Latest news with #Mitsu
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
This Evo-Powered Mirage Is How Mitsubishi Should Have Done It
Mitsubishi's little Mirage hatchback gets a lot of flack for being a bad car, but I don't think it's a bad car at all. The Mirage served a purpose as one of the least expensive cars on the road, and they're reasonably reliable rides for folks who need inexpensive wheels. That said, I always believed Mitsubishi should have offered a performance version of the Mirage to play up the brand's significant rally heritage. Imagine if Mitsu had beat Toyota to the punch and delivered a Mirage Evo years before there was ever a preliminary planning meeting about the GR Yaris or Corolla. All of the parts were already in the Mitsubishi parts bin, why not sling them together and see what happens? The world loves a hot hatchback. Rally driver Patrick Gruszka has been running basically that very car in the ARA rally series for a few years. The full drivetrain from an Evo X, including the 4B11T engine and S-AWC all-wheel drive system, though the transmission has been replaced by a proper motorsport sequential gearbox. With a full WRC-style widebody kit and "a lot of one off custom in-house R&D stuff that I can't disclose or talk about" this thing looks like a full factory racing effort, but somehow it isn't. Why didn't Mitsubishi race the Mirage? Why didn't Mitsubishi build us a street rally hot hatch for the ages? Alas, for it wasn't to be. We simply must console ourselves with this new rally video from Hoonigan featuring Gruszka and his Mirage. Read more: These Are The Most Annoying Things About Your Cars After several seasons of competition, it's easy to see that this Mirage is a little on the tired side, and Gruszka won't treat the old girl to a proper quiet retirement. Even as the car seems to fall apart around him, he keeps pushing it for everything it has. With the front differential not putting the power down, the car still managed to be the fastest so far around Hoonigan's secret California rally test facility. At full-send mode the engine finally decides it has had enough and blows up just shy of the finish line, robbing the world, and Patrick, of an even faster lap time. This is a really cool car and I hope it gets rebuilt again and again to keep the flame of hope alive that a Mirage isn't just a boring commuter. Every car has potential, even the Mirage. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
2025 Mitsubishi Outlander Midcycle Change Is All About Tunes
Mitsubishi hopes to increase its fairly small share of the enormous midsize crossover utility segment with some midcycle upgrades on its 2025 Outlander. The crossover has a little more than 10% of the sales numbers of segment leaders like the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Tesla Model Y. The most exciting upgrade might be the new Yamaha audio system, which rocks. The Mitsubishi Outlander was already a solid entry in the midsize crossover utility segment, with enough quilted leather inside to make you think you stepped up a class or two—or even three—despite the ute's Nissan Rogue underpinnings and powertrain. But no Rogue ever looked this nice inside, and with the 2025 midcycle facelift you see here, no Rogue is ever going to get the killer Yamaha audio you can have in the 2025 Outlander. Now, you may have to pause a bit to recall the Outlander. It competes—sort of—in the ginormous midsize crossover segment but lags well behind more popular rivals. There are 38 models competing there, from the Buick Envision to the Volkswagen Tiguan, including mega-sellers like the Honda CR-V at 402,791 sales in calendar 2024, Tesla Model Y at 375,898, and Toyota RAV4 at 475,193. Compared to those, the under-the-radar Outlander's 52,228 sales in 2024 were downright diminutive. The Outlander debuted in 2022, but its 2025 midcycle facelift brings a really nice sound system from Yamaha that may tip the sales scales in Mitsu's favor. The company estimates that 10% of buyers are swayed by a vehicle's audio system, and this one may do some swaying. Available in two packages, Premium and Ultimate, the system is impressive just on the spec sheet before you even crank it up. The Premium 1,000-watt package gets eight speakers: four tweeters, two "wooden" midrange speakers, and two woofers. Step up to Ultimate audio and you get 12 speakers with 11 channels hitting 1,650 watts. Engineers turned the doors in the Outlander into speakers by blocking off the service access holes with resin plates to repurpose each door into a speaker box. On top of that there are five modes: Lively, Signature, Powerful, Relaxing, and Surround Sound. To tune each audio experience to the vehicle's occupants, there are five "Listening Positions" that focus the sound appropriately: Driver, Front Seat, Rear seat, and all-seat modes. Then there are three means to compensate for noise: Speed Compensation, Rain Compensation, and Air Conditioning driving through LA streets and freeways, it was an impressive system, indeed. An easy way to gauge the robustness of a sound system is simply to crank the volume and see if it comes apart. The Yamaha Ultimate system could hold distinct definition in all ranges at even the highest volumes. That definition was obvious at any output level. I gave it two ear lobes up. They didn't let us try out the Premium sound one notch down, nor compare it to last year's Bose system, but the Ultimate may be worth investing in, especially since there are few places outside a college dorm room or the car where you can fully crank the audio like Otto Mann the bus driver on The Simpsons. The rest of the midcycle changes are fairly standard. The front end gets all-new sheetmetal from the A-pillar forward, with fenders now made of steel instead of last year's plastic, for better fitment. The rear end is likewise refreshed. Inside the two-row crossover you'll find an updated interior, with a new center console design "more focused around ease of use and comfort," new interior colors, and upgraded features. The quilted leather trim throughout is a nice touch. The Mitsubishi Connect got a little clunky when using Apple Maps to navigate. I had to manually restart it after every travel segment instead of just hitting the "Continue" button on the screen. But overall people have been happy with the current Outlander. "For the first time ever, the Mitsubishi Outlander has won the small/compact segment in the JD Power 2024 US Multimedia Quality and Satisfaction Study," Mitsu crowed last year, and that was before the Yamaha sound system arrived. For my part, I was satisfied after a day spent driving and riding around Los Angeles. The Outlander is a comfortable conveyance from which to conduct your daily urban or suburban life. Road noise underway was minimal over LA's sometimes bumpy pavement, and engine noise from the 2.5-liter MIVEC DOHC inline four-cylinder was minimal. Acceleration with the four-banger's 181 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque was more than enough to get the 3,803-pound crossover crossing over, though no 0-60 mph time was listed. Peak power doesn't arrive until 6,000 rpm, but it didn't feel lacking at lower revs. Likewise, you might not even know you're driving a CVT, as its performance never intruded on the experience throughout the drive. Maybe I wasn't pushing it hard enough. While the firewall, suspension pickup points, and basic chassis are shared with the Rogue, the Outlander gets its own springs, shocks, anti-roll bars, and 20-inch wheels, with the springs, shocks, and bars tuned specifically for this upscale, semi-sporty application. I did not get a chance to take the Outlander off-road, but with a new Trail Edition Outlander coming out later this year, I'm looking forward to it. There will also be an updated Outlander PHEV late this year or early next, Mitsubishi said. For now, the newest and coolest Outlander is this one. How does it stack up against the sales leaders in the segment? The RAV4 also sports a 2.5-liter four but manages to get 203 hp out of it, 22 more than the Mitsu, routing that power through an eight-speed automatic instead of a CVT. The Honda CR-V makes do with a full liter less displacement, yet manages to outperform the Mitsubishi with 190 hp, albeit with a CVT. And the Tesla Model Y beats everything in the class with 295 all-electric hp and all-wheel drive, but for 20 grand more across the board. The Mitsubishi offers a handsome interior and a killer sound system, with what is mostly adequate vehicle performance. That and the promising JD Power numbers suggest 2025 could be the year Mitsubishi rises up in the very crowded midsize crossover segment. Does a killer stereo really make a difference in this class? Let us know below.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
View Exterior Photos of the 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander
Read the full review The Outlander is Mitsubishi's entry in the compact-SUV class, and it receives numerous updates for 2025. The Outlander's new face doesn't look that different than before, but there are changes to the headlights and bumpers. New wheel designs are also part of the update, including these 20-inch options. This color is called Moonstone Gray Metallic and is a new addition to the palette. Mitsubishi offers two-tone color schemes on higher trims. The trim lineup includes the ES, SE, and SEL. The top Platinum Edition comes fully loaded. The Outlander gets motivation from a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-four and a continuously variable automatic transmission. This Mitsu shares its platform with the Nissan Rogue. The Outlander comes standard with front-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive is optional. Keep going to check out even more pictures of the 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander. You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Driven: 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander Is Plusher Than You'd Expect
The term "flagship" usually conjures images of an elegant sedan or a flashy full-size SUV. But things are a bit different over at Mitsubishi. The Japanese automaker considers the Outlander—a compact SUV that competes in one of the most mainstream segments there is—to be its flagship. We can see why Mitsu might say this when you compare the Outlander to the other vehicles the Japanese automaker sells in our market. Last redesigned for 2022, the Outlander is the only car in Mitsubishi's current stable that can be considered remotely competitive within its segment. It's a decent-looking crossover inside and out, and it also offers a relatively advanced plug-in-hybrid powertrain with more electric range than many of its rivals. The Outlander is also Mitsubishi's bestseller, which explains why the company is boasting about all the small changes it made for 2025's mid-cycle refresh. Little has changed underneath. The Outlander remains on the same platform as the Nissan Rogue and, in base form, still uses a dated Nissan four-cylinder engine paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission. But the update does include freshened front- and rear-end styling, additional standard features, suspension tweaks, more sound-deadening material, and two new audio systems from Yamaha with up to 12 speakers and 1650 watts of power. It's worth noting that these changes will only appear on gas-fed 2025 Outlanders; the PHEV will get the same updates for the 2026 model year. Say what you will about the Outlander's polarizing face, but the look is distinctive. The extra chrome trim and nice 20-inch wheels found on most trims (ES models get 18s) make the Mitsu look more upscale than a Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V. We drove one of the upper-trim models, an SEL, with the Premium package and thought the cabin's plushness was a good match for its aspirational sheetmetal. Soft-touch dashboard materials, quilted leather upholstery, and knurled switchgear make this interior a pleasant place to spend time. The Yamaha stereo's new speakers add an extra dash of visual interest. Even with our limited seat time, we'd rate the Outlander's accommodations near the top of the compact-SUV class. The Outlander has one other cabin trick up its sleeve: a standard third row. Since the Volkswagen Tiguan is dropping its third-row option for 2025, the Outlander will become the only compact SUV that can seat seven. But even Mitsubishi admits that the wayback is meant for "occasional use" (translation: It's only for kids, and even then, only in a pinch). Thankfully, the second-row seat is plenty comfortable for adults, and it slides fore and aft to offer various cargo configurations. The Outlander's middle-of-the-road driving demeanor continues to jibe well with its comfy interior. Driven at a reasonable pace, we found it quiet and refined by this segment's standards. We couldn't really notice the various changes to the dampers, spring rates, and bushings, but the additional sound-deadening appeared to be doing its job. As before, the Mitsu is no handling maestro; its mushy brake pedal and vague steering don't engender confidence when pushed to more aggressive speeds on twisty roads.... Not that you'll be gathering much speed to begin with. While the Outlander's Nissan Rogue sibling has adopted a turbocharged three-cylinder with variable-compression-ratio tech, the Mitsubishi chugs along with a carryover naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four making 181 horsepower. That isn't much in an SUV of this size, and the engine has to work hard to get the Outlander moving. The 2025 Outlander's pricing is reasonable on the lower end, starting at just over $31,000, but it's tough to justify the higher-end models that stretch well into the $40,000 range. Sure, the Mitsu does give you a solid amount of equipment for the money, but at that price point we'd spring for competitors that offer far more powerful engine options, like the Mazda CX-50. The changes made to the 2025 Outlander don't thrust it to the top of its class, but at the same time, it's far from our least favorite compact SUV. It's more refined and pleasant than you might expect a Mitsubishi to be, and its solid midpack performance is made more appealing if you need a third row of seats but don't want to step up to a mid-size SUV. You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
