Mitsubishi Outlander: Four-Cylinder Power (Or Lack Thereof)
As mentioned, the Outlander's base powertrain is a letdown. The 168-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder teams with a continuously variable automatic transmission, and the results are uninspiring, to say the least.
The biggest problem with the drivetrain is that acceleration isn't as immediate as you'd expect — or as what you get from the Outlander's competitors. Press the gas pedal when cruising along and you'll get some extra noise, but then it feels like the CVT is slipping and there's no resulting increase in speed. You have to really press down to get appreciable acceleration, and the experience makes the Outlander seem not particularly powerful. By comparison, Nissan's four-cylinder/CVT combination in the Rogue crossover provides much more responsive performance.
The Outlander doesn't have trouble maintaining cruising speeds, but if I were seriously considering one, I'd definitely think hard about spending the extra money for an XLS or GT trim level to get the 230-hp, 3.0-liter V-6 and six-speed automatic transmission. That combination offers a much better driving experience than the four-cylinder and CVT, though Mitsubishi recommends more expensive premium gas for the V-6. The four-cylinder runs on regular.
The four-cylinder drivetrain also comes up short in the gas mileage battle
that's under way in the small-crossover segment. Among non-hybrids, the
four-cylinder Chevrolet Equinox is the leader right now, with EPA ratings of up
to 22/32 mpg city/highway. By comparison, the four-cylinder Outlander's gas
mileage estimates are closer to the bottom of the pack.
Four-Cylinder Crossover Gas Mileage (city/highway, mpg)
All ratings are for automatic-transmission models.
2WD 4WD
2010 Chevrolet Equinox 22/32 20/29
2010 Hyundai Tucson 23/31 21/28
2010 Toyota RAV4 22/28 21/27
2010 Honda CR-V 21/28 21/27
2010 Ford Escape 21/28 20/26
2010 Nissan Rogue 22/27 21/26
2010 Mitsubishi Outlander 21/27 21/25
2010 Subaru Forester -- 20/26
2010 Volkswagen Tiguan 18/24 18/24
Source: fueleconomy.gov
READ NEXT:
Ride & Handling
The Outlander's steering response is one of its best attributes. The wheel
has a nice weight to it — heavy enough, without being a chore to turn — and the
Outlander reacts quickly to steering-
The Inside
The crossover's uncluttered dashboard sweeps across the front of the cabin,
broken up only by the instrument hood. The dash panels are made of hard plastic,
but they have nice graining and don't l
Safety
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the Outlander Good overall
scores, the highest rating possible, in its frontal-offset and side-impact crash
tests. It received an Acceptable rating
SEE MORE:
Cancelling the alarm
It is possible to halt the activation of an alarm using the following methods:
• Pressing the LOCK or UNLOCK switch on the remote control switch.
(After pressing the LOCK switch, the vehicle will lock if all the doors and the
tailgate are closed, after which the system preparation mode will on
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge indicates the fuel level in the fuel tank irrespective of the
ignition switch position.
0- Empty 1- Full
CAUTION
Do not drive with an extremely low fuel level; running out of fuel could
cause damage to the catalytic converter.
NOTE
(1) The fuel lid mark (A) indicates the
