If you were in charge of developing the second-generation Mitsubishi Outlander, what choices would you make in hopes of improving the vehicle's sales success? After all, the first Outlander didn't exactly burn up the sales charts, and now the competition has gotten even more intense. (I recently counted 20 compact or smaller midsize crossover SUVs for sale.) Nor is your developmental budget anywhere near what Toyota's is.
After spending the last few days in our long-term 2007 Outlander, it seems to me that Mitsubishi decided to focus on two things that are often missing in this segment: style and personality. The Outlander is one of the best looking small/midsize SUVs out there thanks to its toned and crisp lines. Inside, there are some clever touches, such as the hard-drive based navigation system, the metal shift paddles and, on 4WD models, the iDrive-looking drive-mode selection knob.
The personality part comes out when one drives the Outlander for fun. Over the weekend I headed to California's Kings River in the Sierra Nevadas for some whitewater rafting. I drove about 60 miles on curvy, canyon road and was impressed with the Outlander's handling balance and the feedback coming through the structure and steering wheel. The paddle shifters came in handy on this drive to keep the slightly underwhelming V6 on boil, and all of these attributes came into play when I had to dodge unexpected groups of cattle that had apparently gotten loose along my route.
Overall, I think Mitsubishi took the right path given what it had to work with. Of those 20 or so small or midsize car-based SUVs, I'd have to say that the Outlander would rank in my personal top five in terms of recommended.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor, Edmunds.com, 5,440 miles
4classabconly says:
05:15 PM, 05/29/07
i just hope that between this and the new lancer, mitsubishi can survive because theyve finally stepped up their game enough that it wud be ashame to not have their unique angle amidst a sea of blandness
bimmerjay says:
09:41 PM, 05/29/07
I saw a new Outlander on the road today, that's one good lookin' truck. Now if the same team can get to work on that thing called the Galant and the Diamante (is it even still around?), Mitsu might just make it.
mikemir87 says:
10:03 PM, 05/29/07
Yea Diamante is gone, and what i dont get is in its last year (2005 i think it was) they gave it a nice refresh that made it look really good and now they are extremely rare too see driving around...I dont get why some companies do that, same thing with the last year of the 2dr ford Escort, they gave it a refresh and made it also look decent...and then they stop making it...i dont get it...
tbone12 says:
11:45 AM, 07/ 8/07
I had a '99 Montero Sport. That was (and still is) the best looking SUV on the market (before the '00 refresh, they ruined the car by adding bulk everywhere). It was my favorite car I ever owned. All they needed to do was make small changes and add a bigger engine and this car and a better Eclipse would have made Mitsubishi a top seller. Instead of on the verge of auto history.
Instead, they made major changes and lost buyers. Including me. I wanted a good replacedment for my 99 Montero Sport, but couldn't find one. I got an 04 Acura TSX, which is fun, but I miss my SUV.
This new Outlander should have been the replacement for the Montero Sport. instead of that ugly station wagon that replaced it years ago. They would have kept buyers, like myself. To me, it is too little, too late. Adios Mitsubishi, Hello Toyota (FJ Cruiser is on the top of my list as my next SUV, it just needs power rear windows and a sunroof to get me in the showroom).
This Outlander is just a tad small-SUV-ish for me. Also, it resembles the Lexus "family mobile" too much. I rented a RAV4 Sport AWD and loved driving it in the CO mountains, but it too is still a little too "cute ute" for me (no kids). The AWD RAV4 Sport has a tighter suspension than the RAV4 LTD and the AWD does away with a lot of the torque steer the Edmunds editors were complaining about. I have not driven the new Outlander, but have seen it. If it were a bit bigger it would likely earn more buyers. instead, they are targeting only small SUV drivers with families and who want some sport element.
In my opinion, Mitsubishi needs to add one more larger SUV (just a little larger than the Outlander and smaller than the Montero). They have had no success with their SUV's of late (since the '99 Montero Sport). It looked sporty, aggressive and just needed a larger engine and lower center of gravity). minor tweaks, not a redesign to a station wagon!
mikus says:
04:49 PM, 07/15/07
2007 Outlander is huge. There is only one choice of small jacked-up wagon: Subie Forester.