After a lukewarm launch in the early 1990s in the American market, Mitsubishi came out years later with a refreshed look for the Diamante that was supposed to conquer the U.S. Indeed, the 1997 Mitsubishi Diamante was everything that American drivers expected from a Japanese automobile: luxury features, revamped and great looking interior, and technological safety solutions that were considered quite advanced in the 1990s.

In no time, the public recognized the selling points of this sporty family sedan and sales surged to new heights. Naturally, this transformed the Diamante into a status-stealing automobile.

Diamante’s slogan, “Built for Living,” was only exacerbating the idea of status symbol and carrying the message of a car designed for successful trendsetters and upper middle-class professionals. With that being said, most American drivers were indifferent to the rather steep base price of $29,990, because they considered Diamante a powerful rival to the Lexus Es 300 and BMW 3-series. And while Mitsubishi discontinued the Diamante line in 2005, collectors and fans can still find this iconic ride at selected car dealerships.

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From Anonymity To Notoriety: Conquering The Upper Middle Class With A New Look

Via:Kelly Blue Book

Italian automobiles have conquered the world with their design and unbeatable style. For the 1997 Diamante, Mitsubishi finally learned an important lesson: impeccable style and a sleek design enchant customers. Accordingly, they came up with an improved version of the already notorious Diamante, but this time, the automobile had strong European features, an elegant interior design and a timeless exterior.

Back in the days, the 1997 model became the epitome of mass luxury, blending seamlessly Japanese technology, American modern design and European-inspired styling.

The interior had comfortable and flexible front seats that were perfectly fitted for tall people. Meanwhile, the improved design offered an additional 7.4 cubic feet of interior space. The exterior also improved and expanded; thus, the 1997 model won 4 inches compared to his predecessor. As for the weight of the car, the 1997 Diamante lost almost 250 pounds, which made the driving feel smoother, faster and lighter. At the same time, these changes improved the fuel-economy. Thus, the refreshed Diamante achieved 18 miles per gallon in the city and 26 miles per gallon on the highway.

With reference to the in-car entertainment system, Mitsubishi equipped the standard Diamante with a 210-watt cassette stereo, while the LS had a CD player.

It is worth noting that the luxury LS sedan also had an elegant leather upholstery instead of the rather boring cloth interior. And the 15-inch aluminum alloy wheels that are standard on ES were replaced with 16-inch bright-finished wheels on the luxury sedan.

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The 1997 Mitsubishi Diamante: A Powerful Engine Designed To Impress

1997 Mitsubishi Diamante
via: Facebook

The refreshed Diamante came with a powerful V6 engine paired with a four-speed automatic transmission. With that being said, the 3.5-liter V6 engine with 24 valves delivered 210 horsepower and accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds. This put the Diamante in the same class with the powerful and extremely popular BMW-3 series. And it transformed the sporty luxury sedan into the ideal automobile for both city driving and long distance traveling.

Although the 1997 Diamante was an impressive car, there was still room for improvement. And occasionally, it felt like Mitsubishi was skimping on services. For instance, the anti-lock braking system (ABS) was optional instead of being a requirement for all models. For the luxury sedan (LS), the ABS was added to the Luxury Convenience Group package. Meanwhile, remote-controlled door locks were another optional feature that would cost drivers extra bucks. Traction control was also unavailable, but child-seat anchors were standard. Equally important, the integrated child safety seat was only offered as an optional.

Some drivers lamented the look of the Diamante, arguing that the automobile looked dry as dust. According to them, more could have been done to refresh the look. While beauty is in the beholder’s eye and each driver has his style preferences, the lack of standard safety features was worrisome even back in the 1990s.

How Much Is The 1997 Mitsubishi Diamante Worth Today?

Kelley Blue Book data shows that a used 1997 Mitsubishi Diamante ES Luxury Sedan 4D has the typical listing price $2,501, while the fair purchase price is $2,278. This puts the value of the 1997 Diamante below the 1999 Subaru Forester L Sport Utility 4D that has a fair purchase price of $2,645 and above the 1998 Ford Escort ZX2 Coupe 2D that has a fair purchase price of $1,818 and a typical listing price of $2,336. Meanwhile, a used 1996 Toyota Corolla Sedan 4D has the price pretty close to the 1997 Diamante. According to KKB, collectors can find the 1996 Toyota Corolla Sedan 4D for a typical listing price of $2,540 and a fair purchase price of $2,015.

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