Let me start off by saying I am a safe and considerate driver. I wear my seatbelt as a reflex. It's like tying shoes. It goes on without hesitation or a second's thought...
Continue reading 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS: Stop Beeping at Me!.
Categories: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD
Relaxation was the only thing on the menu over the weekend, and our 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander fit into my plans unexpectedly well. The wildflowers are in season in Southern California, so I took day hikes on both Saturday and Sunday.
The Outlander was its usual comfortable self. I've always liked the shape of its driver seat, and its ride quality is excellent, considering how steady it feels through the turns. And there are many of those, since most of the trailheads, even in Los Angeles County, are off two-lane roads. Once I was at my destination, I pulled right off the pavement without a second thought, because, well, I was in a crossover SUV with a little extra ground clearance.
Continue reading 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander: Feels Like The Weekend.
Categories: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD
I've had the chance to drive our Outlander many times over the last year. Mostly because it serves my photography purposes well.
It's fast, it carries a decent amount of gear and it has a smooth ride. It also has a good nav system just in case we need to find a new location and/or if we get lost...
Continue reading 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander: Family Hauler, Of Sorts.
Categories: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD
Out 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander was back at Stokes Tire Pros today. As you'll remember,
last time
our trusty Mitsu hit the tire shop it was the mule hauling some hyper-sticky rubber for our M3. Today, however, it was for something way less fun.
Continue reading 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS: To the Tire Shop! (again).
Categories: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD
Around here, at least in the dank nether regions of the photo department, the Outlander is known as 'The Mule'. It's our vehicle of choice for road trips, hauling gear and car to car photography. The seats fold down easily. The cargo area is pretty much unobstructed and flat...
Continue reading 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander: All Work, Some Play.
Categories: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD
Last week we ordered a new set of tires for our 2002 BMW M3 on Tire Rack. The plan was to buy the stickiest set of tires we could get in the original equipment 225/45R18 front and 255/40R18 rear sizes. We thought about going with R-compound tires, but
Yokohama Advan Neova AD07 "extreme performance summer" tires
were the best we could do in our size. These Yokohamas sell for $263 per front tire and $321 per rear tire.
Our tires arrived over the weekend, so today we drove over to Stokes Tire Pros and had all four of them mounted. The whole process only took 15 minutes. Installation cost $105. You'll recall that we already had an alignment performed at the BMW dealer, so mounting and balancing was the extent of it.
Continue reading 2002 BMW M3: Our Sticky New Tires Are In.
Categories: 2002 BMW M3,2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD
Our time with the 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS is winding down, and as this might've been my last drive in it, here are a few general parting thoughts.
Continue reading 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander's Final Days.
Categories: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD
I was surprised this weekend to find our long-term 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander already had nearly 21,000 miles on the odometer. Was less surprised when I flipped back through the logbook and realized the Mitsu had been in our care since March 16, 2007.
With just over four weeks left to go in the Outlander's year-long test, the SUV has achieved the following fuel economy:
Best tank: 26.8 MPG
Worst tank: 13.2 MPG
Average over life of the test: 19.26 MPG
Kelly Toepke, News Editor @ 21,045 miles
Categories: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD
First off, I didn't take the above picture. That was the work of our talented photog, Scott Jacobs. But the photo does speak to how I feel about our 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander lately.
Continue reading 5 Reasons I Heart Our 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander.
Categories: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD
About the only positive thing I have to say about the paddles on our long-term 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander is that they kind of look like Batman's ears (spiky movie Batman rather than TV). That's it. I'm not really much of a fan of paddles on automatics in general, but they just seem like a marketing trick in this application. They're great for coaxing all the juice from an engine that's a bit sluggish at the low end, but I don't find that the case with the Mitsu...
Continue reading 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS: Superfluous Paddles.
Categories: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD
Behold! Our long-term Mitsubishi Outlander's climate control knobs. Our Mitsubishi Lancer GTS has the same set of dials, which have been praised for their simplicity and knob-liness in the past. And while I agree that they are simple and clean, I do have two main gripes:
1) Thin, flimsy plastic: I have more confidence twisting the cap off my bottle of Odwalla Superfood Amazing Purple juice drink than when adjusting the Outlander's loose, clickity knobs...
Continue reading 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD: Knobs, Knobs, Knobs.
Categories: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD
Since we're up to 20-mile long runs in my marathon training, I had to do that this past Saturday leaving me out of commission for the rest of the day. With jelly legs and the sensation of knives in my arches, I was extra grateful for our 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander when I took it out the next day. (I wouldn't even want the Mini when I'm in this condition.)
Sure, the Outlander's
throttle response isn't all that
but the heated seats soothed me, the aux hookup allowed me to play my favorite songs on my iPod and I liked being able to just drop down from the driver seat instead of having to pull myself up on my achy knees to exit the vehicle.
I was able to face driving across town for brunch with my brother and then further east for a rainy day bbq...
Continue reading 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander: Perfect for a Lazy Sunday.
Categories: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD
Presidential candidates flip flop on issues when they can't make up their mind; our 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander flip flops on shifts. This problem has been noted before and some have suggested that a TSB exists that would solve the hesitant shifts. We've tried to have it addressed and it still exists.
I had the Mitsu for two days and I noticed that, in around-town driving I was subconsciously reacting to the lag in downshifts...
Continue reading 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander: Transmission Flip Flop.
Categories: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD
Over the break, I spent a total of 1,315 miles behind the 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander's wheel on my way to the final 24 Hours of LeMons race of 2007. That's a long haul spent largely on the exceedingly dull Interstate 5 between Los Angeles and Willows, CA. Long enough to pick some nits with the steering wheel.
First, the buttons on the wheel, while largish and well-placed, sit flush with the silver plastic on the spokes. This makes them difficult to distinguish by feel alone...
Continue reading 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS: The Effect of the Wheel.
Categories: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD
Those who have been reading the continuing tales of our 2007 Mitsubishi Oultander know that I've already blogged about the odd iPod connection location located at floor-level in the back seat. But our Mitsu scores much better on the power-cord side of the equation.
Unlike many of its competitors, our Outlander's center console-mounted power outlet is "hot" at all times. Even though the key is off in this photo, the telltale green pilot light on my phone cord is burning brightly and my phone is a-charging.
And look at that power cord cut-out...
Continue reading 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander: Good Cord Management.
Categories: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD