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One year and 20,000 miles later we say farewell to our 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander GT.
We experienced no major problems with our Outlander GT. A wheezy air conditioning system and creaky seats were the main annoyances.
Read the official wrap-up of our long-term 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander GT on Inside Line.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
The photo above is the Mitsubishi Endeavor, which deserves a special mention for turning the tables the Outlander for the month of June. In June 2010, the Endeavor sold only 114 units, while the Outlander sold 982. Since then, the Endeavor must've gone on a publicity campaign, because it outsold the Outlander 1,817 to 822. This is an increase of 1,494 percent over the previous year.
Not too long ago, Managing Editor Donna DeRosa asked if CD players were becoming extinct like the 8-track. I was thinking about this as I drove our Outlander GT the other day.
I have been fairly smart phone centric in the last few years. I don't have a home phone, I haven't used my iPod in years and pretty much everything is backed up on my home network just in case my phone dies. Though I'm pretty reliant my phone as a multifunctional device, I never took the time to take advantage of the Outlander's Bluetooth streaming audio until recently. Now that my phone is paired with the car, I can't think of another way I'd rather listen to music. Other than the radio that is.
I feel that the next car I have will need Bluetooth. Not only to be in compliance with the hands free phone law here in California, but as a way to play my music. How important is this feature to you? Is this something you'd want, or does it matter to you?
Scott Jacobs, Sr. Mgr, Photography
Somewhere past Grapevine traveling southbound to LA...
"How many miles till 20?" I ask Senior Video Specialist John Adolph from the passenger seat. "We got about another 17 miles or so." There is silence. We've been traveling in the car for eight hours so far that day. The day before we had done 10 hours. We're a little brain dead and tired.
"So what do you think about the Dodgers going bankrupt?" I ask John, a die-hard blue blood. John is a little mad about the situation. We talk for a while until "CRAP!" John exclaimed as he looks closely at the instrument panel. "We're at 15 over!"
We searched for a safe place to pull over, about another three miles down the road. We're a little worn out, so I guess it's forgivable. And to be honest, the Outlander hasn't helped much.
Yeah, that's right folks: Plural. After all, it doesn't take a genius to realize that one bike should fit pretty easily into the Outlander GT's plentiful cargo area.
But what about two bikes? And would I still be able to conform to my desire of never lowering a seat post or removing a rear wheel? And would the bikes be able to stand up, or would I have to stack them?
So when The Wife hit me up (side the head) yesterday to take her mountain biking, I was happy to comply.
For the shocking bike loading discovery, follow the jump.
Sorry for the ill-lighted garage shot, but I couldn't let this photo op showing the two Outlanders parked nose-to-tail slip by. Looking at the two Mitsu crossover siblings, it's obvious the Sport (lil' bro) has a truncated cargo area and a clipped front end. If you're burning with curiosity over the differences in length, height, weight, cargo and rear passenger space, hit the jump.
Our Mitsubishi Outlander is leaving us this week, and now that we're close to knowing the final mileage of our test, we're able to calculate the TMV for our crossover.
Here's what a buyer should expect to pay for our 2010 Outlander GT with 19,000 miles on the odometer:
With our Mitsubishi Outlander finishing its long-term test, I was digging through the big file of photos used during the past year for the long-term blog.
I never really liked the white paint, and now seeing it staring back at me from a 100 or so pics all at once, I realize how much I would have preferred red, maybe blue?
Our long term Outlander GT has grown on me quite a bit. I'm usually not into SUV's, but this has enough of the Evo blood mixed in to make it pretty enjoyable to me. Much like Donna's blog about our TSX wagon, here are the top 10 things I like about our Outlander:
1. Paddle shifters!!!!
2. It's got sauce
3. Truck-like tailgate
4. Blue Tooth streaming audio
5. Sporty suspension and taut ride
6. Seat heaters (yes, truly like Donna)
7. Flip up rear seats for a flat cargo area
8. Keyless ignition
9. Simple to use dial controlled HVAC system
10. Touch screen Nav
Scott Jacobs, Sr. Mgr, Photography
I'm in the process squeezing my four-bedroom house into a new two-bedroom place. Not easy, I tell you, and the whole deal doesn't allow for much fun on the weekends until the total transfer is complete.
Since both the minivans were already spoken for over the three-day holiday weekend, the biggest ride I could score was our Mitsubishi Outlander GT.
We're nearing the one-year mark with our 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander GT. As is typical after spending so much time with a long-term test car, we're running out of new things to tell you about.
I'll be driving the Mitsu over the three-day Memorial weekend. If you still have questions, I'll try to find the answers.
Kelly Toepke, News Editor @ 18,162 miles
I recently got a dog and he's pretty cool. But I noticed that he was really hesitant to jump into the back seat. Then when he tried, it just seemed awkward. Awkward to the point I'd have to help himin. Very un-dog like.
When I drove the Outlander this past weekend, I opened the hatch, dropped the tailgate and immediately my dog flew into the cargo area like Superman. I then realized that he has been used to jumping into the back of a truck (he literally grew up on a farm), not a back seat of a sedan. I never really thought of our Outlander as truck-like until then.
Scott Jacobs, Sr Mgr, Photography
We took our 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander GT in for service last week. At the time we asked the dealer to look at the driver side maplight. It didn't want to illuminate every time we called upon it. So when our advisor told us they couldn't repeat the problem we weren't really surprised.
Guess what? The problem remains. We will add it to the list for our next visit.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 17,701 miles
I'll let you in on a little secret. Only two people in my life know this so far. The reason I listen to the "On Broadway" satellite channel so often if that I'm collecting songs for a future cabaret act.
I'm not really all that knowledgeable about Broadway musicals, especially the modern ones. So whenever I hear something I like, I snap a picture with my phone's camera so that I can look it up later. Then I download it and search for lyrics and sheet music. Along with a friend of mine from my acting school days, I'm planning a musical act that will hopefully take place next year in New York City. One night only unless we get boffo reviews. Then who knows?
All of our fleet cars have different ways of displaying information about what song is playing. I like the Mitsubishi setup best. It provides the most information. Not just the song name but also the show, year of the show (so I know if it's the original or a revival), and the artist who is singing. This isn't necessary for every channel, of course, which is probably why most systems don't go this far. If you're listening to the Indie rock station, you really only need to know the band name and song title. Some systems don't even give you that much.
It mixes up the categories somewhat. "Artist" gives you the show title, "Composer" shows the singer, but you get the gist of it. It's more than any of our other cars offer. For research purposes, the Mitsubishi wins for me. It makes it very easy to find the song again later on iTunes or Sh-K-Boom or wherever.
For a full review of the Mitsubishi Outlander system, read Doug Newcomb's Audio Review.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
Gliddy gloop gloopy Nibby nobby nooby La la la lo lo
We dropped our 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander GT off for its 15,000-mile service yesterday morning. Long Beach Mitsubishi handled the maintenance quickly, competently and reminded us why we return there for our service needs.
The new oil and oil filter, new air filter and tire rotation set us back $147. This is one of the more significant service intervals. Edmunds Maintenance Schedule estimated $137 for this visit so a $10 difference wasn't a shocker. The price was fair. The service was satisfactory. We'll be back here the next time our Outlander needs attention.
Total Cost: $147.22
Days out of Service: None
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 17,338 miles
Our 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander GT had an early service appointment today at the Mitsu dealer, and I followed Long-Term Fleet Captain Mike Schmidt over there in the 2011 Outlander Sport to drop it off.
I've always thought it was odd that we have two white Mitsubishis in our test fleet at the same time.
From the looks of this pic taken at the service center, you'd think white is all they sell.
Kelly Toepke, News Editor @ 8,009 miles
It's unfortunate we've found so many ways to criticize our Mitsubishi Outlander GT (like this, and this, and this, and this), because it really is a great-looking sport-utility vehicle. It's a little old-school, but the clean design doesn't try too hard to be something it is not. It looks like the designers knew when to say "when." Can you think of another (in its class) that's as handsome? Chevrolet Equinox, maybe? The Ford Edge? Attractive, but a little polarizing, no?
Chief Road Test Editor, Chris Walton @ 17,289 miles
[Revised: Sorry, the entry was originally mistitled -- This is the Outlander GT, not the Sport.]
On the way to school this morning, my 7-year old daughter said, "Daddy, why does it sound like there are baby chicks in the car? They're saying 'chirp-chirp...'"
I told her that was a very good question, but only after returning did I bust out the camera and find them. Video after the jump.
Every real sport-utility should have a tailgate. Otherwise all you have is a crossover, a shopping basket with really big wheels, and probably about as much fun to drive.
It’s all a matter of footwear, really.
This past weekend I decided to stop giving my friends the finger and actually help them get from one place to another. On this lovely warm spring day however, it was the Outlander GT that gave my friends the finger.
After being parked in direct sunlight, the inside of the Outlander was understandably a little warm. But after piling back into the GT, we were greeted by the most indifferent air conditioning I've seen since the 80's.
After a few minutes, the comments came fast and fierce.
"Hey! How about some a/c back here *******?!"
"Hey ******, the a/c button is in the middle."
"I hate you."
The comment that summed it up best, likened the a/c to "a cool, humid fart"
I was confused. On the way to pick up these charity cases - driving on the freeway - the a/c worked fine. But in the city, and under load, it just couldn't keep up. Of course after I dropped off these meatheads - and got back on the freeway - the a/c almost froze itself solid.
Maybe the GT just didn't like my friends.
Kurt Niebuhr, Photo Editor @ 16,702 miles
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