Long-Term Test: 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD

Why We Bought It
Durability
Performance and Fuel Economy
Retained Value
Summing Up

Why We Bought It
When the 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS AWD first came to us, the world was already changing. SUVs were languishing on dealer lots, and anything smaller, greener, easier and cheaper was in. Gas prices were rising and car-based crossovers were popping up from every manufacturer that could see the writing on the wall.

But most of these crossovers were based on boring platforms — family cars that were boring as sedans and would be boring as big wagons. Mitsubishi found itself with the same platform that lies beneath both the depressing Dodge Caliber and the divine Lancer Evolution, and set out to make a crossover for the Evo crowd.

Durability
In terms of major mechanical issues, the 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS AWD proved to be flawless. Not a clunk nor a clatter, neither smoke nor smell emanated from the expensive bits of our all-wheel-drive Mitsubishi. "Around here, the Outlander works for a living. Known as 'The Mule,' it's our vehicle of choice for road trips, hauling gear and car-to-car photography," said Photo Editor Kurt Niebuhr. Life's not easy when you're functional.

We made four visits to the Mitsubishi dealer, all of which involved an oil change and all of which were inspired by the onboard warning lamp that signaled a maintenance visit. All in all, we spent $291.31 on regular maintenance over 24,000 miles of driving.

Unfortunately for our Outlander, all was not well with its minor mechanisms.

"For a second there, at 1:30 a.m. in the morning on a dark side street in Hollywood, I thought I was stranded," Deputy Managing Editor Caroline Pardilla recorded in the blog. "The screen kept insisting, 'Key Missing! 'Key Missing!' 'It's right HERE!' I said to the screen, waving the key fob at it." Fortunately the Outlander has a spare key built into the remote device for just such an occasion. It worked perfectly and she was saved the trouble of being mugged by hoods. The fix, however, was not as easy as her escape from Hollywood.

After four visits to two different dealers, we finally got the problem repaired. Apparently we were the first folk in California to have this problem. The first dealership had no idea how to handle it and the second one required days on the phone with Mitsubishi's headquarters. As Senior Consumer Advice Editor Phil Reed recorded, "In one of my earlier blogs, I said I really wanted to like this car. One reader asked what was stopping me. My answer: Mitsubishi's customer service."

There were also numerous complaints about sluggish acceleration, and Engineering Editor Jay Kavanagh eventually concluded that the calibration of the drive-by-wire throttle was holding us back: "The distinct pause is actually a panel of electronic engineers convening, conversing and then coming to a verdict on just how far to open the throttle. In the meantime, the driver has pressed the throttle down even further...and you know what happens next." Mitsubishi issued a technical service bulletin to address any consumer complaints about it, but our Outlander's VIN did not fall within the range of those vehicles eligible for a fix.

Total Body Repair Costs: $0.00
Total Routine Maintenance Costs (over 12 months): $291.31
Additional Maintenance Costs: $183.16 (miscellaneous tire damage)
Warranty Repairs: 1
Non-Warranty Repairs: 0
Scheduled Dealer Visits: 4
Unscheduled Dealer Visits: 4
Days Out of Service: 3
Breakdowns Stranding Driver: 0

Performance and Fuel Economy
When we first tested the 3,885-pound, all-wheel-drive Outlander, it put up some pretty reasonable numbers. Its 220-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 with six-speed automatic ran to 60 mph in 8.2 seconds and went on to complete the quarter-mile in 16.4 seconds at 84.48 mph. Braking also proved pretty sound, as the P225/55R18 Goodyear Eagle LS2s helped this crossover stop from 60 mph in only 130 feet. Handling numbers were similarly good: 0.74g on the skid pad and a slalom speed of 61.6 mph.

Some 12 months and 24,359 miles later, we retested the Mitsubishi Outlander and were met with predictable results. Acceleration changed only by a whisker, as 60 mph arrived in 8.0 seconds, some 0.02-second quicker. This margin also showed up at the end of the quarter-mile, as the Outlander recorded its pass at 16.2 seconds at 85.9 mph. Braking improved significantly to 121 feet, a full 9 feet shorter.

After 24,359 miles, the Outlander's tires were nearly worn out, but we reckon that the nearly slick treads offered a slight performance advantage. The evidence was also there in the increase in grip on the skid pad to 0.78g (an improvement of 0.04g) and added speed in the slalom to 61.8 mph (a 0.2 mph increase). If we had planned on keeping the vehicle for any period of time or if we lived in a wet climate, the tires would have been replaced.

Insofar as fuel economy is concerned, well, the numbers are darned good for a vehicle this size and with this level of comfort. It was a solid pick for those opting for both weekend drive-aways and midweek slogs through the canyons. Our best tank of 26.8 mpg came during a road trip that was light on cargo, passengers and any sort of excitement. It was not an anomaly, however, as many drivers recorded tanks of 23-25 mpg.

The lowest tank was also not an anomaly. While we don't know the exact conditions of this 13.2-mpg adventure, we can say with some certainty that it involved Mulholland Drive and a heavy right foot. Six of more than 100 entries in the fuel log were below 15 mpg and a plurality were below the 19 mpg overall average.

Best Fuel Economy: 26.8 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 13.2 mpg
Average Fuel Economy: 19.3 mpg

Retained Value
Quite a few factors conspired against the value of the Outlander when it came time for us to part ways. First, its audio options didn't add much value to its used-car price even though the MMCS (Mitsubishi Multi Communication, the hard-drive-based navigation and audio system) had added $4,980 to the MSRP.

Second, the 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS AWD's relatively low value came as a result of spiraling oil prices and a commensurate drop in the value of utility vehicles, especially one like the Outlander that looks more like a truck than most crossovers.

Finally, the triple-diamond logo of Mitsubishi still hasn't the same reputation for quality as Honda, Nissan and Toyota.

So the Outlander's drastic 36 percent depreciation didn't give us too much of a surprise.

True Market Value at service end: $19,653
Depreciation: $10,962 or 36 percent of original paid price
Final Odometer Reading: 24,359

Summing Up
What are your priorities? Blending into the crowd? Reliability? Fuel Economy? Reasonable resale value? Summing up the 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS AWD is difficult, as it goes against the popular image of crossover utility vehicles as small, unambitious utility wagons. The Outlander looks like it's torn a hole in the time-space continuum and arrived here from the 1980s view of 2010. It's faster than it should be and has a tendency to act like a sports car. Magnesium shift paddles accentuate this feeling. The third-row seat is a cruel joke but the split tailgate is a dream come true.

While we can't tell you how to scale your own internal comparisons of this Mitsubishi Outlander against the more conventional Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, we can leave you with this blog entry from Senior Photographer Scott Jacobs:

"It's fast, it carries a decent amount of gear and it has a smooth ride. It also has a good nav system just in case we need to find a new location and/or if we get lost.... So it's kind of sad to know that the car is going to depart our ranks soon. I've grown fond of the paddle shifters, the hard-drive music system and the fun-to-drive factor. It makes those long drives back from photo shoots much more enjoyable."

The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.