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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  02 ECLIPSE IN LONGVIEW - 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By rjshep - August 25 - 10:00 am

  MY 02 ECLIPSE IS A JOY TO DRIVE. IT HANDLES WELL IN ALL TYPES OF WEATHER, DEFINATLY DRIVES LIKE A SPORTS CAR, GETS GREAT GAS MILEAGE, AND LOOK GREAT AS WELL. THERE HAS BEEN NO REPAIRS REQUIRED TO ANY WORKING PARTS, JUST REGULAR MAINTENANCE. LOOKS GOOD, FEELS GREAT AND IS PRICED RIGHT FOR ANYONE. THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM FOR LUGGAGE AS WELL.

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  Sporty n good lookin car - 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Christy - August 24 - 10:43 pm

  Bought this car in 07 with 70k, now it has 86k and still runs smooth. The only thing that Ive had to replace so far were the motor mounts.. Other than that the car has been reliable and hasnt given me any problems *knock on wood* Of course, any car will last you provided you dont floor it every second and keep up with regular maintenance. Quick (v6) and fun to drive with the sportronic, nowhere near a manual tho, Decent ride on the roads. Believe it or not after 9 yrs it still turns some heads! Opening the hatch is great resistance exercise for my arms ;) Comfortable for me in the front but I feel sorry for whoever has to sit in the back but hey, thats a 2door for ya!

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  Looks arent everything - 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Ryalage - August 23 - 10:00 am

  For looks, I love this car. Its one of those cars that I have to turn around a look at whenever I walk away from it. The interior isnt perfect, but close. It falls short with the steering wheel placement. The gauges are covered by the top of the wheel when the tilt is set for best comfort. And this car is a blast to drive. Theres just enough power, but the handling could be better. Then the problems start. The clutch rattles, the sunroof jitters when opening, the rotors warp VERY easily, the interior (dash, consoles) shakes and Ive had the bearings replaced. These are all common problems with the 3rd generation Eclipse.

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  Wow! - 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By Alvey - August 23 - 9:03 am

  The Outlander an amazing vehicle all around! It has lots of room, the back seats recline and move forward, and back and best of all is it has a left hand cup holder for the driver right by steering wheel! The doors are hard to close and the u-joints are not very good, but other than that, this is an awesome vehicle. It is so cool. The third row seating is perfect for a young family!

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  Old reliable - 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By Ellie - August 23 - 3:13 am

  I bought this car because the year-end price was too good to refuse (despite not being crazy about the ext styling), but am amazed at the reliability. Almost 80k miles on it and only oil changes/checks & recall replacements. Now needs a new battery. Roomy interior, comfortable on a 2k mile trip. Gas mileage better than expected (average 23-24MPG overall).

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  Excellent Car, wish Mitsubishi hadnt cheapened the look - 2000 Mitsubishi Galant
  By joesee - August 20 - 9:39 pm

  I still have my 2000 Galant with close to 200,000 miles, always trouble free. The acceleration and ride for a 4 cylinder are great. The look still holds up, and is much better than later galant models. Unfortunately although the car is still awesome, the paint has lost its luster and repainting doesnt make financial sense, otherwise I would keep on driving it. If Mitsubishi had maintained or upped their game on the details for later models, I would have considered getting another for my next car this year.

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  Beautiful Car - 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By ilikemoney3 - August 20 - 12:35 pm

  This car is pretty nice to have it is fun to drive but not the best unfortunately. I wanna start with the pros of this car. Looks are sharp! I mean my kalapana black eclipse turns heads all the time and gets me solid compliments. Its a nice little 4 banger perfect for me and my chick. Installed HID 8000k lights, LED interior and License plate LED, modded exhaust, and Cold Air Intake.

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  Good car - 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage
  By Nice car - August 20 - 9:20 am

  I just got this car about a week ago. So far it is an awesome car. The only complaint that I have are the cup holders are really annoying trying to put them back in there place. They get stuck and take like a minute to put in when it should just slide in. The car has 93,000 miles so its very reliable just get oil checked every 3,000 miles and the car will last forever. My next door neighbor has the same car and theres is up to 100,000 miles and still runs good. But my red car looks a lot better then there tan one.

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  Great for what you pay for! - 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By atoice - August 19 - 5:20 pm

  Keep it simple. You get a great overall car for what you pay for. Now, I have owned plenty of cars in my life, but for the buck. I got a great car. Looked at Corollas, Mazda3s, Civics, and Sentras. I could have gotten these options on the competitors, but would have cost me probably 2k-3k more out the door.

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  Practically Perfect - 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By drc - August 17 - 8:06 pm

  I have had three other Eclipses - a 1992, which I traded after a few months for an identical model that was turbocharged, and then a 2000 Eclipse GT. This one is obviously the best of the bunch. Every feature, from the radio to the door locks to the dash to the seats to the glove box - everything - is better than the previous model, and I liked my 2000 very much. I can say that I have had absolutely no mechanical problems with any of my Eclipses. I drove the last one over five years and only changed the oil and the tires. They have been totally problem free. I cross shopped this with the Nissan 350Z - too many tire problems, and the Chrylser Crossfire - which I decided was too small.