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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  Great little car for a great value! - 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By AGKB - June 30 - 11:50 pm

  I bought this car to escape the crazy gas prices a while back. This car is the best bang for the buck. I looked at a lot of cars in its class and none came close; most (Civic, Mazda3, etc.) were more expensive with less options. You cant find a better car loaded with these options at this price. This car is much better looking too; looks like Bimmers, Audis and Volvos in the 40- 50K range! Not thrilled with the performance from 0-30, after that, its great. I chose the CVT (convenience) over performance.

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  Great buy - 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By ashgad - June 27 - 10:56 pm

  I bought this car in 2005, needed a larger car for our new baby. It has been such a great buy! It is super reliable, nothing has ever broken down on it and it runs like a champ. It has almost 90,000 miles on it now and is still running as great as the day I bought it. It is awesome in the snow, when we had a huge storm here 2 years ago, I was passing up every other SUV and truck left and right as they all got stuck or slid down a the hill. I would recommend this car to anyone, it has been great for us!

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  2003 Mitsubishi Galant ES - 2003 Mitsubishi Galant
  By KSpec - June 25 - 7:20 am

  After 2.5 years of ownership, this car has been a real pleasure to own. Mileage is around 25 around town and 29 on the highway. Steering is precise and the brakes and accelerator are responsive. Even though it only has the 140 HP engine, Mitsubishi put the torque where it is most useful which makes the car more responsive than you would otherwise expect. This is the 2nd 2003 Galant we owned. the first only lived a few months before it got totalled, but saved our lives as we were hit from behind at a very high rate of speed. Were alive because of this car!

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  Diamante is "Okay" - 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante
  By Ray - June 22 - 12:40 am

  The stiff ride improved significantly with the addition of Goodyear Assurance tires. Overall the Diamante is a pretty good value for the money. It is reliable but had little glitches initially and I spend several days at the dealer having noises fixed and things adjusted. I am currently having trouble finding patch paint and misc. parts. I would like more power but its adequate as is. A recent trip East gave me a low of 22 and high of 29 mpg - overall 26.54 mpg at 70+ mph all the way - Im pleased. I will probably keep this one for a while as my "work" transportation. Too bad they stopped importing the car.

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  Storage and performance - 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback
  By Don Andretti - June 21 - 10:20 pm

  I bought this new. The seats are great, the head rests sit perfect so I can leave my head on the head rest while driving. The roof rack is great to hold cargo box. Suspension is stiff enough that the cargo loaded down for camping is forgotten about. I normal drive with a tool box in back and corners and pulls like a sport coupe. I bought this to keep up with my Datsun 280ZX that I still drive. The Sportback will out straight line and corner the Z but will not give you the precise feedback of the Z saying that about a wagon that gets the same MPG as My Z is amazing I now have 66k miles on the Wagon. MPG 29 hy "towing a HondaTRX450R" 26 hy PS this replaced my Dodge D-50 SP 5 sp

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  Good mid size SUV - 2007 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By horsen1 - June 13 - 10:00 am

  Really like the exterior of the vehicle. Comfortable seats (have leather), love the heated leather seats in the winter. Fun to drive, outperformed the Pilot. Like the folding seats, prefer to the Escape where you have to remove the headrest. Fits two large dogs comfortably in the back (the main attraction for me as the dogs go everywhere). Love satellite radio. Wish that the wiper blades were quicker to respond to increase speed changes (live in the rainy Northwest, would love to have auto-adjusting wipers). Bought the ipod adapter - hate it!! It takes control from your ipod and is impossible to find your music once its hooked up. Would rather have mp3 input jack.

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  Hate the gas mileage - 2003 Mitsubishi Galant
  By Kay - June 9 - 2:56 pm

  I bought this from a rental company. The car has basically been problem free except for the heater/air conditioner. A co-worker who owns a 2002 model is having the same problem. I was also disappointed with the gas mileage. Otherwise, the car has treated me well!

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  Not a Metro - 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage
  By brifam - June 9 - 10:42 am

  I have been a long term auto enthusiast and almost missed this car due to my reliance on the opinions of the professional "reviewers"” out there, but, in my opinion they sure missed it here. I traded in my 08 Kia Optima and took the Mitsu Mirage ES CVT on a 700 mile road trip home. I couldnt believe it at first, but, the car is set up to travel. Ive got 9,000 miles on it now and after 5 pleasant months, I still think the seats, comfortable ride, and road noise are better in this car than in my Optima! And, I got 44 mpg at 75 MPH (58 mpg at 60 MPH with a 25 MPH tailwind) with the A/C on!!!! Those other reviewers should go drive a Geo Metro before hopping in this car just to gain a

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  Amazing Car. - 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Ømar Chafee - June 4 - 8:42 pm

  I had a dark red 06 Eclipse GT with that "rare" black strip going down the front bumper. It was a beautiful car I bought a nice spoiler for it too. It really drove great, I had it from 75 K miles to 115 K miles until it was hit by a drunk driver, totaling it. It gave me small minor problems throughout the time Ive had it but thats almost whats to expect from any used car near or over 100 K. My car door sometimes wouldnt close, I had to get it a new battery because the battery I had was very weak.. ect. The sound quality is absolutely magnificent. That speaker in the trunk really gives the overall sound an extra punch. Acceleration is great. I liked nearly everything about this car.

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  Fun to drive - 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By jason - June 3 - 10:10 am

  I bought my 2001 Eclipse gt at the beginning of summer and ive loved it all. it has a body kit, k and n cold air intake, stage 2 clutch custom paint tinted windows subs and an invadia exhaust system with bigger piping from the cat to the muffler. I love driving the car around and it gets good gas mileage especially with the cold air. Insurance on them is a little high but it is a sports car. in the end if you plan on having some fun with the car and adding on some things its great and i say go for it.