Posts Tagged ‘mitsubishi’

Jill Ciminillo

SONOMA, Calif.—With the launch of the all-new 2011 Outlander Sport, Mitsubishi is chasing the holy grail of the auto world: a younger demographic.

And they just might have hit their mark. Especially considering the excellent fit and finish combined with a starting price around $19K.

I was able to take a brief first look at the Outlander Sport a couple weeks ago, and if first impressions mean anything, I think this new compact crossover has some serious potential.

According to Bryan Arnett, senior manager of product strategy at Mitsubishi Motors North America, the Outlander Sport is entering an emerging segment he calls the “lower crossover” segment—the compact, entry-level sort of crossover. So far you have cars like the Hyundai Tucson and the Kia Sportage playing at this level, but he expects it to grow 480 percent by 2013.

So, as far as Mitsubishi is concerned, this is the right vehicle at the right time for a right-sizing population.

I have to agree.

Read the rest of this entry »

Jill Ciminillo

I have to admit, my first impression of the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback was a kind of disappointment. It looked good on the outside, but the ride was a little slow and uninspiring.

Then again, it didn’t help that I had recently driven the all-new Mazdaspeed3. And. LOVED. It.

But to compare this version of the Lancer Sportback to the Mazdaspeed3 is like comparing apples and oranges. Sure they’re both fruit, but everything else is different.

2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback

So, when you compare the Lancer Sportback to other apples, it actually stacks up pretty well. Other apples on the chopping block include: the Mazda3 5-door, the Toyota Matrix and the Subaru Impreza WRX 5-door. It beats everything except the Matrix on pricing, and overall its 5-year/100,000-mile warranty beats them all. Read the rest of this entry »