
While the Legacy has the looks and the stylish interior, it’s the Galant that serves up the thrills to satisfy any enthusiast who isn’t allowed and EVO6. It’s just a shame that Mitsubishi had trouble finding a decent interior designer.
