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:

• 

  Great SUV - 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
  By Missy - December 30 - 7:53 pm

  Bought this car used with 36,000 miles 4 years ago. It has been a great car, fun to drive, easy to manuever around. Good in snow, although a little light. Threw in sandbags for better traction last year. Didnt have any issues til the last 10k miles or so, but now have replaced 3 of the 4 O2 sensors, had an oil leak that resulted in replaced valve cover gaskets, and just replaced timing belt. Replaced the shocks at 45000 or so, rode like a different vehicle! Added a 2" OEM lift. Im sure this is all regular stuff. Still would buy it again if I had the chance. Mileage is about 18 in the city.

• 

  Its Sweet - 2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By Ed - December 29 - 11:03 am

  This is the first SUV we have owned. After 5 kids and 5 Minivans it time for us to have some fun. This vehicle is absolutely great and a lot of people are asking us about it.

• 

  Great Reliable Vehicle - 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage
  By Budgie - December 28 - 4:26 pm

  I bought this car in 2001 with 18k on it, and it has been a great car to me. Im a high-mileage driver and didnt have to sink hardly any money into it until recently, and it had about 165000 at that point! No major problems whatsoever, just normal wear-and-tear replacements. I would buy another one of these in a heartbeat, but unfortunately theyve discontinued them.

• 

  More Power - 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By Desprate For Power - December 28 - 12:00 pm

  Okay there is the DE Lancer the ES Lancer and the GTS, I own the GTS and I just dont see the point, because it looks just like the others. I have the CVT transmission which makes the 0-60 an astonishing 11.7 seconds. It is extremely underpowered and overpriced for that power, you can get the same car in the DE or the ES. you can order the same accessories as well. The car weighs 3100 lbs, and puts 139 hp to the wheels. I put rims on my GTS and it looks amazing, but needless to say wouldnt they all. I would also say get it without the spoiler if you ever hope to see out of the rear window. It is a great car I can say that!

• 

  Great Car - 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By mitsubishiGTdriver - December 28 - 10:00 am

  I have had this car for 3 years and bought it with 73,000 miles on it. It now has 148,000 miles on it. The v6 is torquey but still good on fuel. The manual transmission shifts smooth but has a direct feel. It leans a bit more than Id like in sharper turns but never feels unsafe. Ive never had to do any major repairs to this car. Only thing that broke was the EGR solenoid. A $40 part from the dealer. Very fun to drive and easy to to long trips in. I drive it 100 miles round trip everyday. I average about 28.5 mpg.

• 

  Fantastic Car!!! - 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage
  By keatz85 - December 28 - 5:54 am

  After my first car, a Pontiac that gave me nothing but trouble, I wanted to get a foreign car that was dependable and affordable. The Mirage hit a home run. Drove it for 7 years and 122,000 miles. Barely put any money into it except for normal maintenance. Parts starting wearing out more around 170k miles but what do you expect? Liked this Mitsubishi so much I decided to upgrade to a newer Galant. So far its awesome as well. This cars value is one of the best, if not the best. If you can find one with 100k miles or so, id say youre good to go for several years.

• 

  2004 Mitsubishi Outlander - 2004 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By 456654456654123321 - December 25 - 4:23 am

  We bought our Outlander new in 04. We have had 2 problems. 1, the power port stopped working. Replaced fuse and no good. 2. It stalls every now in then, and then it starts up fine. A few weeks later, it will stall and then be fine. Other than that, it has been a pretty good vehicle. We have been from TN to FL, TN to ME probably 20 times and the Outlander goes fine. If I could change one thing it would be the suspension. I think it needs to be a little beefier. With a heavy load, the front end gets light and it feels top heavy. Would I buy another one? Me no, my wife yes. I enjoy a bigger vehicle, but for the "soccer mom" it is fine.

• 

  Came back for another one - 2012 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By gski02 - December 24 - 4:13 pm

  This is my second Outlander. The first was an XLS and I loved it. This time I decided I wanted to go with the MIVEC 4 cyl for even better gas mileage. Very suprised by the responsiveness of the 4 with the CVT. Dont miss the 6 cyl! It has everything I wanted in it, handles well, very nice sound system. Plenty of features and a great warranty. Hoping to have the same kind of reliability I had with the first one. Zero issues! My parents even got one!

• 

  PERFER CAMRY!!!!! - 2000 Mitsubishi Galant
  By KDUB - December 24 - 2:00 am

  HAD 97 CAMRY AND LOVED IT, GOT TOTALED IN ACCIDENT. IN ITS PLACE GOT 00 GALANT ES. INTERIOR NOT COFORTABLE FOR 6 FOOT PLUS INDIVIDUAL. KIDS NOTICED DIFFERENCE IN BACK SEAT, NO ROOM. HAVING PROBLEM WITH DOME LIGHT, WONT SHUT OFF AFTER CLOSING DOOR. THATS ENOUGH DONT GET ME STARTED.

• 

  Dont miss out - 2002 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
  By Good buy - December 24 - 2:00 am

  We bought this vehicle not expecting to keep it. Drive it a year or 2 and then move on. But this car has been excellent!!! It rides great and the AWD version is incredible in snowy conditions. I can verify this since we live in the country and have to travel a few miles on snow covered gravel roads. This vehicle is very reliable and fun to drive. If you can get your hands on one of these, then you should go for it!