Mitsubishi Outlander

pisulino

Just received the latets Consumer Report Magazine, and the Outlander, Galant and Endeavor are all recommended vehicles.

Also Mitsubishi is in the top 6 automakers with less defects per 100 cars.

FYI

dave82

Consumer Reports also gave both the Outlander and
Lancer very poor consumer satisfaction ratings....

mebaca

I live in Ecuador and two years ago purchased an Outlander. I would like to get a trailer hitch to carry my bikes as I have a receiver hitch bike carrier. Has anyone installed a trailer hitch for this purpose and what make and model was installed. Please let me know as I want to import the correct trailer hitch. Thanks much.
Bike Enthusiast

cracovian

The owners' satisfaction factor places Outlander at the bottom of the list. I don't have this car yet but we might get one in December if the price is good. Is it the service or the spotty dealer network that make this car undesirable to almost half of the actual owners?

http://www.detnews.com/

Least satisfying vehicles:
Mitsubishi Lancer (except Evolution) 26%
Nissan Sentra 42%
Ford Ranger (2WD) 43%
Mazda B-Series (2WD) 43%
Mitsubishi Outlander 43%
Suzuki XL-7 44%

pisulino

No idea, why satisfaction is low.
All professional reviews point to a very decent reliability record.

Well...the new Reengineered Outlander is coming out soon and it will be a 6 seats and more of a BMW look alike type of SUV.

stever

2007 Mitsubishi Outlander To Make North American Debut (Inside Line)



Steve, Host

1racefan

Does this mean Mitsu will be abondoning the small SUV segment? This new Outlander appears to be sized similarly to the Endeavor, but with seating for 7 instead of the Endeavor's 5.

rnn59

I have a 2 year old Outlander with a little over 53,000 miles on it. The vehicle has been completly trouble free. It averages about 22 miles /gallon. So far, their are no rattles at all. The only issue that I ahve with it is the radio buttons. One of the buttons does not retract fully when you want to change a station. It's not using any oil at all. I'm using mobile 1 systhetic grade. So far, I had not had any problems having it serviced. The quality used for the interior materials so far shows no signs of wear. I'm hoping to get another 100,000 miles on it.

Hope that this is some help to you. The car is an AWD model. It's been terrfic in the snow since winters in Central Massachusetts are bad and the town where I work at doesn't do a terrific job plowing. Work is about 35 miles away. I hope that this is a help. The only issue about future repairs is that the timing belot needs to be replaced at about 80,000 or so mile. It's expensive if done at a dealer. They want about $650. for it, while local mechanic will do it about $400. or so. That's my only concern. I hope that this is a help to you.

pisulino

Thank You for your information.
Isn't the timing belt under warranty? what about the 10-5-5- warranty , it should cover you right?

rnn59

That's certainly a valid question. Off hand, I don't know. It's my understanding that it is handled as normal required maintenance on the vehicle such as replacing brakes, changing the oil. I believe that the other auto makers handle it the same way. Your best bet is to ask the dealer on who pays for this service. Let me know. I would never think that I would be buying a Mitsubishi Outlander. It's selling point was that it offered to me the best value for the dollar. I couldn't get any great price discounts when I looked at Subaru, Toyota, Honda or Ford equivalent models. What prompted me to look at the Outlander is that I have good friend that is on his second Galant (180,000 miles)is what he was able to get on his first one. His second one is now at 70,000 miles. also, I have a next door neighbor that is on his second Diamante. The fist one they got over a 100,000 miles.

The only concern that I had when I first bought the Outlander was service. The dealer in Springfield Mass. is about 8 miles away. That's OK. Their are two other dealers that are about 25 miles away. so far my friend and my neighbor have not had any issues in getting parts if needed. The car, knock on wood has ben completely trouble free. I hope that is is a help to you. If you need further info, please let me know.

stever

Nothing in the lastest blog about the size.

2007 Mitsubishi Outlander, etc.

Anyone hitting the show?

Steve, Host

pisulino

More info

http://www.mitsubishicars.com/07outlander/

dieselpower1

According to this recent report, the Outlander ranks very high, right below the Rav4.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,168366,00.html

dave82

But according to Consumer Reports, customer satisfaction is very low, which helps to explain the anemic sales. Question is, will the '07 Outlander be a big seller, as Mitsubishi is claiming, or will it get lost in the crowd? Toyota has a new Rav4, Mazda the brand new CX-7, Chevy the brand new HHR, Honda has the perrenial top seller CR-V, Hyundai has the Tucson and Santa Fe....

dieselpower1

The slower sales could be to the well known fact that Mitsubishi is just cheap with their advertising budget, all lot of the reviews I read about Outlander buyers didn't even know the Outlander existed until they seen someone driving one in the street. If it was marketed correctly they would have sold a lot more. I tested the rav4 and cr-v several times before buying my 06 Outlander and can honestly say that neither held up to the outlander in a wide variety of aspects; comfort, styling, stability, quality etc. Hyundai, Ford, Saturn cannot compete with Mitsubishi quality.

dave82

So you think that if Mitsubishi did more advertising then the Outlander would outsell the CR-V and RAV4? Based on your logic GM and Ford should be thumping the Japanese brands.

In terms of styling, quality, comfort, etc., can you cite any major publications that would agree with you? Consumer Reports, JD Powers, Edmunds? Or how about the government crash test results(IIHS or NHTSA)?

kathyw1

does anyone have a trailer hitch on their outlander? I just got one and I think they ripped me off in that they put on the cheapest hitch after having been told repeatedly that I will be towing 2 horses.
I want to compare your hitch to the one I got. Also, I had to buy the reciever and ball and now I've found that there is no way to hook up the trailer lights.
cheap------!!!!!

charley9

I have the hitch Mitsu sells. It came with the light plug kit, ball and receiver. It is fine for the factory weight restrictions. I kind of suspect pulling two horses with the Outlander is asking waaay too much! You need a truck for that purpose.

dieselpower1

I test drove each of the Rav-4, CR-V and Outlander several times. In my opinion the Mitsubishi either outperformed, was more comfortable or offered better value. The CR-V and Outlander were tops on my list, the similarly equipped Rav4 was about $7000 more and couldn't be justified, although I liked it. I think those three Japanese manufacturers are all very close in quality, again my opinion. In my part of the world, I heard lots of advertising, both TV and radio for Honda/Toyota but never once for Mitsu, that remains a mystery.
As far as GM/Ford are concerned they can spend billions on advertising but I believe their reputation is forever tarnished because of poor quality/reliability, no secret there.
Before I made my decision, I read hundreds of opinions/reviews of people who actually own the car, not test driving it in one day, for me that is more telling. I believe Mitsu offers a 10 year powertrain warranty while Toyota/Honda/GM/Ford offer 3 years.

toast

I am excited about all of the new utility vehicles coming our way in the next 6-9 months. Besides the Outlander we get to compare it with the RAV4, CRV, RDX, MDX, CX-7, CX-9, X5, not to mention some of the domestic offerings. I currently drive a 2001 Montero that has been very reliable but a little underpowered for its weight. I am hoping that the Outlander provide more power and similar quality build.

What is nice about the Mitsubishi line is that you don't see many on the road - nice to drive something that is less vanilla than the Honda, Toyota Ford and Chevy lines.

greenol

Hello All, Just found this site, looking for info on my new car. We just bought an 06' Outlander LS, manual. I have to say, so far, I am loving it. It has every thing I was looking for, at the right price.

I was looking for a used car, and I had my heart pretty set on the Pontiac Vibe (the re-badged Matrix). But was open to a wide range of "manual wagons." I had done a bit of homework, had my consumer report guide, when we wandered onto a Mitsubishi lot... looking for used cars. They didn't have any thing used on the lot that we were interested in. The sales men asked what my price range was, and I told him 15K or under. And that I wanted a wagon, preferably stick shift. His eyes lighted up. He said "I have the car for you", I joked about this with my husband, and figured we would humor him, and look at the car.

I have to say, after all the research I had done, I had NEVER EVEN HEARD OF THE OUTLANDER before.

We checked the car out, it was one of those "Only one at this price" newspaper add models. We were impressed with the car, and the price (15,980). I had no plans on buying a new car... but the price!

We went to other lots, then went home, jumped on the internet, looked at the consumer report guide. I liked every thing I read.

We drove back to Mitsubishi, and made a deal. I am SO Happy with my NEW car, and only 15K!

So does any one else have the manual FWD OUTLANDER?

I'll be back, with more, after my car and I have spent a little more time together. :P

greenol

This car is in NO WAY equipped to haul two horses!!!! DANGER DANGER. I own horses, and have been hauling them for years... in my Ford F250 Diesel.

You are CRAZY to think you can haul two horses with this car. The rig would weigh way more then the car it’s self.

I believe the maximum towing capacity for my outlander is 1500 pounds, with 150 tongue weight.

Two horses, in just horseflesh, you are looking at 1600-2500 pounds, add a horse trailer (STARTING at 3,000lbs), you are looking at A LOT of weight.

Want to pull horses, buy a full size truck. Most full size SUVs are not up to the task. And you need more then power to pull, you need power and weight to stop.

Get a vehicle that is rated to pull 10,000 pounds, and you will be safe. A cross over SUV rated at 1,500 pounds is NOT a towing vehicle.

Pulling an empty horse trailer is WAY over what this cross over SUV can handle.
:confuse:

newoutlander

I see very few Mitsubishi Outlander advertisement here in Japan, while I see a lot for new Toyota RAV4.

However in Japan, the new Outlander really outsells the new Toyota Rav4 since their introduction last fall.

I am one of very happy owners of new Outlander.

dave82

True, but it's not a huge difference. Mitsubishi sells slightly more than 3000 Outlanders a month in Japan, while the RAV4 sells about 2300. However, Toytota outsells Mitsubishi about 10-1 in Japan, so I don't think that Toyota is too concerned. The new Outlander is a nice car, but it's going to face much more competition here than in Japan, and Mitsubishi doesn't seem to have much money lately for advertising. They cut their advertising budget quite a bit last year to stem the losses, and I read that their advertising budget dropped 75% in the first quarter of this year. As the saying goes, "Out of sight, out of mind"

easy2t2

Could you give your feedback about your new Outlander. It seems a better alternative than Rav4. Can't way to drive one.

newoutlander

Well, I chose an Outlander just because I thought the Outlander is one class higher than RAV4 after test drive
and it whas good value for money to me.

The outlander wins in exterior/interior quality, steering control, stability, ride comfort and content of features against the RAV4.

It seems to me that the Outlander's competitor should be the Kluger (Highlander in US?).

Of course there is a risk to buy a Mitsubishi, but I think Mitsubishi is doing OK now and I would rather feel the Toyota is changing and its quality is getting cheaper.

It could be as a result of too much cost reduction and rapit gloval expansion.

But I heard the RAV4 has a nice 3.5L V6 engine in US.
Toyota does not sell 3.5L V6 in Japan.

dave82

If Mitsubishi is doing OK now, I don't think that they would be talking about pulling out of the US market. Read the article in this week's Automotive News:

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage?ws=uf

newoutlander

Dave82, I checked your post. All negative remarks about Mitsubishi. What are you doing here?

I have been driving Mitsubishi more than 20 years. All vehicles had good reliability and I am very satisfied.

No response is appreciated.

Are there anyone who had a chance to drive a new US Outlander?

elgatoloco

About that so called "news" article in automotive news. Mitsubishi Motors President Masuko and MMNA CEO Hiroshi Harunari have explained in a letter to all U.S. employees that the remarks made by Mitsubishi reps at an Outlander event were taken COMPLETELY out of context by automotive news. The reporters were told that the new platform of the Outlander (which is also the platform for the new Lancer and Evo X ) was very important for future sales growth in overseas markets. The reporter from automotive news apparently mis-interpeted those remarks to mean that if these products sold under expectations then Mitsubishi would pull out of North America. Either that, or the reporter was trying to create a little hubbub on his own (nothing new there in the automotive world). President Masuko assured all employees that Misubishi is even more determined now then in the past to remain in the North American market. While the Mitsubishi revitalization plan is not completely on track in North America it is improving. Also, it is understood by management that it takes time to introduce newer models overseas that are currently racking up sales gains and receiving positive reviews in the Japanese domestic automobile market.

texas4

we are looking at 2005 or 2006 outlander,2 wheel drive...
anyone wish to comment if they would buy again ??
what MPG are you getting ?
any major expenses on maintaince to comply with the warrenty??
when does the timing belt need to be changed ?
TIA for any comments or input

dave82

I understand. Not everybody qualifies for Honda or Toyota financing.

dieselpower1

that's a real shame mitsu is doing that, anyone with even a basic knowledge of advertising and marketing knows that advertising should be increased in tough times to gain market share both now and when markets improve, not cut. What a surprise, you would thing execs from a multinational company like Mitsubishi would know better! :sick:

stever

Please visit the Mitsubishi Outlander: MPG-Real World Numbers discussion and report on your gas mileage. Thanks!

Steve, Host

catt926

My parents are considering purchasing a new '06 Outlander...does anyone know if there will be a new model coming out anytime soon? Most '07 cars are out now, but I can't find any information on whether there will be a new model of this car coming out....

toast

Wait until November the new 2007 will be relaeased then and it is substantially improved over the 2006.

catt926

We went to see a local dealer last night and found out that the new ones coming at the end of this year will be 7-seaters because they are planning to discontinue the Montero. My parents really like this one because it's smaller; they don't need a 7-seater. Anyhow, we are aiming for the fully loaded Limited 06 Outlander for under $24,000 OTD. Considering that we qualify for $1000 rebate, we figured it should be lower than $24,000...MSRP was a few hundred over $25,000. I've checked the inventories of most dealers in the so. cal area and no one seems to have the color we want. We figured that if we take the showroom model that they have on hand that should lower our price even more since we're getting this vehicle off their hands. Do you think $23,000 would be a good deal? Or can they go lower??

elgatoloco

Thats a tough question to answer. Considering it's the last year on this particular model before a major production overhaul you would think they would want to deal - are you talking outright purchase or is a trade in involved?

Regardless... you're talking about a fully loaded model of a very competent SUV. It should give your parents years of worry free transportation. Thats worth quite a bit also.

toast

Based on the upgrades coming in 2007 it could be worth waiting. 2007 Outlander
The 2007 features a 24 Valve 220HP V6 engine.
Six Speed transmission with shifter paddles on the steering wheel.
A 650 Watt Rockford Fosgate audio system.
My worry is that the 2006 will drop in value upon this release. However, your folks probably don't care about the 220HP or the upper-end Audio -- so you probably will get a smoking deal on the 2006. For others you might want to be patient.

texas4

We just bought a 2006 LS (the low end model outlander) with the "standards" ...list was $20634...we purchased for $18134,plus 100 for window tent for a total of 18234...hope that helps....you may want to consider the following:

find the model you want...these should be the same list price on the sticker( all of the ones i looked at were sticker at 20634), no matter what dealer, unless they have added options, if they have, be careful...these are high profit add ons, that you can usally get cheaper.....

check internet for each dealer/ send emails and leave a phone number....ask for the cash price that they want...that way you can acutally compare price.... you may need to be flexable on color....

when you get the lowest price...wait a few days..call back see if they will go a little lower....if you get the price you want....go make the deal....try to work with the sales manager/internet manager directly...when they put all the details down on paper/computer screen, make SURE it's the same price you agreed on, before TTL....almost got charged 200 for tire protection....also watch out for "document fees" .... it's nothing personel with these guys, just how they make money....

before you get to making the deal, you need to decided if you want trade a car... dealers i went to offered me 1/2 of what we sold our old car for to CarMax....

also you need to decided how you going to pay for it, we got 2% for 48 months from mitsubishi....

i don't think i really got a great deal, however your time is worth something....

the longer you hold off the better the deals should be...say august/sept/oct....however, you choices will start to be limited, as the dealer inventories are depleted.... hope this helps

also, to be afraid to find a dealership which is a little "older" and not in best location....that is where i found the best deal....

as for the 2006 vrs 2007...i think you are looking at two very different suvs......more like apples vrs oranges .....

earlshoes

Hi, i have the same car and the gas mileage is poor. I get about 280mile to the tank around town.I did put a K&N filter in mine which seems to help a bit. I do notice when with highway driving at around 2500rpm (60-65mph) I can get about 350 to the tank. Overall I like the car but wish the gas mileage was better.

easy2t2

I have this SUV at the top of my list, right in front of a RAV4 with the same options. Anyone knows what estimated MPG are?

toast

For the XLS 4WD 19/25
LS 2WD 20/27

pacosan

Wait till the redesigned 2007 Outlander fall launch. It's bigger and available in either 4 and a 6 cylinder engines. Check review and photo in the Edmunds site;

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/FVDP/Preview/styleId=100492702

Hope you like it, I did.

easy2t2

I don't think we are getting the 4cyl. Only V6 for amercia, as per Mitsu website

stever

"It's about feedback. Lots of it is transmitted through the steering wheel and driver seat, and when you know what a car will do next, it's always more fun. Plus, the steering feels quick for an SUV, and the standard four-wheel antilock disc brakes, which include electronic brakeforce distribution, offer a progressive pedal feel."

First Drive: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander

The stranger assimilates (Inside Line)

1racefan

new Outlander being larger, and having a 6 cylinder, what is going to happen with the Endeavor? Is it going to become Tahoe sized?

crutnacker

Before my wife got her CR-V, we test drove an Outlander (circa 2003). I'm curious as to why they're highly rated in reliability but satisfaction is low. I like what I see on the new 2007 Outlander, but wondered if anyone could shed some light on what people don't like about the current model.

ehasley

Im curious to know if the 2003 Outlander will run E85. Its just starting to come about in my area and its cheaper than gas. Any help would be greatly appreciated

njawdriver

It's been VERY quiet on this forum.

Does anyone have an idea when the 2007 will start shipping???

I'm hoping to compare it to the '07 RAV4 and CR-V, but will probably purchase something within the next 2 months.

dsmith1024

Im pretty much in the same boat as you. Im looking to compare the new 07's with some others. I see tons of Rav4's around and dont really want something everyone has. But I email a local dealer(Kansas City)-they said Outlanders will arrive late October. They also said the coasts will recieve them before we will in the Midwest. So hopefully they will be here in November sometime.