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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  Paint chips - 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By Jacki Monnat - May 14 - 10:03 am

  After 6 weeks of owning the car and 3,000 miles I noticed Paint chips on the side in front of the rear tires. I took it to the dealer and they took pictures and sent them to Mitsubishi and they said they wouldnt cover it that it was my fault. The front tires kick off stones causing a sandblasting to the side of the car. They said they didnt make mud flaps for them yet. It gets worse everyday. I see more people are having the same problem. I am now filling out paper work for the attorney General.

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  Painful Like-affair - 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By 20vcq - May 13 - 8:43 pm

  I want so much to like this vehicle. Drives well under 140 kmph and gets very floaty and a little twitchy over that. AWD is not up to quality and useability of either Subaru or Audi - not by a long way. But its o.k. Road noise is higher than I would have expected and clangy doors are a disapointing sound. The auto transmission is my biggest disappointment. 6 speeds and paddle shifters are cool but the constant downshifting and that annoying 400 rpm drop after every downshift makes long trips less than as enjoyable.

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  Never Again - 2002 Mitsubishi Galant
  By brandon - May 13 - 4:16 pm

  We were so excited to be buying a brand new car. Newly married, first baby on the way, little did we know what a surprise we were in for. In the first two years alone, this vehicle was in for warrenty work at least 12 times. After having the car for 3 weeks they still never figured out what was wrong with it. While driving at highway speeds with the cruise on it would rev out as if someone slammed it into first gear. The dealer kept saying "this car is so great and best rated car" blah blah blah. I will NEVER buy a Mitsubishi product again...EVER.

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  BLACK PEARL MY ENEAOR - 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By MARK A - May 13 - 10:00 am

  MY FAMILYS ENDEAVOR IS LIKE THE COOLEST THING WE PURCHESSED IT AT DAYTONA MITSUBISHI AND LOVED IT THE AFTER A MONTH OF THE ENDEAVOR ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS WENT AND BROUGH ANOTHER CAR FROM THE SAME PLACE AND NOW MITSUBISHIS ARE OUR NUMBER ONE QUALITY CAR

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  Safe- but dont pay too much! - 1999 Mitsubishi Galant
  By Jess - May 12 - 7:23 am

  Ive yet to even have this car a full year and have had nothing but bad luck with it! The brakes are terrible and went a month after buying the car and the tires are terrible during the winter. The vacuum for the A/C broke and while it is simple to fix, it is located under the dashboard which means a huge labor cost. Ive had two accidents; the first was a front end collision with a neon, with a lot of damage, but the car ran beautifully after it was fixed until the second; someone hit me in a parking garage and completely damaged my front suspension.

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  We LOVE our Endeavor - 2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By Terry McHugh - May 10 - 5:46 am

  We Love our Mitsubishi Endeavor. It handles like a dream! We have towed our boat on the highway, driven in snow and torrential rain and the vehicle hugged the road the whole time! After test driving 5 competitors, we stumbled onto this vehicle by accident as it was parked in a parking lot beside our old SUV. We said WOW! whats this??? and the rest is history!

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  Best Kept Secret - 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By JayWa - May 9 - 4:50 am

  My Outlander marks the end of a long search to replace my 1995 Aurora. It stomps the Toyota Rav4 and Honda CR-V on looks, warranty and practicality; it is more driveable and gets better mileage than the Dodge Dakota; and it has more usable storage than the Dodge Magnum with much better visibility. Performance is not what I enjoyed with the Auroras V-8, but the Outlander has acceptable zip (on regular gas) and gets better mileage - almost 22 mpg on my daily in-town/Interstate commute. The 650-watt stereo and 10-inch subwoofer are fun to show off, but if you arent into rap then I would suggest you stick with the standard system and use the extra $$ to take this on a vacation.

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  Dont buy a mitsubishi - 2003 Mitsubishi Galant
  By fireangel - May 7 - 2:00 am

  Wheel noise since day one that company refused to fix. Blamed it on tires. Exorbitont services required at minimum 400.00 each service. Now, air conditioner has stopped working. Also is built like a tin can. The so called quality sound system works when it wants too. When sunroof open, sun shines directly in drivers eyes from overhead. It is the first and the last one I will ever own. I plan on unloading it as soon as I can.

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  Bang for the Buck - 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By pga6 - May 5 - 6:20 pm

  I bought the 2004 Endeavor after some research and a couple of test drives. The vehicle I bought was used. The vehicle handles nicely, accelerates smartly, and is comfortable. The Endeavor is maintained on the Mitsubishi schedule for the most part, and the minor issues/recalls have been repaired in an expeditious manner. I use the car mostly for highway driving; I get about 20-21 mpg. When Ive used it in the city, I get 17-19 mpg.

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  One of the worst cars ever - 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By bolshevik - May 5 - 5:56 am

  I bought this car used with little mileage, after a few months Ive had to put around a thousand dollars in fixes to it. I had to clean the engine because it was clogged, it has instability problems when accelerating over 60 miles (it vibrates), I had to replace a valve and some other engine internals because they were damaged, had to do injection system cleaning, and the worst of all I have to add oil to it on a constant basis because it just simply consumes a ridiculous amount of oil. My other car a Toyota Yaris 2008 has over 115K (I drive it hard and a lot) and I havent spent a SINGLE DOLLAR except on the normal oil and tire maintenance which I do by the book.