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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  Very fun car to drive - 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By bnelson1980 - January 29 - 10:00 am

  I just bought my 2000 Eclipse GT. So far so good. I drove it across the country. Exterior is awesome, interior has very easy to use controls, performance is great. You can also find a lot of aftermarket performance parts for this car. I just wish they made a Turbo version.

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  Good Truck, Need Improvements - 2002 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
  By anthonyorlando - January 29 - 10:00 am

  The Dealer can no fix the alignment, everytime i bring it in, it will pull to the right or left when they are done, still need alignment to get fixed. Fuel economy is expected to be poor, try to squeeze a lot of horse power out of a small V6, but its ok, peppy. I would have thought after spending 32K on this, I would have auto headlights, and heated side mirros, but these can be improved on. Truck looks cool, great color combo. Seats are really stiff, there are other SUVs around the same price that are more comfortable.

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  Disappointed - 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By Denise - January 28 - 6:13 pm

  I love the look of the car but the interior is very cheaply put together. The trunk area almost looks like it’s not finished from the factory. I live in Ohio and this is my first winter - lets just say its going to be a long five years with this car. It definitely needs traction control. I neglected to ask about that when I purchased the car, needless to say had I known how poorly it would handle in the snow and ice would have never purchased it.

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  Chick car - 2012 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
  By kukusa - January 28 - 12:04 am

  My wife and I purchased a fully loaded RVR (as they call it here in Canada) in the summer of 2012. It was mostly me rather than my wife who was sold on this cars styling. However, in less than a year, we decided to traded it in for a european station wagon and it turned out to be our best car purchasing decision. Having said that, our biggest complain was actually the ride height. The Mitsubishi is in fact a well put together package at a bargain price. We had drove the new Escape, MX-5 and Forester prior to the Mitsubishi but we didnt like any of them even they are more expensive. We didnt pick the wrong crossover, we simply picked the wrong car segment.

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  Eclipse reborn - 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Alejandro - January 26 - 6:46 pm

  The new Eclipse has been reborn and it brought the fun back. It has been improved for the better. It provides good control, good response, and has a nice design. The automatic transmision responds well as the does the manual. The 263 horsepower makes this almost as pleasant as the Mitsubishi Evolution. It has really comfortable seats and more interior space.

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  Fantastic Crossover SUV - 2006 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By Sandy - January 26 - 1:53 pm

  Our Mitsubishi Endeavor is everything we expected it to be. The gas mileage has been consistent at about 19 mpg for combined city and highway. We did take a trip through the mountains and got almost 23 mpg. The seats are very supportive. The stereo is fabulous. The ride is very firm but soft at the same time. The handling is excellent for this type of vehicle. Had it almost two months now and there are no noises. The car is put together very nicelt!

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  I dont understand the bad reviews - 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage
  By db1980 - January 25 - 11:46 pm

  Seems like car reviewers focus on how horrible the car is. Depends on what you are looking for. I hate the big bloated heavy cars everyone seems to love. I wanted a warranty, cheap to buy and cheap to drive. Car scores huge on all points there. It also has nice features for the price. I reccomend the ES manual with no extra options. CVT is for the lazy, and it adds a lot to the price of the car. It has a growly engine sound (I find this a positive not a negative). Handling can be improved greatly by adding a $200 rear sway bar. Styling is so so. Interior is hard plastic but seems like there is very little to break. It is designed to be practical and durable. No defects so far

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  I love my eclipse. - 2011 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By dteezy - January 25 - 8:09 pm

  I am a young male who is freshly 21, and was in the market for a coupe to replace my troublesome 2002 Nissan Altima. Ive always wanted an eclipse. So I found a 2011 Eclipse GS Sport on autotrader, and to my surprise, it was fully loaded (leather, heated seats, backup camera, bluetooth, sirius satellite, aux, 6 disc, moonroof, xenon headlights, fog lights, etc) WITH ONLYYYY 30,000 Miles!!! It was sooo affordable, & Im so happy I got this. I am 5"10, and I pretty much have to search for a comfortable position, but when I do, it is well worth it. The 4 cylinder is really fast or for performance at all, hence 4 cylinders. but the ride is smooth, quiet, controlled, and feels glued to the road.

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  Great Buy - 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By wen - January 24 - 9:40 pm

  I purchased this car not to long ago and so far it has an awesome feel, an awesome drive, is very roomy, and is comfortable. I knew after seeing it online I had to go and test drive it since then I have been in love.

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  You get your moneys worth - 2002 Mitsubishi Montero
  By pratman - January 24 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this vehicle for just about a year now. The ride is very comfortable, the performance is uncanny, and the looks are..well..worth a thousand words. Great buy..!!