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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  We had a love/hate relationship.... - 1999 Mitsubishi Galant
  By haylzmr - July 11 - 3:48 pm

  I hated this car, but loved it so much at the same time. I totaled it not too long ago, and for one final time, it saved my life. I walked away without a scratch. The car, on the other hand.... It was pretty bad. My car had not been properly maintained (thanks to the person who had given me the car), so it had a LOT of issues. Aside from the issues, though, it was a great car to drive. I loved the way it handled. I always had fun driving it. I took it back and forth from Indiana to Virginia three times. We had some issues, but it got me there. It was pretty hard saying my final goodbyes to this car.

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  warranty service "sucks" cheap features - 2003 Mitsubishi Galant
  By ttapgal - July 3 - 10:00 am

  The warranty covers nothing that is apt to defunct. The interior light continuously drops out of its slot--not a warrany covered feature!! The hubcaps are plastic which causes the front ones to "melt" and fall off. Of course, this is not a warranty covered problem. The battery died before the 60,000 miles--not a warranty covered item after 24,000. This causes the radio/cd to need a special code in order to get it to play again. Since the car had 14,000 miles when I bought it, the special code cards were not included in the sales/car info. Will Mitsubishi furnish the special code??-- NOT WITHOUT A CHARGE--another nonwarranty item.

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  Less than impressed after a year - 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By HK416 - June 7 - 12:33 pm

  I have had my Lancer GTS for nearly a year and lets just say - it is going away. The power is not bad; but heaven forbid you have to use the A/C. It sucks SO much power from the engine. Mileage is as expected, but I cant get over the complete lack of power in this thing. Interior is not all bad; seats could be a bit more comfortable on longer trips. The NAV system is alright; but how about some updates for the maps? My house is over 2 yrs old and my street doesnt even show up. When I called Mitsubishi about updates; they told me this summer w/ a cost of $100 - are you serious? It will be a happy day when she is gone from my garage.

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  Shouldnt have bought this SUV - 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By applepie237 - June 7 - 9:55 am

  Just hit 3,000 miles and mileage is more like 17-25 mpg. Doors are really light, back gate doesnt always open, a # of features are stripped out in the SE so some things you would expect arent included. Bluetooth doesnt always work so I make a call, they hear me but I dont know its even connected. Wipers spray over the windshield/crooked. Remote start is a joke, need to start again when in car. The only comfortable spot for the steering wheel will block your dash. Two days after leasing, had major mechanical issue. Second lease payment they didnt notify me of automatic payments starting so I made a payment and then they pulled as well, overdrafted my account for following directions.

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  Could be better...could be worse - 2003 Mitsubishi Galant
  By lamaripositaboricua - May 30 - 2:13 am

  I purchased this car this year, for $9,000. It already had 60,000 miles on it, but it is in great condition. The gas mileage on this car is horrible. I just got rid of an SUV because of the gas mileage, but this isnt a big change. It gets about 200 miles to the tank, which is comparable to the Jeep that I had. The car interior and exterior are just OK. The exterior is nice, but the interior reminds me of a cheap Saturn. It can be a good car, but if looking for luxury or style, this is not the car.

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  Mitsubishi-Take a hint from Toyota - 2002 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
  By Mitsu_Trekker - May 20 - 10:00 am

  Mitsubishi needs to get with the game. The horsepower is pretty sad. And there is no gas mileage advantage having the V6 3.0. A V8 Toyota Tundra gets the same gas mileage as I do. Also, the brakes squeel and the Mitsubish dealership says its normal. I like the car overal but they definately need some improvements.

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  never again - 2001 Mitsubishi Montero
  By fool me once - May 9 - 2:00 am

  The car has a noisey bumpy ride.It over heated at 33000 miles without any warning.At this time I am batteling with misubishi they wont cover the claim because it was a defective thermostate,not covered under their warranty,and the extended warranty wont cover because they say it should be covered under mitsubishis 5 year power train warranty I just had the hub bearings replaced at 40000,miles. my mechanic told me the car is under engineered with light wieght parts on a heavy vehicle I also found out that the dealership makes more money selling questionable extended warrantys over better ones. Ive spent 4,300 on this car this year at 40,000 miles

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  Problems, problems, and more problems - 2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
  By javaman - May 7 - 10:00 am

  I have always had a front-end creaking noise that the dealers could fix/find. Several of the switches have had to be replaced that had stopped working. The servicing dealership (Burlington Mitsubishi) overfilled the automatic transmission with fluid causing it to overheat. At this point I am going to trade it in on a Toyota 4-runner or Sequoia. The resale values are so much better for the Toyotas and their reliability is great (my wife drives a 4-runner). I would not recommend this vehicle to anyone...getting good service seems next to impossible (I have visited 3 separate dealerships for servicing).

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  Poorly built - 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Mikeman1 - April 25 - 2:00 am

  My Eclipse is fun to drive, and a pretty good performer, but the build quality is extremely low. I noticed a ticking sound in the engine only after 8,000 miles. When I pressed the clutch in, the ticking goes away. The dealer said this is normal wearing of the clutch! Spoke to Mitshubishi directly, and they agreed. The clutch is obviously bad. Theyre just waiting for the warranty to expire (10,000 miles) before telling me I need to pay for a new clutch. Trying to get rid of this car ASPA. Creeking, squeeking, etc. Poor build quality. I was warned not to buy a Mitshubishi. Wish I took the advice.

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  OverPriced - 2002 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
  By Marc Staval;e - March 31 - 10:00 am

  This car is a bit overpriced for what you get. I owned a previous Jeep GC and it had a lot more options for the price. The 0 down, 0 interest 0 payments for 1 yrs got me in but that was it. The car needs the XLS package at the LS price. This is what the other SUVs offer. Not as wide as the others.