For once, Mitsubishi had done things very well. The 8th generation Galant (1996-2005) was just as good, if not better, than its predecessor from a technical point of view and certainly much improved (my personal opinion, of course) in terms of looks. And to add a rather massive cherry on top, Mitsubishi developed a wagon version – the first Galant long-roof since the RWD Sigma, back in the mid-‘80s. And then, they went ahead and dubbed it Legnum.
Just what did they mean by that? Officially, Mitsubishi claimed it was a Latin word that stood for kingship or royal power. Eh… that should have been “Regnum,” I guess. Facepalm.
Again, look at this great styling. Slightly aggressive, full of character but not overly done – nowhere near the blandness of contemporary Hondas or the slightly passé styling of most Nissans… So much promise, but how can we take this Legume seriously?
This particular car also has the world’s first direct injection engine – one of this Mitsubishi Lugnut’s bona fide advanced features. It’s a 1.8 litre DOHC good for 130hp and is known to be quite sober. It’s also pretty bad emissions-wise, so this particular engine was not exported across the Pacific. This is a lower-spec ST model, but VR-4s with turbocharged V6s and AWD were also available, just like the Galant saloon.
Even in this modest trim, the interior looks inviting. I didn’t take a photo of the back seat, but I’m sure there’s plenty of room there too. No reason for anyone’s leg to go numb.
Why did Mitsubishi’s PR department feel the need to find a model-specific name for the JDM Galant wagon? Well, it was kind of a thing in Japan at the time. Toyota had weird subspecies like the Mark II Qualis (1997-2002, actually a Camry) and the Vista Ardeo (1998-2003); Nissan did the same thing with the Skyline-based Stagea (1996-2007). Mitsubishi eagerly cracked open a Latin dictionary and the rest is hilarity.
I wouldn’t call this wagon beautiful, but it’s certainly one of Mitsubishi’s better efforts of the ‘90s/’00s. So many positives, but that name is just beyond the pale. To be fair, unlike what that clickbait-ey title implies, it’s not another case of “Engrish” per se. It’s just very poorly written Ratin.
Related post:
Curbside Capsule: 1996-2002 Mitsubishi Legnum VR-4 – Mom, Japan Isn’t Sharing!, by William Stopford
“leg to go numb” ! I rove it – or should that be “rub”?
It is a nice looking car in a good colour. The cheap hub caps let the overall vibe down a bit. That interior is quite nice looking especially for the class. Odd name aside people were fleeing wagons for SUV/CUVs at the time so it probably never had a chance. I hear that youngest drivers are desiring sedans over SUV/CUVs these days so maybe the trend will reverse.
Great spot!
Alternative etymology department: ‘Legnum’ is ‘Mungel’ spelled backwards, which is only one letter (phonetically) away from Mongrel. Is this another Starion, nomenclature-wise? But then there’s Subaru’s Levorg, which is grovel backwards. Are some Japanese manufacturers deliberately putting a twist on English words?
I’m not quite sure why a wagon needs its own name anyway, rather than this just being ‘Galant Wagon’ – but as you point out, it seems to have been A Thing in period. Given the trouble some Japanese folk have with our letter ‘L’, I assume this would come out as ‘Regnum’ (as per Mitsu’s etymology), or more likely ‘Regunum’; but then ‘Galant’ is ‘Gyaran’, so there’s still that pesky letter. Again.
Never sold here (huge mistake!) yet there’s one in my town, in VR4 trim. In fact, every one I’ve seen down here has been a VR4; it’s rather a shock to think they had lower-trim models!
The problem is parts. When these grey imports break, you can’t get ’em, which leads to a lot of foot-pain-inducing walking everywhere for the owners, leading to some awful medical errors, when, in response to the inevitable “well, what seems to be the problem?” they have reported their limping to doctor as “Oh, I have a broken Legnum.”
There used to be quite a lot of these here in NZ, and then they all suddenly disappeared in the blink of an eye – I don’t remember seeing one for years.
I always thought Legnum to be an odd name. Not as funny as the Isuzu Bighorn Plaisir, which always raised a smile, but up there with the Vellfire and the Emina
Some sad case a few streets from me has 3 of them in his front yard, surrounded by long grass. Enough said….