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Subaru Forester vs Mitsubishi Outlander

40 messages,  Last post on Jun 28, 2009 at 7:10 PM

You are in the Subaru Forester Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Forester, Mitsubishi Outlander, Wagon, SUV

Messages Page 2 of 4

#11 of 40 Welcome to the club. by haybaler

Aug 19, 2005 (6:09 pm)

Hey Silver.
 
 My husband told me about your question & it was like deja-vu because the Mitsubishi Outlander was my first car less then a year ago. I was pretty settled on a Mitsu because my dad had a Galant, about a 92 I think, & he said it was the best car he ever had. I did some checking myself & found out that the first Outlanders from 03 were a little underpowered for the USA & they put a more powerful 4 cylinder in them. My 05 cranks out about 160 hp which is good because I have a custom interior painting business & carry about 300 lbs of equipment with me most of the time. As you can guess, the back seats are down flat most of the time. Fuel mileage is great, I average about 26/28 with an auto & AWD plus the extra weight. I got it in November & have almost 35,000 on it. I know that's a lot but it is my only vehicle for business & pleasure. It has run great in fair weather or foul, plows right through the snow & muck. The only problem I had about 2 months ago was the plastic container that holds the windshield wiper fluid had a crack in it. I thought it had a radiator leak but that was all it was. The dealer put a new one right in. This car has a great warranty but I think I'll hit the 100,000 before the 10 years is up.
 
The best thing I like about it, not related to driving, is the looks. I got an all white Outlander & a friend who worked at an autobody shop put some cranberry colored stripes on it. It looks fantastic & every customer I had I think has asked me about it. A real eye catcher.
 
I don't know about any problems with Mitsubishi here in the U.S. My dealer is adding on to his shop area next month & has been doing pretty good I guess. I am real interested in the new Mitsubishi Spyder convertible & he says he will be getting them in early spring. If my business stays good I am going to be taking a good look at one of those, hopefully.
 
The only other advice I can give you is to save the copy of every bill when you have it serviced & staple them together so you can show it to the service manager whenever you take it in. I keep mine in the glove compartment.
 
Well, hope this helped you out. I don't know about Subaru but I don't think you can go wrong with a Mitsubishi. Just follow the service manual & this SUV will do the rest.
 
See ya on the road.

#12 of 40 Re: Welcome to the club. [haybaler] by randywakeman

Sep 18, 2005 (9:30 pm)

Replying to: haybaler (Aug 19, 2005 6:09 pm)
Briefly-- I test drove both, extensively.
 
The 2005 Outlander is what I just bought, so I guess that tells the tale from my viewpoint. It is far better than I imagined it would be.

#13 of 40 The 2006 Forester went through another redesign by tazereli

Sep 19, 2005 (9:31 am)

As well as a few more horses under the hood for both the turbo and N/A motor, better fuel economy, updated interior and revised trim levels. Someone could post a link to some edmunds info in it to see full details or go to Subaru's website.
 
Regards,
Kyle

#14 of 40 Forester by ateixeira

Sep 19, 2005 (10:07 am)

Just got a face-lift for '06, so a new one won't arrive until '08. They're up to 173hp now, 230hp for the turbo.
 
Compared to the Outlander, Forester has less rear seat room but more cargo room. The Mitsu has bigger rear doors for good ingress/egress.
 
I drove the old 2.0l Outlander, and found that engine noisy and a bit underpowered, but the 2.4l should be better.
 
The warranty is great but I worry about Mitsu's financial condition, if they'll even be around to honor that warranty given the red ink they're bleeding right now. Just take that into consideration.
 
-juice

#15 of 40 Re: Forester [ateixeira] by 1racefan

Sep 19, 2005 (12:29 pm)

Replying to: ateixeira (Sep 19, 2005 10:07 am)
Where did you drive a 2.0l Outlander? In the US, they have had 2.4l since their inception. 2003 was the "non MIVEC" 2.4l with 140some hp. In 2004, the 2.4l incorportated the MIVEC technology and went to 163 (I believe it is 163).

#16 of 40 Re: Forester [1racefan] by ateixeira

Sep 19, 2005 (12:54 pm)

Replying to: 1racefan (Sep 19, 2005 12:29 pm)
For some reason I thought the displacement got bigger, I guess not. My bad.
 
I drove an LS back in summer '03, pre-MIVEC updates I guess.
 
Consumer Guide says it's 160hp for the '05 model, might be more or less under the new SAE guidelines.
 
Mitsu should put the EVO powertrain in this thing for some real fun, but I doubt they will given Japan now has an EVO wagon.
 
-juice

#17 of 40 How much ... by andrelaplume

Oct 01, 2005 (9:26 pm)

was the Outlander vs the Suaru and what Subaru trim level was it comparable to. We are also considering a Forester. Everytime I see it though it just looks so small. Maybe because it sits 4" lower than all other mini-SUvs. I am driving one this week but alsolike the looks of the outlander. In fact we looked at an 05 Outlander early this summer but it did not have mist of the safety feature of the Subaru.

#18 of 40 Re: How much ... [andrelaplume] by ateixeira

Oct 03, 2005 (11:59 am)

Replying to: andrelaplume (Oct 01, 2005 9:26 pm)
I think they are sized similarly.
 
Basicallly the Mitsu has a longer wheelbase so that creates a bigger back seat, but slightly smaller cargo space.
 
Forester is the opposite - more cargo space.
 
-juice

#19 of 40 Mitsubishi fees... by jeep1988

Oct 17, 2005 (11:59 am)

Mistu has a lot of hidden fees. Some refere to them as Mistufeeme. I own a Forester X-Premium, and for the money, it is the best vehicle on the market.
This is from carbuying tips.com:
"Mitsubishi Dealers
Mitsubishi has insanely high fees. Their dealers charge you for holdback and floor plan assistance, double collecting. It's even itemized on their invoices. This is unfair, and unacceptable. Any dealer who pulls this on you does not get your money. Here's what you might see on a typical Mitsubishi invoice such as one I have for a 1998 Eclipse GS, with a base invoice of $16158, and base MSRP of $18580:
  
Sales Promotion Fund $100 per vehicle $100
Dealer Advertising 3% of base invoice price $484
Dealer Holdback 2% of base MSRP $371
Floorplan Assistance 1% of base MSRP $185
Grand Total (Usually at least a grand, anyway) $1140!
 
You buy an $18580 Eclipse, they want you to pay 6.13% more in fees? This is why I call them Mitsufeeme. Their ad fee is about $600. Many Toyota dealers only charge a $250 ad fee. So why is Mitsubishi's ad fee double? Do they spend more on ads than Toyota? I doubt it, I can't even remember any Mitsubishi commercials."
 
Good Luck!!

#20 of 40 Re: Mitsubishi fees... [jeep1988] by ateixeira

Oct 18, 2005 (8:39 am)

Replying to: jeep1988 (Oct 17, 2005 11:59 am)
Not all dealers are the same. I'd say just shop around. Fees like that are ridiculous, and in this buyer's market noone should accept them from any dealer, for any brand.
 
-juice

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