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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  the ride - 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By robert - November 27 - 2:00 am

  i like the fact that you can shift gears on the fly its a cool deal that mistibishi has come up with great turning and handling great on gas i like the heated seats and the pick up on the highway is great what a fun ride

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  One of the best cheap Imports to get - 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By pchiobro - November 26 - 5:58 pm

  I am currently in high school and this is my first car. Ive had it for over a year and with that have driven the hell out of the car. It is an amazing car and can take a beating. I have taken my friends in it across the state many times and its about to see its 7th Chicago winter. Im sure for its time it was the best "economy car" to have but as the years have past, time hasnt been to gentle with it. You can get a car with better MPG as well as more hp for about the same price but you definitely shouldnt over look this mid 2000s Lancer. It of course has the best body style and is the best gen Lancer Mitsubishi has made. They messed up the newest Lancer/Evo X.

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  Great Car - 2003 Mitsubishi Galant
  By Chris Brown - November 26 - 12:50 pm

  This has been the most reliable car I have owned the car for 51,000 miles (bought it used with 21,000 miles). I had one pulley that was squeaky and it was replaced by the dealer. Great car! My parents own one too!!!

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  Sporty, Nice, Roomy, Sexy, Car - 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Ryan - November 25 - 1:20 am

  This car is great! One thing to note is the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times. In Denver Colorado with a stock car I can pull a 6.3 0-60 and a 14.99 1/4 at 96.8 MPH at the track. I raced an Audi A-6 2.7 V6 Twin-Turbo with an automatic transmission. The Eclipse is faster off the line and will hold the A6 through the quarter, assuming you dont burn out too much. I also raced an 04 mustang GT with exhaust. We were neck and neck, I could not tell who was ahead. I love this car, I use it for work, It is an eye catcher. Everybody always complements me, and to be honest it rides nicely. Its a tad heavy up front but handles quite well. I recommend jumping up to 18" rims with wider tires.

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  Great Car - 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By Nate - November 24 - 2:53 am

  This is a great, fun car. The GTS model with all the toys is the one you want. The GPS navigation is easy to use, the Bluetooth is a great convenience, the 18 inch wheels give this car a fantastic look. I just wish this car, the GTS variant that is, was given more power and I do agree with another reviewer that it should be about 10-20 more horses. Despite that, the car handles greatly thanks to a solid chassis that also is begging for more power. Honestly, with the Electric Blue Pearl color, I am also getting thumbs up everywhere I go.

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  very reliable - 1998 Mitsubishi Mirage
  By rascaljim - November 24 - 2:50 am

  I bought this car at 107,000 miles, It now has nearly 140,000. I have only had to replace a couple belts, otherwise no problems at all. Unfortunately its probably gonna be totalled out by an insurance company for body damage.

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  New Eclipse Owner - 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Ryan - November 20 - 12:10 pm

  L\I looked at the competitors, but when all was said and done, the styling, features and just the sheer driving experience in the 6-speed manual GT won me over. The RX-8s reliablity (or lack of) in winter and constant addition of a quart of oil every 1,500 miles in the rotarty engine was a turn off. The fact the Z didnt have a back seat to tote toys back and forth and the styling wasnt as aggressive as the Eclipse was a deciding factor. Plus teh Z was too cookie cutter in looks. Just for the heck of it, looked at the Scion tC, but its nothing more then a Toyota Corolla, although great price, really a sub-compact. The Eclipses stying and features made me a first time Mitsu buyer, and one for life.

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  If you live with snow, stay away - 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
  By Jesse - November 19 - 11:27 am

  I live in Minnesota, and we get a lot of snow usually. So I thought an all wheel drive would be a great choice for my commute vehicle. Well, when it snows Im in fear of driving this car. It has the factory Nexen tires Im familiar with. They are known to be cheap summer tires people put on custom after market rims for summer driving. They claim to be all season with light snow rating, could not be anymore inaccurate. I will be buying new tires before our next winter to see it it helps. But coming from the factory, this car scares me driving in any kind of snow. Even if its only a few inches. It reminds me of my younger years trying to drive a car on bald tires in snow. Even in all wheel drive it does not handle or stop with 2 inches of snow. Aside from that, once the brakes locked up on me after driving through a snow 6 inch snow bank. I couldnt have been going more than 5mph and the brakes did not function and left me sliding 2 car lengths before I stopped. I had no control, luckily I was in a parking lot. I am very lucky the one winter I drove this vehicle we seen a very low amount of snowfall and I have another vehicle to use. Besides all of the awful unsafe winter use of this vehicle, its not bad. It had one recall repair already for potential stalling when hitting the accelerator, which mine never did. Another problem I had multiple times was with long road trips and using cruise control. It would just stop working completely. When I would hit traffic or non passable cars and turn off the cruise control a few times within a short time it would stop working until I was done driving and had the car parked for awhile. The acceleration is the worst of any car I have ever owned in my life. It is so slow from a dead stop that I will not pull out in traffic unless the next upcoming car is 2 or 3 football fields away. Once on the road acceleration is ok. Summer driving is good. On average tank of gas I will average 26-28mpg with 80% highway. Every single fill up I hand dial to see. Winter driving averages 22-25 with 70% city driving. Overall would I buy this vehicle know all that? That is a BIG NO. After a year of ownership I looked into trading it in and it depreciated A LOT . Easily worth 25% less than when I bought it. If I bought a new pickup truck I would see 25% drop until it was paid off. This is not a safe winter vehicle, maybe new tires will help, but Im not sure about the brake issue with snow.

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  2 years of feedback - 1999 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
  By MonteroSportDenver - November 16 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my XLS Sport for 2 1/2 years and absolutely love it. Purchased it used after comparing to 4-Runner, Grand Cherokee & Pathfinder. For the $$ it was the best option far and away. Save $10K over comparable 4-Runner. It is very dependable, great in the snow & ice and overall well designed. Would definitely recommend it to a cost- conscience buyer. Only concern is that its suspension gives a stiffer ride than its competitors but its well worth it off road.

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  8.8 - 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By ryan ward - November 16 - 10:00 am

  this car is a really fun car to drive, its smooth, quiet,and it handles well. yes the engine is not that fast, but it is not the slowest car out there. the car is stylish and i think that it is diffrent than most of the cars in its class. though the jetta and the mazda 6 are better overall cars, for the money, the lancer is a really good buy.