Mitsubishi Debonair - Second Generation

Second Generation

In August 1986, Mitsubishi dramatically changed the appearance of its top-level "flagship" sedan Debonair, as its previous version was seen as extremely rare and not a sales leader or image maker of Mitsubishi vehicles. The all-new Debonair adopted a front-wheel drive format, a cost effective way to increase interior space without investing money on engineering in an executive sedan. It also came with Mitsubishi's first V6 engines, the 6G71 2.0 L and the 6G72 3.0 L under the "Cyclone" moniker, which were shared with the Galant model line later. So as to comply with Japanese government regulations concerning exterior dimensions and engine displacement, vehicles installed with the 2.0 L engine were installed in a shorter and narrower car - accomplished simply by fitting smaller bumpers. The new Debonair was a reasonable success; sales in its first full year (1987) were 6,230 cars in Japan, compared to a mere 205 of the predecessor in 1985.

A supercharged version of the smaller engine was added to the line-up in 1987, 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. 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 visual similarities with the 1983-1988 Chrysler New Yorker of the same time period. The platform used by this generation was unique, and was not shared with the Chrysler K platform. The suspension was upgraded to McPherson 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.

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. The Roman numeral identification approach was also used on Mitsubishi's top-of-the-line sports car, the Mitsubishi Starion to identify specific trim packages. In the fall of 1989 a twin-cam version of the 3 litre V6 with four valves per cylinder was introduced, by which time the supercharged two-litre was dropped as the regular two-litre engine received a power upgrade. Power for this version jumped from 155 PS (114 kW) to 200 PS (147 kW). This engine became the only option for the AMG version. Top speed for the 24 valve V6 is 215 km/h (134 mph) according to period sources.

For model year 1990, the Debonair was joined by a new, more modern looking executive sedan that the Debonair was intended to serve, called the Mitsubishi Diamante in an attempt to keep Mitsubishi competitive with new 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 The AMG version came in two configurations; the standard length and the Debonair V 150 AMG, with 150 mm added to the wheelbase. In the Japanese crime drama TV show "Gorilla" a Debonair AMG is used. British luxury apparel manufacturer Aquascutum was also commisioned to design an exclusive interior appearance package for th Debonair; the supercharger was installed optionally with this particular trim package.