Overview & Reviews

Though it's known mostly for its sporty cars and SUVs, Mitsubishi has been slapping its badge on small pickups in the U.S. market for almost three decades. In fact, one of its first U.S.-bound products was a compact pickup truck rebadged as a Dodge.

When it was finally retired after the 2009 model year, the Mitsubishi Raider was the brand's only pickup offering. Its aggressive styling allowed it to slot in well with other fearlessly styled products in the Mitsubishi line. However, underneath the Raider's bulging fenders was essentially a midsize Dodge Dakota pickup.

This lineage gave the Raider a few advantages. It had plenty of towing capacity and it had a spacious cabin. But there were plenty of drawbacks as well. The V6 was anemic, and the Mitsubishi Raider also lacked a long-bed option and the refinement of its competitors. Safety features, too, were woefully inadequate. As such, most used pickup shoppers would be better served by competing trucks such as the Nissan Frontier or Toyota Tacoma.

Most Recent Mitsubishi Raider

Introduced for 2006, the Mitsubishi Raider went through a strange reverse progression of sorts. Although the basic truck (essentially a clone of the Dodge Dakota) itself barely changed, it lost equipment through the intervening years.

Initially available with a 4.7-liter V8 and in a number of trim levels, the Raider lost the V8 option, as well as the available side curtain airbags and four-wheel antilock brakes, for 2008. This left buyers with only a 210-horsepower V6 for the final two years of production. As such, if your heart is set on a used Mitsubishi Raider, we'd advise you to focus on well-equipped models from 2006 and '07. During its entire production run, however, a six-speed manual transmission was standard with a four-speed automatic available as an option. Rear-wheel drive was also standard, while four-wheel drive was optional.

The Raider was offered in two body styles, an extended cab (with rear-opening access doors with a 6.5-foot bed) and a more spacious crew cab (called Double Cab) with a 5-foot bed. Initially, there were three trim levels: LS, DuroCross and XLS. LS extended cabs came with a front bench seat, air-conditioning, a CD player and tinted glass. LS Double Cabs added power windows and locks, keyless entry and cruise control. Midlevel DuroCross models received 16-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth, heavy-duty cooling, full power accessories and bucket seats, while 4WD versions got all-terrain tires, a raised ride height, firmer shocks, skid plates and a limited-slip differential. The range-topping XLS was only available as a Double Can and added 17-inch chrome wheels, an Alpine sound system, satellite radio, leather upholstery and seat heaters.

For 2007, the XLS trim was dropped and replaced by the similarly equipped SE, which was the only model that was offered with the 4.7-liter V8. The Raider lineup was further pared down for 2008, dropping the V8 engine altogether and offering only the LS trim level with several options. In its final 2009 model year, a tilt steering wheel was added, but the auxiliary audio jack was deleted.

The Raider's cabin was spacious. The Double Cab had a respectable amount of room for four adults. The rear seats flipped up and revealed built-in storage trays. The extended cab didn't have as much interior space, however, and its rear seats were quite cramped. Fit and finish wasn't up to the standards of competing models, and there wasn't much to distinguish this pickup's cabin other than a bit of aluminum trim and a few white-faced gauges.

In road tests, we found the Mitsubishi Raider to be stable and steady on all manner of roads. The pickup's shift-on-the-fly 4WD system provided especially good traction on rough terrain. The two major downsides were under the hood and in the safety department: The weak V6, and the lack of safety features that were previously available. Many competitors offered safer and more capable pickups. In this case, the old buyer's adage -- "you get what you pay for" -- held true.

User Reviews:

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  4,000 mile review - 2007 Mitsubishi Raider
  By Lyndsey - February 7 - 11:54 pm

  maybe it’s just mine but i put 4,000 miles on it in 10 months and it just seems like part after part needs replacing. sway bar links, wheel barring, etc. i don’t ride it rough i baby this thing because i love trucks but it’s getting a little expensive. gas mileage isn’t great. i put 1500 on it for a trip and it was GREAT but city driving is just the absolute worst even for a truck.

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  give it a lot of thought - 2007 Mitsubishi Raider
  By oscar mayer - December 15 - 3:32 am

  Big but not powerful. leaks when it rains front floor

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  07 Mitsubishi Raider - 2007 Mitsubishi Raider
  By brandin - October 18 - 8:16 am

  Ive now owned my Raider for 7 months now & still dread the day I purchased it. The look & style caught my attention as well as the price, but dont get e wrong looks arent everything. The truck is durable from impact dont get me wrong, I was in a big car accident, & even through the crash was big, my car came out the barely damaged. On the other hand the other suv was a total loss. Performance is what lacks mostly. Worst truck to go to the mountains. Going uphill took a lot of power & a full tank of gas, as well on the freeway the truck takes a long time to get to the speed limit & a struggle to maintain. The only faults on interior is that the center console tend to break easily.

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  First Month of Use - 2006 Mitsubishi Raider
  By Jim Anthony - November 27 - 4:03 am

  My 2006 Mitsubishi Raiders gas mileage during the first month and half has been terrible, approximately 13mpg. the interior is very bad, lots of plastic. The ride is okay, but has a lot of bounce and the truck likes to roll on railroad tracks and hard bumps. I would not recommend it for the serious off-road person.

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  Not What I Expected - 2008 Mitsubishi Raider
  By DWilder - September 5 - 12:36 am

  Have had the truck just over a month and fuel mileage is not what I expected. Have been told it will get more after some break in, but dont really believe that. Thought Id get at least 24 on the highway but struggles to get 20. Take off power from dead stand still really slow. Transmission a little clunky. Traded in a 98 Ford F150 and got a pretty good deal but not much improvement on gas mileage. Truck does have nice body and does ride better on rougher roads. Interior features are OK. Like the white background speedometer panel. Has pretty nice interior room. Wished I had looked around some more since fuel prices are so high now and looked at something with better fuel mileage.

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  Rain Rain Go Away - 2007 Mitsubishi Raider
  By wishididnotbuy - July 18 - 8:27 am

  Bought a 2007 Raider and when it rains...it rains inside the truck on the passenger side floorboard. According to Mitsubishi, I am the only one with this problem! Lucky Me