Just picked this up last Friday. Haven't bought a new car in 20 years and bought 2 this year; traded a 2017 Jetta bought new in May. With the rebates and incentives came out of it nearly clean. Wanted the GT for towing or SEL with the touring package for the tech but couldn't afford either, but did not want to drop a trim just to save cash. They had white, black and gray, which is what we chose.

Just did a 3500 mile family vacation earlier this month driving a 2017 Metris, and we decided that more room than the Jetta was required. The seats in the Metris were not very comfortable; the Mitsu was chosen due to being the most comfortable vehicle in our price range, and the great MPG is a bonus. One criteria was we needed to be comfortable enough after travel to not need a full day to recover, and this definitely fits that.

While good, it needs some "stuff" to make it better/more usable, as we plan on making it our go-to getaway vehicle. So far I've added a Curt hitch (wiring tomorrow) and Bridgestone Driveguard RFTs (I work for BSFA and got a killer deal on them by swapping out the Toyo's. The final push was having to fight to get the spare back up after the hitch install; why did they not spend the extra few dollars and put a better winch system in (I also hated those on older model Ford trucks)? Run flats are for convenience more than anything else (plus a bit higher load capacity).

Cross bars should be here next week ($30 shippped).

Plan is to next build a 4x8 enclosed trailer on a boat trailer frame I got dirt cheap for camping (tents, bikes, kitchen, bathroom tent with composting toilet and shower, generators, fuel, window AC units, spares and anything else needed for long term camp-travel). The last trip taught us that hotels suck (especially on our budget) and camping would be much cheaper and more comfortable; at least we would have more money for other, more important things, like sight seeing , food and gifts.

 

After reading a few reports of hood chipping I grabbed a $7 can of Duplicolor clear Custom Wrap and sprayed the leading edge of the hood and fenders; not a professional job, but looks great considering what that would cost. After money starts coming back in more protection is in order; floor liners, cargo mat, tent, dog guard, vent visors and durable but comfortable seat covers.