In my last Outlander post I noted how the vehicle's sales numbers were well off the pace of other crossover SUVs like the CR-V and RAV4. Of course, there are a lot of factors behind this. From the product side, though, I think the Outlander is at its weakest when it comes to interior design. To help Mitsu out, I've put my automotive product planner hat on and come up with three interior makeover items that would be of the most benefit to the Outlander.
1) A telescoping steering wheel; this would improve the driver positioning and make it more comfortable for more people. 2) A more intuitive navigational head unit; enough already with the cryptic menus and lack of a volume knob. 3) A third-row seat that's solidly built and easy to raise; right now the Outlander's seat seems as if it was the spawn of a cantankerous sleeper sofa and a hammock.
It must be tough for Mitsubishi, who no doubt is way behind in development and marketing budgets compared to the heavies like Honda, Hyundai and Toyota. Even little things like I listed above are enough of a reason for somebody to skip over the Outlander. It's sort of a case where being good still isn't good enough. Then again, the items I listed should hopefully be pretty easy to fix, too.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor
takikuroi says:
10:38 AM, 09/ 3/10
There are still cars that don't have telescoping wheels? Ones that cost more than 12k base? I'm honestly shocked. It's like if you told me it had drum brakes, or a carburetor.
acbayard says:
11:07 AM, 09/ 3/10
I had a very negative experience with Mitsubishi. My colleagues and I were traveling in the Philippines, in regions where roads were mainly dirt and there was a requirement for the occasional river crossings. Our fixer obtained a brand new Mitsubishi Delica, which moved great when it moved, but we had tones of problems with the engine cooling systems. The radiator leaked, then the radiator hose (brand new) spray a leak (no puncture of any kind, just a defect). The replacement hose also sprang a leak, and we were carrying gallons of extra river water, which we had to filter with cheesecloth and paper filters for several hundred miles.
Never touched a Mitsubishi in a 3rd world locale ever again.
wobbly_ears says:
11:51 AM, 09/ 3/10
@acbayard
Wow! What were you guys doing there?? Are you a mercenary of some kind???
toye says:
11:53 AM, 09/ 3/10
The interior looks so "plain Jane" maybe simple is ok for some tastes.
misterfusion says:
01:52 PM, 09/ 3/10
LOL @ Wobbly Ears.
I'm surprised to hear acbayard's story, because Mitsu SUVs are very popular in rugged areas around the world, particularly in Asia. Plus, Jackie Chan drove Mitsubishis in every one of his (non-USA) films, so they MUST be awesome, right?!
slickersdrip says:
03:44 PM, 09/ 3/10
Definitely a pretty plain interior. It doesn't look bad, but it just looks... blah.
wobbly_ears, you made me laugh a little too hard with that comment... I want to know if acbayard might have the ability to track me down and kill me right now.
ivanz says:
08:37 PM, 09/ 3/10
Honestly, I think the interior is among the best in its class. It is both clean and elegant. It has normal knobs that are well positioned and don't look like a Fisher Price playset like the RAV4 and CR-V do. It also isn't cluttered like the others.
The NAV system/entertainment system has the best features in the class (can change car settings like lock times, buttons, etc)...it also has a program that lets you filter music in dozens of different ways instead of just browsing an alphabetical list. Neither of the other two have those features.
Even better is the Rockford Fosgate 710w audio system, which rivals can't even match.
I would take the Outlander any day over any other CUV in the class.
scorp76 says:
11:10 PM, 09/ 3/10
Id rather look at this interior than the downright ugly messes found in toyotas and hondas.
This is understated and attractive, which of course is only a bad thing when you're a smaller brand--perfectly fine when youre one of the giants, though.
fushigi says:
06:01 PM, 09/ 4/10
I consider it clean and uncluttered. Honda IPs by contrast are a mess of knobs and buttons. On the Outlander it's very easy to learn how to do just about anything. Only the uncommon things have any menu frustration for me.
Brent, with the dedicated volume rockers on the steering wheel and to the left of the navi screen I don't see any reason for a knob myself. And on an otherwise clean panel having an excess knob would look out of place. Where would you put it? Function-wise, while it would let you raise or lower the volume faster, I've yet to be in a situation where I wanted it to go up/down faster.
The 3rd row could be better, definitely, but then it's still a feature most CUVs in this class don't offer at any price. I'll take a feature that could be better over no feature at all, especially since I use it every couple of months.
anythngbutgm says:
05:39 AM, 09/ 8/10
I gotta disagree with you in comparison with the RAV4. I think the Toyo is the worst.
Don't get me wrong, the RAV is not a bad vehicle. It has a fantastic chassis setup and the V6 is a gem and even the Automatic tranny is passable to this stick fan. But, the Toyota either ran out of money, effort or care when it came to the interior...