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Review of the 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander

2008 Mitsubishi Outlander

Price Range $19,990 to $25,210

suitable for: Diapers
School
Teens

17 to 20
City MPG

24 to 25
Hwy MPG

7 Seats
3 Rows
2 Latch Connectors
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Exterior

The Outlander stands out when compared to most crossovers, but I wonder how long it’ll be before it looks dated. It might seem cool now, but I bet that in as few as two to three years it’ll look old and out of style. The fizzy-looking bubbles in the taillights do grab your attention, but in time they could leave you with that questioning raised-eyebrow look and feelings of regret.

The Outlander has two- and four-wheel-drive options available on the drive-mode selector knob that allows you to easily jump into some offroad mud-bogging fun. Yeehaw!

Getting my kids in and out of the Outlander was a challenging and dirty task. Carmakers, listen up: Parents get a full-blown case of the warm fuzzies when they hear the following phrase: fully integrated rocker panels. Mmmm, we love those. Please find a way for all of us to get in and out of a car without getting covered in mud and grime.

The Outlander’s seats were pretty high off the ground, and getting the kids into them meant fighting with the doors, which didn’t open wide enough, and lifting them into the car and then up into their booster seats. My kids are 6 and 3; they’d prefer to get into the car by themselves instead of having Mommy fussing over them and messing up their whole day (drama!).

With its glass hatch and tailgate, the Outlander has awesome tailgating possibilities for those who consider taking in a game a 24-hour event. The tailgate didn’t work as well when loading groceries into the cargo area, a process that also involved a lot of dirt. If you only open the glass hatch, you end up leaning against the car to put stuff into the cargo area. This meant the front of my coat got dirty. So open the lower portion of the tailgate and stop whining, right? OK, but then your hands are getting dirty from messing with the tailgate. I don’t see a winning scenario here.

SENSE AND STYLE

Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Fair
Fun-Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove-On): Good Times

shopping around: At cars.com

key exterior: Features

    ● 18-inch wheels
    ● Metal-looking door handles
    ● Chrome tip exhaust

available exterior: Colors

  • Cool Silver Metallic
  • Diamond White Pearl
  • Graphite Gray Pearl
  • Labrador Black
  • Rally Red Metallic

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