Overview & Reviews

Mitsubishi has built its brand in the United States with a selection of cars and SUVs that tend to offer above-average performance and style. The parent company has its roots in producing commercial vehicles for its home market of Japan.

A Japanese word meaning "three diamonds," Mitsubishi was founded in by Yataro Iwasaki, a descendant of samurais, in the early 1870s. The company's initial focus was on shipping, but it quickly diversified into areas such as mining and ship repair. In 1917, Mitsubishi unveiled the Model A, Japan's first series production passenger car.

It wasn't until 1960, with the launch of the compact Mitsubishi 500, that the company began producing passenger vehicles on a large scale. That decade also saw the launch of other Mitsubishi light passenger vehicles like the 360 Van and 360 Pickup. The company also distinguished itself on the racetrack during this decade, taking top honors in Japan's Grand Prix.

Mitsubishi's automobile production arm was officially spun off into a company of its own with the establishment of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation in 1970. The company's Colt made its way to American shores in 1971, the same year in which Chrysler purchased a 15 percent stake in the new company. However, the Colt wasn't sold under the Mitsubishi name, but rather under the Dodge brand, reflecting Chrysler's interest in the company. By the end of the decade, Mitsubishi was producing more than 1 million cars per year.

In 1982, Mitsubishi began selling cars in the U.S. under its own name. Through the '80s it offered a variety of cars for the states, including the subcompact Mirage, turbocharged Starion sports car and midsize Galant sedan. Mitsubishi hit its stride in the '90s, thanks to the popularity of the Eclipse sport coupe and 3000GT sports car in the U.S. and the turbocharged Lancer Evolution in other parts of the world.

Chrysler made the most of its partnership, as it used Mitsubishi platforms under many of its models. The Eclipse, in particular, was a key vehicle produced by the Diamond Star Motors partnership. In 1998, Chrysler merged with Daimler-Benz to become DaimlerChrysler. Mitsubishi's partnership continued with DaimlerChrysler for a few years but was financially terminated by 2003.

The new millennium has been a struggle for Mitsubishi. Its vehicles have grown stale with consumers and sales have wavered. At one point the company was forced to admit that it had systematically covered up vehicle defects in Japan. On the upside, though, the company's compact, high-performance sedan, the Lancer Evolution, has been a continuing success in the United States. Going forward, Mitsubishi plans to revitalize its brand by developing environmentally friendly vehicles (such as its all-electric "i" hatchback) that are still fun to drive.

User Reviews:

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  Good SUV... but - 2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By dude2 - December 31 - 12:23 pm

  Overall my 05 Limited Endeavor has been a pretty good vehicle, but the initial quality issues I encountered have killed my opinion of the brand. I had the thing into the shop eight times in the first couple months.. since then Ive had no issues. It drives awesome.

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  Started out ok - 2002 Mitsubishi Diamante
  By bconboy - December 28 - 1:43 am

  In its early years this car was a good car, some maintenance as expected I guess (but pretty pricy for this imported car). But as others have said, once things started going, they went fast. Had to replace alternator, muffler, tires (worn on inside) and I dont know what else in a pretty short amount of time, and now it sometimes wont even start. Ive asked around and no one knows why, we replaced the magnet at the end of the crankshaft, because it had actually blinked out and died on me while driving, but seemed to be only a temporary solution.

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  2004 Mits Endeavor XLS - 2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By Melissa - December 23 - 4:36 pm

  I like it a lot - great on gas for an SUV. Sometimes not thrilled with a loose sounding noise from the engine when accelerating, and the interior has a ton of wind noise. Also having minor problem with the trim on the bumper (under the liftgate.) But overall a nice car. Depreciated WAY too fast though - unsure why.

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  great car - 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By drawdad - December 23 - 10:00 am

  the car has a lot of room and a good amount of power also fun to drive.

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  Mitsubishi Outlander 2015 - 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By easternwis - December 14 - 9:00 am

  Given some circumstances unique to my situation, I ended up having to purchase a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander in November. I did not set out to buy this kind of vehicle, and I did not know what I was going to be getting, but I have been very pleased with it after three months and several thousand miles. Based on my experience I would recommend this SUV to others in the market.

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  Awesome machine - 2004 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By CBJ - December 6 - 10:00 am

  Im coming off owning two 4x4 trucks which were both underpowered, and needed an AWD vehicle that could haul a some equipment on the inside. I took a chance on the Outlander because it seemed like it had a lot of value. Its been 3 months now and this car is more than I ever thought it would be. Incredible power, awesome auto/stick, very quiet ride, no flaws that I can find.

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  Galant ES - 1999 Mitsubishi Galant
  By rahmanmd - December 6 - 10:00 am

  Very nice car for the value

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  Overall is a good car - 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By Dimitry - December 2 - 2:20 pm

  I bought it used 1.5 years ago. In general, I am very satisfied - it has 65,500 and is still very reliable. City mileage is not great. I get only about 20 mpg, but on a highway its about 35-37 mpg. I did only general maintenance and changed the belts - at 60K they started to develop cracks (not timing belt yet).

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  Take - A - Look - 2004 Mitsubishi Galant
  By Glenn Debeljak - November 30 - 10:00 am

  This is my 1st Foreign car I bought. I looked at many before I made my decision. The power out of a 4 cyl was and still is impressive. Im a V8 guy. But this 4 cyl works fine. The Galant has a Neat look and clean interior. I fun car to drive in the city & on the highway. A car worth the Look-&-Drive Glenn from Ohio

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  Fun to Drive! - 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By sara_huntley - November 29 - 9:50 pm

  I bought my Eclipse from a private seller in Aug 2012 with 119, 990 miles on it which turned to 120,000 on the way home. The guy didnt tell me all of the problems that came with it but that was expected. The car was over 100k and obviously needed some repairs due to its age. They were all minor fixes that were neglected. Throughout the couple months of fixing these things the car ran very well. I have never been stuck on the side of the road! I love that it came with the power shift for accelerating even with a 4-cyl. With regular maintenance this car can go for 200k+ miles!