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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  A not so dream car - 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage
  By Rene - May 17 - 10:56 am

  I dont feel safe in the car. Not value for money.

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  Rough Ride - 2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
  By Timonfan - April 26 - 10:00 am

  The only major complaint I have of my Monetero Sport LS is it rides too much like a truck. For those unfortunate enough to ride in the back seat it is an extremely rough ride. Every little bump jars your body. I recently spent 4 hours in the back of a Montero sport Limited and my back and hips were still hurting the next day.

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  Beneathe the Silver Lining - 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By NJJ - March 29 - 10:00 am

  The new eclipse is a cloud of deceit without the silver lining. Coolant system with poor circulation, and very poor quality engine components. Wait until you go through a winter with snowy, salty roads and watch your engine compartment rust out. If you make it to 36,000 miles your transmission is likely to start giving coast down clunks and clicking noises. Poor quality rims dent easily on 2002 models. Intake and exhaust systems are inefficiently designed, negatively effecting performance. Beautiful car from the exterior, after a year looks like a rusty 78 Dodge Dart. Dealerships talk their way around fixing problems and the car still sells.

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  Problems! - 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By etipp98 - March 16 - 1:26 am

  I purchased this car thinking it would be reliable and would outlast all the American cars in the same price range. Well, I have owned the car for about 4 months now and am not pleased at all. The car looks great, gets good gas mileage, but works when it wants to. This past month I have had to take the car back to the dealership for the same problem. The car doesnt want to run in the cold and the engine starts to act erratically. The service engine light comes on and the same code keeps coming up, "Torque Monitoring". The Dealership says they cannot fix my car and neither can Mitsubishi at the moment so I am left with a car that is brand new and wont run in the cold weather. LEMON LAW!!!!

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  Outlander sport se - 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
  By stanb - February 11 - 12:29 am

  Overall, the car is OK. It is fairly comfortable and stylish. Road noise is well dampened. It is adequate for a single person or small family. I was somewhat disappointed with the performance and fuel economy. On average fuel consumption is 18-19mpg in the city, 20-22mpg on highway. Mitsubishi dealership experience was dismal.

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  First and Probably Last - 2002 Mitsubishi Montero
  By Sherri1975 - December 17 - 10:00 am

  Had the Montero for almost 1 1/2 years & keep having problems with it. While very comfortable, we have been very disappointed with the performance. It only has 49K miles on it & weve already had to have the brakes worked on twice (still not fixed) & just spent $440 getting the spark plug wires changed out. According to the service lady at the dealership, Mitsubishi is very picky about the parts that it can use and that its more expensive to fix anything on them. I have a 98 Nissan that Ive never had to have a thing done to it, so extremely disappointed that we put this much money into it to get the quality that we got.

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  Outlander - 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By Robert - December 10 - 8:13 am

  After three years of fairly trouble free operation the radiator in my Mitsubishi Outlander blew causing the enigine to overheat and sustain further damage. The problem was with a defective fan controller known by Mitsubishi. They elected to cover the cost of all the parts, but not the labor. Is that good customer service? I dont think so. BTW, all this happened just one month after the warranty expired.

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  Soured On Mitsubishi By This Car, Money Pit - 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer
  By pxabstraction - December 5 - 3:29 pm

  Bought this at 2 years old with 30,000Km. Now has 80,000Km, 5 years old and Im selling it. Pros: Good mileage, comfortable, everything still works. Cons: CVT autos are HORRIBLE. Transmission is lazy and car is gutless. Engine is noisy. Chewed through 3 sets of 18" tires. Transmission cooler had to be replaced at 80,000Km, $1,500, should have lasted years more. Rear suspension needed $1,000 of work last year, also should have lasted longer. TMPS system cannot be disabled, does not show which tire is down, cannot remember more than one set of tires, constant paint chips, awful service. Car is a lemon. Very displeased. Will not buy Mitsubishi again.

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  Poor quality and resale - 2000 Mitsubishi Galant
  By DJPDX - November 7 - 10:00 am

  It is an attractive car, handles well and I negotiated a good price since they are trying to unload the poor things off of dealer lots. This car was of poor build quality, has been recalled three times, and was returned to the dealer numerous times for various warranty problems. When I went to sell it, NOBODY WANTED IT!! The dealers offered 30% of original MSRP even though it was in excellent condition. No one would call on it in the paper, even though it was below wholesale NADA blue book. Dont buy a Mitsubishi! Spend more and buy the quality of a Honda or Toyota. In the end, youll be happier.

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  Time to trade it - 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By IN-Deavor - November 3 - 12:40 pm

  Ive driven the 2004 Limited for 120,000 mi. over the past six years. Overall Id rate it high. New brakes and tires around 65K and no other complaints until the transmission had to be rebuilt at 118K. Also ball joints went and car now has a bad shimmy when breaking. Appears to be other drivetrain-related issues besides the transmission so Im bailing on the car. BTW: Im an over 50 driver so dont hot rod it, gave it all scheduled maint and oil changes and 90% of miles were expressway. So I consider recent drivetrain issues a warning sign of further problems to come. Id planned on keeping the car until it was time for another set of tires (probably around 150K mi.).