Mitsubishi News

fushigi

Which, to stay on topic, is better than my Outlander. I've a lifetime average of 20.7 MPG, with a lot of that being (sub)urban / non-highway. I'm beating the EPA estimate by a little.

toomanyfumes

Pretty close to what we're getting on the Outlander. The MKX gets about 19.

iluvmysephia1

Well...took me four days ta get back on the 'Mitsubishi News' thread and see your response, toomanyfumes! Yes, t'would be plenty of power for me, too.

fushigi

MMNA's response to the MMJapan fuel economy issue.

http://media.mitsubishicars.com/releases/mitsubishi-motors-north-america-statement

While I'd like them to go back more years for validation I'm not personally concerned or impacted as I've averaged a little above EPA numbers over the life of both my Galant & Outlander.

toomanyfumes

I've always been a little above the EPA numbers on my Outlander, and other makes I've owned. Still a Mitsubishi fan, they just frustrate me. You know they could make a kick [non-permissible content removed] small and mid size car if they would try, sometimes it seems if they have given up.

fushigi

Yeah. As much as I've been a proponent I was disheartened when they announced the closing of their US plant. IMO the plant was a key reason to stay in the US market & now it isn't. I'd love to see their business plan to understand if it's reasonable to think they can succeed as a niche player for too much longer.

Tidbit on the upcoming PHEV Outlander. Apparently you will be able to use it as a generator to supply power if you have a blackout or while camping.

fushigi

Nissan now owns 34% of Mitsu. http://media.mitsubishicars.com/releases/nissan-and-mitsubishi-motors-forge-strategic-alliance-nissan-to-take-34-stake-in-mitsubishi-motors-for-237-billion-yen

Long term I view this as good. When Ford owned a third of Mazda it helped Mazda come into their own. While there's been talk of Mitsu licensing the Altima platform to save R&D and get them a mid-size sedan, this news makes that much more likely.

toomanyfumes

Well they need something. Was just at the dealer yesterday, zero traffic, kinda sad. On the positive side, the rear wiper blade I buy every year is still $17, and I got an estimate for the timing belt, $500 not including water pump or tensioner if needed. Not too bad, about 95k on it now, will probably get the belt done later this year.

fushigi

Well, Mitsu is disappointing me by still not offering the Outlander PHEV here. The 2017s are out but WRT the PHEV there has only been crickets. That was their chance to keep me as a customer.

Not that I'm selling my '10 GT off tonight*, but as it stands my next car will be another brand.

*Basically as soon as I get a buyer or decide to trade it in I'll move on. No rush. If it happens this weekend, fine. Next spring, also fine. I'm already making payments to a savings account so when I buy I'll have a good down payment.

toomanyfumes

I think they're still using the same 3.0 V6 that's in my '07. I'm probably going to replace my Mustang in the next year or so, lack of a competitive mid-sized sedan will send me to another brand also. The Outlander is about to hit 100k and is running great.

fushigi

They've tweaked the 2.4 & 3.0s but yes, I'm pretty sure they're fundamentally the same block. It's a decent engine; mild for day-to-day driving but has some giddyup if you punch it. Not the HP of the V6 that used to be in the RAV4, but then I did say used to be .. no V6 option from Toyota now.

At this time I'm looking up-market and am eyeing the '17 Infiniti QX60.

toomanyfumes

Infiniti's are nice. My wife loves her MKX, probably no going back to a more basic CUV. Daughter commutes to college in the Mitsubishi, it's serving her well.
'

fushigi

Well, for about $25K more than an Outlander it better be nice.

Anyway, I have a couple of people who have expressed at least some interest in my car; if any of them bite then I'll take the plunge. Otherwise I plan to wait until at least Spring - get one more winter out of the Outlander.

toomanyfumes

One thing Mitsubishi and Lincoln have in common is not so great resale -we bought the MKX two years old CPO, just a little more than a new Outlander.

fushigi

I've never been that concerned about resale. Sure, like anyone else I want as much for my used car as I can reasonably get, but I'm far, far more interested in buying the car I want to own & not the one I want to sell.

It might be different if I changed cars often but I normally hold them for a while; 7 years on my Outlander in a couple of weeks. 10.5 years on the Galant before that.

stever

Ditto, drive what you like. And drive them forever.

anzael_008

NORMAL — The Mitsubishi auto plant, land and contents have been sold to a Michigan firm. source http://www.pantagraph.com/business/local/mitsubishi-plant-sold-to-michigan-auction-firm/article_eb921a5a-37fa-5b33-ade8-4003786b1a55.html

sky23213

Greetings, you hard-core Mitsu enthusiasts!
A humble request for your opinion, and a couple of updates on my '15 Outlander GT.
A little over two years of ownership, just over 31K miles. Had to put new tires, although the OEM Toyos held up pretty well - non-repairable slit in one of the tires, so I went for new Michelin Defenders. The warranty claim seems like a drag so I might not even pursue it.
Went in for oil change and got a push for the 30K service. This is where it got interesting: I argued that I followed the Normal maintenance schedule; tech dude insisted it should all be under the Severe. At the 30K mark that means transmission and transfer case fluid changes, plus rear differential fluid, all for about 350.00. Looking at the description in the Warranty and Maintenance Manual, I see a few doors wide open for interpretation. One of the conditions that may put everyone in the severe category is "...driving short distances". Now, my concern is not only the good health of my GT, but also being able to prove proper maintenance in an event of a warranty claim (God forbid). So, I had time on my hands and called the 800 Mitsu number (there's first time for everything, right?). That was my second near-worthless experience for the day. The kid put me on hold for about 10 min to supposedly inquire, then proudly informed me that they don't have any guidelines to determine what "short distances" may mean. I don't even think he even understood what my concern was - that the interpretation may be crucial in determining if the correct maintenance schedule was followed. He even tried to convince me that the dealer is more competent to determine what my schedule should be. So he sent me off with that "Anything else I can help you with" that means and sounds like "Are you done wasting my time?"
So I decided to go ahead and do it, after all 30K is a significant mileage.
Here is the other weird thing: nowhere in the Manuals or anywhere else is a mention of the rear differential fluid: no mention at all, even as far as checking it, let alone a change. Stump the Chumps (at Mitsu) part II to follow.
So, what say you? What's your opinion on the Normal vs Severe?
And what's your opinion on the mystery rear diff fluid?

fushigi

I just follow the normal schedule regardless. I live in the snow belt (Chicago suburbs .. not much snow lately) and do plenty of short trips. My '10 Outlander GT just hit 59K miles. I don't have the maint schedule in front of me but I don't recall doing any fluid replacements. Isn't it either sealed or one of the 105K mile items?

I used the normal sched on the '99 Galant I owned before the Outlander. 10.5 years/152K miles and no powertrain issues beyond a leaking gasket.

As to driving short distances, the general understanding would be that it applies if you do that a lot. As in a majority of your trips are such that the vehicle never fully warms up. The fuel:air ratio adjusts as the engine warms and warmer exhaust also clears condensation from the exhaust pipes (why you see steam coming out in winter). So driving is less stressful on a fully warmed up engine.

toomanyfumes

That sounds like really low mileage for diff and transfer case fluid changes. My '07 has 102k and I still haven't done it. Just had the timing belt changed, though. $550 total at the dealer. ..not bad.

fushigi

While I'll keep the Mitsu threads tagged for new posts since they're low-volume, I've now moved on. Yesterday I sold my '10 Outlander GT to Carmax an hour after buying a near-loaded Infiniti QX60.

If you're Mitsu is in good shape & you're reading to sell, I'd say get a Carmax quote as well as a trade value from the dealer. And spot-check in the RWTI discussion here. Then you can make the best sale decision for your situation. In my case Carmax offered over $1500 more than the dealer making it well-worth the effort (and making the private party sale process not worth bothering).

toomanyfumes

Congrats on the new ride. Are you North of Chicago? A few family members have bought from the Carmax in Kenosha.

fushigi

Western suburbs (Aurora/Naperville area). https://www.carmax.com/cars?location=naperville+il is my local Carmax.

Adaptive cruise & all-around cameras are now must-have features for me. The heated steering wheel is surprisingly easy to like as well. On the flip side, while the Infiniti-Bose 15 speaker stereo is quite nice I'll admit it lacks the punch of the Mitsu Rockford-Fosgate.

toomanyfumes

Yeah you get used to those toys. The rear camera and cross traffic alert, along with the blind spot alert on our MKX, are great features. No adaptive cruise, but I could see how that would be nice, especially since I daydream a little lol. We have the THX system which sounds good but I agree - the Rockford Fosgate on the Outlander had a little more power.