New Mitsubishi Outlander Owners Give us your report

spyderone · December 2006

Did you try out other SUV's and if so what decisions made you choose the Outlander?

Thanks

lukido · December 2006

To follow-up...

I went back to my dealer and had a "discussion" about this issue with the front end. Apparently Mitsubishi has known about this problem for quite some time. Here in Japan, the new design model Outlander has been available since about Sept 2006. They told me that this problem is common in the new Outlander. But they're not exactly sure what is causing it. One theory is that the front hub bearings have been fitted with the wrong kind if grease. Thus causing the bearings to temporarily seize. The solution, thus far, is to repack the bearings with a stronger more durable grease. I will bring my vehicle back this week to have this done. I will report back on whether it has worked or not.

As a side note, I let my salesman know how upset I was that Mitsubishi was aware of this problem before they sold me this car. Not a good thing for a company to do. Especially one that is trying to create a clean image after the recall scandal that surfaced a little while back.

More to come...

L

rcpax · December 2006

Thanks for the update. Please do keep us posted about this from your end. I would have this discussed with the dealer too on my next visit.

dodo2 · December 2006

Here in Japan, the new design model Outlander has been available since about Sept 2006.

I thought the new Outlander went on sale in Japan fall 2005.

ken4ny · December 2006

Yes, I did. First, I looked at the RAV4, I didn't like the interior. It fell tight. I liked the Highlander better but the salesman told me that a totally redesign Highlander coming out in 2008. Beside, with everything I want, it'll cost almost $40,000. Then I looked at the new CRV. The car is smaller then the previous design and only came with 4 cylinders. I get more from the Mitsubishi for about the same price. Then I went to Hyndai to looked at the Santa Fe. Very roomy inside, bigger engine, less high tech gimmicks and no navigator. Again, it'll cost more than the loaded Outlander when I loaded it up with the options that I want. Therefore, I chose the Outlander because I get more for my money.

rcpax · December 2006

Excellent choice. When you get the car in January, take some of your friends for a ride during the break-in period and demo all the gadgets, the comfort of leather, and the smooth 6 speed transmission. And then tell them how much is the MSRP, and how much you paid. If you qualified for the 4.9%/60, tell them that too. And tell the warranty on this vehicle. I'm sure they'll envy you and would want to get one.

rcpax · December 2006

If your budget allows for it, go for an XLS with all 3 factory options in and bargain well for invoice/close-to-invoice price. The 4wd/2wd options is yours to decide, but I'd say if it snows in your area, 4wd is a big plus. Getting the 4wd, you also have the option to drive the fuel-saving 2wd mode for daily commute, so you have the best of everything at your choosing.

bostondude001 · December 2006

Can you email me and let me know what options you have on your XLS, the Dealer/Sales Person you dealt with & price you paid. Appreciate your help.

stever · December 2006

Even better, post your deals over in the Mitsubishi Outlander: Prices Paid & Buying Experience discussion and everyone can benefit.

lukido · December 2006

Sorry. My mistake. Meant to write 2005.

ken4ny · December 2006

Thank you for the advice but the salesman already knew that I'm going to pay for it in full.

ken4ny · December 2006

Another question, do you know how long is the breakin period? The salesman don't mention it any more. Same thing that when my brothers brought his MB E-class and Acura. My friend bought her Toyota. They didn't even mention on the car's menu.

pauld37 · December 2006

When I was buying, the decision on 2wd or 4wd was a $2200 decision. End of month, pushing volume, buy 2wd for much cheaper. Color is silver with black interior.

Looked at all of the car based SUVs. Being tall, I fit best in the Mitsubishi. I use the Bluetooth all of the time. Great feature. My smartphone loses connectivity to the system from time to time. Refreshing the settings on the smartphone seems to fix this. Stereo "surround" settings are better than trying to use the manual controls to setup the speaker system; bal/fade/etc.

I miss the overhead lights coming on when I get in. Old minivan had this. I prefer the harder seats then were in the minivan. Fastkey is interesting. Although my family doesn't like it too much as it does not open all of the doors at once. I used the Sportronic shifters a couple of times. Not my cup of tea. My father remembers something similar on his 58 chevy.

I haven't been able to figure out how to get the MPG to work for the entire tank of gas. Each time I turn the car on, the MPG resets for that trip. I have played with this while travelling at different speeds. It has the real time indicator for MPG that is on CRV that some people talk about.

There is additional wind noise as some of the reviews mentioned. As I listen to loud music, it doesn't bother me. Riding over coarse road transmits additional noise into the cabin as well. Driving on asphalt, it is smooth as silk.

I find myself having to move the steering wheel from side to side to unlock the ignition switch, when first starting, more often then I would have thought? I also hear the popping sound from the front left when parallel parking or making hard turns. Posts indicate this is a bearing assembly issue that Mitsu is aware of. I have not taken it back to the dealer yet.

The pedals and my big size 15s, are touchier than the old auto. Time and familiarity will fix this. I put on 600 miles during the first week.

rcpax · December 2006

I miss the overhead lights coming on when I get in. Old minivan had this.

Did you get to set the overhead cabin lights over at the 2nd row seats? Works the same way as for most cars/SUVs

I haven't been able to figure out how to get the MPG to work for the entire tank of gas. Each time I turn the car on, the MPG resets for that trip. I have played with this while travelling at different speeds. It has the real time indicator for MPG that is on CRV that some people talk about.

More info on this on pages 3-150 to 3-153 of the manual. You could try the Manual Reset mode and see if it gets you to do a lot longer monitoring of your average fuel consumption. Manual math on the Gas Mileage is available on the very last page of the manual.

Talking about Bluetooth handsfree, it's really cool and very useful technology. This one always get the "wow" from friends when I demo and call their number. They didn't even know where my phone was, and the SUV has the "AI" factor to it when it reconfirms the number. The speech recognition is quite accurate too.

rcpax · December 2006

Break-in period recommended is 300miles(500 km). Info is on page 3-2 of the manual. A few things you should avoid during this time: (1) over revving (2)rough driving, e.g. sudden starts, sudden acceleration and braking, etc. (3)do not overload the vehicle (4)don't tow a trailer or another vehicle during this time.

dodo2 · December 2006

Does the XLS have auto on/off lights? Can you set the fog lights to turn on/off when the head lights turn on/off?

rcpax · December 2006

Yes it does have that function. When the headlights are on, and the key knob is turned to Lock or Acc position or if an actual key was used and it was removed, and then you opened the driver's door, the headlights will go off. If in that scenario the driver's door was not opened, the lights will remain on for 3 minutes and go off. If after this auto function you decided you want the lights to stay on, you can just turn the knob to on position again(whether hi/low beam) and the auto function will not kick in.The dealerships can disable this feature permanently if you don't want it.

It should be a standard feature on all trims. If you get the XLS with Luxury package, you will get HID headlights, and in this package, the fog lights serves as daytime running lights.

And about the fog lights, I have yet to confirm this, but the manual says you can manually turn on/off the fog lights independently from headlights. The default function of the foglights are to illuminate together with the headlights on low beam mode, and as DRL in the Luxury package. When high beam is selected for the headlights, the fog lights go off, until you set the headlights back to low beam again.

mictra · December 2006

I decided to buy 07 XLS Black on Black w/sun and sound/lux pkg. I still have to wait till the middle of january for one. Apparently no one has one in the n/east. My question is, I have a garmin nav unit (2720). Should I still buy the car with the nav unit or without? Does the car need to be in park in order to make changes in the nav unit? With the exception of the music player, calender and nav capabilities what else does it do. Does it display caller ID? Does the car w/out the nav display caller id. Details would be apreciated since I saw a bunch of salesmen in the dealership watching there info tape on the car. Thank-you in advance for your time.

piast · December 2006

Any update on actual mileage?

polmcs · December 2006

Let's hope I can remember all the questions that were recently asked and I'll add my 2 cents worth.

Regarding the front end knock, the service guy said that as the model was so new, he hadn't heard of any bulletins, but he would take a look for me. Having said that, the car hasn't done it since.

Wind noise... I thought it was coming off the roof rail, but the service dept took it for a drive and said it was coming from the mirror. There is a gap around an inch and half between the body work and the mirror housing and the wind is whistling through there. The service chap noted that the service manager's Outlander also did the same thing.

The overhead light.. There is one over the rear view mirror, one in the middle of the cabin and one at the rear. When I first got the car, none of them came on, so I played with the switches and was able to set them up so that they come on when a door is opened and stay on for around 30 seconds before going off. (the time out is controlled from the Nav screen)

Fastkey.. again this setup can be controlled from the NAV screen. You can have the key open just the drivers door, or all doors, or you can disable it completely for the door locks and/or engine start. I have noticed that it will only unlock the particular door you are standing next to, but once that door is opened, I have it set up to unlock all other doors.

Headlights auto off... yes, on my car, they are set up to switch off after 3 minutes or so, again set up from the Nav screen. As for the fogs, I have the HID lights, so the fogs act as daylight running lights. With the HID option, there are only 3 positions and not 4 on the light stalk on the steering wheel, so I haven't figured out a way to have the fogs switch off and bypass the DLR setting.

Finally the NAV... Whilst driving, I was able to hit the home button and have the NAV system give me directions back to my house, without having to stop and put the car in park. I haven't really played with the NAV/GPS system much yet, so dont know what functionality gets disabled (apart from the DVD and Aux video inputs) whilst the car is in motion. As for caller id, yes the NAV display will show the number of the calling party, so it supports that functionality. However, the limiting factor here may be the phone. I have a RAZR V3 on the T-Mobile network and they place no restrictions on the data that can be passed via bluetooth. However, there are phone companies that 'cripple' some of the bluetooth functionality on their phones and therefore the number transfer will not work from their phone to the NAV system. Only the voice information is passed.

POL

dodo2 · December 2006

Thanks for the details. According to Mitsu web site, the DRL is standard on all trims, so the fog lights,installed as an accessory package on the LS, should work the same as on the XLS (with or without an additional package). This would be my guess. Or, if combined with an additional package (luxury) it adds more functionality? Not clear here.
Now, what I did not get from your answer is wether or not the Outlander has auto headlights. What I mean by that is if you can set the headlights on "Auto" so they come on when it gets dark without you having to turn them on manually. I understand that it has the headlights auto off functionality- they automatically turn of when, lets say, you turn off the engine.

rcpax · December 2006

I just refueled this evening, I got 16mpg on 100% city driving. Don't trust this mpg from me because I had been running the vehicle idle for long periods of time during this period while I'm playing around with the toys, configuring stuff in the navi, ripping CDs, etc. I'm still in the breakin period so I'm expecting it to be a little low.

rcpax · December 2006

According to Mitsu web site, the DRL is standard on all trims, so the fog lights,installed as an accessory package on the LS, should work the same as on the XLS (with or without an additional package). This would be my guess. Or, if combined with an additional package (luxury) it adds more functionality? Not clear here.

I guess you can have it on DRL mode on the LS/ES with fog lights if it's standard. I just confirmed that on the XLS with Luxury package, we don't get the foglight switch. Foglights are run by the system.

Now, what I did not get from your answer is wether or not the Outlander has auto headlights. What I mean by that is if you can set the headlights on "Auto" so they come on when it gets dark without you having to turn them on manually.

Nope, you still have to turn them on manually.

dodo2 · December 2006

Nope, you still have to turn them on manually.
Would have been nice... But again, hope the Canadian model will have it (?!). Same happened with my car; different features in CAN compared to US. I also wish for heated mirrors... They would be handy during the winter time.

Thanks again rcpax.

rcpax · December 2006

My question is, I have a garmin nav unit (2720). Should I still buy the car with the nav unit or without? Does the car need to be in park in order to make changes in the nav unit? With the exception of the music player, calender and nav capabilities what else does it do.

Okay, let me be the first to give my 2 cents worth on your query. The navi unit is very useful for me. I really like the big screen because it can display a lot of details (street names, POI). And I get to see well in advance if I need to make a turn on an intersection. That's the other half of the screen where I see the vehicle's position along a road. The other half gives me the next turn I'll make, and how far ahead. So this gives me a chance to move lanes when I'm like 0.5 to 1 mile before an exit or a turn. this is the visual part, and there is also the navi audio instructions so I can keep my eye on the road. For me, when traveling through unfamiliar routes, this is very important, because missing an exit could mean another 20-30 miles drive to the next exit. the big navi screen is important to me, and the navi system as a whole is indispensable. I'm glad I made the right decision. I am new to our current residence, and I rely much on the navi to find my way around. Regarding your Garmin unit, it would be pretty much up to you to decide, and I bet it's a little tough because the built-in navi costs a lot. I'd say if your happy with your current GPS, you can skip the navi. You can make changes to the navi while the vehicle is in motion, but it's not advisable for safety reasons. Among other things, it serves as the "monitor" for your car. You can set a lot of things on the car using the navi display. It actually is the console for the whole vehicle, and doubles as Navi, and DVD movie player too. You also get an RCA audio/video in if it was in a Luxury package, so you can hook your PS3, etc, and with the addition of a cheap camera you can actually make a DIY backup camera system if your crafty enough. It does display the calling number on the screen, but what I can't confirm as of this time is whether it will display the ID from your phone's phonebook. The navi unit does not use your phone's phonebook. You will actually need to build a new phonebook in the vehicle's system, and all names are voice recorded by you, so the car's computer will be able to do a voice recognition of the person's name you want to call, and all commands are given via voice.

rcpax · December 2006

You're welcome

Yep, we can always wish for the best. I think Mitsu skipped a few extras listed earlier in order to keep the prices down. Which is a good thing actually, because some people would rather have some of these extras as options than have to pay for them when they don't actually want them. Well, although these extras are great, but somehow they cost money, and that cost will always get integrated to the total cost of the car. I hope we get to see a nice set of specs next year for the Canada 07 Outlander.

dodo2 · December 2006

I hope we get to see a nice set of specs next year for the Canada 07 Outlander.

Yep, but without removing the good ones already there. Usually we get less content for more money.
I can't wait until next Jan-Feb to see the Canadian prices and trims for the 07 Outlander.

dodo2 · December 2006

I think Mitsu skipped a few extras listed earlier in order to keep the prices down. Which is a good thing actually, because some people would rather have some of these extras as options than have to pay for them when they don't actually want them.

I would like to have them all for less money. How is that?

lukido · December 2006

Just to recap and follow-up. My 2007 Outlander had a front end knock. It would flare up when making turns either left or right, forwards or reverse. More prevalant when hard turning during parking and taking off. Went back to the dealer and after about three visits to the shop, they finally came up with the problem and solution.

Front end bearings were fine. The housing however had some microscopic roughness that was causing them to bind. Thus building tension and finally releasing with a thud. They replaced my bearings (at the manufacturing plant not the dealership) and fitted them with the refined housing. It's been three days and the sound has not come back. I suggest speaking to your dealer if you have this same problem.

For my troubles, the dealer scored me some Jaos fog lamps to go with my already attatched front skid bar. The idea of course came from me.

It never hurts to ask.

S

dodo2 · December 2006

How did you manage to get your car fixed at the factory? Perhaps this will help the situation and if this was a manufacturing defect, the future vehicles will not have this problem because it will be fixed on the assembly line?

rcpax · December 2006

Hi lukido, I went to my dealer (US) and he said he'll want to take a look at it. He also said it might be something that will wear out over time. So we set an appointment with the service guy. Taking keen observation on the knock, it didn't return since my last visit to the dealer. So when my appointment with service was due,I had to cancel it because the knock was gone for about 2 days. However just this evening there it was again. It's not that loud anymore but I noticed it when I did a reverse and had to do a hard right steer. There's that thud, but on a hard left everything was OK.

It was a good thing I canceled my appointment. The service guy would have found nothing wrong if he dismantled the steering mechanism and the CV joint. I doubt he would noticed that microscopic roughness. Now I wonder how they would deal with US customers because we don't have a manufacturing plant here. Nearest is in Normal, IL which is some 150mi away.

Did you happen to ask if they didn't change the housing, if it will cause damage? Right now I'm thinking this is something that will wear out over time as you use the vehicle. It will be annoying having the "knock", but I hope it's nothing serious. I would rather have it wore down over time than have the service guy dismantle a new car, and tell me he can't find anything wrong with it.

At this point I hope we can have your particulars since your case is the first documented case. Maybe the name of the your dealership, your Vehicle Identification number, what particular manufacturing plant serviced your vehicle (was it in Mizushima?) and what parts are affected and replaced. Then perhaps I can write a snail mail to Mitsu North America regarding this problem and I can cite your case in the letter so they know that this case is not isolated. If you don't want to reveal these info in this public forum, you can find my email in my profile. I really would like to have this issue brought to the attention of MMNA. Thanks in advance.

rcpax · December 2006

For my troubles, the dealer scored me some Jaos fog lamps to go with my already attatched front skid bar. The idea of course came from me. It never hurts to ask.

Wow, your dealers there in Japan are generous. I have been searching for a while now for a Ralli-Art store there that will be willing to ship the merchandise to the US. But so far, most of them doesn't have an online ordering system, or if they do, it's for domestic market only. I wonder if we can buy a Mt. Fuji grille from the factory, just like the ones for the Australian and Euro market (pic below). I like it more.

ken4ny · December 2006

Fuji Mt Grille doesn't look bad but I'm still prefer the North America style. Just my personal taste. It'll make the line cleaner. I didn't know that they have different style for Australia and Europe. I only know that peugeot use Outlandlander with their own name tag. And, Jeep has a similar design (It's was a joint venture then they broke up in the middle) called Compass. It came with 4 cylinders engine.

larrys1 · December 2006

I find it interesting that my XLS has a feature to allow the doors to automatically unlock when shifting to park, but nothing that automatically locks the doors when shifting to drive. I've searched and searched, but can't seem to locate any way to automatically lock the doors. Has anyone out there figured out how and if this can be done?

blackb13 · December 2006

AFAIK, there isn't a way to lock the doors. I also find that quite annoying.

blackb13 · December 2006

You should look at the Australian MMC website. There is a ton of aftermarket accessories (brush guard, Thule ski racks, etc...) that we can't even get here. There is also a Ralliart underhood diffuser and available "sport" grill that looks really nice.

Heck, I'm still wondering why we can't get the backup camera system like they have in Japan. :confuse:

rcpax · December 2006

Would have been nice if we're offered the same set of accessories here. I'm out of luck because I don't know anybody from AU. There isn't seem to be an online ordering system for Mitsu AU, and these parts are meant to be bought from the dealers. I hope next year will bring an influx of new accessories to include those that are sold in Japan and AU. A few months back, there was a Ralli-Art US minisite, but now it was taken down when they redesigned mitsubishicars.com. Mitsu US should really setup an online ralli-art shop for all their customers who want to do a little custom job.

lukido · December 2006

At this point I hope we can have your particulars since your case is the first documented case. Maybe the name of the your dealership, your Vehicle Identification number, what particular manufacturing plant serviced your vehicle (was it in Mizushima?) and what parts are affected and replaced. Then perhaps I can write a snail mail to Mitsu North America regarding this problem and I can cite your case in the letter so they know that this case is not isolated. If you don't want to reveal these info in this public forum, you can find my email in my profile. I really would like to have this issue brought to the attention of MMNA. Thanks in advance

Considering that Mitsubishi has treated me well from the beginning concerning this problem, I am not willing to give out any specific details as to dealer names and so on. However, if I find that Mitsubishi is shirking in their responsibilty to take care of this issue, I will be more than willing to give out more information in regards to my specific case.
As I said before, if you have this problem, bring it to the attention of your dealer. So far I am giving Mitsu the benefit of the doubt and a chance to do the right thing.

L

rcpax · December 2006

It's ok, no biggie.The point of my suggestion was that your case was "documented". It means the problem was identified, and a fix was made, problem solved. I didn't mean to use it to "get back" at Mitsu. In fact my intention was to help them improve their vehicles by looking into this issue. But I understand. It's just that it would have been easier for them to track that their vehicles has this "issue". I won't really rely on my dealer to report this kind of thing. The guy didn't even faxed the Outlander rewards form I gave him. Dealers here in America are more for selling cars, rather than going out of their way to mind things like this (just my 2 cents). And I did bring it to their attention. I don't really expect a recall will be made, as this really might not be a "problem enough" to warrant it. I hope more of our fellow members here will be aware of this and over time we can see if this front-end knock issue persists in the newer built ones.

doclayton · December 2006

Got the same problem. I get a knocking noise when I back up and do a hard turn.

So far its been the lone disappointment I have had with my 07 Outlander. (Ok the doors not locking when I shift out of park bugs me as well and why the heck can't the CD drive burn files from an MP3 disk? Also does anyone else find that they accidentally turn on their hazard lights alot while messing with the radio?) Even with those minor problems I still love the suv.

I live in TX though and don't think there is a factory anywhere near to fix the knocking problem. Can't they ship the parts to the dealer though? Seems strange if they can't.

larrys1 · December 2006

Several people have complained about the knocking noise. I've had my XLS for just over one month and have noticed that knock too. I think I'll wait a while before getting it looked at though. Let Mitsu identify the issue and come up with a fix. Save me the hassle of going to the dealer and being told "sorry sir, but we can't verify your complaint."

Two other minor points that, while minor, do annoy me:

1. No auto-dimming rearview mirror.
2. No heated side view mirrors (in NY this is quite helpful).

It's just surprising that they'd put so much technology into the vehicle and leave out some relatively minor items that seem to have become fairly standard offerings - especially in the upper end of any model.

macrac100 · December 2006

I also experienced the knocking noise on the front suspension. (Noticed it first as I was pulling out of the dealership after taking delivery!) I've owned the car for a month now and have put over 3000 miles on it. (YES! I do A LOT of driving.) The knock got progessively worse over the first 1000 miles, (I was planning on making an appointment to get it looked at.) HOWEVER, by 1500 miles, the knock stopped all together! And it has not returned for the last 1500 miles of driving.. For now, I'm think of it as a "Break-In" issue - meaning the suspension components where "tight" and had to wear/loosen up a bit. Other than this issue. I'm VERY happy with my Outlander..

polmcs · December 2006

Well apart from the knock when I drove the car off the lot and again the first time I reversed out of the garage, I've not heard not heard a peep since. Fingers crossed.

>why the heck can't the CD drive burn files from an MP3 disk?

This bugs me too! I haven't used music CDs for years. Every CD I have, has already been stored digitally on a lan server, iPod, or MP3 disks. Now if I want to copy a CD to the Music server, I have to dig out the original music disk from wherever I stashed it all those years ago! At first, I dug out a few 'must have' CDs and spent an afternoon running up and down stairs every 15 minutes to change the CD in the car. I then had an issue with the Nav system that the dealer thought would end up in a complete replacement of the head unit, hard drive and all!!! I don't want to spend hours and hours ripping CDs to the Music server, only to have to do it all over again. Luckily, the dealer was able to fix the Nav issue, so I still have the original unit.

Another quirk/issue, is that the radio on the Nav system does NOT display RDS info, yet the vanilla radio that comes with the 6 disk changer does display RDS info. What's up with that? I guess they figure that as the upgraded unit comes with Sat radio, you can pony up for a subscription in order to see station, artist and track info.

Apart from the above and a few other small issues, like no Homelink, no auto dimming mirror and no memory seats, I'm still more than satisfied with the new car. At least on random all play, hitting 'next' on the unit gives the next random track and not simply the next track on the disk. That really bugs me on my wife's G35 Coupe, especially when it lands on one of her disks in the car!!!!

You can't get off that disk/Folder until the track finishes and the unit selects another random track

needforspeed29 · December 2006

All you fellow proud '07 outlander owners, please post pictures when you get a chance, so we can see this beauty.

busta4 · December 2006

Hello, just was wondering what you paid for your XLS. I am getting the same one you did. Thanks

larrys1 · December 2006

My black XLS cost $29,618. It included the following packages:

Sun & Sound
Navigation
Luxury

spyderone · December 2006

I will probably get an Outlander XLS, but I am not sure whether or not to get 4 wheel drive. I live in Virginia and we get very little snow. It seems less and less every year (global warming I guess). Has anybody driven in the snow and how did it do in 4 wheel drive and FWD only? Thanks for the input!!!

larrys1 · December 2006

Forgot to mention that my above mentioned XLS is 4WD. Bought it from a real slimy dealer, but he had the vehicle and gave me a good price.

dodo2 · December 2006

Outlander's 4WD setup is great: if you don't need it, you can switch it off, but if you need it is there. The 4WD will help you on wet pavement perhaps more than in the snow. If I were you, and the budget permits, I would get it before any other package.

dodo2 · December 2006

Some of you guys had your Outlander for over a month now. Could you report on the real world MPG?

New Mitsubishi Outlander Owners Give us your report

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