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:

• 

  Fast, fun and good looking - 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By tonio - February 26 - 7:53 pm

  Great small SUV, very quick and agile, fun to drive, quiet and fast. Great on gas and warranty.

• 

  Great Value for Your Money! - 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By Arnold - February 26 - 7:06 am

  I just bought my Outlander last month and Im very satisfied with it. I test drove the RAV4 before buying the Outlander, and my wife and I felt dizzy after. It was not a smooth ride unlike the Outlander. I got all the options and the navigation is very helpful and accurate. The sound system is great. The hard drive in the sound system is wonderful as I store all my music in it. The vehicle handles itself well, even at high speeds on the freeway. Its cargo room is impressive. The fast key feature is wonderful and very helpful. Add to that the 5-year standard warranty and the 10-year powertrain warranty, and theres no other deal that can beat that at its price (for under $30,000)!

• 

  Worst car I have ever owned!! Hate, hate, hate it!!! - 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By okcowner - February 26 - 6:02 am

  Mitsubishi has lost many sales as people have seen all of the problems that I have had with my car. I have had the car for a little more than four years. The transmission went out around 90K and was very expensive to fix. The air conditioner compressor does not work. The roof leaks and my radio will not work. I had to replace the rims because they ALL cracked. The life of the tires is always short even with regular alignments and balancing. My gear shift broke and is made up of cheap plastic pieces. The dashboard is cracked and rattles when I get above 50 mph. About a year into owning the car, I discovered that when it is cold the car will not shift out of park. Total junk!!!

• 

  Endeaver Owner - 2006 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By blues clues - February 25 - 10:43 am

  I haved owned a Blazer, Trooper and Montero prior to buying my 2006 Endeaver. I have found the Endeaver to be the most fun to drive and user friendly of them all. It is extremely easy to move the seats front and back, and has it has the power needed when traveling throughout the state of Arizona with its varied terrain and altitudes. It is the first vehicle that has had all the features of a SUV with the ride and handling of a passenger car. I would recommend it to anyone shopping for a mid-size SUV.

• 

  Great car for the price!!!! - 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
  By suebee - February 23 - 10:00 am

  I think the style of this car stands out over its competition. I couldnt believe this was the smaller SUV of Mits when I first saw it. I have over 75,000 miles on mine now and it runs like a dream. I did replace brakes and front tires but otherwise it has just been oil changes every 3K and your off. Not 1 single problem with this vehicle.

• 

  Good for A While - 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Midwest Kid - February 23 - 3:10 am

  My 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse ran excellent for the first 50,000 miles. Then it started to have a few little problems - the front tire kept going flat, brakes were bad, a water leak. Nothing major, but annoying. Mine has 75,000 miles on it and still has no major issues. It gets great gas mileage and is actually quite pleasant on a long road trips, as long as there is only two people. However, it surprisingly can carry a lot. The ground clearance is minimal so I have bumper damage.

• 

  Solid Sedan - 2006 Mitsubishi Galant
  By T. Miller - February 22 - 8:43 am

  So far I have put 8,500 miles on my 2006 Mitsubishi Galant GTS V6 and have had not problems. It gives great, responsive power and has a nice balance of comfort and road feel. It is the roomiest vehicle in its class, comes with a solid warranty, and an outstanding sound system. Its handling is a good balance between comfort vs. road feel, thought the car is not meant to be pushed to hard (its a sedan - doesnt take to sliding around corners well!). The abundance of torque and power make it a very comfortable car to be driven, its hard to keep below 80 mph. Its clear guages, and autoshift provide some additional "enthusiast" feel. This is a very pleasant, reliable car - I look forward to driving it each day. What more can you ask?

• 

  Buy this - 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By J - February 20 - 2:50 am

  Ok, Ill make this short because I could go on forever. About a year ago I ordered a brand new 2007 BMW X3, it came with all the options I wanted, and boy did it go fast in a straight line. It didnt do much else, and I returned it and its $50k pricetag this March (after putting 5k miles on it). Yes I took a loss, and yes you can laugh, but the bottom line is that I realized you can spend a ton less and still get great cars. The point of telling you that is that I absolutely love my new Outlander that is $20k less than the BMW. This time, I researched/testdrove/etc. every other small SUV out there and the Outlander beat them all.

• 

  A rallycross queen in family sedans clothing. - 2003 Mitsubishi Galant
  By hush_hush - February 19 - 4:03 pm

  I brought a used 2.4L I4 (SOHC 4G64) Galant ES for rallycross. The similarity of Galants 4G64 and Lancer Evolutions DOHC 4G63T makes the swap drop-in easy, and the 5-speed transmission from Eclipse fits perfectly. With 10 grands, youll have an autocross monster with 4G63T, 12 psi turbo, and ECU controlled boost; Dump another 20 grands, and you get a fancy built 500+hp rally queen filled with HKS goodies; Squeeze yourself hard for another 20 grands, this car is going to be a supercar. As they said, old school DSM are "dollar-per-hp champs" (IT 14.3 (2011): 12). Hands down.

• 

  Outlander is Out of this World!! - 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By J Faust - February 17 - 10:00 am

  I did my homework and researched all of the SUVs in this pricerange. CRV, Vue, Highlander, Tribute, and Escape. Not one of them could offer all of the extras for the same money that I got with my Outlander. I got leather, moon roof, everything for less money than a stripped down Escape or Highlander. The ride is incredible and very quiet. With the sport-tronic shift I can easily pass cars on the highway. The airconditioner is the best! This SUV has everything. I love it!!