Weekend Athlete: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander
Several years ago, I took the previous-generation Outlander on a racing and riding vacation and found it OK, but not outstanding. Well, the more things change, the more they stay the same; the new generation didn't blow me away, but it also didn't greatly disappoint me.
Loading things was a little tricky because the opening didn't seem that wide. I felt like I was reaching around a corner to load things, and I really had to angle my bike to fit it in. However, it was nice to have a hatch as I had to park in a parallel-parking space. The barn door on the Toyota RAV4 would have been a real pain. In fact, the hatch was easy enough to live with that I never bothered to open the bottom part of the clamshell section.
This is the first three-row SUV I've had where someone had used the third row. There were instructions on the seatbacks describing how to fold those seats, so I didn't have to track down the owner's manual. Nice touch.
The second row flopped forward so easily it was almost comical. You just yank on the second-row recline lever and — blammo! — they're down. However, the Outlander loses nearly all of its points in the seat-return process. You have to pull on a loop on the bottom of the seat, then pull another loop to fold the seatback upright. Not only is it a two-handed job, it requires too much effort. My guess is the same springs that catapult the seat forward have to be overcome to set the seat upright. Finally, I felt the fabric loops were stretching a lot and were going to rip off in my hand — but that's subjective, so I don't take off points for that.
Rating: 7.6 out of 10
The score of 7.6 is just above the RAV4 and PT Cruiser. The base price is more than the RAV4's, but it doesn't top out as high as the Toyota, and they’re similar in terms of cargo-carrying ability, and both require two hands to fold the seats. It edges ahead of the RAV4 because it has a hatch and ahead of the Cruiser because its cargo area is a little larger with the second-row seats upright. Also it was easy to parallel park, so the visibility was good and, again, slightly better than the Cruiser's.
"...catapult the seat forward..."
Cool, an ejector seat is standard equipment. Too bad it can't be activated from the driver's cockpit!
Posted by: segfault | Sep 19, 2007 12:48:06 PM
I am an avid hiker and I must confess this is my favorite cars.com column - keep it comin!
Posted by: David | Sep 21, 2007 1:04:14 AM
This is my 3rd Outlander, and my fav thus far.
The engine is great, the 6 speed is seamless, and the Rockford-Fosgate system with Sirius is Serious. Best factory stereo I have ever had in a vehicle.
Posted by: Joel Libava | Oct 12, 2007 11:27:16 PM
This is my 3rd Outlander, and my fav thus far.
The engine is great, the 6 speed is seamless, and the Rockford-Fosgate system with Sirius is Serious. Best factory stereo I have ever had in a vehicle.
Posted by: Joel Libava | Oct 12, 2007 11:27:49 PM
This is my 3rd Outlander, and my fav thus far.
The engine is great, the 6 speed is seamless, and the Rockford-Fosgate system with Sirius is Serious. Best factory stereo I have ever had in a vehicle.
Posted by: Joel Libava | Oct 12, 2007 11:27:54 PM
This is my 3rd Outlander, and my fav thus far.
The engine is great, the 6 speed is seamless, and the Rockford-Fosgate system with Sirius is Serious. Best factory stereo I have ever had in a vehicle.
Posted by: Joel Libava | Oct 12, 2007 11:27:59 PM
Just bought an '08 Outlander after road testing Hyundai Santa Fe and Rav4. The outlander has much better handling than the Hyundai and much more power than the I-4 Toyota for about the same price. The smooth 6 speed tranny is just an added bonus as is the 100,000 mile warranty. Too, none of the others allow you to switch on the fly from 2 wheel, to all wheel, to locked in 4 wd. I feel the car is unbeatable for the money and the dealer gave us a great trade in on out PT GT.
Posted by: TedBrewer | Apr 26, 2008 1:31:23 PM