Could some one give some comments in this Edmunds.com forum observation about the Outlander and say that those comments are far to be true. I am in the process of buying a 2008 Outlander. Comments from someone:

'07 outlander xls gray ext/black int review- all options except nav/dvd:

good price for vehicle compared to other makes. good vehicle w some quirks. first the problems: headlight burnt out within 2 weeks. door locks set to have fast key open driver door only upon touch- had to go to dealer to have changed to open ALL doors. sirius radio malfunctioned early on- needed to disc battery in order to reset radio. muffler not attached properly- had to go to dealer to have fixed. wind noise coming from passenger mirror- applied fix posted on this forum. seat belt chime- intolerable!- so "fixed" it using method posted on mitsu forum. stereo system not too good- they put rock fosg on there- implying premium sound- instead- its muddy at best- esp bad w sirius radio, altho thats prob fault of sirius as well. loses sat reception a lot (boston area). Fit & finish has some problems- plasticy, suspect silver paint, and some moldings that aren’t flush/properly attached- resulting in some small, but noticeable noisesand rattles. Example- molding against windshield doesn’t sit properly, so sand, etc gets underneath, presses against underlying windshield- resulting in tiny little popping sounds when goin over bumps. Very slight, but annoying! Hondas & Toyotas for example are much more refined in that department.

k- positives- decent gas mileage- altho tank too small- annoying bc of 300 or so driving range before needing to refill. engine & transmission are EXCELLENT! car needs to be driven w finesse tho--chicks may struggle with this! very tight turning radius, but vehicle will jump if accel too hard while wheel turned too tight. leather seats look stylish, leather is mid-grade- better than cheap, not as good as premium. (smell and texture) controls are good, storage is good, looks are good! 3rd row seat is just a jump seat for kids <10 yrs old. fast key nice! warranty looks good! tailgate good! xenon headlights good! easy to spot in parking lots bc not a lot of them around! if it matters- people may have tuff time guessing if this thing is hi end, mid, or lo end- chances are they will guess mid- and theyll be right! moving forward- MIGHT consider mitsu again, but initial problems/tweaks cost me a lot of time. looks like good initial value, but how will resale do?- only then can value be determined- after ownership of 2 or more years. composite score for vehicle: 6 outta 10 at this point due to initial problems. i may raise rating after a year or so, but i dont think this will ever score higher than an 8- which is a very nice score! competed against murano, rogue, rav4, hondas sport utes, 4runner, highlander, mazda cx-7 and 9. have a little bit of buyers remorse about not doin the mazda cx-9- but then again- outlander was less expensive by good margin.

 

Well I'm no expert on the Outtie and just got mine recently so I don't have any long term/short term problems to discuss. I think I can however comment on the post on Edmunds.

Any new model vehicle is going to have quirks and bugs that need to be adjusted and quality issues are better compared against the length ofthe warranty and your expected use since glaring defects don't seem to be an issue with the Outtie. To me 5yrs/60K miles is a long time to get any interior/exterior issues taken care of at no cost.

Headlights- They do burn out regularly and depending on the bulb manufacturer you might need to go back several times. Case in point VW has a known poor history of tailight bulb failures all due to poormanufacturer components. They also had a rash of wiring harness failures in 2001-2006 again due to poor manufacutrer components (Bosch). There could also be several reasons for the headlight failure including wiring issue, fuse relays, contanimant inside bulb on filament, etc.

The Fast Key - It does have that option. Since I have the Nav/MMCS system I can change mine on my own. Not sure about non-Nav systems, but sound like it was fixed easliy at the dealer. Now it would be an issue if you liked to change it often, but I think most people would probably pick one or the other and stick with it.

Never had Sirus Satellite radio so I don't know what happened here, but again seems like it was an easy fix.

Muffler issue - It would have been upsetting to me as well, but if it was a missing hanger or something minor then it would again have been an easy fix.

Seat belt chime - this is common in all cars, so be happy there's a fix.

Fit and Finish -I think it is great for this level of car. It's not a Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, etc and we certainly didn't pay for that level either. Now I've known plenty of people who had the afore mentioned brands and had issues with poor fit/finish as well, so this is more subjective than the post leads it to be. Besides if he wasn't happy with it in the first place then he shouldn't have bought it.

This poster seems to have an issue with the RF stereo. I have owned 3 other vehicles (Nissans)with RF stereo systems and can say they all worked fine with CD's, but were not so great with radio or MP3's. The systems never picked up the bass or volume coming from the radio signal which was obvious because the subwoofer was beneath my seat and you knew when it was working. I am also not a true audiophile so any decent stereo will fit what I need.

Now this is strictly my take, but for the money this is hands down the best buy.Looks wise and features wise it leaves the Honda CRV, Toyota Rav4, Nissan Rogue/CX7, Saturn Vue, Hyundai Sante Fe, Suzuki G-Vitara/XL7, Ford/Merc Escape/Mountaineer and Kia Sorento in the dust and these in my estimation are its chief competition. Plus at $5000 off MSRP for a 2007 model you can't beat the price. If you are set on a 2008 then your savings will be less right now, but it's still a good deal at invoice. Those pitting it against the CX9, 4-Runner, Pathfinder, and Murano are in the wrong class because the base price of similarly equipped cars is well over $35K and pushing $40K.

I was just at the DC auto show and can say that for the savings I'd even take the Outtieover the newmodelMurano, RDX,MDX, Infiniti FX/CX and some others. They can't come close to being under $30K with AWD, Nav, heated leather seats, xenons, moonroof, intelligent key, etc. Besides at those prices i'd be afraid to take it out of the garage.

Just my take on the Outtie. Hope this helps you decide.

 

- Bulb is under warranty, dealer will replace, otherwise $12.

- FAST key is programable. Easier with Nav. Dealer has code that will reset so that FAST key will unlock all doors.

- Rockford Fosgate is a good system, but yes it overpowers the speakers. It is exceptional for the normal driver. For sound enthusiests, need to upgrade speakers. This isnt a Luxury vehicle...

- Whenever I'm by a building 3 stories or higher and at the "right" angle, you will lose Sirus reception, or going under a bridge. Satelites are positioned in the south, so living in Boston, and if your around tall buildings, is going to affect your line of sight with the satelites.

-Seatbealt chime.... its the law here, so I dont mind it

- Interior is probably where Mitsu went cheap on a few things (door panel, plastics, etc.)

- Problem with windshield molding,dealer willfix.

 

The stereo is the best OEM that I have everowned, but I'm not an enthisiast. My wife just got a2008 Nissan Altimawith a Bose 650Watt, subwoofer, and we both agree that the Outies sounds far better.

I also think that the interior is a bit on the cheap side, but it is very functional.

My biggest Issue is with the Tire Pressure Monitoring, I live inEastern Canada, wheremost people use Winter tires, generally on a second set of Rims. Can only track 1 set of sensors, so you either need to get a second set of sensor, that requires reprograming by the dealer twice a year, or live with a Warning all winter. I have been told that this is a problem with other brands, theHonda CRV for sure.

Everything else in the reviews are either things that I have not experience or that I don't see as a major issue.

 

The reliability of the new Outie has been outstanding. Consumer Reports specifically mentioned how this was impressive for a first year model

My suggestions for improvements are more sound deadening. I can't use the bluetooth at highway speeds..neither the voice commands or other people can understand me. and interior plastic improvements..the plastic and silver paint scratch way too easily. The stereo can sound muddy, but I think that's with the Sirius and their signal compression as CDs sound awesome

I don't understand the seat belt issue as I use and make everyone else use theirs

Things I particularly like are the styling, handling, the seats,the refined powertrain, FAST key....

 

Its not a first year model its been on sale in Japan for over 2-3 years and they are now on to the 3rd generation model


puddy

 

I'll be pleased if you'll give me some info about "3rd gen".

Thanks

 

The 2007IS a "first year model". It was the first year for the 2nd generation outtie. Consumber Reports is commenting how strong this "first year model" was. The 2008+ models are obviously not "first year models". [sm=rolleyes.gif]
There is no 3rd gen yet, for the 2nd gen just came out....[sm=bustedsign.gif]

 

All I can say is you will regret buying the other suv's out there.

 

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