Mitsubishi Debonair — BrandWiki

Mitsubishi Debonair

Overview

Third generation (S22A/S26A/S27A)

aka	Hyundai Grandeur
production	1992–1999
layout	Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
related	Hyundai Dynasty
engine	Gasoline: 3.0 L 6G72 SOHC V6 (S22A) 3.0 L 6G72 LPG V6 (S22A) 3.5 L 6G74 DOHC V6 (S26A/S27A)
transmission	5-speed INVECS automatic
wheelbase	2745 mm 2895 mm
length	4975 –
width	1815 mm
height	1440 mm
weight	1590 –

The Mitsubishi Debonair (三菱・デボネア) is a four-door executive sedan introduced by Mitsubishi Motors in 1964 to serve as their flagship passenger vehicle in the Japanese market. The word "debonair" means gentle, courteous, suave, lighthearted, or nonchalant. Three distinct generations were available during its 35-year production run until it was discontinued in 1999. The first and second generation models were built mainly for senior level executives of the Mitsubishi Group and affiliated companies, essentially a Mitsubishi senior executive company car made by the motor vehicle division of Mitsubishi.

Overview

The Debonair was first introduced at the 10th All Japan Motor Show (later renamed the Tokyo Motor Show) in October 1963.[1] Its appearance at the time was described as "dignified". It was one of the first Japanese-built luxury sedans, using a 2.0-liter six-cylinder engine, with exterior dimensions just under the Japanese government dimension regulations for "compact" vehicles while offering a spacious interior.

At its introduction, it was the largest sedan Mitsubishi had built to date. In Japan, it was sold at a specific retail chain called the Galant Shop starting in 1969 with the introduction of the Galant.

First generation (A30/A31/A32/A33; 1964)

The Debonair was Mitsubishi's competitor to the Nissan Cedric, Prince Gloria, Isuzu Bellel and Toyota Crown, and during the first generation's production, the appearance remained generally unchanged from 1964 until 1986, sharing a tradition with the Toyota Century, that being also recognized as a senior executive sedan exclusive to the Japanese market. Although it received several minor redesigns (denoted I through IV), the vehicle proved popular enough in the Japanese market to remain in production for 22 years without major appearance modifications.

The Debonair was largely the result of former General Motors designer Hans S. Bretzner,[4] while the result was largely influenced by the 1961 Lincoln Continental designed by Elwood Engel, as evidenced by the slab-sided body panels, squared wheel wells, extended protrusions at the front of the vehicle, wraparound turn signals in the front, and tapered fins at the rear, with a rear taillight cluster, exhibiting a "Continental-esque" appearance.[5] It used a double wishbone front suspension with leaf springs and a differential for the rear axle for the entire generation.

Powered initially by the KE64 1,991 cc six-cylinder engine with twin carburetors and dual exhausts, the original A30 series developed 105 PS at 5,000 rpm, and had a maximum speed of 155 km/h. This engine has overhead valves and a high mounted camshaft (not overhead), similar to Opel's cam-in-head design.[6] The front grille had an "MMC" badge, denoting the newly formed Mitsubishi Motors Corporation. From September 1970 the 6G34 "Saturn 6" (1,994 cc) engine was installed, increasing the engine's power output to 130 PS which gave the car a top speed of 180 km/h. From now on, the Debonair was only available in an "Executive" trim package. The badge on the front grille was changed to signify the Saturn engine was installed, and a "MCA-Jet" badge was also included. This model received the A31 model code. In October 1973, the Debonair underwent a facelift: the front turn signals were made smaller and moved upwards on the fenders, the front ventilation windows were deleted, and the L-shaped taillights were replaced by rectangular units. The model code was not changed.

The 1976 model saw the removal of a manual transmission, leaving the only choice of a 3-speed automatic unit, sourced from Borg-Warner. When the 4G54 "Astron" (2,555 cc) four-cylinder engine was introduced June 1976, the trim package was renamed "Executive SE" and the model code became A32. The Debonair received additional technical advancements such as anti-lock braking system in 1979. The badge on the front grille was again changed to signify the engines displacement of "2600" and the "Astron 80" update. These were replaced by "MMC" badges in November 1982.

In April 1978, responding to tightened emissions standards, Mitsubishi introduced a de-smogged model using Mitsubishi MCA and the chassis code was changed to A33.

The first-generation Debonair continued in production until the first quarter of 1986. By the end, its availability was largely academical: in its last full year of production (1985), 205 units were sold in Japan.[7] In total, 21,703 first-generation Debonairs were built in just over 22 years.[8]

Second generation (S11A/S12A; 1986)

In July 1986,[9] Mitsubishi changed the appearance of the Debonair, as its previous version was seen as extremely rare and not a sales leader or image maker of Mitsubishi vehicles. The second-generation Debonair adopted a front-wheel drive layout, a cost-effective way to increase interior space without investing money on engineering in an executive sedan, shared with the E11 Galant. It also came with Mitsubishi's first V6 engines, the 6G71 2.0-liter and the 6G72 3.0-liter under the "Cyclone" moniker, which were shared with the Galant model line later. So as to comply with the Japanese government regulations concerning exterior dimensions and engine displacement, vehicles installed with the 2.0-liter engine were installed in a shorter and narrower body–accomplished by fitting smaller bumpers. Fitted with the 150 PS 3.0-liter V6 engine, the Debonair would reach 195 km/h, if it wasn't for the mandatory 180 km/h limiter used in Japanese cars.[10]

The Debonair took full advantage of the front-wheel drive layout to allow for much passenger space. The cavernous trunk was also designed so as to ensure that two sets of golf clubs could be carried. The Debonair was a reasonable success; sales in its first full year (1987) were 6,230 cars in Japan, compared to a mere 205 of its predecessor in 1985.[7]

A 150 PS supercharged version of the 2.0-liter engine was added to the lineup in February 1987,[9][11] using the world's first needle roller rocker arm assembly. This generation was badge engineered and was introduced to the Asian luxury car market as the Hyundai Grandeur, giving Hyundai a luxury sedan to shuttle foreign dignitaries during the 1988 Seoul Olympics. As Mitsubishi and Chrysler had a business relationship where automotive technology was being shared and used in both Chrysler and Mitsubishi products, this generation Debonair does have some superficial similarities with the Chrysler New Yorker of the same time period. The Debonair's platform, however, shares nothing with the Chrysler "E", "Y", or "K" platforms. The suspension was upgraded to MacPherson struts for the front suspension, and the rear suspension used a three-link torsion axle. The only transmission available was a four-speed automatic unit.

Unusually for Japan, there was also a full stretch limousine version available briefly, beginning in 1987. These were largely handbuilt by Mitsubishi's Aichi dealership chain and were stretched between the doors by 600 mm for a total overall length of 5465 mm.[9]

This generation was also the first to install a V6 engine, and the car was called the Debonair V, with a badge on the back of the trunk, and a "V" hood ornament. The name also continued the naming of the various iterations of the previous generation Debonair by Roman numerals I, II, III, and IV, an approach shared with the North American Lincoln Mark series and the Jaguar Mark 1 on a luxury car. The Roman numeral identification approach was also used on Mitsubishi's top-of-the-line sports car, the Starion to identify specific trim packages. In the third quarter of 1989, a twin-cam version of the 3.0-liter V6 engine with four valves per cylinder was introduced, by which time the supercharged 2.0-liter unit was dropped as the regular 2.0-liter engine received a power upgrade. Power for this version jumped from 155 PS to 200 PS.[12] This engine became the only option for the AMG version. Top speed for the 24-valve 3.0-liter V6 engine is 215 km/h according to period sources.[12][13]

In 1990, the Debonair was joined by a newer, more modern looking and sporting executive sedan, called the Diamante (also known as the Sigma) in an attempt to keep Mitsubishi competitive with newer executive sedans, such as the Honda Legend and other Japanese luxury sedans as the Debonair continued to be perceived as dated in appearance. The motivation to introduce a modern looking, executive level luxury sedan also took place in what has become known as the Japanese asset price bubble period that began after the Plaza Accord agreement in 1985.

German tuner AMG was brought in to enhance this version of the Debonair, which primarily consisted of exterior body treatments.[14] The AMG version came in two configurations; the standard length and later the Debonair V 150 AMG, with 150 mm added to the wheelbase. The "150" limousine (only with the 3.0-liter engine) was first shown in October 1990.[9] In the Japanese crime drama TV show Gorilla, a Debonair AMG is used. British luxury apparel manufacturer Aquascutum was also commissioned to design an exclusive interior appearance package for the Debonair, soon after the company had been purchased by Japanese textile conglomerate company Renown Incorporated; the supercharger was installed optionally with this particular trim package.[15]

Even after the introduction of the more modern Diamante, the Debonair underwent one last facelift, mostly in order to update the passive safety of the car.[9] Along with light cosmetic changes, this took place in May 1991. It included a slight power upgrade for the 24-valve 3.0-liter V6 engine to 210 PS.[16] By October 1992, production of the second-generation model had ended as the third-generation Debonair was being introduced.

{| class="wikitable" border="1" style="float:left; margin:0.46em 0.46em" ! rowspan="2" | type ! rowspan="2" | layout ! rowspan="2" | displ. ! colspan="3" | output ! rowspan="2" | dates ! PS ! kW ! at (rpm)

+Second generation engines
-

-

-
rowspan="3" | 6G71
V6, ECI
rowspan="3" | 1998 cc
105 PS
5000
-
V6, ECI Multi
120 PS
5500
-
supercharged V6 ECI
150 PS
5,000
-
rowspan="4" | 6G72
SOHC V6 ECI
rowspan="4" | 2972 cc
150 PS
rowspan="2" | 5000

-
SOHC V6 ECI multi
155 PS

-
rowspan="2" | DOHC V6 ECI Multi
200 PS
rowspan="2" | 6000
-
210 PS
}

Third generation (S22A/S26A/S27A; 1992)

The third-generation Debonair debuted in late 1992, which were longer and wider than its predecessors. The wider range of available engines was topped by a 260 PS 3,496 L 6G74 DOHC V6 engine, and as Mitsubishi's domestic flagship incorporated much of the company's technology. It was introduced after the more mainstream 1990 Diamante.

Some of the technologies used were:

In July 1993, a limited edition, long wheelbase model called the Debonair 150 (as it was extended by 150 mm) was added to the lineup. It was only available in a single model with the 3.5-liter V6 engine and the top, Executive III equipment grade.[20] The Debonair 150 was discontinued in September 1994, when the ine underwent a gentle update and rearrangement of the lineup. As this generation was Mitsubishi's flagship model, the body style that was compliant with Japanese government regulations concerning exterior dimensions and engine displacement was no longer offered. The rear suspension was upgraded to a multilink setup. Much of the technology installed in this generation Debonair was shared with the GTO/3000GT.

There were a multitude of trim packages with varying levels of equipment. The trim level names started with Executive (I, II, and III), Exceed, Exceed Contega, and Exceed Type A, B, and C. Each model year rearranged the trim level names according to the perceived market conditions.[21]

The Debonair was discontinued in November 1999 and directly replaced by the Proudia. However, Mitsubishi also developed its first V8 engine for the Dignity limousine around this time, and it was this latter model which took position as the domestic flagship of the company.

Four-wheel steering
Four-wheel anti-lock braking system
Electronically-controlled suspension
GPS-guided automotive navigation system
Rear-focused camera
Self-closing doors
Lidar-based distance detection system (Japanese market only). Marketed as "distance warning", this early system only warned the driver about vehicles ahead, without influencing throttle, brakes or gearshifting.[17][18]
INVECS 5-speed automatic transmission with traction control system[19]