I have spent a bit of time in the Mitsubishi Outlander, and I am growing increasingly fond of it. It's very easy to drive, looks stylish, all that good stuff. But it's also very thoughtfully designed. Last night, as per usual, I had some musical equipment to take to a rehearsal...
First I needed to fold the second-row seats forward. I got way more than I bargained for. By merely flipping up the handle, I caused the seat to go forward, flatten out, and roll out of the way like a gynmast executing a tuck-and-roll.
Then I turned to the trunk, to load my gear. I found the tailgate a bit high for my taste, since I have to lift a VERY heavy keyboard (88-full-size keys) over it and didn't want to scratch it. But then I noticed that it appeared to be hinged. Sure enough. . .
became
.
I was smitten. What a great feature.
Senior Copy Editor Doug Lloyd @ 7,433 miles
genius163 says:
01:58 PM, 07/19/07
My Volvo XC90 has that, too. The sales guy said that it was to reduce the weight of the lift gate since the heaviest part is the bottom part.
bmccorm25 says:
02:31 PM, 07/19/07
I can't believe that no one, anywhere, has written about that feature before! It makes so much sense.
pengwin says:
02:35 PM, 07/19/07
how does it make sense? i mean normal SUV's dont have the lower part and just have a big door. but really, when can the lower tailgate part be useful in the upright position rather than not being there at all?
SubyTrojan says:
02:43 PM, 07/19/07
bmccorm25, it was briefly mentioned in Inside Line's First Drive and Full Test reviews and Long-Term Road Test Introduction. You're right in that it hasn't been written about in the long-term blogs yet (as far as I know).
First Drive:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=116296
Full Test:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=118989
Long-Term Introduction:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/LongTerm/articleId=120390
villahidalgo says:
08:12 PM, 07/19/07
seems like a nice feature...for a minivan!
qqt414 says:
08:39 PM, 07/19/07
I am an owner of an 07 outlander and i can attest to the usefulness of that nifty tailgate. its one of the reasons i chose it over a rav-4. tailgate allowed me to complete a move to a new house with my family much easier than if i had to lift heavy mini cabinets into a higher bed. Also it allows me to sit and easily change shoes on the golf course or change into my work shoes for my job coming straight from class. I have also used the thing on the beach as a hang out as well as when i went camping. It is such a simple idea but than you think WHY DIDNT ANYONE ELSE THINK OF IT at this price point! i just wish the chairs and 3rd row didn't use the bizarre system of pulley ropes to put everything back into place
mrnewsguy says:
07:15 AM, 07/20/07
As a fellow musician I can easily support editor Doug's appreciation of this drop-style tailgate. When you're loading something by yourself as heavy as a full-sized keyboard (Kurzweil PC88 perhaps?) or a large drum hardware bag like I have to every weekend, trying to get it over the tailgate adds just that much more stress and fatigue to an already tiring job. Sliding your gear in at a level flush with the cargo floor just makes so much sense. Because of having to haul gear I would seriously consider the Outlander over other vehicles in its class for that feature alone.
dodo2 says:
07:55 AM, 07/20/07
Very smart and usefull feature. It provides for low cargo bed, high cargo area, light and short tailgate. I use it all the time for various reasons.
Plus, if you get hit from behind (at low speed) the tailgate is not affected (not the case in the CRV which has the tailgate integrated with the bumper or the RAV4 which doesn't have a bumper due to the door and hanging spare tire).
Kudos for Mitsu engineers.
rasldasl says:
09:01 AM, 07/20/07
I don' t think anyone has posted about the ridiculously complicated 3rd row seat. Have you seen the procedure for folding that thing? The instructions are printed on the white label visible in the lower picture. There are so many intricate steps that I doubt many people would end up using the seat at all.
creeper says:
09:08 AM, 07/20/07
dodo, the RAV does have a bumper, admittedly new to the current generation, that extends beneath the spare tire. From the photos I cannot see how the drop down portion of the tailgate would not be destroyed in a rear-end collision. Also, why haven't the Mitsu engineers/marketers offered a non-third row option on the Outlander?
dodo2 says:
10:09 AM, 07/20/07
creeper: The ES and LS trims do not have the 3rd row. However, I think the 3rd row should've been an option on the XLS vs. standard, but on the other hand, the 3rd row disappears into the cargo floor like it doesn't exist (although it adds weight and takes up the small under the floor storage available on the ES/LS). I don’t think is that difficult to unfold the 3rd row seat as long as you read the instructions and practice a bit. I have seen videos of the process and it didn’t seem to be complicated or time consuming at all (as long as you know what you are doing).
In regards to the rear bumper, my point is that the folding part is the actual bumper and it's made out of plastic (or whatever material they use for the bumpers these days). It is not metal and it is a separate piece from the tailgate. What I'm worried about is to repair metal parts after a collision. There is no way to completely stop the rust to develop on the repaired area.
I think the RAV4 does not quite have a bumper, as there is a big cut out for the spare tire. If you get rear ended, chances are that the spare wheel will take the hit and the shock goes to the door potentially causing deformation and all the problems to come with it.
I think the spare tire on the door in todays compact SUVs is just out of place, but this is just my personal opinion.
jkavanagh says:
11:37 AM, 07/20/07
rasldasl,
The 3rd row was addressed in the Outlander's Full Test:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=118989/pageId=117291