Mitsubishi Cordia: the turbo coupé that came before the Eclipse

The Mitsubishi Cordia is a compact hatchback coupé built between 1982 and 1990. Together with the Tredia saloon and the Starion, it was one of the first cars Mitsubishi sold in the United States without the help of Chrysler, and it was one of the first mass-market cars to offer an optional liquid-crystal instrument panel.

Mitsubishi Cordia at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Mitsubishi Cordia.

History of the Mitsubishi Cordia

A coupé between the Starion and the Lancer

The Cordia was offered between the existing Starion, Galant and Lancer, and like the Tredia it used front-wheel drive. It was similar in design to the Mirage but larger, and to set it apart from its saloon counterpart it had a deeper fascia that wrapped around the driver. The XP version was sold through Mitsubishi’s Car Plaza chain in Japan and the XG through the Galant Shop chain; the XG had a slightly smaller front grille.

The car used MacPherson struts and a beam axle, front disc brakes, manual or automatic transmission, and a choice of three engines: a 68 hp 1.4-litre, a 74 to 87 hp 1.6-litre, and a turbocharged 1.6-litre with 112 hp. Some export markets received a carburettor-fed 1.6 of 110 hp, and the American version of the 2.0-litre produced 88 hp in 1984. The Cordia was one of the first mass-market cars to offer an electronic instrument cluster using a liquid-crystal display.

Turbo and four-wheel drive

A mild facelift came in 1983, and four-wheel drive was offered in Japan in 1984. In 1985 the engines were modified to run on unleaded fuel, with a new 1.8-litre available naturally aspirated at 100 hp and turbocharged at 135 hp in Europe and Britain, or 116 hp in the United States to cope with 87-octane fuel. American sales continued to the 1988 model year and Japanese manufacture ended in 1990.

The Australian GSR

In Australia the Cordia AA was released in late 1983, followed in 1984 by the AB with a different grille and an upgraded interior, and the AC of late 1985, modified for unleaded fuel. Two trim levels were sold, the naturally aspirated 1.8 GSL and the turbocharged GSR. With the 4G62T 8-valve electronically injected engine, the early GSR produced 110 kW at 6,000 rpm, reached over 200 km/h and covered the quarter mile in 15.9 seconds, performance close to cars costing about three times as much.

The final AC GSR, released on 1 January 1986 to meet new emissions rules, was heavily detuned to run on 91-octane unleaded fuel and lost almost 20 per cent of its power, down to 90 kW. The GSR was also tried by the New South Wales police as a pursuit car and was reportedly the first turbocharged vehicle used by Australian police. In New Zealand the Cordia and Tredia were assembled from CKD kits by Todd Motors and later Mitsubishi New Zealand, with about 41 per cent local content.

Design and features

• Turbo coupé: a 1.6 then 1.8-litre turbocharged engine.
• Early LCD dash: an optional liquid-crystal instrument cluster.
• Australian GSR: 110 kW and over 200 km/h before the 1986 detune.
• Police trial: the GSR was tested as a New South Wales pursuit car.
• Four-wheel drive: offered in Japan from 1984.

Mitsubishi Cordia versions

• Cordia XP and XG: Japanese versions for two dealer chains.
• 1.6 turbo: 112 hp, later 1.8 turbo with 135 hp in Europe.
• Cordia GSL: Australian 1.8-litre naturally aspirated model.
• Cordia GSR: Australian 1.8 turbo, 110 kW, later 90 kW.
• American 2.0: 88 hp for the 1984 model year.

The Cordia shared its front-wheel-drive base with the Tredia saloon and sat below the Starion. Its later relative was the Eclipse, and more cars are in the Mitsubishi collection.

Sources

• Mitsubishi Cordia, English Wikipedia: engines, facelifts, Australian and New Zealand history