So after much time looking at various SUV's and test driving some of them, me and my girlfriend have narrowed it down to the Outlander SE and a Rogue SL AWD w/Premium Package. I have a few questions....

1. I live in Washington State, I currently drive an 06 Maliboo Maxx (Yes i know its Malibu). With That i Drive over Snoqualmie 2x a month, so needless to say I put on about 30000 miles a year. My question is how does the Outlander perform uphill, i don't want weak acceleration up a hill.
2. What is the thing you hate/Don't Like the most about the Outie?
3. Does the Outie share is platform with any other Mitsu Models?
4. Does anyone do any towing with these. And how much? I will be towing a jet-ski randomly throughout the summer. How does the drive differ when your towing?
5. Does the Rockford Fosgate System have an Ipod interface(or is that just the Nav Setup) and who is the head units manufacturer?
6. Anyone with an 08 SE look to see if it possible to put in the 3rd Row Seat from an XLS? (May just have to go 09 if not)
7. After initial break in period for those that highway drive these a lot what is your average MPG?
8. Any weird CVT issues appear? The Rogue seems to have a possible rattle coming from the tranny that requires a replacement tranny.
9. The 4 banger thats in it, does any other model of Mitsu use it, is it the 4b12?

Thanks

 

1. I live in Washington State, I currently drive an 06 Maliboo Maxx (Yes i know its Malibu). With That i Drive over Snoqualmie 2x a month, so needless to say I put on about 30000 miles a year. My question is how does the Outlander perform uphill, i don't want weak acceleration up a hill.

- Don't know, never drove up a steep hill.

2. What is the thing you hate/Don't Like the most about the Outie?

- There is not much I hate about it. And the few things I do, aren't deal breakers. I honestly believe this is the best Small SUV I could buy and would do so again. I have the 2wd XLS...if I had to do it over again, I'd buy from a different dealer and get the 4wd XLS..


3. Does the Outie share is platform with any other Mitsu Models?

- I beleive it shares a platform with the Galant and Dodge Caliber, which was before Mitsu and Chrysler severed ties.

4. Does anyone do any towing with these. And how much? I will be towing a jet-ski randomly throughout the summer. How does the drive differ when your towing?

- Nope sorry.

5. Does the Rockford Fosgate System have an Ipod interface(or is that just the Nav Setup) and who is the head units manufacturer?

- Don't have an iPod, but I know it does have a jack. It's in an odd spot...only accessable by opening the screen, as if you were inserting a cd.

6. Anyone with an 08 SE look to see if it possible to put in the 3rd Row Seat from an XLS? (May just have to go 09 if not)

- It would be way to much to install it after the fact. Your best bet is to get the XLS.

7. After initial break in period for those that highway drive these a lot what is your average MPG?

- I haven't really paid attention. I know I get worse gas milage than on my 4cyl 96 Eclipse going to and from work. And I speed in the Eclipse.

8. Any weird CVT issues appear? The Rogue seems to have a possible rattle coming from the tranny that requires a replacement tranny.

- The only real problem I notice is that if I am say rolling, very slowly, as if I am about to stop, but then traffic moves so I slightly step on the gas, it seems to "hit" into gear hard...

9. The 4 banger thats in it, does any other model of Mitsu use it, is it the 4b12?

- Dunno,I Have the v6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_4B1_engine

- Looks like theolder 05 Outie, the 07 Mitsu Delica, and the 08 Lancer, Citroen C-Crosser and Peugeot 4007, use it. Which is natural since the Citroen and Peugeot are the same as the Outlander.

 

When I was looking for a new car I also ended up with both the Outlander and the Rogue. Both have great features, however what became a deal breaker for me was that the Rouge would have cost me $7000 more with all the stuff the Outlander has.

The audio system in the Outlander is 650Watts Rockford Fosgate, Even though Nissan does use lower watt systems from Rockford Fosgate in their cars, the Rouge, I believe used Polk Audio speakers but it was also low pretty low in power (I may be wrong but I know it wasn't Rockford Fosgate).

The Outlander includes a set of RCA AUX-in at the back of the center console so you can easily hook up your iPod with an adaptor cable sold at most stores such as walmart or radioshack...

The bluetooth and Nav are both things I do not really care about since I already have a Magellan GPS from Costco ($149) and my cell phone has the speakerphone feature built in, so no need for bluetooth.

remember that with the outlander you can choose 2WD, 4WD and AWD (lock), so if you go up a hill you can put a lot of power into it. (it would be best for you to take it out for a drive and take it up and down a hill) Also try the manual transmission it is very fun to drive, however the computer does great choosing the gears for you.

>> Does the Outie share is platform with any other Mitsu Models?
At one point they did but now they don't, Chrysler no longer uses the same platform.

>> About the towing:

ES / SE: 1500 - 2000 lb max.

LS / XLS: 2000 - 3500 lb max.

In the LS and XLS models the 3500 lb max is with 4WD activated, 2WD will only allow a max of 2000lb.


>> Anyone with an 08 SE look to see if it possible to put in the 3rd Row Seat from an XLS?

You can buy the 3rd row for like $900, I have it but don't use it...

 

Yea the Rogue runs a Bose system (at least the SL AWD Premium Package) and from reports its not that good...

 

1. I Have the V6 and it goes up hills without any problems, don't know about the 4cyl.
2.I don'tlikethat you need to take it to the dealer for basic configuration changesi.e. how thedoors unlock(if you get the NAV it's less of a problem). I don't like the TPMS, since I put winter tires with steel rims, I have to live with a TPMS warning all winter (this is not specific to the Outlander other brands are similar or worst). I don't like that I'm loosing the exclusivity of being the only 2nd gen Outlander owner in my town, they are getting very popular,we are now 3 on my street.
3. Don't know
4. Shambala answered that one.
5. It has an AUX input, and Mistu sells an IPOD adapter, not sure if the adapter allows you to control the ipod from the steering wheel.
6. I have an XLS, but from the looks of it it would be a major thing to do, you would also need to get a new rear roof liner to accomodated the passage of the rear seatbelts.
7.I can't speak for the 4Cyl
8. Don't know
9. Don't know

 

2.
- The materials on the interior is quite plasticky, and hollow to the touch. Its alright, and expected for this price range, but you will notice the odd creaks, cracks, and groans from the vehicle once in a while, especially on cold days.
- The bluetooth hands free mic is pretty bad while driving on the highway, as it picks up all of the wind noise. The people I speak to say that it sounds like I'm in a wind tunnel. Seems to work fine driving 80 km/h and less.
- Window defrosting was quite poor last winter. Took forever to have the windows clear on max. Granted, where I lived was -30 C. Hopefully the TSB for the heater issue resolves the issue this winter.
- The paint chipping problem around the rear wheel flare has been beaten to death. Add mud guards and ROAR side garnish to aleviate.

If I had known these issues prior to purchasing the vehicle, would I have changed my mind? No, these are simply minor annoyances that are quickly overshadowed by its many strengths.

 

I have an 08 ES with the 168hp 4 cyl engine, and CVT. I have made two trips in my ES where I had to climb about a7 mile long uphill 6% gradegoing from Bullhead City Arizona to KingmanArizona. No problem at all. I was able to hold a steady 65 mph at about 3400 rpm.

As far as the CVT goes no problems, but it does take a week or two of driving to get used to not having the"shift shock" of a traditional automatic transmission.

mpg on the two trips from Phoenix to Bullhead City (510 miles total each trip) was 27. City mpg is around 22.

 

Thats what I like hearing! currently my bi-weekly trips of about 300ish miles yields me about 26mpg in my malibooo

 

I should add this was going between 65-70mph most of the way on the two trips. Alsoonce you get out of the Phoenixmetro areayouare drivingin the high desert and encounter quite a few hills, so its not all that flat.When driving 60-65mph on flat Phoenix freeways the mpg indicator on the information display showsaround 30mpg.

 

If I'm not mistaken, the Outlander shares the same chassisas the Lancer !!!
That's what I remember reading when I was researching the vehicle myself.
Great value for the dollar by far !!!