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 Out There!! - 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante
  By itty diamante - December 9 - 1:13 pm

  I love driving my car! Mine is very fast. I maintain mine and do oil changes religiously so it is still in great shape with 65,000 miles on it. It hasnt spent one day in the garage. I love the appearance, all the options, and the size. I can have my sons car seat in the middle and still have room for adult passengers on both sides of him. I have more room for people and stuff than small SUVs. The trunk space is very generous. All the luxury items without the over-inflated price tag!

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  Dukes review - 2005 Mitsubishi Galant
  By Alan Duke - December 7 - 6:43 am

  Car has smooth ride. Throttle reaction time is awesome. wide open interior. Gas mileage 26-28 mpg in town 29-31 highway. Awesome 6 disk 6 speaker stereo system. Handles well for small/midsized car. Big trunk space. Great head room. Ive owned galants since 92. Extremely dependable

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  Great Ride and Handling for an SUV - 2006 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By RICK - December 4 - 7:00 pm

  I love the way it handles on curving roads. It is a very soft ride, but no swaying. It handles great and has tons of room for my wifes antique shopping. The transmission is great, being able to shift yourself is nice, especially when going down mountain roads you can put it in 2nd gear and not ride the brake. It does not have a top heavy feel. Overall Mitsubishi did it right.

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  Driven To Thrill! - 2006 Mitsubishi Galant
  By Eric M - December 1 - 11:20 am

  I purchased the car a few weeks ago, after checking out many others, it was between this and the Honda Civic LX sedan. I went with the Galant because I liked the exterior look better, it felt more solid on the road, its acceleration is better, and the warranty is awesome. Its been a thrill to drive so far! One minor problem is the glove box does not close quite flush on the left side and the service manager is telling me its normal. Of the twenty other various trims on the lot, not one is as out of whack as mine. Ill see if the GSM takes care of it, and I wont die if they dont, but expect better on a $20,000 car. Also, the silver console does reflect in the windshield, but it does not bother or distract me.

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  The most fuel saving non hybrid go-kart ever! - 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage
  By rooaru - November 28 - 12:37 pm

  I bought the 2015 Mirage in Oct and I do not regret it. Before buying it, reviewers, including Edmund really put the car down. I feel most of them were unfair with the reviews. This car is no louder, rougher, or less quality built compared to other subcompacts cars out there and I drove quite a bit before deciding on the Mirage. Yes it is a little loud when revving, yes it can be bumpy on a bad road, yes it is small and compact but at $13,000 base, its loaded enough and fun! I got it for a better price with some effort. Think of it as a Modern Geo Metro, better built!

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  Nice ride for the price. - 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By Eric - November 26 - 11:06 am

  I enjoy the room for its size. Decent gas mileage. Comfortable ride and great sound system. I have sun and sound package. I just wish the DVD would work when driving if you desired. Overall been real pleased with the performance up to this point. I took it on vacation and avg about 25.7 mpg. With five people loaded down and still had room for nice comfortable ride. I would recommend the Outlander to anyone looking for a sporty look in a cute ute class. Its has more room than I expected and it looks much better than the RAV4 or CR-V. These two are good in this class, but I like the looks of the Outlander. So far the performance has been up to par.

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  Amazing!!!!!! Oh my goodness! - 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By Dy - November 24 - 4:31 pm

  I recently bought the MITSU Outlander and it proved to be a great car. The GT was outstanding and it has some technology that the Toyota Highlander and Honda CRV does not have!! Plus it comes standard with the Rockford Fosgate sound system which sounds great!

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  Excellent Monty - 2006 Mitsubishi Montero
  By Ronnie - November 21 - 10:46 am

  This is not my first Montero, I just bought a 2006 XLS model that I found for sale In Puerto Rico. Its about $4,000 less than the Limited model, but I dont want leather, wood in the dash, or a sunroof for $4,000. It has power. This SUV can "only" tow 5,000 pounds with the V6 engine, but what the heck this is a luxury vehicle if I wanted to haul something I would buy a beefy gas eating pickup like the Chevrolet Silverado Z71 that I used to have. The Montero is a winner. I hope that the engine has stong seals, that is a well known problem with the Montero, but with a 100,000 mile warranty I can handle that.

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  Its awesome - 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage
  By ayimazte - November 21 - 10:00 am

  For those who dont know what a deal is, come and look at this car. It is not expensive and it is so reliable. You should check out all the reliability test that several website do and this car is ranked very high comparing to other cars in the same class. I think Honda and Toyota is over priced. This one is just right. Of course there is no leather luxury, no fancy stuff that you expect in a Beamer, but its a 13k car, what do you expect. So far I have never had any problem at all. As I state again, if you are to buy a car that gets you from A to B, then this is the car.

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  Driving Delight - 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By PRC - November 21 - 10:00 am

  An outsatnding value... bought it for $20,400 and worth every penny. It has plenty of giddyup, corners extremely well and has the best body style of any car in its class. I drive 110 miles (round trip) to work each day and this car makes the trip enjoyable. Caution.... everyone wants to race you at every red light... and the car can creep up in speed without you noticing...