In my time on this forum I find myself wondering why people decided to buy a Outlander. And ya I already know im going to be flamed for starting this thread up but I cant help but wonder. As a number of reviews have stated the outlander is good at everything but great at nothing. In the end though its a cross over. Its designed for use in environments where cars are not the best choice but a real SUV or truck is not needed. Over and Over again I keep seeing posts of people asking how do I keep the exterior of my Outlander from getting paint chips or scratches on it. Which immediately tells me that the tires of your outlander has most likely never seen anything other then pavement and you have no intention of ever using it for anything other then street driving.

So that said since clearly the purpose of most peoples purchase of an Outlander is not based around it being a cross over or it being a 4x4, what motivated you to purchase a gas hogging cross over.

The fact that the most popular threads on this forum are based around the MMC and other parts of the entrainment system is it safe to assume that most outlander owner are techie geeks in the range of 25 - 35?

Ill start off as being the first to giving my reasoning for purchasing an Outlander.

I work in the IT Industry and often find myself transporting large Items such as server racks and multiple large computer systems. When I started looking for a new car I needed something that had the storage space I need for transporting stuff for work. In a average month I put 1k - 2k miles on my car driving through out the country (I hate trains and since the security increases flying is often to time consuming) so I wanted something that would be comfortable for the driver when I was forced to be in the seat for 10 plus hours at a time. Once I am off the work clock the car needed to become a personal car and allow for a good appearance on the street when in major cities but also be able to make it to my destinations for back country activities (Rock Climbing, Mountain Biking, Snowboarding, Scuba Diving, Rafting, Kayaking, Backpacking) and of course have the space to transport all the needed gear. I also have a daughter so rear seat entrainment and and child safety features became a consideration. Add to that my two lab / pits and the ability for them to both fit in the back comfortably. Ya thats right at times I have myself, wife, daughter, and 2 dogs in my car, (aka no matter what i do my interior is never really clean). Last but not least I work volunteer emergency response in a area where mother nature can be unforgiving so I needed a car that would be dependable year round even when the temp is well below 0 and not worry about getting stuck in a foot of snow. In the end the Outlander meet all of these needs.

So my question for everyone are these:

1. What was your motivation for buying the outlander?
2. Have you ever taken it off the pavement?
3. Have you ever used the 4x4 lock feature?
4. Do you use the paddle shifters or do you always keep it in auto drive?
5. If price wasn't a factor would you have purchased one of the similar Luxury brands that are close in design to the Outlander (porsha, lexus etc)
6. Now that you have your outlander and have had it for awhile if you could go back in time and get a different ride instead would you and if so what would it be.
7. Do you think I am out of my mind for abusing my new car as much as I do?

 

1. What was your motivation for buying the outlander?

The outlanders have a great look to it, and the engines are fairly good too

2. Have you ever taken it off the pavement?

YES!...but it was to pull into my friends house and his driveway was full, so i pulled into his yard..lol

3. Have you ever used the 4x4 lock feature?

Nope, i don't have AWD

4. Do you use the paddle shifters or do you always keep it in auto drive?

I use the sportstronic shifter if i'm by myself, otherwise (if with my family) i keep it in "D"

5. If price wasn't a factor would you have purchased one of the similar Luxury brands that are close in design to the Outlander (porsha, lexus etc)

Most likely NOT, because if price wasn't a factor i would have gotten ALL the add-ons...instead of none lol

6. Now that you have your outlander and have had it for awhile if you could go back in time and get a different ride instead would you and if so what would it be.

An endeavor.

7. Do you think I am out of my mind for abusing my new car as much as I do?

Hellz nah. You do what you want to your car...did i mention that it is YOUR CAR

 

1. Wanted an SUV that was unique and different from those out there.
2. Yes, gravel roads only though. Don't know about true off roading though.
3. No, just 4WD and 2WD.
4. Not often, but when going up hill or winding roads I'll use it. I would say overall, I use it maybe 10% a week.
5. I was considering a Nissan Rogue, or Honda CRV, but really liked the Outlander. Its harder to compare to a luxury brand since there is a large gap in price difference. If I were to buy a luxury SUV, it would probably be the Infiniti FX35.
6. The Outlander overall is a good piece of machinery. There are little things that annoy me: cheaper interior materials so there are rattles; poor window defrosting. But its not enough to make me change my decision though.
7. Depends on how much you want to keep it clean.

 

mmm ... we wanted a van but we were disgusted with the performance of the Dodge Caravan we bought 8 years ago, so van was a no go (In 8 years it sucked over $6K in repairs and parts).

we wanted a normal car and looked at the Honda Civic. However, half of the population here has a Civic just because they all saw "The Fast And The Furious" (AKA: Hollywood's version of the "Initial D" movie) and they all think they are pro racers now that they got the pimped out Civic like in the movie (I could probably beat 80% of them with my old AE86 Panda Trueno). So Civic was a no go...

Then we looked at the Nissan Rouge but at $40K for an all in option it was a little too much to handle.

My last option was the Lancer (the Evo was very tempting) Then I found out Mitsubishi used the Outlander for the Dakkar Rally (I had no clue what an outlander was) and there just happened to be one parked right inside my dealer... With the new rally red paint job and all the little stickers plastered all over and the bucket seats and all the stuff that says to you: "Oh please, I need some abuse..." I went back home looked at some videos and info and then went back to the dealer to look at it more...

> It had a big trunk.
>AWD and not only that cause it also had 2 and 4WD.
> Air bags all over the place.
> It was just as big as a SUV and a Van.
> It had a decent audio system. (better than Honda and the Nissan).
> From my point of view it was hackable and the price was also right...

SO, we liked it and got it .... WHY do we REALLY like it? ... mmm ... well CNET says that Mitsubishi is doing everything wrong and even though they did not officially liked the car, The Outlander became CNET Editor Choice car for all around features and price value even though it was not good at anything they highlighted...

confused?

 

1. What was your motivation for buying the outlander?

Looks much much nicer than most cross over out there. Very Sporty looking, and price is a fair price for what I'm getting.

2. Have you ever taken it off the pavement?

Yes, gravel. However, I live in Toronto. Lots of snow last year, remember 1 time, I needed to drive on the freeway for 2 hrs, and the snow was about 10 cm deep, still not removed yet. I was on 4 by 4 lock, driving at 90km/h while everyone is driving at 60-70. Did I tell you I was still using stock tires!!!

3. Have you ever used the 4x4 lock feature?

Yes, many times. Handles great in snow, even without snow tires!

4. Do you use the paddle shifters or do you always keep it in auto drive?

Always with family, so not very often.

5. If price wasn't a factor would you have purchased one of the similar Luxury brands that are close in design to the Outlander (porsha, lexus etc)

Yes, I would go for like a BMW X5.

6. Now that you have your outlander and have had it for awhile if you could go back in time and get a different ride instead would you and if so what would it be.

No, everytime I open the doors to my outlander, it feels like the day I drove it out the dealership. Love it, and always will!

7. Do you think I am out of my mind for abusing my new car as much as I do?

Yes! haha, well, you have an excuse to get your outlander dirty. For me, ever time I get it dirty, no matter where, is a interior and exterior cleaning =D

 

1. What was your motivation for buying the outlander?

Looks, value, warrenty, 3 row seats (in need to cary my kids and their friends on short distances),exclusivity (I was the first in my part of town to get one, However their are now 3 on my street)

2. Have you ever taken it off the pavement?

Not really, but If you swa some of the roads around here you might think that off roading is easier on the car.

3. Have you ever used the 4x4 lock feature?

Yes, many times. in winter only.

4. Do you use the paddle shifters or do you always keep it in auto drive?

Fairly often when slowing down, I like to downshift with them, but usually not when accelerating.

5. If price wasn't a factor would you have purchased one of the similar Luxury brands that are close in design to the Outlander (porsha, lexus etc)

Probably a Cayenne. But I'm not sure I could live with the amount of CO2 comming out of the tailpipe.

6. Now that you have your outlander and have had it for awhile if you could go back in time and get a different ride instead would you and if so what would it be.

No

7. Do you think I am out of my mind for abusing my new car as much as I do?

Makes more sense than buying a Hummer that never seeing any abuse!

 

1. What was your motivation for buying the outlander?
- The exterior line look tremendous
- The color (aquamarina) fascinates to me.
- The cost of maintenance service is low
- Power and torque
- System of sound
- Interior dimensions
- Equipment version XLS
- I have service manual (thank's Przemek624)
- The existing prewiring in my version to install original accessories
- Everything what I can add to accessories

2. Have you ever taken it off the pavement?
-Not frequently

3. Have you ever used the 4x4 lock feature?
-In Mexico this characteristic is not option

4. Do you use the paddle shifters or do you always keep it in auto drive?
- Yes, I use them in city drive

5. If price wasn't a factor would you have purchased one of the similar Luxury brands that are close in design to the Outlander (porsha, lexus etc)
- No, because in Mexico the Outlander has MORE equipment that many of the SUV of luxury, and because definitively I like me the exterior line of the Out

6. Now that you have your outlander and have had it for awhile if you could go back in time and get a different ride instead would you and if so what would it be.
- It would be again my choice

7. Do you think I am out of my mind for abusing my new car as much as I do?
- azchipka, tell me, how you abuse your Out? [sm=gears.gif]

 

First off, while I have no intention of taking my new vehicle off road, I wanted a CUV/SUV, because it sits up high allowing a better view of traffic around you, is easy to get in and out of, comfortable on long trips, and roomier than most cars. I also like the cargo area thats inside the vehicle rather than a trunk.

I compared the Hyundai Tucson and SantaFe and the Kia Sportage to the Outlander, and the Outlander won hands downas best value for the dollar and most comfortable.I didn't consider any other SUV/CUV because I specifically wanted a vehicle with the 5yr/60,000 10yr/100,000 warranty. Yes, I am well aware of the supposed quality of Honda's and Toyota's, but I believe in putting your money where your mouth is, and only Hyundai, Kia, and Mitsu back their vehicles up with the longer warrantys.

I ended up selecting a 2WD ES with the convenience package. The 4 cyl MIVEC engine had plenty of power when I test drove it, and I had no interest in going with a 4WD, because why should I carry around the extra 100+ pounds of the 4WD when I have no intention of using it. Also living in Phoenix where it doesn't snow, and temps rarely fall below freezing meant I had no practical reasons for getting a 4WD.

 

1. What was your motivation for buying the outlander?

My motivation was for buying a SUV for a growing family. I chose the Outlander over the CR-V, Rav-4, and others based on available features that I wanted plus the high ratingfrom being the #1 selling car in Japan swayed my mind. Even now I still can't find a car for the price I paid with the features I want...

2. Have you ever taken it off the pavement?

Not yet. But I plan on driving it to "the snow" (Tahoe) next February...even though it's 2wd and not 4wd.

3. Have you ever used the 4x4 lock feature?

Mine is 2wd.

4. Do you use the paddle shifters or do you always keep it in auto drive?

I don't use the paddle shifters much, I prefer to use the shift lever like a standard manual. If I am in stop and go I use auto but I switch to manual when cruising.

5. If price wasn't a factor would you have purchased one of the similar Luxury brands that are close in design to the Outlander (porsha, lexus etc)

If price were not a factor, I probably would have bought the Porsche Cayanne Turbo.

6. Now that you have your outlander and have had it for awhile if you could go back in time and get a different ride instead would you and if so what would it be.

If I had a chance to go back in time I would have bought the 4wd and talked the dealer down more. But I would still buy the Outlander over just about any car out there.

7. Do you think I am out of my mind for abusing my new car as much as I do?

No, you do what you need and purchased it for. have fun!

 

1. What was your motivation for buying the outlander?
1. Price
2. Fuel Economy
3. TAILGATING! Perfect with the fold town tailgate and subs in the back
4. For the untrained eye, the exterior looks somewhat upscale with the chrome and LED tail lights.


2. Have you ever taken it off the pavement?
Only on the grass and a little offroading when fishing.

3. Have you ever used the 4x4 lock feature?
Not on a regular basis. I plan to when it snows.

4. Do you use the paddle shifters or do you always keep it in auto drive?
I never use the paddle. When I switch to manual, I use the ****.

5. If price wasn't a factor would you have purchased one of the similar Luxury brands that are close in design to the Outlander (porsha, lexus etc)

If price wasn't the factor, I would've gotten a lexus 400h. Power and fuel economy and luxury!

6. Now that you have your outlander and have had it for awhile if you could go back in time and get a different ride instead would you and if so what would it be.

Nope, I got the Outlander because it was the best out of all the crossovers this size.


7. Do you think I am out of my mind for abusing my new car as much as I do?
Nope, go for it.