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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  Best car weve ever owned - 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By TripJAV8R - August 8 - 5:43 pm

  I bought the Endeavor for my wife in 2004 to replace her Volkswagen Jetta. I have never been happier with a vehicle. The Endeavor has a nice ride, plenty of "get up and go" and is a comfortable ride for 4-5 adults. Plenty of cargo space for all of our stuff plus our 110 pound Lab. The only maintenance weve had to do was preventive in nature. Oil changes, replaced the tires, replaced the brakes and changed the timing belts at 100,000 miles. The vehicle now has 115,000 and still runs as well as the day we bought it. I HIGHLY recommend this vehicle to anyone who asks me about it. When it finally does give up the ghost (maybe 10 years from now) I will definitely purchase another.

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  I LOVE IT - 2005 Mitsubishi Galant
  By JUSTIN WASHINGTON - August 8 - 1:56 pm

  I love my Galant. The experience was wonderful when I purchased it. The interior is sporty as well as the outside. This is by far the best quality car Ive had.

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  The BEST 4WD - 2001 Mitsubishi Montero
  By cntrytrans - August 8 - 2:00 am

  I absolutely LOVE my Montero. It has been the best car Ive ever owned. It does awesome in the snow and ice and it climbs like a goat! I wouldnt be afraid to take it anywhere. We also own a Dodge 4WD and a Toyota 4WD but for winter driving in the columbia gorge, I always use the Montero. I feel very protected and safe in it. I have replaced the right hub assembly twice in it and also the computer board in the dash (temp gauge said it was overheating but it really wasnt). Even with those little problems, I still wouldnt trade it for any other SUV, its THAT good!

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  Good Vehicle- read on - 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
  By rjb - August 8 - 2:00 am

  I was sceptical, reading bad reviews about these cars, but I must admit, after a year in the limited, I am very happy with the vehicle. I get great gas mileage for an SUV of its size (22 MPG) and it handles fairly well. Overall, I would defitely buy it again, and I have had a Isuzu Rodeo, a pathfinder and an Xterra before this one. By far the best of them all so far, the pathfinder is a close second, but the ride is best with the Montero Spt. The features of the Pathfinder are better though.

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  Happy and Satisfied - 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By ChiBob - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Stylish, nice build. Not ubiquitous like a Civic or Corolla, so it stands out, at least for now. Roomy interior with great ergonomics. Seats are a little hard, but support is good. Lots of great standard features. And again, build quality is superb.

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  My cars better than yours - 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By ethan - August 8 - 2:00 am

  overall this car is pretty good for the price tag even though they mimic the rally car but only put the engine of a civic into it. The ride is smooth but the clutch needs alot of work. My suggestion would be to rent one if you can find one and drive it for a week before buying one, still though i would i get just as many options on this as i would a civic ex or corolla le, but i only paid $15,500, those two are asking almost $20,000 for the same thing! Wake up and drive honda and toyota this car is better in every way.

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  It OK, but nothing more - 2002 Mitsubishi Galant
  By doublel9 - August 8 - 2:00 am

  good, but not great. The dashboard rattles showing bad build quality. the wheel alignment is forever off-center. And the lack of folding side mirrors is a DISGRACE. Ive knocked off two already. Once when a bicycle! brushed it. Utter disgrace. Engine is very smooth and there is good interior room. Again, its a good car, but not great

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  Mits Mirage 2014 - 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage
  By silenthill2007 - August 7 - 4:19 pm

  Needed a cheap car that would save a lot of gas. Had to travel far in Georgia to find a Mitsubishi dealership. I was attracted by the 11,899 price from the internet website. That is the price of the white, manual, with nothing, after all the incentives which I didn`t qualify. I only got the $1,500 discount. They screwed up the price. After I saw the numbers and calculated well I was able to afford the Automatic one. 600 to get another color/ NO 1,500 for the automatic/ YES I ended up with the blue automatic with Bluetooth. At the end I am getting 50 MPG instead of 44! The car has a horrible bouncing and looks like it is going to roll over.

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  Not bad but parts can be expensive - 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By capitan_ed - August 6 - 2:42 pm

  The overall car isnt bad. I got the car used from a dealed about 7 years ago and put 90k miles of my own for a total of 150k (actual mileage). I gave all it maintenance and regular oil changes. The engine is not as strong as I would like to. I had to reapir it and change multiple valves, gaskets and resolve loss of pressure inside the engine. I live in CA and the smog regulations are strict here I had to get rid off the car for not passing the smog check because the catalytic converter worth more than the car itself. Not for tall people defenitly!

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  2007 Mitsubishi Outlander - 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By 07XLSDiamond - August 6 - 12:20 am

  This car had nearly everything I wanted in a small to midsize SUV. I use it as my daily driver. I got the Diamond White Pearl XLS FWD model with all the bells and whistles except the DVD package. I got the navigation package with 40G hard drive, sunroof, leather, bluetooth, SIRIUS radio (Id have prefered XM), etc. The gas mileage is okay, around 21.6 average. Mitsubishi owners are also a great bunch of people, this is my second Mitsubishi; I own an Eclipse too.