Every car company sells crossover SUVs, so why buy Mitsubishi's crossover SUV?
There are several good reasons, some of which don't have much to do with Mitsubishi's crossover as such. And there are other good reasons, which do have to do with this crossover as such.
What It Is
The Outlander Sport is Mitsubishi's compact (two-row/five-passenger) crossover SUV.
It's about the same size as the Chevy Trax, Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V and priced comparably. But it offers a little more in the way of fun because it's available with a manual transmission (almost everything else in this class is automatic only) and a little more in the way of capability because it's got more ground clearance (8.5 inches) than almost all of its rivals.
It also doesn't have a turbocharged engine, eliminating possible down-the-road (and post-warranty) turbocharger-related expenses. Yet it is just as quick — and nearly as fuel-efficient — as rivals that do have the more complicated (and expensive) turbocharged engines.
The Outlander also comes with the best warranties you can get right now: five years/60,000 miles on the whole vehicle and 10 years/100,000 miles on the powertrain.
You can pick one up for $20,395, the base price for an ES trim with front-wheel drive, a 2.0-liter engine and a five-speed manual transmission.
A top-of-the-line SEL trim with a larger, more powerful 2.4-liter engine, continuously variable transmission (CVT) and all-wheel drive has a sticker of $25,995.
What's New
2018 is only the Outlander Sport's second year in production, but Mitsubishi has made a number of significant changes for the new model. These include a standard 7-inch LCD touch screen in the base ES trim, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Compatibility in the SE and SEL trims.
The front and rear clips have been restyled, too.
What's Good
Manual transmission is available.
There's good balance of passenger space in both rows and cargo room behind its rows.
There's more room to haggle. Mitsubishi is one of the newest players on the crossover field and is strongly motivated to make inroads against the established players.
What's Not So Good
Manual transmission is only available in the base ES trim with the smaller 2.0-engine and front-wheel drive.
Mitsubishi stores are fewer; there might not be one near you.
Mitsubishi's rep is not established, and so, Outlander depreciation rates are likely to be higher than those of the established players.
Under the Hood
The Outlander standard 2.0-liter engine has 148 horsepower and 145 foot-pounds of torque. The optional 2.4-liter engine has 168 horsepower and 167 foot-pounds of torque.
With the 2.0-liter engine and the five-speed manual transmission, the Outlander can get from zero to 60 mph in about 8.5 seconds. With the optional 2.4-liter engine and the CVT, it can do it in 7.9 seconds. Both times are good times for the class.
Mileage is also very good for the class: 23 mpg city and 30 mpg highway with the 2.0-liter engine and CVT, which offers a slight fuel economy advantage over the manual-equipped version (23 mpg city and 29 mpg highway).
Interestingly, the 2.4-liter engine delivers the same mileage (23 mpg city and 29 mpg highway) as the 2.0-liter engine, even with the optional AWD system.
On the Road
The Outlander offers good performance — and mileage — with either engine and without resorting to turbos.
As far as driving fun, the availability of a manual transmission gives it the edge over its automatic-only rivals.
And its nearly class-best ground clearance (8.5 inches) gives it an advantage over lower-riding rivals when it snows.
At the Curb
The Outlander has 41.6 inches of first-row legroom, 36.3 inches of second-row legroom, 21.7 cubic feet of cargo capacity behind the second row and 49.5 cubic feet total cargo room. This is a more evenly balanced allocation of interior space than you'll find in several of its rivals.
The Mazda CX-3, for instance, has 41.7 inches of legroom up front, 35 inches of back-seat legroom and only 12.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind its second row.
The Chevy Trax also has a tighter back seat for passengers (35.7 inches of legroom), less cargo room behind its second row (18.7 cubic feet) and a bit less total cargo room (48.4 cubic feet).
The Rest
The Outlander offers some things the others don't — including a panoramic sunroof with LED surround mood lighting.
And an unbeatable warranty.
And more haggle room.
The Bottom Line
The Outlander is one of the newest models out there, which is why Mitsubishi is working so hard to get you to take a look. Which is well-worth doing, if you're looking for a bargain.
Eric's new book, "Don't Get Taken for a Ride!" Is available now. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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