Menu
Cancel

Browse over 9,000 car reviews

    guides

    adventureguide

    evguide

    familyguide

    tradieguide

    urbanguide

    0 Logout

    Browse over 9,000 car reviews

    17 October 2017

    Mitsubishi Australia's red devil

    By Mitchell TulkMitchell Tulk
    In a way, the Magna Ralliart was the spiritual successor to the Chrysler Valiant Pacer.

    Everyone remembers the Magna for being dependable and boring, yet the Ralliart model was the complete opposite.

    The Magna was Mitsubishi’s answer to the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore, but was always seen as the brand’s Toyota Camry, as it was only front-wheel drive (before 2002) and wasn’t the most exciting car to steer.

    However, things changed in 2001 at the Sydney Motor Show, when Mitsubishi revealed its Ralliart prototype of the TJ Magna.

    Taking a standard VR-X, the dial was turned up to 11 which resulted in an not-for-everyone bodykit, inspired by the Lancer Evo, 17-inch alloy wheels, additional power, all-wheel drive, a racy red and black interior, complete with Recaro front seats and a Momo steering wheel.

    Can't wait to see these seats on the production model... Can't wait to see these seats on the production model...

    Sadly, not everything carried over to the production car as the company was faced with budget constraints, due to growing financial issues.

    So, when the Ralliart was brought to market in February, 2002, there was no AWD, no Recaro seats or Momo steering wheel.

    • The red just screams sporty. The red just screams sporty.
    • Despite the steering wheel, everything looks much the same as the concept. Despite the steering wheel, everything looks much the same as the concept.

    The extreme bodykit remained, while there was a slightly redesigned red and black interior, 17-inch Enkei premium alloys with Pirelli tyres, sports suspension and larger disc brakes (294mm front, 284mm rear).

    The 'Cylcone' 3.5-litre V6 was also tweaked to develop 180kW/333Nm over the VR-X’s 163kW/317Nm. To help deal with the extra power, an LSD borrowed from the Mitsubishi FTO GPX was fitted to the five-speed manual while the auto received a traction control unit instead.

    I bet you were expecting a Turbocharger? Sorry, this isn't a Lancer Evo. I bet you were expecting a Turbocharger? Sorry, this isn't a Lancer Evo.

    More than a rival for similar offerings from the Blue Oval and the Red Lion, the Magna Ralliart was seriously quick. 0-100km/h was reached in 6.7sec and the quarter mile was covered in 14.8sec.

    Despite being front-wheel drive, handling was also impressive but the car did suffer from torque steer and the ride could be unsettling on rough roads due to the stiff set-up.

    Ultimately, this affected the everyday useability of the Magna and adding to the issue was a front splitter that would scrape over bumps if the driver wasn't careful.

    • That nose isn't a fan of hills, or driveways, or speed bumps. That nose isn't a fan of hills, or driveways, or speed bumps.
    • It might look silly, but that rear wing is functional. It might look silly, but that rear wing is functional.

    The Ralliart was limited to only 500 units and didn't continue into the next series, adding it to the list of short lived performance cars made in Australia.

    However, there would be another fast Mitsubishi constructed before local production ceased in 2008. This was the Team Mitsubishi Ralliart (TMR) 380, only 20 were ever built.

    What do you think of the Magna Ralliart? Was it just as good as the Ford Falcon XR6 or Holden Commodore S? Let us know in the comments.

    Comments