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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  Expensive to Own - 2007 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By devvon - October 1 - 8:00 pm

  1- It needs PREMIUM gas or it runs very poorly (weak, and low MPG) 2- Engine has good power, but only with PREMIUM fuel 3- PREMIUM fuel is very expensive. 4- Cheap, tacky plastic fittings in the interior 5- Good interior room. Comfortable seats 6- Exterior styling is hard to get used to. I bought this SUV and now I regret it. Before you buy an Endeavor, be sure you know that PREMIUM fuel is required. It gets VERY expensive to operate this, along with the poor gas milage (15 city, 20-21 hwy, thats with the expensive Premium gas) I know other people like this SUV, but I cant afford PREMIUM gas all the time.

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  galant - 1996 Mitsubishi Galant
  By quiz - September 14 - 2:00 am

  bad changed engine, radiator, crank pully, exaust, tires, all around 115,000 miles. really bad experiance. Also the overdrive is busted

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  Its not all it is cracked up to be.... - 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
  By Kyle - November 27 - 6:31 am

  Firstly this vehicle is catered to a cheaper market i get it but it is none the less a vehicle that should have not ever left the drawing board. Firstly I am luck to have only rented this vehicle and not purchased it. That is really dodging a bullet. Ok picture this a car salesman doing his job and trying to sale you a car talking about all the features in the car blah blah blah. With that being said there are things you would never pick up on when you are on a test drive. So lets get started...First the car is so under powered and is poor at accelerating I think my poodle can run fast than this car. Pretty much dont rely on this car if you need to get out of the way or move out of danger quickly. Truth be told I was getting on a highway on ramp and it took forever to accelerate. Secondly I think they rushed the design of this engine or at least the cruise control system....Im sorry to say but it is garbage. Why is it garbage you might ask? If it is not busy increasing and decreasing rapidly the RPMs its busy struggling to keep up with you speed change request. Not just that the way it engages it the most counter intuitive way to engage it. To engage it you turn on the master switch on the steering column, then while you are at the desired speed release the acceleration pedal the depress the set mode then hold the accelerate mode on the steering column for approx 8-15 second to see any increase in RPM, then finally it increases but just maybe 100-300 increase in RPM, then finally it gets up to 3000-4000 RPM. Mind you im going highway speeds at level ground give or take. It was more annoying to have the cruise control on than anything so i just left it off for the duration. The electronic information available to the driver is very minimal would be nice to know whats going on with the car while your driving. The entertainment system is an attempt to stay with the times but it has a ways to go....not to user friendly to driver in particular the satellite radio functions. Finally there is only on usb and that is in the central arm rest. Its funny that it has the option for a line in component such as a mp3 player but physically there is no location to plug in the line in... It wouldnt have been for those items to be corrected i would say this car could have the potential to last more than 5-8 years. I can just see the lemon tree grow......Good try Mitsubishi but im not convinced. Ill give it to you though your partners on the lancer side of the house have got it down but this Out-lander Sport needs to be redesigned.

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  Loved at first... - 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By carbuyer345 - November 9 - 4:48 am

  I bought my 2011 Lancer in 2012,and it now has 13,000 miles on it. I loved the car at first..The CVT takes some time to get used to, makes some interesting noises and lacks the power I would have liked. 3 months after getting the car, I started having issues with the car not starting. It would try and turn over and after about 3 tries, it finally would start..barely. I took it to the dealership and they said they couldnt help since it wouldnt do it while there. Around the same time as the starting issues happened, the car started to make a creaking noise when turning into parking spaces, streets, etc. Took it to the dealership and they told me the same thing. I am looking for a new car.

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  Never Again - 2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
  By rktex - October 13 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle loses value faster than I have ever experienced. It has a constant tick in the engine due to a flawed lifter design; seats are uncomfortable for any multi-hour trip. Back seats sit at such an angle that they jar your spine on any bumps. Unfortunately it is now really a Chrysler product under the covers, and therefore not reliable or supported after the sale.

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  NOT A GOOD CHOICE - 2002 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
  By NOT A GOOD CHOICE! - August 18 - 10:00 am

  I PURCHASED A NEW MITSUBISHI MONTERO AND TRUST ME, IT IS THE WORST CAR EVER! I AM 40 YEARS OLD SO I KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A CAR, AND THIS ONE IS NOT WORTH IT! 1) ITS DRIVE MAKES YOU FEEL UNCOMFTORABLE BECAUSE YOU FEEL LIKE IT IS ALWAYS GOING TO TIP OVER. 2) THIS CAR WAS RATED MOST IN THE US TO BE TIPPED OVER. I FOUND THIS OUT AFTER I PURCHAES MY NEW MONTERO SPORT. DO NOT GET THIS CAR, YOUR LIFE WILL BE RUINED BY THE BAD CHOICE IF YOU DO!

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  Bad Car - 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By cccrop2323 - June 26 - 8:00 pm

  I have had this car for about a year now. At first it was a great car. It has a great look and style. Then it started having problems. The fuel injection wasnt working correctly. At first I though that the warranty would cover the problem, but it ended being caused by a bad tank of fuel. It caused a lot of damage to different parts of the car. It shows the car is not reliable at all. And when I talked with a Mitsubishi rep. she said that the car needs to run a middle grade fuel or premium fuel, otherwise it will have problems again in the future and not be covered by the warranty.

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  Look for another make - 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By Ap384 - June 18 - 6:33 pm

  The Mitsubishi Outlander drives badly, its visibility is limited, and its fuel economy for 4 cyl engine is minimal. Its interior design is cheap. In general - this truck is poorly built and has an underpowered engine, with fuel consumption equal to the V6 engine. I you want a small SUV, look for another make.

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  Another Disappointment on the 4th Generation Eclipse - 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By 4gen eclipse - June 14 - 10:26 pm

  The performance is alright, not as good as advertised of course. This car is not comfortable and gets terrible gas mileage with its 3.8L engine. if attention-getting is considered fun, then I suppose driving this uncomfortable 4th generation Eclipse is somewhat ~fun~. This car has tire-chirp, understeer, small rear window (no wiper), blind-spots. The build-quality is just like every other Mitsubishi, poor. I have so much regret for wasting time on waiting for this disappointment. I shouldve gone with either an Infiniti G35 Coupe, or an Acura RSX-S.

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  take a second look - 2002 Mitsubishi Montero
  By saedid - May 19 - 10:00 am

  This is my 3rd montero but will probably be my last. The vehicle is unpowered and has lot of engine noise, the doors wont stay open, tires make for poor handling, and you feel and hear every little bump in the road. The whole dash vibrates significantly and rattles. The car seems to have very little insulation to keep out highway noise from noisy tires. Taken car to dealer about rattles, etc. but they say it normal. If this is normal Ill put my money elsewhere, maybe. I probably cant though because Ive had the car nine months and it is worth about $14,000.00 less than what I paid originally. My wifes 02 gmc envoy blows the montero away.