Where To Now? The 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.4 GT AWC

2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.4 GT AWC

Mitsubishi, high atop pretty much everyone's automotive death pool lists in the 2010s, has a future in the 2020s.  Nissan (which has its own troubles of late) is now running Mitsu and there's a product plan for North America for the decade ahead.

Limitations: The 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV GT S-AWC

The 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV GT S-AWC

"A man's got to know his limitations." ---Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry in "Magnum Force",  1973

I wanted to like the 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) GT S-AWC.  And, in a lot of ways, I do, and have for some time. 

Two years ago, the gasoline-powered version of this machine got me over Donner Pass (and back) in a snowstorm.  Even then, I acknowledged the Outlander's age (despite a new one in 2014, this is very much a 2010-era machine), but the value equation---surefootedness, a reasonably powerful V6 engine and feature content including a 710-watt Rockford Fosgate audio system for less than $35,000---won the day for the Outlander.

More MPG, Less Money: The 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander 2.4 SEL S-AWC

The 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander.

Value for the dollar.  That's what the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander is all about.  As we've noted in previous reviews, when judged against the competition for features and freshness, the Outlander is fighting a losing battle.  This is a vehicle introduced five years ago that, because of Mitsubishi's financial straits at the time, was far from cutting edge then. 

But there are people in 2018 for whom a brand-new 2013 vehicle with a 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty at a significant discount would be exactly the right thing...and the Outlander fills that role like no other.

Old Faithful: The 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander GT S-AWC

The 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander GT.

Sixteen months ago, I wrote about how the Mistubishi Outlander GT, despite winning on value arguments, was rapidly showing its age.  I stand by that review.  But I also have a renewed appreciation for the Outlander GT, what it can do, and how (comparatively) little it costs.

Reports Of Its Death Are Greatly Exaggerated, Or At Least Premature: The 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer 2.4 SEL AWC

The 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer 2.4 SEL AWC.

I'm tempted to call this my third annual fond farewell to the Mitsubishi Lancer.  The car...and for a while, its maker...were on life support for the better part of a decade, and the smart money was that the 2014 Lancer would be the last.

And then came the 2015, and the 2016 and now the 2017.

The Case For Refinement: The 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.4 GT

The 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.4 GT.

Regular TireKicker readers know us to be a place for unbiased reviews.  We are more tolerant of more pedestrian vehicles than many automotive journalism outlets, because we know those are the cars that the vast majority of Americans buy.  Each vehicle deserves to be judged on its own merit and not compared to something three times its price or built for a completely different purpose.

That's not to say we can't be tough.  There have been some bordering-on-brutal reviews in TireKicker's almost eight years online...and one of the harshest was our review, five years ago, of the 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.  You're encouraged to click the link and read the whole thing, but the short version is we said that Mitsubishi brought a circa 2001 small SUV to market in 2011 and it was going to lose, even when its low price was figured in.

Five years on, it can only be worse, right?

Don't Believe Everything You Read On The Internet: The 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage GT

The 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage GT.

For two and a half years now, most of my fellow TireKickers (automotive journalists) have been writing about how the Mitsubishi Mirage is the worst car in the world.  Or at least the worst new car for sale in the United States.  Some do it because it's easy and they think no one will ever test-drive the Mirage and discover they're wrong.  Some do it to be funny.  And some, frankly, do it because they wanted a 600-horsepower somethingorother, but that week, the press fleet folks brought them a 74-horsepower Mitsubishi Mirage. The review becomes a 500-word temper tantrum.

A Long Last Drive With An Old Friend: The 2016 Mitsubishi Lancer SEL

The 2016 Mitsubishi Lancer.

It's seconds till sundown for the Mitsubishi Lancer.  On the market relatively unchanged for a decade and stripped of its high-performance EVO model, time has caught up with this generation of Mitsu's compact sedan. Still, it is a car not without charms, as we learned to our surprise during a North Coast roadtrip two years ago.

Time Waits For No SUV: The 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander GT S-AWC

The 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander GT S-AWC.

About two years ago, I wrote an overwhelmingly positive review of the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander GT. I meant it, and wouldn't change a word of how I described the Mitsu (apart from how they've fixed the delayed-reaction touchscreen that plagued us in the '14 car).

But this will be a different review.

Substance Over Style: 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer SE

The 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer SE.

Nine years without major changes can transform just about any car into rolling wallpaper...with zero chance of sticking out from the crowd.  Factor in said car never having been a hot seller, and from a company that is a perennial favorite on the list of car companies that won't be doing business in the USA much longer, and you've got a recipe for invisibility.

Which, in the case of the 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer SE, is a shame.

Why Autojournos Who Hate The 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage Are Missing The Point

The 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage.

Say hi to the car everyone in the motoring press loves to hate.  Well, most everyone.  There are a few of us willing to stick our necks out and say that there's a place for basic....very basic...transportation.  And the 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage is that.

How The Mitsubishi Lancer GT Surprised Me

2014 Mitsubishi Lancer GT.

If you live anywhere other than, oh, say...California...you could go a very long time without seeing a new Mitsubishi Lancer go by.  In the Golden State, however, there are a fair number on the roads, and not all wearing bar codes in the rear window identifying them as part of the inventory of a rental fleet.

In fact, 2013 was a good year for Lancer sales...up significantly. On its face, that seems puzzling, since Lancer is in its eighth year without major changes.  So what's going on?

Why The 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander GT Deserves A Test Drive

Can the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander GT save an entire car company?

New car buyers, you have a new address to remember.

Your local Mitsubishi dealer.

Yes, it's been a long time, if ever, since you considered the triple-diamond brand for anything with four wheels.  Long enough that the very survival of Mitsubishi as an automotive manufacturer in this country has been in question the past few years.

But this...the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander GT...shows the company is still capable of making very good vehicles.  And ones targeted at the American driver, at that.

New Car Review: Mitsubishi i-MIEV

62 miles.

Can you get through a day driving that little?

For those of us whose commute and getting kids to activities and unplanned errands and emergencies often result in adding 100 or more miles to the odometer in the course of a day, the number is woefully inadequate.

But that's the absolute max you'll get on a single charge in the Mitsubishi i-MIEV. And, as with most EVs, your range may vary.

2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Review

Mitsubishi. The word may as well be Japanese for "how the mighty have fallen."  70 years ago, they made fearsome fighter planes that flew in World War II. 35 years ago, they had a pretty good name in the field of home electronics.  And 30 years ago, they managed to crank out some fairly desirable sporty cars for their low-compression, emissions-control-choked time.

But they've never been able to break through to mass success in America, and with each passing year of subpar sales, the coffers get smaller, no doubt hurting research and development that might produce exciting new vehicles.

That's the only explanation I can manage for how Mitsu managed to be more than a decade late to the small SUV (think Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Ford Escape) party and show up with a car that might have been competitive when the party started ten years back.

Maybe.



Simply put, it's slow, with a 2-liter four cylinder engine and a continuously variable transmission. It's noisy by contemporary standards and rough, too.

The arguments in its favor? Price...a base price of $22,995 for the all-wheel drive SE model we drove...$18,495 for the 2-wheel drive ES model (which comes with a 5-speed manual that might cure a lot of our problems with power and drivability...every step up comes with the CVT)...and mileage (the EPA says 24 city, 29 highway. We saw 24.5 in a mix of city street and freeway driving over 420 miles in one week)...and Mitsu's warranty package (10 years/100,000 miles powertrain, 7 years/70,000 miles anti-corrosion/perforation, 5 years/60,000 miles bumper-to-bumper and 5 years/unlimited mileage roadside assistance.

The interior? Hey, it's 2001 again! Hard, black, shiny plastic as far as the eye can see. Yeah, there are updates (keyless entry, pushbutton start, a full complement oof airbags, Bluetooth), but it's definitely old-school. And it's up against vehicles like the RAV4 that started here 10 years ago and have had a decade worth of refinement.

But there is the price thing. Our SE, with a Premium Package (panoramic glass roof with LED illumination...is this "Cash Cab"?, roof rails, an upgrade to a 710-watt Rockford Fosgate audio system with 6-disc in-dash changer and Sirius satellite radio) priced at $1,800, topped out at $25,575.  Show some restraint on the options list at the Toyota store and you can get a RAV4 close to that...but it'll be  2 wheel drive and more of a stripper.  Drop to 2 wheel drive and a base vehicle with the Mitsu and you're nearly $7,000 cheaper.

In tough times, you can't rule out price as a motivator. But the Outlander Sport will probably be cross-shopped against three-year old RAV4s, CR-Vs and Escapes rather than new ones.

Mitsubishi To Triple Electric Car Output; Sell i-MiEV In U.S. In 2011

Mitsubishi says it plans to triple its electric car output over the next three years, and will sell the i-MiEV, currently on sale in Japan, here in the U.S. in 2011.

A seven-hour charge is good for up to 100 miles in the i-MiEV, according to Mitsu, but even they admit that it's a pricey vehicle...it costs double what a Prius does in Japan...the equivalent of $51,000 in today's American dollars.

Full story from AP and The Detroit News here.

Mitsubishi Recalls 2004 Endeavor, 2010 Galant

Autoblog was first, and we're jamming on the next big "Runaway Prius" update, so we'll just go there.

Short version, it's corrosion issues that could cause flammable fluids to leak.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Review

If you've seen my photo, you know that my boy racer days are (or should be, anyway) long over.

So imagine my surprise when, on my way to pick up my daughter from ballet, a car pulls up next to me at a stoplight and starts revving like crazy. I glance over and there are two teenage boys...in an older Mitsubishi Evolution...drooling over the new one I'm driving.

I roll down the window.

"Hey, dude! Nice car!"

(I'm still trying to figure out which would have been worse..."dude" or "sir".)

I say "Thanks, yours too.", roll up the window and accelerate normally when the light turns green. This mystifies the boys who roar ahead and fall back, finally timing things so we end up side-by-side at a stoplight about a mile further up the road. I roll down the window again.

"So, dude...wanna race?"

"No, thanks."

"But, dude! It's an EVO!"

Had the light not turned green at that very second, I probably would have gone all Ward Cleaver on them and stuff (oh, no...teenspeak is catching), explaining that flooring a lightweight car with 300 horsepower can have serious consequences as regards public safety, insurance and the privilege to hold a valid driver's license. I could even have explained that the Evo isn't a drag racer, it's a purpose-built rally car...

Look, this car is crazy fast. One-eighth throttle induces an involuntary "whoa!" the first time you do it. More than that and there are G-forces at work. This is the car that makes me glad I'm not in my 20s anymore because I'd probably be dead before I could post the review.

What impresses me most is what Mitsubishi did to transform the basic Lancer into the fire-breathing Evolution. It goes beyond a hot engine and stiff suspension. There's a brace built behind the rear seat to control (maybe eliminate is the better term) body flex. The Recaro racing seats are nothing short of awesome. And everything feels like it's been upgraded about seven classes from what you'd find in a stock Lancer.

Yes, there's a price for this kind of serious machinery...$38,290 base (a $2,000 Rockford Fosgate 650 watt audio system sent the test vehicle to a $41,740 bottom line). More than double a Lancer's sticker. If this is your type of car, then I can't imagine one better. Just be careful, okay?