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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  Nice Ride to an extent! - 2006 Mitsubishi Raider
  By Bree - December 3 - 1:26 am

  This is a pleasant truck for the family to ride pretty comfortably in. The back seat is pretty roomy. Interior is black and shows up anything, which isnt good with a baby. But its design and styling are good. There is some suspicious engine noise that my husband says is not good. We are getting rid of this vehicle soon hopefully.

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  Montero - 2004 Mitsubishi Montero
  By Kloonce - December 2 - 10:00 am

  The 2003 Mitsubishi Montero is an exciting SUV both in style and performance. The interior componants are well placed and luxurious. They are comparable to the high end auto makers (Lexus, Infinity, Cadillac, etc.) I tend to disagree with the perception that the performance of the truck is limited by the size of the engine. It works for me. Good pick up and stays on the road.

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  Great Car for the money! - 1999 Mitsubishi Galant
  By Christy Love - December 2 - 10:00 am

  I came to this car from an Infinity and thought I would be stepping down. i was wrong! This car has everything great pick up, all the bells I need and use, great reliability, and best of all the fuel economy. The brakes are the only problem I have had. They may have fixed that since 1999. I am very happy with this car. I will keep it when I do get my next Infinity.

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  2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT (3.0L V6) - 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Matt4991 - November 28 - 3:40 pm

  This is a good performance car. I recommend modifications a.s.a.p. otherwise by the time your ready to modify it the car will require heavy maintenance. I love this car, Ive had it nearly 2 years. It started with 68000+ miles, and is now at 86000+. Just this summer the transmission died on me, and I continuously have problems with the brakes. I drive a 4- speed automatic, tiptronic. However, I recommend not using the tiptronic feature, because my friends and I believe that using that may have contributed to the transmission going. In the next 2-3 years I intend to place nearly $13000 on the car (incl. supercharger).

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  Had a 2007 this is a major improvement. - 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By Lowsidr - November 23 - 2:22 am

  My 07 had 233,000 miles on it and still ran as well as it did when new. It was by far the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned and thats what led me to the new 2016 Outlander SEL. The new Outlander is entirely a different animal. Its so much quieter and the ride quality is vastly improved as are the materials used for the interior and soundproofing. This new Outlander is QUIET, the old 07 was noisey, tons of road noise and wind roar, virtually eliminated in this new 2016. Fuel economy is impressive, we are averaging a solid 27 combined and have seen as high as 32mpg while cruising open back-roads at 50-60mph. Hopefully once its broken in a bit the fuel economy will rise a bit as we are only getting about 27 on the highway at around 75mph. The Rockford Fosgate sound system is really nice, a bit muddy and punchy compared to my Mercedes E-350 but Its not really fair to compare a 60k vehicle to this, for the price point you would be hard pressed to do much better. The exterior looks nice but to me all crossovers look about the same, the 18" alloys are a nice touch though. The 2.4 motor coupled with the re-programmed CVT is lackluster but functional. I miss the power of the old 6cyl in the 07 but I dont miss the appalling fuel economy that came along with it. For our purposes the 2.4 will be just fine and we have zero issue merging onto the expressway or overtaking. Comparing the two models the 2016 just blows the 07 out of the water, its a huge improvement. As for comparing it to other crossovers, I just spent a day driving around in a 2017 Subaru Outback. The Outback was much more peppy and its CVT more refined. Ride quality was better, it has a more substantial solid feeling as far as the suspension goes but road noise was about the same and the cabin was nothing to write home about, I think the Outlander is superior and more comfortable along with feeling significantly larger with a higher more commanding ride. Considering how much more the Outback sells for I am VERY happy with the Mitsubishi Outlander, it represents one hell of a bargain at $22k and if it holds up as well as our 07 we will be incredibly happy owners.

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  Good car only have had for a day though - 2002 Mitsubishi Galant
  By Happy Owner16 - November 21 - 10:00 am

  This car is a good car to buy used we bought it with 41k for $7500 although it has been repaired in the past. A very good amount of standard features and very fun to drive. The back seat is cramped but as long as you scoot the seats up a little its fine. Very nice looking exterior and easy to use interior.

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  great car - 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor
  By Dan Dodge - November 21 - 10:00 am

  Great for the price. Had the car about 7 months. Great styling and gets alot of looks. Have only had to take it in for oil changes.

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  Awesome Mitsu! - 2002 Mitsubishi Mirage
  By Jacob - November 7 - 3:43 pm

  Got my 2002 Mirage in 03.I hear a lot about bad mpg but mine gets an awesome 35+ mpg. Fun car with killer body kits, carbon fiber hoods, cold air intakes, etc. Ive done a lot to mine and it just gets better mpg. Turbos for the 1.5l is out there but are expensive. Mine has 100+hp with 2.5 exhaust and cold air intake. So power is good and easily achieved. Cheap car, so cheap interior can we expect more? It does the job!

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  1998 Mirage DE - 1998 Mitsubishi Mirage
  By Gabriel - October 31 - 2:33 pm

  The Mirage is extremely reliable car. I have over 97,000 miles on my car and have not had a single major mechanical problem, except for the poor quality brakes that came from the factory. Ive kept up with the scheduled maintenance of the car and engine, transmission, a/c still run perfectly. My only complaint was the very cheap radio that came with the car. (It stopped working when the car was only a year old).

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  Outlander - 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander
  By Jeane - October 31 - 10:00 am

  Overall its been a great vehicle. The only draw back was the heat/ac system died at around 3500 miles. But the warranty kicked in.