OK, so I'm a newbie and I'm soon ready to sell/trade in my '98 Eclipse GS on an '07 Outlander LS. I'm trying to decide on color...betweenthe silveror the darker grey models. My Eclipse is silver and one thing I really like about it is that it is easy to keep clean and doesn't show dirt as much. My wife's Cavalier is a dark green and it is such a pain to keep water spots off of it after I wash it and whatnot. So I'm leaning towards the dark grey Outlanders because I think they are much sharper looking, but how hard is it to keep them clean?

Thanks for any opinions!

Joe

 

.i have an 07 gray xls. does not show dirt/dust easily.

i really like the paint as when it is very clean and shined in the sun it sometimes looks to be a different color.

tha only thing i did the first week i had it was pull the roof rails and paint them satin black.
the silver rails to me were to distracting from the lines of the body.

 

I have the Charcoal Grey. It doesn't stay clean any better than any other color.

It does hide the dirt relatively well. I have had cars in all colors and will say that the Charcoal Grey is far better than Black or Red as far as not showing the dirt, while it is no where as good as White or Yellow. It is pretty good when it comes to normal dirt and dust, but dried on salt during the winter shows pretty bad. I would guess the Silver would hide the salt better, but I still preferred the darker Charcoal Grey color. Hope that helps. Sounds like either way it will be an Outlander, so that is good. The ne Outlander has to be the most underrated vehicle in it's class. It may not be the best at much, but it is as a whole the best balance of form and function.

If you have not read Edmunds' long term test drive reports of the '07 Outlander, you should check it out. Their final review I thought was very accurate with the exception of the comments about the rear seats being useless.
'07 Outlander Long Term Review

 

I agress fishermen! I also own the Darker Grey Outlander XLS model. To me, I think the grey looks better than all the colour availbe for the Outlander.

Like Fishermen said, if you live in an area with a lot of snow, the Grey Outlander is hard to hind the dry salt. Like me, in Toronto, my Outlander shows all the white dried up salt during the winter. However, in the summer time, after a car wash I did, it stays clean for a heck of a long time.

So the only bad thing about the gray Outlander is about the dry salt, beside that, it stays clean and of course....LOOKS NICE!

SR

 

Thank you all for your comments! That pretty much locks my choice with the dark grey model! I'm in Pennsylvania and we get snow throughout the winter, but I'm not as concerned about dried salt...I mean, that's to be expected in winter. I just didn't want to have to hand dry it in the summer like I have to with my wifes' Cavalier.

I have read that review. Everything I hear about the Outlander just makes it sound like the perfect SUV for my wife and I. We want a smaller, sylish SUV with hopefully good reliability, decent gas mileage, yet need the power of a V6 and it's 3500 lb towing capacity as I'm also looking at getting a small bowrider power boat in the future.

We're looking to get a slightly used one, with say only 8,000 miles on it or so, probably an LS model...though I would LOVE the sunroof option in the sun and sound package...I wish that could be ordered separately instead of just a package for XLS models.

Thanks for your help!

Joe

 

Just get the color you really want.

I was thinking the graphite gray or silver on paper (just coming off a black car) but I kept getting drawn to the black. Yeah black is harder to keep clean, but I love it when it is..good thing I like to wash, polish, and wax cars

I know if I got my second or third choice, I'd see my first and say I should have got the one I wanted

 

Another thing to keep in mind is that the XLS comes with 18" wheels. Sounds good at first, then you have to eventually buy tires. There are two issues with the 18s. 1. there are much more expensive than the 16's and 2 Mitsu picked a bastard size that was very few offerings. I have the 18's and am debating about picking up a set of 16" wheels from an LS or go with steelies and dedicated snows in the winter. I work for a tire company, and get discounts and it still hurts to think about buying the 18" tires.

You will be pleased with the towing ability of the Outlander. Just put it in 4wd to transfer some of the power to the rear wheels, and it tows like a dream. I have towed over 3000 lbs, and it did it with ease.

 

Fisherman,

Yeah, 18" wheels would be a bit much. I had 17" wheels on my Eclipse and switched to 14" wheels to help with it's ability in snow (or lack thereof) and to make the ride a bit nicer. I definitely prefer the cheaper tire price!

It's still weird for me to realize that I'll be able to put the Outlander in 4WD even when the roads are dry...I'm used to having to reserve that for snowy conditions only! I'm glad it seems to handle 3000 without too much trouble...the lake I will take the boat to is about 1 1/2 hours from my house and there are a couple of steep hills (paved roads) right before you get there.

I'll probably hold off for a few months yet before I officially go and get one. It should be easier to sell my Eclipse in the spring/summer (unless I just end up trading it in) and I want to save as much as I can before taking the plunge.

Joe

 

Hey Outlander_Joe,

I have a 2007 XLS in Charcoal Grey and I must tell you that I love this car.
Much thought went into this vehicle's design for it's price and when released, was ahead of it's time.

The color is awesome when polished and it even has a hint of a crimson red hue under certain kinds of bright lights.
If at all possible, buy every feature you can afford at first, because you may wish that you had done so later.
I wish I had purchased the black leather seats and HID lights.

The Auto AWD is awesome and I leave some drivers stunned when I run away from them while averaging 20 MPG on regular gas!
The 18" rims are worth the performance and great looks that are added to your vehicle. When properly cleaned you'll even see a sparkle from the metal flake in the rim's silver paint.

The only thing I don't like is some of the undeserved reviews that are less than Excellent.
Consumer Reports did rate the 2007 Outlander as a "Recommended" Buy!
Driven 10,000 miles and no problems for me so far...

Take care,
E

 

If you buying it because of the color DONT BUY the dark gray. I have it and the dryed salt clings to the outside big time. Its washes right off and looks great in the summer. I dont have any dirt problems. But its a brand new car and I was it at least one time a week. I towel dry it everytime so I couldnt tell you how the water spots look. I would imagine you would get water marks with any dark color car though. Oh yea I live in NJ and going snowboarding over in PA covers my outie in salt. I have to go through the drive through car wash when I get back.