Guerrilla Test Drive

In high school I had a friend that looked so much like his older brother that he escaped with a car full of beer after getting pulled over and producing his brother’s license. This clearly worked to his benefit in this instance but there are cases where such a family resemblance could lead to disappointment.

The Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 is a fire breathing legacy of the Japanese sports car wars of the 1990’s. Packing a twin turbo V6 and a sophisticated tarmac gripping all wheel drive system, it ran with Toyota Supras, Mazda RX-7s, and in its homeland the legendary Nissan Skyline GT-R. That car is a legend on wheels to the Mitsubishi faithful.

The Mitsubishi 3000GT SL is a front wheel drive, normally aspirated V6 powered sports coupe. It looks nearly identical to the VR-4, but lacks all of the hardware that makes its bigger, stronger, more exciting brother so desirable.

Not that the car was not enjoyable. I would buy one just for the looks that it got while driving around town. It is a striking design that has more coke bottle shaping to it than many cars since the 1960’s and is almost reminiscent of a corvette.

Nothing says Japanese performance like chrome! One of the major distinguishing features between this car and the more brutal VR-4 will be in the wheels and brakes.

The interior is well appointed, featuring comfortable sport seats with electronic adjustable lumbar support and just enough room in the back for two adults. The front is fairly roomy for a sports car, walking a fine line between sculpted out sporty and normal car roominess.

The driving experience is far from a let down, providing comfortable cruising with enough sportiness thrown in to keep you engaged. The SL features electronically adjustable dampers. The only difference I noticed during less than enthusiastic driving in the sportier setting was jolts from expansion joints found their way into the cabin more readily. The shifter has somewhat long throws, although it is fairly precise and smooth. The clutch uptake is progressive.

The drivetrain is let down primarily by the accelerator which sticks initially leaving it hard to lightly modulate the throttle and resulting in a more vroomy experience than you are really looking for. Overall, the car has nearly enough poke to warrant its hot looks.

However, you end up feeling like a poseur and trying to avoid lining up next to minivans lest they find out your dirty little non VR-4 secret.

This car is well appointed and eye catching but lacks that true sports car essence. It looks the part of its bigger brother while getting you a fairly comfortable, relaxed driving experience. Just maybe take off that SL and let people wonder.

1994 Mitsubishi 3000GT

55,000 Miles

Manual Transmission