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 Car on Used Market - 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage
  By Larry33 - January 11 - 5:36 pm

  I bought a 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage to replace a flooded car in Hurricane Katrina. I expect that it will most likely provide good reliability due to its Japanese manufacture. Its interior design is modern, useable and easy to understand. The exterior is what you would expect from a 00 model year. The trunk space is good. The car drives well and its body integrity feels better than most other small cars, especially Kia or Hyundai models of the same year. My opinion is this is a great car for anyone looking for a good used car that gets good gas mileage and is well built. The fact that this car historically depreciates quickly is advatageous to used car buyers.

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  tires and brake life - 2001 Mitsubishi Diamante
  By dfarmery - January 2 - 10:00 am

  Bad tire wear. We had the the tires replaced due to road noise after 26,000 miles. The car is in the shop for rotation and balance on a regular schedule. Brakes have problems. The left rear is making a dragging noise. We have had the car in the shop 2 times for brake problems. The car otherwise has been good to us but we are very unhappy with the resale value.

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  10s Are Not Given Lightly - 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By Mitsu Cam - January 2 - 10:00 am

  What a good looking SUV. Id call this the ideal commuters SUV since it blends very well, most required attributes of typical truck based models, with the demands of the sport car, sedan enthusiast, while impressing a masculine buldgey line style that is not the common slim doorme too for the SUV masses. This vehicles is one of the best handling SUVs available, but a 10 in FUN requires a race car.

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  Just bought it - 2009 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By nicole - December 31 - 3:36 pm

  I drive 30,000 miles per year in all kinds of weather. I needed cargo space and 4wd. This was the most reasonably priced, least ugly vehicle in this category. I never buy new, but finding something with low mileage wouldve cost me close to what this cost me new. I dont expect luxury in this price range - and I sure didnt get it, but its decent looking, inside and out. Im not thrilled about the velour cloth seats, I dont think theyll hold up. Dash and side interior panels are a weird textured rubbery material that seem to mark up fast. Maybe some protectant will fix that.

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  not quite as good as the 1995-1999 turbo - 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By GENE - December 27 - 2:00 am

  The first thing Mitsubishi needs to do is rethink the quality of materials in the interior. The leather feels cheap, i lotion it at least once a month and the passenger seat is drying and cracking already.The interior design however is a big step up from the 2nd generation. The black paint sucks! It looks like crap already, despite getting waxed once a month.The sunroof motor wont open and close the sunroof all the way sometimes. The glove box door pops open when the car is jolted.

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  Rons Endeavor XLS AWD - 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By UVADarden03 - December 27 - 2:00 am

  Driving is a pleasure. Love the sound system and the performance though road noise can be somewhat of a bother. The design is great though the finish quality on the dashboard looks like cheap plastic. Wish traction control and stability control came standard and had a 5-speed auto instead of a 4-speed.

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  2000 Eclipse GT - 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Jose Rosado - December 26 - 10:00 am

  I have not had any of the problems other people seem to be having with this car. I own one of the earlier 2000 models with 205 horses instead of 200 and a different manifold and exhaust (all factory) but strangely enough the engine seems to actually have more power now than when I bought it. This car does everything very well. Handling is good (not stellar), comfort is very good for this or any other type of car as long as you only carry two people, and the engine is the smoothest V6 Ive ever driven in my life. I havent had any mechanical problems except for a power window switch that was repaired under warranty.

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  Kevins Review - 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Mcstout - December 26 - 10:00 am

  Fun car to drive, but too much road noise. The number of recalls is concerning forma reliabilty standpoint.

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  Blind spot - 2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By Joyce Anatra - December 16 - 7:26 pm

  Only one draw back, between the windshield corners and the front doors, thereis a blind spot that you have to get use to and physically adjust to compensate. Other then that, it is a very well built vehicle. I would recomend the Endeaver to my friends and familly.

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  100,000 Miles 2002 Diamante LS - 2002 Mitsubishi Diamante
  By MN - December 16 - 12:06 pm

  I have owned my LS for just over 4 years now and have just under 100,000 miles on it having purchased it used with 17k miles. I test drove a variety of vehicles at the time within my price range and options requirements. Nothing else came close to the value of this car. Pblms at 100k miles: 1. One door speaker needs to be replaced 2. Antenna no longer retracts. 3. Roof Liner in back has started to droop Minor issues, but lead to a problem; replacement parts are hard to come by due to the rarity of the car. Mechanically its been a rock. Zero Dollars past scheduled maintenance so far. I am still in love with this car 4 years later.