I find it hard to believe this is a real thread. Are you serious?

 

Yes, quite serious. [removed - Geojosh]

Its posted in the relatives section after all.

Appears that you have drank enough Koolaid to believe that anything except Subaru is bad. Gee. Lots of tough driving in Arizona.....

Mitsubishi has been building some pretty decent AWD vehicles along the way through the years. The criticisms of the Outlander (and Sport) are often vague things like "fit and feel" and "loud acceleration"...

I'd take those over my current bills to sustain this 2005 Forester......

So now, after pointing out that I am indeed dead serious, do you have any meaningful input? And since you have set yourself up as Mr. Knowitall, any input from you will be gladly welcomed with some links to something more than just your personal opinions.

End of rant.

Thank you to the other posters for being more personable. I am grateful. I indeed like this little Foz, but its frustrating me a lot and I am trying to measure my options.....

 

You came here for non-bias answers lol?

My Mom just bought one, she likes Mitsubishi. Drive one to get an idea. I'm not sure what you are looking to do with the AWD so this is not possible to answer accurately. I'm sure it will be fine for what most daily driving will throw at you, but it isn't an off-road vehicle like my Mom's Montero she replaced, but neither is the Forester.

Stan

 

I know nothing about the Outlander Sport, but a quick Google search unearthed this. It's basically a 4WD system rather than AWD:

Available On-Demand Electronically-Controlled 4WD System

A sophisticated electronically-controlled 4WD system is also available for the SE version of the Outlander Sport that greatly enhances both on-and off-road traction in good or bad weather conditions.

Unlike Mitsubishi's remarkable Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) 4WD system found in the company's famed Lancer Evolution model that utilizes such exotic technology as active differentials and active yaw control for extreme high performance, the on-demand electronically-controlled 4WD found on the new Outlander Sport emphasizes fuel efficiency while giving the driver the option to switch to traction-enhancing all-wheel drive at their discretion.

Borrowed from the larger outlander SUV, the 4WD system consists of a rear differential carrier, and electronically controlled coupling (ECC) connected to the forward section of the rear differential and a power transfer unit (PTU) mated to the transmission near the front axle. These components have been designed to be exceptionally lightweight yet sturdy for the rugged terrain and conditions that the vehicle may encounter. And thanks to a low viscosity oil used in the power transfer unit (PTU), this helps to improve fuel economy by 0.1 percent compared to the Outlander.

A major design upgrade over the Outlander's 4WD system has been a recalibration of the systems control unit that has led to a variety of improvements including enhanced fuel economy, stability in 4WD mode, improved traction and steering feel when accelerating from a standstill, and an overall reduction in noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).

The system has three shift-on-the-flying settings:

2WD Setting most likely to be used for normal everyday driving; allows the Outlander Sport to operate as a front-wheel drive vehicle.
4WD Delivers power to all four wheels for improved traction and safety in slippery driving conditions
LOCK Like the 4WD setting, it routes power to all four wheels but it distributes 60 percent of the available power to the rear wheels for sportier handling.

 

Stuff like loud CVT, "poor interior quality finish" etc

"Stuff like that" might not necessarily bug you now, but drive in a car with these issues for long enough and they will almost certainly annoy you.

Not to mention the fact that Mitsubishi reliability is spotty at best. Just because they offer a big powertrain warranty doesn't mean their cars are reliable. First off, it's a powertrain-only warranty... and second, they likely exclude many repairs in the fine print of the warranty (if you can, get a copy of the warranty information and see what isn't covered).

If you like the car though, test drive it and see if you still like it. Just keep in mind that there is a reason it's generally ranked so low compared to other crossovers.

 

Mitsubishi builds a lot of cars, they just aren't as common in US.

My firest impression of my Mom's car was it's fairly comfortable, lacks power especially when ECO thing is on, feels pretty stable. Styling is subjective, but car seems fine overall to me. Drive one, see how you like it. Oh, it also has 3 rows.

Stan

 

I would forgo a mitsubishi anyday for a mazda. zoom zoom brother

 

I would worry about the future of a Mitsubishi dealership network in the US.

 

Meaning? Is mitsubishi going the way of the pontiac?

 

They certainly are not thriving like Subaru.


Mitsubishi goes from near-death to vibrancy

Mitsubishi still faces a climb. In 2002, U.S. sales peaked at 345,111 in the USA on a lineup of nine vehicles, according to Autodata. In 2014, despite sales up nearly 25% from 2013, Mitsu sales were just 77,643. And the company has just four vehicles (five if you count an electric good for just a few dozen a year), dominated by the Outlander Sport compact SUV.

If they don't maintain the current rebound, they may be headed the way of Suzuki, Saturn, Pontiac, Mercury, etc.

 

well I can't say I'm sad about that

 

the on-demand electronically-controlled 4WD

That's the word that makes me wonder.

The local Mitsu dealer here moved into a shuttered Suzuki dealership. Foreshadowing?

 

@cdherman, a quick Google search suggests a few Mitsubishi forums that would be worth visiting to talk to actual owners of the vehicle in question.

The sites appear to be as lively as the company's North American sales, but you should be able to get some solid info there nonetheless; more so than a Forester forum.

 

Coming on a Subaru forum and asking about the Mitzu, is like coming on a Ford forum and asking about a Chevy.

Or Apple vs Android.

In general the Subie/Mitzu war has been going on a for a while now.
But maybe you didn't know that.

While I think the Evo is a decent car (which they are discontinuing) I don't like any of their other offerings. And while there dependability was great recently it took huge dump.

And there is a serious question about company survive-ability.

 

Mitsubishi = Next Suzuki

- They have very limited number of models with very limited options
- The most popular options require expensive "packages" with other features that are not wanted/needed.
- The Mirage was supposed to compete against the Nissan Versa, Ford Fiesta, etc. and failed miserably.
- There are many other vehicles for the same price that offer more features and reliability.
- The dealerships are few and far between.

 

Both Mitsubishi and Suzuki are more popular overseas, both have made some excellent cars and know technology well. I would not stress over mechanical capabilities of either, but I'd research before buying. In the end, if you LIKE the car, nothing else matters. I could see how the Outlander can be liked, but I tend to do that to most cars I drive.

Clumping Suzuki and Mitsubishi cars with Saturn, Mercury and Pontiac makes little sence to me other than comaring their dealership sales which has almost 0 bearing on how a car will drive and function. I guarantee you'll be able to get parts even if Mitsubishi stops selling cars in US.

Stan

 

Having googled the AWC system, it seems it's possible to manually "lock" the centre diff in a not-total way. This can move power between axles, however once the axle has it, there's no mention of limited or locking diffs, suggesting that they're open differentials where Active Skid + Traction Control use the brakes on each individual wheel to limit the slip forcing the wheel that has traction to be the easiest route for the torque to spin through.

If we forget the centre diff of the Outlander for a second, it's not much different to the modern Subaru VDC system of the N/A versions of the Forester where they don't have LSD's. This doesn't take into account Subaru's X-Mode which are only available on some models

How it would compare to your 05 Foz? Well yours wont have any driver aids beyond ABS so less to go wrong, however if you have the XT version, you should have a limited slip differential on your rear axle which does help a huge amount in snow/rough weather

As to whether the outlander would be better than the CRV? Well from memory the CRV could only move 15% power from the front to the rear axle, meaning it's 85% FWD even when detecting slip - this is why it's not awesome in snow and why the CRV will depend on having traction on the front wheels to get anywhere. You would need to find out realistically how much power can be moved between the front and rear axles on the outlander and then demo'ing the ASTC system in real world snow conditions for your area, Or hop on the Outlander forum and see what they've managed

If you're looking for a capable vehicle in the snow, have you considered the Toyota 4Runner in either the Trail Condition with part time 4x4 and Locking diffs and fancy terrain traction control or the full time AWD version?

If you're looking at a brand new Outlander and fuel economy is a concern to you, I would check out the Petrol Hybrid Electric Vehicle AWD Outlander which claims around 150mpg ish on paper - if it's not availble there yet, it's bound to be coming soon as the 2.0 petrol engine which it uses, is already emission tested and accepted in the US

 

^^If there was a Hybrid version available, it would be an awesome option IMO, that would be a great package I think.

Stan

 

I'd bet the Outlander Sport would be great for you in Kansas City, I'm just not sure how it would hold up in tougher conditions like Arizona...

 

Prior to the Forester I've only owned Mitsubishi cars since the early 1970s. I really wanted to buy the larger Outlander, but the more I test drove it the less enthusiastic I became. It's AWD system is very good, in some respects better than the Foresters as power distribution is a straight 50:50 front to rear.

But it just doesn't drive as well as the Forester, especially around corners. A 40 kph bend that my wife's then 18 yo Lancer could comfortably negotiate at 65 kph had the Outlander tilting alarmingly to the point of lifting at least one wheel at the same speed and then wandering like a drunkard. Scared the crap out of the salesman that was with me and had my heart flip flopping for a few seconds. I regular do it at just a whisker under 70 kph in the Forester.

I didn't get to try the Outlander Sport, sold as the ASX here, on the same road, but the handling characteristics seemed much the same as the bigger Outlander.

I suggest you take the Outlander Sport for more than a 5 minute test drive if you can and really explore its handling. If you don't need a competent AWD, then the Mazda CX-5 would be a better alternative. Its a very good drive, handling even better than the Forester, but its AWD system isn't anywhere near as good. Great for extra traction on a wet road, but the power transfer to the rear soon quits when the going gets rough.

 

I think the RVR has had better reviews than the outlander, I know the outlander is heavy and the 4 cylinder model is pretty slow.

I assume you are looking away from Subaru with this post or just looking at options in the same genre. Best I can say is pick a number you want to spend on "said" new purchase and test drive, I'm sure most dealers will let you do some light off road or at least some obstacles to test the AWD. You know what your subie can do and want you want the next one to be able to do

 

Mitsubishi's AWD is actually not that bad. Much better than CRV and RAV4. But you see the thing is, there just isn't anything similar to Subaru's SYMMETRICAL awd. It's more than marketing slogan. Having symmetrical drivetrain left and right, with no 90 degree turns at the transfer case, makes a difference, in fact a huge difference in handling and how the car feels. When you accelerate, having equal length drive shafts provides the best yin and the yang, and when you slow down, the symmetrical provides predictable slowdown and stable vehicle dynamics, once again providing the best yin and the yang.

We don't normally think about how the vehicle behaves when the foot is off the pedal, but this was pointed out by the race car drive in a youtube clip I saw. He was driving the Impreza and pointed out that having symmetrical drivetrain provides a lot more stability even when you are not stepping on the gas because there are equal drag at all four corners.

 

Every car comparison on here starts and ends with AWD -- what else is new? In my opinion this is mostly due to marketing -- when people start debating Subaru's advantages they often don't mention the year, model, transmission type -- Subaru has so many variations in it's system.

My opinion may sound harsh -- new Foresters that stand out are the XT and the 6MT models, there are no alternatives to them in the US. The N/A CVT model -- you may as well look at all the rest of competition, they all seem to offer the same thing for the most part.

Stan

 

I thought the previous model Outlander was suuuper cool and really was into until I drove it. It drives like a truck and the finish made it feel more like a 'machine' - very utilitarian compared to pretty much any other vehicle I drove.

I have seen videos where it compares admirably/outperforms the Fozz in snow and climbing.

Can't speak for the RVR/Sport/whatever they call it where you are, but it's more in line with the XV which is a cooler ride ride anyway, and probably more comfortable.

 

Can't speak for the RVR/Sport/whatever they call it where you are, but it's more in line with the XV which is a cooler ride ride anyway, and probably more comfortable.

A friend has an RVR. It's basically the same size as the Impreza, but a couple of inches higher off the ground, so a lot like the XV.

It does have a 2WD/4WD/Auto switch on there to let you control which wheels get power, and, as far as I'm aware, their AWD is decent. Performance-wise, it's noticeably slower to accelerate than the Forester, but probably about the same as the Impreza, if not a little faster.

She actually let me test-drive it after we'd both been test-driving the Forester XT, so that may have made it feel slower than it is . We'd have considered one, but we'd already decided the Impreza hatchback didn't have enough cargo space, and the RVR is pretty much the same.

 

Why are you ruling out a newer Forester?

 

Im also looking at an Outlander Sport after the wife's POS '05 FXT (bone stock) decided to lose compression in two cylinders at 73k miles. Ive had Chryslers and Chevys last longer. Dont really trust the "new" Subaru engine.

The 2.4L Mitsu engine is 168hp (vs Forester's 170hp), better warranty, and better equipped at the same price or less. My Evo X has been rock-solid, and I didnt want to roll the dice on an untested Subaru engine.

Also, the seats in the new Forester are like sitting on bricks. They havent made a decent seat since the 2002 WRX.