March 25, 2008
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...
March 24, 2008
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.
March 18, 2008
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...
March 12, 2008
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.
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...
February 19, 2008
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.
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.
February 11, 2008
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
February 8, 2008
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.
February 5, 2008
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...
February 4, 2008
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...
January 28, 2008
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...
January 10, 2008
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...
January 2, 2008
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...
December 15, 2007
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...
December 11, 2007
Our 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander has a feature I really like: the smart key. Keep this "key" in your pocket or purse and simply pull on the door handle to open 'er up and twist the starter knob to fire up the engine. What could be simpler?
But a recent trip to valet parking the other day left me feeling like an idiot.
Forgetting the electronic "key" in my pocket, I left the engine running, got out of the car and walked to the party...
December 6, 2007
We wish all service visits were as straightforward as this one we had with our 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander.
We've driven over 15,000 miles so we needed to get a tire rotation, oil and filter change, air filter replacement and a host of checks and inspections. We headed back to Long Beach Mitsubishi even though our earlier service visits had been less than impressive. This time was different...
December 3, 2007
This weekend I was given the Mitsubishi Outlander to drive. I know I've driven this car before, but I could not remember it. The interior didn't look or feel familiar at all. The last time I blogged about it was May so it's been a long time since I've driven it...
November 20, 2007
Bad day at the office. Need to blow off some steam. Pack the heat. Fire up our 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander and head for the Mojave...
November 19, 2007
Our 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander was a bit of a homebody this weekend. Still, I did drive the car long enough to realize that the sluggish throttle response that we'd commented on earlier is still an issue. Press the throttle, then wait, wait and wait some more, 'til finally the power abruptly kicks in. We were told that there's a TSB out for this problem. The Outlander is about due for its 15,000-mile service visit, so we'll mention the throttle issue when we take it in to the dealer...
November 16, 2007
Other editors have mentioned the Outlander's awkward Bluetooth pairing process in previous blog posts, but I have some new issues to report.
November 6, 2007
When I hear four-wheel-drive lock, I think of a 50/50 power split or at least a set distribution of power front to rear for off-roading purposes. Despite its name, this is not what the Mitsubishi Outlander's "4WD Lock" does.
November 5, 2007
The end of daylight savings this past weekend forced me to adjust the clock in our Mitsubishi Outlander. Now, I'm no audio technoid genius, but I'm not a total idiot either. After pushing a couple of buttons and changing a few screens on the Outlander's multi-media nav system, I gave up and pulled out the owner's manual.
Flipping immediately to the index, I looked under Clock and Time, with no luck...
October 17, 2007
It's said that babies don't come with instruction manuals. Had my 3-month-old daughter come with one, it would have read: "Warning! Placing Alexandria in a car seat for a duration more than eight hours will result in massive bouts of crying and screaming."
Alas, I learned this only after I drove to Sedona, Arizona, for vacation. Duration each way? Twelve hours. D'oh! At least the Mitsubishi Outlander proved to be a more enjoyable long-distance companion than a very unhappy baby.
October 8, 2007
In case you missed it, we recently published a Compact Crossover Comparison Test that included the Honda CR-V, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan Rogue and Toyota RAV4. We actually used our long-term Outlander for the test. It came in fourth place.
The CR-V and RAV4 deserve the top two spots...
September 26, 2007
I blogged earlier about ripping a CD to our long-term Lancer's hard drive, now it's time to update how to add Title and Track info to No Title / No Name playlists and tracks. This time I tried out the identical system in the Outlander. See that little touch button in the lower left with the ambiguous ^ logo? That leads to a menu where you select "function edit" and from there you can edit track names, playlist names or delete things entirely from the system...
September 19, 2007
So what do you do while waiting for the service guy to bring you your 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander (which has been in the shop three times for a total of four days)? You take a secret picture of the service department at Long Beach Mitsubishi with your cell phone camera.
Our key fobs stopped working several weeks ago. Service Visit 1:They said they needed both key fobs to repair it...
September 18, 2007
Sept.6, 8 a.m.: Dropped our 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander at the service department at Long Beach Mitsubishi to have the remote key problem fixed. The service advisor, who looked just like Denzel Washington, said, "Oh yeah, I remember this car." It had been in the shop once before but they said they couldn't do anything without the remote keys. He took the keys, wrote an "X" on a piece of tape on the one key that still works.
Sept...
September 12, 2007
Look familiar? If the Mitsubishi Outlander's front end design doesn't float your boat and you live across the pond, you can always try out one of its two French clones produced thanks to an alliance between Mitsubishi and PSA Peugeot Citroën. The SUVs are known as the Citroën C Crosser and Peugeot 4007, and are pretty much identical to the Outlander save for engines, considerably different front end designs and minor rear styling details. The interiors are identical except for the steering wheel, where Citroën's chevrons and Peugeot's lion thingy replace Mitsu's three diamonds. Both French Utes (or Frutes) are powered by a 2.2-liter diesel engine that produces 156 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. They're both four-wheel-drive and are only available with a six-speed automatic.
September 10, 2007
For the most part, the 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander is a very pleasant little truck. It's got some nice power, it's easy to maneuver, and it's got some nice rugged-looking curves. Except for the *&#%$ stereo system. Observe, if you will, the extremely boring, flat controls...
September 4, 2007
Momentous news on the Outlander today.
It's the latest machine on our long list of cars with key fob failures, which has forced us to resort to old-school walk-up-and-unlock-it-with-the-key tactics.
August 29, 2007
Last night I had occasion to visit the lot at 20th Century Fox Studios. I was attending a taping of a new sitcom, "Back to You." I particularly enjoyed that when I pulled onto the lot, the security guard, quite earnestly, said, "Take a left at Star Wars and park in front of the Simpsons." As you can see, the directions were spot-on.
It's a thrill to be on a movie studio lot, and there are no shortage of fine cars everywhere. But the Outlander's sharp style turned heads, and its fold-down tailgate inspired curiosity and at least one "Hey, what a great idea." One guy slammed on the brakes of his golf cart, yanking it down from its 4 mph top speed to a dead stop, just to take a look at the Outlander...
August 27, 2007
Making a quick weekend run between LA and Sacramento in our long-term Mitsubishi Outlander, I noticed a couple of things:
1) As the Mitsu's bright nav screen clearly depicts, Arvin, Calif. is truly in the middle of no where.
2) The last line on the Outlander's warning screen: Grammar was lost in translation.
3) A quick 1,000-mile round trip takes its toll on adults and seven-year-olds alike...
August 20, 2007
After reading the previous entry on the throttle repsonse of our long-term 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander, I wanted to pinpoint the circumstances during which it occurs. Over the weekend I found plenty of opportunities.
August 16, 2007
I like our 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander just fine. It's comfortable and not too huge to maneuver about the city, I dig its nifty paddle shifters now that I've got the hang of them, and I think it's pretty stylish-looking. The only teeny weeny issue I have, if we have to call it anything, is the sluggish throttle response.
This is more apparent when you're starting from stop or cruising in a parking garage and tap the throttle to go a little faster...
August 15, 2007
As promised, below are two videos demonstrating our Mitsubishi Outlander's third row seat. Since I'm 6-foot-3, I'm hardly a person to fairly demonstrate the space back there, so 5-foot-5 Automotive Editor John DiPietro (above) jumped in to show how cramped it is. I also jumped back there and I'm still extricating my knees from my chin. For the record, both photos were taken with the second seat all the way forward. With the RAV4's second seat all the way forward, I did fit -- I wouldn't want to go very far back there, but I did fit nevertheless. Continue reading to see the videos.
August 13, 2007
I wanted to take a picture of the third-row seat of our 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander since the first time I saw it up was when we were doing an impromptu comparison down in the garage between the RAV4's third row and the Outlander's. Even though a third-row seat in these cute utes seems more like an options list frill than to serve any real purpose, the RAV4's seat was actually usable. I mean, if you need extra room in a pinch.
August 10, 2007
Our 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander and it's super-trick MMCS audio/navigation system will let one listen to an iPod or MP3 player, but the way forward isn't as obvious or convenient as we've seen in other vehicles.
August 9, 2007
Last night, I drove the long-term Outlander to play some tennis with a friend. On her ride to the court, my friend's bike had gotten a flat tire so she asked me to load it up in the back. Folding forward those great seats and utilizing the famous fold-down tailgate I had already written about, it was a snap to pop the bike in.
We tossed in the rackets, water, and what appears in this photo to be Uranium 238, and headed off to dinner...
August 7, 2007
Here's a sneak preview of an upcoming Compact Crossover SUV comparison test we've got headed your way. The four combatants are the Mitsubishi Outlander, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue. Part of our evaluation included kicking up some dirt at an off-road recreation park. We stuck to the easy (green circle) rated trails, as we realize these cute 'utes are more for driving in slippery weather and for light trailwork than for Rubicon-level boulder bashing.
Our long-term Outlander represented the three-diamonds company and though it got briefly stuck a few times on a couple of slippery sandy slopes, some "back up and take a different tack" maneuvering quickly took care of that. On the road, the Outlander (and its street-oriented touring tires) was more in its element with its relatively sporty handling.
For me, this comparo was a close one, and based on my early gut feelings was more a pair of ties for first and second than a 1,2,3,4, finish. And that's all I'm saying for now!
John DiPietro, Automotive Editor @ 9,225 miles
July 30, 2007
For a second there, at 1:30 in the morning on a dark side street in Hollywood, I thought I was stranded. The Mitsubishi Outlander wouldn't let me start it because apparently I didn't have the key fob with me to activate the keyless start. But the thing is, I did have the key. I had tossed it into the center console cupholder so that I could put my seatbelt on.
July 25, 2007
I'd bet my 401K that more than a few members of the Inside Line staff are oblivious to the fact that our long term Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD has heated seats. How do I know? Because I just made the discovery myself and I've driven the SUV about 1,000 miles.
It really isn't our fault...
July 23, 2007
Last night I blogged about the Outlander's fuel mileage. Today I'm all about the SUV's surprise and delight features. Senior Copy Editor Doug Lloyd has already gone ga ga over the Mitsu nifty tailgate, so I won't go there again, but the Outlander has plenty of other examples of Mitsubishi's designers going the extra mile.
The first is the Outlander's two tiered glove compartment (pictured above). With more square footage than an L.A...
July 22, 2007
This weekend I spent 190 miles in the Outlander carting the kids around. It was pleasant. No real complaints. In fact, the more time I spend in the Outlander the more I like it...
July 20, 2007
This blog was going to be about the square footage of the Mitsubishi Outlander's key. It's the one in the middle. Look at it, it's almost as big as this cell phone (right), which I stole off of Deputy Managing Editor Caroline Pardilla's desk. Don't tell her, she's got a short fuse...
July 19, 2007
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...
July 18, 2007
Took the Outlander to the car wash this morning. Had to, it looked like somebody had parked it at the bottom of a birdcage. The experience gave me a chance to stand back and admire the Mitsu's muscular stance, angular greenhouse and tough looking five spoke wheels. By the time the spit shine was complete, I had decided that the 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander is the best looking SUV in its class...
June 20, 2007
I had to take my bike home. I rode it into work and never bothered riding it back home again, having taking a company car instead. So it just sat in our store room for a week or so, taking up space and picking up dust. "When are you going to take your bike home?" the editors asked me...
June 18, 2007
Another patron stood and stared at the Outlander as I reversed towards a gas station pump. Hm. Maybe he's awestruck by my parallel parking skills. He walks over as I get out to pay at the pump...
June 12, 2007
I'm often accused of "extolling the virtues" of any Mitsubishi we get here to test. It's true, I have a twisted sort of loyalty to this brand. I've been driving Mitsubishis -- though not by choice -- for over 15 years starting with a 1989 Dodge Raider (a rebadged Montero) which was loaned to me and then finally given to me by a friend. The thing was a box on wheels with all the refinement of a sidewalk but I'll say one thing about it -- it never gave up...
June 4, 2007
Last week I made a post about our Outlander's Mitsubishi Multi Communication System (MMCS). MMCS refers to a packaged combination that includes a hard-drive based navigation system, a Rockford Fosgate audio system and a wealth of additional add-on features including the ability to rip CDs to the hard drive. For Part Two, I'll detail my experiences with MMCS so far.
May 31, 2007
"MMCS, Part One" has been dutifully submitted as this week's most boring blog post title. Really, I wanted to type "Lindsay Lohan crashes into jail and frees Paris Hilton in daring prison escape!" But it wouldn't fit.
MMCS stands for "Mitsubishi Multi Communication System" and it groups together a hard-drive based navigation system, a Rockford Fosgate audio system and a surprising number of additional features. Though we've touched on MMCS in various earlier reports, I've had the opportunity to play around with our Outlander's MMCS for the past week and come up with a detailed report.
May 29, 2007
If you were in charge of developing the second-generation Mitsubishi Outlander, what choices would you make in hopes of improving the vehicle's sales success? After all, the first Outlander didn't exactly burn up the sales charts, and now the competition has gotten even more intense. (I recently counted 20 compact or smaller midsize crossover SUVs for sale.) Nor is your developmental budget anywhere near what Toyota's is.
May 24, 2007
Last night was my first trip in our new Mitsubishi Outlander. I didn't have enough time in it to really wring it out, but hear are a few quick impressions:
1) I love the tailgate. Why all SUVs don't have one like this escapes me. Well, OK, it doesn't escape me...
May 22, 2007
Last night I had the opportunity to drive our Mitsubishi Outlander. I wasn't particularly sold on it during a brief errand last week, but once I read Engineering Editor Jay Kavanagh's glowing praise of it yesterday, I decided to give it another shot. And gol-durn-it, he was right. It's got a very nice ride, and I didn't even feel the typical Conestoga-wagon bouncy SUV ride on the freeway...
May 21, 2007
Made the 140-mile drive to Joshua Tree national park to meet the rest of the gang.
The paddle shifters got a workout, and there are several reasons why they're useful.
May 18, 2007
Ok, I'm going to just come out and say it: the Outlander is one of the most fun-to-drive SUVs out there. Dynamically, the Outlander reminds me of my Evo in more ways than I expected.
Powertrain-wise, the Outlander's V6 is merely adequate unlike the Evo's overachieving turbo-4. However, like the Evo, the Outlander's chassis has fundamental goodness...
May 14, 2007
I'm working on a road test of the 2008 Saturn Vue so I've been hopping in and out of other compact SUVs to gain some comparison. Driving impressions on the Vue are embargoed to May 25, so I can't mention them here. But I can share my thoughts on the Outlander and RAV4 which I drove back to back.
Outlander
Our part-time 4WD Outlander XLS is equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission with manual mode...
The last time I drove an 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander was one year ago on Mitsubishi's Okazaki, Japan, proving grounds. Those Outlanders were pre-production mules -- the Rockford-Fosgate and navigation systems were completely nonfunctional. At that time, I liked the way the Outlander looked and drove, but hoped Mitsubishi would upgrade the interior plastics and see the wisdom of providing a volume knob in nav-equipped Outlanders.
A year later, I still like the way the Outlander drives...
April 19, 2007
The Outlander XLS has a ton of great features for the money and Bluetooth is among them. Bluetooth is now at the top of my must have list for any new car. Thankfully, Mitsubishi offers it as standard on the XLS - bonus points for that.
As much as I love the feature, the pairing process is clunky in the Mitsu...
April 16, 2007
I finally took the time to learn the ins and outs of our Outlander's hard drive audio system. The menus are deep and not always intuitive.
The flexibility and capacity of the hard drive more than makes up for the steep learning curve. And the hard drive does more than just play music, it's packed with other features like a calendar, navigation system and Bluetooth to name just a few...
Subscribe
Recent Posts
Archives
Vehicles
Past Vehicles
Links
