2002 Mitsubishi Magna Reviews

Due to lack of interest in Australia, these only came in SOHC FWD (would love to have seen some of the DOHC AWDs).

Paint colours are 'custom' colours, so it is good to know someone in the trade, since the Evo-inspired bodykit is made of fibreglass and suffers from stone chips.

MMAS sensor makes air intake modification difficult.

Rear spoiler tends to fill up with water (easy to drain).

Ralliart badge fades and crumbles.

Seats take some getting used to.

Can't use mainstream insurers (AAMI, NRMA, etc) as they significantly undervalue the car, making it difficult to buy CTP and insurance from one provider.

Here comes the typical talk, but it's fast... it just is... I was very biased having owned a Forester (XT AWD-T), XR8 Falcon, V8 Statesman, S15, VTEC Prelude, a few other turbo 4/6 cylinders, but none of these gave me the speed nor the adrenaline I get from the Ralliart Magna.

Gave a lot of crap to Magna owners, then I drove one, and I see what all the hype is about.

133kw at the wheels stock; plenty of room for tuning.

2.5" sports exhaust produces an addictive grunt.

Tiptronic gearbox is refined and precise.

Gets 500km/tank around town, 700km/tank on the freeway.

Engineered to such an extent that most services can be done with ease/quickly.

Climate control takes less than 5 minutes from a cold start to reach any desired temperature.

Under 1504kg, which saves around $140 per year in RMS fees (as of April 2013).

Most components are interchangeable from the Mitsubishi range. Everything else is readily available but dirt cheap - everyone should own a Ralliart/VRX/Verada at least once.

Only had the car for 1000 kilometres.

Nothing has gone wrong.

This is my third Magna. All have been great and reliable cars.

Great performance from the extra power over the standard Magna. The torque steer is not too bad.

Handling is good from the lowered suspension and wider tyres. Need to be a little careful of understeer under power.

The body kit takes some getting used to.

I do find it difficult to get a comfortable relationship between the seat, steering wheel and pedals.

Battery died - not the car's fault.

Engine burning oil - the car requires a major engine overhaul replacing piston rings etc, valve stem seals already replaced, but the problem is still there. The cost is $2,500 (I'm glad it's a company car). Very disappointed as the car was bought with a full service history (ex rep car), and I also had an RACV check.

Usually these cars go forever; however buyers beware to get receipts for servicing to prove it's actually been carried out.

Nothing has specifically gone wrong, but the car does not feel robust.

There is a 'clunking' in the drivers seat at the level of the lumbar support. It seems to 'clunk' when cornering.

The transmission does not change very cleanly from 1-2. Topping up the transmission fluid improved the problem, but it is still there.

The radio has a buzzing noise which increases in intensity with the engine revs.

The car is not very economical, recording fuel consumption of around 13 litres/100 km around town - which is a fair bit higher than all reports I have read to date.

The car idles very roughly which I understand is unusual, though I have been advised by a Mitsubishi dealer that the 3.5 litre V6 does not idle very smoothly.

Seat height is very low. I would prefer a higher position, or greater range of adjustment.

Reach to the steering wheel feels to be far away. Adjustment for reach would be nice.

Wipers do not have an option for a 'single wipe'. The lever must be moved to 'on' and back to 'off'.

The car is still under new car warranty and I am hoping that all problems identified to date will be fixed.

Split fold rear seats would have been a good option.

The options fitted are great value in comparison with Ford, Holden and Toyota. The latter two are markedly higher in price, though I suppose this is recovered to a certain extent in re-sale.

The car feels good overall, but needs a few things fixed before I can start to rave about it to my friends.

The car looks good with aftermarket wheels (standard 15") and a rear spoiler.