I was wondering where the Outlander was...I hadn't read anything about it on Edmunds since I heard you guys were going to get one. Karl, I'm personally glad to see that you had mostly good things to say about the car - it bodes well for Mitsubishi. Although with the lagging economy, I fear that they'll have a hard time making sales no matter how much their product improves, which it has.
 
Karl: There's one other thing I've always wondered about. From what I've read, most customer reviews of the Caliber are good, most of the complaints being against the CVT or mileage with the automatic. Other than that, though, how have a majority of automotive journalists justified the lambasting it has received? I noticed that you criticized the interior materials, which I agree with after having been in a Sebring, but what else? I myself find that the design isn't bad (reminds me a bit of an AMC Eagle), the price is right and it seems as though it would be pretty versatile without being gargantuan. Can you explain this one to me please?

The Caliber has two major problems in my opinion:
 
1. Interior materials that are simply unacceptable in 2007. Saying "low cost" doesn't cover it -- they are just plain CHEAP. Yes, I know people don't spend every minute behind the wheel caressing their dash and door panels, but that's the problem with the Caliber. Unless it's pitch black you can SEE how hard, shiny and over textured (in a weak attempt to hide the cheapness) it is. And at some point your hand will brush the door panel or center console as you use the car -- yuck!
 
2. The drivetrain is pathetic. The engine moans and groans as the CVT does its best to get the car up to a safe highway speed every time you hit an on ramp. And the R/T "performance" version is so heavy it's actually SLOWER than the mid-grade SXT. One of those with a manual would be acceptable in terms of driving dynamics...but it would still have that interior.
 
Styling is all this vehicle really has going for it, and (unfortunately) in the U.S. that can take you far -- at least for a little while.

I'm glad to see this in the fleet as well. I had a previous generation Outlander before my family outgrew it, and loved that vehicle. It was a 2004, and the engine had been given an extra 20 hp, but nobody in the media noticed because they'd already reviewed and dissed the 2003 for being underpowered. I hope Mitsubishi is on the rebound again. The Endeavor won your comparison test of mid-size SUVs a couple years ago, and the Eclipse did okay in your long term fleet despite being more of a cruiser than a true sports car. The new Lancer should be very competitive, not to mention the Evo. This is a company that has been underappreciated, in my opinion. Karl, why do you think that is? I think they are better than Nissan (or at least better than Nissan was a couple years ago) in terms of quality, and have always been solid and fun to drive vehicles. Other mfrs had financial problems and came out in decent shape. I always thought they didn't advertise enough (except for those stupid in-car dancing commercials). Perhaps people will notice Mitsubishi again with their current line up.

I've always been a Mitsubishi fan. I owned a Dodge Stealth R/T twin turbo during my Super Street magazine days, and of course that was just a 3000 GT VR4 with Dodge badges. I almost bought an Eclipse convertible in 1997. I always knew the Evo kicked tail, even before Americans figured it out a few years ago.
 
But, the company has made some grievous errors. Their interior quailty has never been what it should be (very Nissan-like in this way), and some of their models were just atrocious (can you say Diamante?). Then there was the whole zero-zero-zero sales promotion that even applied to people with low credit scores, and of course came back to bite them when those people all defaulted on their loans (hmmm, seems like the housing industry wasn't watching on that one...). Vehicles sales and resale value took a huge hit on that one. Plus they've done plenty of rental-car specials (previous Lancer), which is never a good thing for corporate image.
 
I personally think that getting out from under Chrysler's influence was the best thing that's happened to Mitsubishi in recent years. The Caliber and Outlander technically started out on the same design track, but when Chrysler bailed on Mitsu a few years ago the Outlander went its own way in terms of drivetrain, interior design, suspension tuning, etc...Thank god!

Mitsubishi seems to have abnormally high MSRPs, for not being a class leading brand.

The zero-zero-zero was stupid, to be sure, but where have they gone so wrong product-wise, Karl? The previous generation Galant was a decent car, at least at first. Plus, the last Diamante was a decent car, too, at least at first. The Montero Sport wasn't so bad in 1997 when it came out, and the previous Eclipse did well, too, for a bit. Is it just that Mitsubishi drags out their product cycles too long, or that they don't know how to facelift a car? I think I'm with a whole lot of people here who just don't don't understand why they didn't pick up steam sometime around the late '90s.

The lag-time in product refreshes/redesignes was defintinely an element, but there were also some major missteps in the redesigns. The 2000 Eclipse? What the hell was that? Notice how this last redesign goes back to the 96-99 style. Using nearly identical names (Montero/Montero Sport) for two vastly different SUVs? Several Mitsu insiders openly admitted that the naming caused repeated confusion among buyers (and yes, I don't like Land Rover doing the same these days...). I remember when we did the 1999 Entry Luxury sedan comparo with nine cars. The Diamante almost made the entire staff write Mitsu off right then and there. They were definitely thrashing about without direction for awhile there.
  
They were acting sort of like a certain domestic car maker has in recent years...and that company, not surprisingly, is suffering the same fate as turn-of-the-century Mitsubishi (dropping sales, sliding market share, lost profits, etc.).

I thought the 2000 Eclipse sold well relative to the others (at the expense of street cred).

Mitsubishi, suffered because they never did anything great other than Evo and 3000GT. They never tried hard like the Koreans.
 
And now they have a very big task ahead. Very big.
 
It would be sad, if Mitsu leaves US after giving great gifts to the enthusiasts like the Evo and 3000GT .

The Eagle Talon was great in 1990. Turbo, 16 valves, all wheel drive, etc
 
Nothing could match for it's price.

Speaking of the Montero... on their site they mention it is of limited availability! (yes, with the exclamation mark). No kidding, who wants that thing with only 215 hp?
The new Lancer does look very nice though.

People buy the Equinox/Torrent with only 185HP from a V6... I'm sure HP isn't the deciding factor in this case. I'd imagine it has to do with image.

The equinox weighs at least a thousand lbs less than that too, it moves out better than its hp rating suggests.
This outlander looks like a much more appealing package than its oddly shaped predecessor, but on the whole their styling themes hold them back imo.

AUTHOR: flicmod
DATE: 03/23/2007 01:08:38 PM
EMAIL: flicmod@hotmail.com

Would you consider one of the new Lambda platform vehicles from GM for your next Long Term test vehicle? I have heard some good reviews from Edmunds and other sources (the New York Times) but would be interested to see just how well the Saturn Outlook/GMC Acadia/Buick Enclave would perform in your staff's rotation.
 
I enjoy this site and your blog. Keep up the good work.

A Lambda vehicle is definitely high on our "to get" list for the fleet. We might hold out for the Buick, but one way or another we should be getting something pretty soon.

I'm just curious, Karl - when will more from the Outlander's long term test be posted? I'm curious to hear more of your thoughts, as well as those of others.
 
I've had mine for a month and agree with what you have said so far. As a father of two boys (and two dogs), I'm fine with the relatively cheap interior. I didn't want to deal with the constant headache of worrying about my kids destroying the "nicer" interior of a BMW, Lexus, Volvo, etc. Plus, for roughly the cost of a lease of one of those I can own a top of the line Outlander with all the features I need. The NAV works well, the sound system is a dream (love the hard drive!), it handles beautifully, and gets decent gas mileage. I have no regrets buying this vehicle.

We'll have the long-term introduction on the Outlander up soon (two weeks, give or take), and after that there will be regular (at least once-a-week) updates in the long-term blog.