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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  Never Again - 2001 Mitsubishi Montero
  By majic - July 14 - 2:00 am

  I will never own a SUV like this one again. The gas mileage is terrible. When cursing on the Expressway at 85 mph the engine is reving at almost 4,00 rpm. that third row seat is useless, even to small children... The Depreciation is terrible.

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  Wish I could go back in time - 2003 Mitsubishi Galant
  By time to move on - July 13 - 2:00 pm

  First of all, let me state that I dont hate this car. It has many redeeming qualities (see below) that make it a good purchase. Just dont be surprised when you are only getting 23 mpg on the highway, while your fellow Camry, Grand Prix, and Accord drivers are getting 28+. I was sucked in by the 0% financing for 60 months so I caved in and bought it. Now Im trying to get a new car because my family just increased by 1 and the backseat in this thing is ridiculously small for a "mid-size" sedan. Its laughable! Be forewarned that when you try to trade this car in, the value of it will have plummetted substantially. Spend the extra grand and buy quality - you wont regret it.

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  REPLACE SENSOR AND REAR HEATING PIPE - 2001 Mitsubishi Montero
  By CYRIL - July 12 - 10:00 am

  STARTED HAVING MINOR PROBLEMS FROM 25K MILES.AT ABOUT 55,000 MILES THE SUV BROKE DOWN. THE DEALER INFORMED ME HAT MY REAR HEATING HOSE BROKE CAUSING THE ANTIFREEZE TO WASTE CAUSING OVERHEATING AND ENGINE DAMAGE. SHORTLY BEFORE THE ENGINE SHUTT OFF, I INSPECTED MY THERMOSTAT DISPALY FOR ANY OF TROULBLE WITH OVERHEATING- EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. THE THERMOSTAT HAD FAILED! MITSI DENIED MY CLAIM ON THE GROUND THAT EVEN THOUGH THE POWERTRAIN WAS COVERED, THE REAR HOSE PIPE THAT BROKE WAS NOT COVERED. MY MECHANIC DISCOVERED THAT MITSHI.USED A PLASTIC PIPE TO CONNECT THE REAR HEATING PIPE TO THE EVER-HOT RADIATOR. THUS ANY EXTENDED USAGE OF THE REAR HEATING WOULD NATURALLY CAUSE A DAMAGE. I AM SUEING

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  Naaa - 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Miguel - July 6 - 7:23 pm

  This car is a new model yes, but dont let the looks fool you. I rather perfer the 99 model, in all ways except for the stereo system, but as of now with all new cars, the stereo systems are at their supreme sound quality.

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  This car stinks - 2003 Mitsubishi Galant
  By ChrissyB - June 28 - 10:00 am

  I love the way this car "LOOKS". For the first year it ran great. Now.... it is horrible. It vibrates, the front clip is coming off, and it has had the bushing replaced 3 times. It has not been wrecked and the tires are spin balanced every 6000 miles as well and well maintained. DONT BUY IT!

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  You get what you pay for I guess - 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By rwilliams148 - June 20 - 10:00 am

  I have had my 2008 Lancer GTS for almost two years now. At first it was great but at 61,000 miles trouble started. My blower motor has already went out and we just recently moved and now have a gravel road. I have dust coming inside the car from my glove box, all vents, my cd player, my steering wheel column, and all the doors. I contacted Mitsubishi about this and they will not do anything. It is a nice looking car but very cheaply made. My alignment has been fixed now 8 times (and I drive normally just more than most people). The steering wheel has started shaking extremely bad but the no one can seem to tell me why. Because of these reasons, I will not purchase another Mitsubishi.

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  So So of a car - 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By DrWankel - June 20 - 12:00 am

  Bought the new gen GT with sun & sound pkg when it first came out and was enjoying it for awhile till just after 2 months the front brake rotors warped. Brought it in to the dealer and after threats I got the rotors warrantied. 2 months later again warped, replaced with aftermarket never again had a problem. The Radio? whats up with the display? my girls saturn has a much better read out, I mean top of the line fact Rockford come on, bad design. NOT EVEN AN IPOD JACK (dealer offers an ipod setup for a cheap $230?!) For a car with its decent performance, the fact tires suck in every way I had to upgrade those too! Overall not impressed, I would never ever buy another.

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  Transmission Problem - 2003 Mitsubishi Galant
  By richie6 - June 19 - 10:09 am

  BEWARE OF MITSUBISHI GALANT TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS (2003 for me) I learned the hard way from a excellent transmission shop about the flaw in my 3.0 V6 model with 4 speed automatic where these where a clip deep inside the tranny breaks! This shop used to keep several extra trannys in the shop fully expecting to have customers come in for this very issue. He told me about it before he even opened it up and proved it to me! These broken pieces, for one scenario, end up in the pump causing your tranny to fail and needs to be rebuilt. One main sympton is it will not go into any gear! Sometimes you hear the rattling as you run it. Get newer kit if you rebuild it!

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  Theres much better - 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By Nick - May 29 - 5:13 am

  Many complain that gas mileage is "poor under hard acceleration, no HID lights, no leather option, etc." This is an economy car people!!!! Of course mileage is bad when you drive aggressively, HIDs come on cars that are typically $25K+ (as well as leather). I will review this car for exactly what it is and against its competitors. The build quality is horrible. Paint is very bad as well. Mileage is excellent, though. Interior materials rattle, interior noise can be deafening. Its not "exciting" to drive, nor is it fast. SUVs smoked me at on-ramps. It looks good though. For the same price, VW Rabbit, Mazda 3, etc are all better choices. I got rid of my Lancer after 5 months.

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  Nice in some areas, but with important shortcomings - 2012 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By kgl1 - May 23 - 5:30 pm

  We have leased 2 Mitsubishi Outlanders 2012- a full size 7 seater (4cyl) and Sport model. Both have 4wd systems. The value is very good, that was by far the best lease deal on any suv we could find, and they also gave us the best deal on our trade-ins we could find anywhere. We liked the overall appearance, features and the test drive experience of both cars. the fact that in one of them there are 7 seats, and it is a full 4wd makes it already quite unique. Everything is good and fun about these cars, but 3 important areas: fuel economy is way below the advertised, especially in the city. Cheap, easily stainable/scratchable plastic used. CVT transmission is noisy and slow to react.