15 day review.
Well, I'm definitely not gonna turn any heads on Hollywood Blvd when I drive by with this car. But that's not why I got it. I purchased a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander SE 2.4 on March 18th, 2016. The outside styling is contemporary and the color had nice depth. The doors open very wide to allow for easy entering. But that means if the wind catches them in a parking lot, there will be a ding on both vehicles. Be careful. The room in the front is ok. It might be a little cramped for larger adults. I'm 6-2 200 and I fit ok. There is good room in the back seats for adults. The 3rd row (can be folded down flat) is ok for kids. But an adult will cramped. Interior styling is good and controls are easy to understand and use. (At least, all but a group of 4 buttons on the left of the steering column that can't be seen easily.) The steering column adjusts up/down and telescopes too (NICE!). The side view mirrors have turn signal blinkers built into them (for what it's worth). Driver compartment knick-knack storage is ample. There are drink holders, coin holders and the usual assortment out input/output jacks. The head rests on all seats are ample in side, and mobile. The trade-off of that is that visibility does suffer. Passengers in the 2nd row can tap into the output jacks contained in the middle console. But people in the 3rd row (if used) are just on for the ride. (No frills in the 3rd row.) The A/C works very well and allows for the front passenger to choose their own temp. Other passengers will get their heat/A/C from the front most console. There are no independent ducts to send them air. The stereo sounds nice. But an upgrade will go a long way. It looks like Mitsubishi understands that buyers of this vehicle are not likely to want thunderously loud music. The Bluetooth functionality is good. That's saying a lot because every phone out there has a little different software. I have an old Tracphone LG model. It took some doing to transmit names-&-numbers one at a time. I made a call or two and people hear me fine. The stereo cuts out when the phone rings as it should. The seat heaters work well. Once you have these, you'll never go back. Window operation is smooth and quick. The soft aluminum silver rails along the base of the frame (where the doors open/close) look nice. But I can already see that they are gonna get scratched very badly in no time. Cargo area is good with the 3rd row folded down, and just acceptable if the 3rd row is being used. That's the opinion of a single person. A parent with 3 or 4 kids might need more room back there. The 2nd row and the 3rd row have cup holders. The rear most door takes a little practice to get the hang of thanks to tiny buttons that you can't see. In the future, Mitsubishi really out to make those buttons bigger. There's nothing to loose and everything to gain by doing that. The seat was comfortable for me. But that's just me. You need to sit in it.
In driving the car, The road noise is noticeable, but not objectionable. Acceleration actually isn't half bad for a car of this size. In town I'm averaging 24 MPG. and I get 30 MPG on the freeway. That's pretty good. The transmission is a real charm. You can go with 4 modes. The 1st mode is a FWD but the car will automatically kick into AWD if a tire slips. The 2nd mode is full time AWD. The 3rd model is 4X4 locked. The 4th model is snow driving. (Good for people who don't know how to drive in the snow in the first place.) Changing modes is just a button push away. There is another engine mode that increases fuel economy at the cost of a little performance. Engine compartment access is a bit of a stretch, but I guess the hood won't be popped by accident by having the level wayyyyyyyyy down there. Breaking action is a little weak by my standards. I'm used to traditional breaking systems. The anti-lock breaks take some getting used to. There is noticeable fade in the pedal. The keyless "system" is sound, but NEVER loose those control units. Replacement is a heck of a lot harder to get. If you loose your keys often, come up with a new approach. Leaving your keys in the car means ANYONE can open the doors and drive off in 2 seconds. Cornering is good for a car like this. It's not a hot rod and the balance between a cushy suspension and a performance suspension definitely leans toward comfort. Power on hills is surprisingly good. Parking break function is outstanding. But it's not Anti-lock. So it's gonna feel more substantial and have a lot of power. Visibility is acceptable. Not great, but acceptable. The car would benefit from blind-spot warning indicators. If you can turn year head ok, than you'll be ok. The back-up camera works very well. It has a wide angle and it's amazing how quickly you'll get used to it. But in the rain, it gets water sports in a hurry. That'll make it useless.
I guess that's about it. Whew'
Recommended