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2010 Mitsubishi Outlander GT

127 messages,  Last post on Dec 08, 2012 at 8:33 PM

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What is this discussion about? Mitsubishi Outlander, SUV

    

Messages Page 12 of 13

#111 of 127 Re: 2013 Outlander [fushigi] by batman47

Mar 10, 2012 (5:29 pm)

Replying to: fushigi (Mar 10, 2012 8:09 am)
General information about the 2013 Outlander implies that this car will be sold first in Russia, then in Europe, and then at the end of 2012 in the USA and Australia
 
Europe will sell 2.0 litre petro (MIVEC) and 2.2 litre diesels, I think. I hope the 3.0 litre variant will be offered (although unlikely) in the USA plus its S-AWD specification. In my opinion the best thing about the Outlander GT is its excellent coordination of steering, suspension, and braking at high speed. It is very enjoyable to drive this car. My 2010 GT has too many spots and scratches inside which may shown poor quality material (plastic + paint). The 2013 Outlander will make serious improvements to this.
 
Mitsubishi could never solve the design problem that small flying stones from the front caused paint chipping of the rear, so it has opted to start from scratch in the design of this 2013 Outlander. Body apparently seem to have more meat than the previous one, and looks stronger than the previous model. I do not like the alloy wheel design. The goat paw end spokes may make the car wheel noisier.
 
The 2013 Outlander seems to adopt characteristics of European cars (e.g. BMW, Audi, and Mercedes). Roof cargo seems to follow tendencies of modern cars. This is to say, it is easy to implement a roof box if it is needed.
 
Most probably its xenon headlights will have automatic washers to comply with international safety measures. The third row of seats has easier mechanism to use and therefore eliminating the cumbersome procedure of previous models. The 2013 Outlander will also eliminate the collapsible (vertical) second row of seats. The second and third row of seats will lay flat all the way providing a lot of cargo area and also an area to sleep on adventure journeys.
 
Regardless of its front bumper design and rear body design I am particularly just a bit disappointed with this; really what matters, is that the car keeps its wonderful drivability and fun to drive in the new model. I personally I do not believe this will happen with an engine 2.0 litre.
 
I have doubts that this car will reward us with that swift acceleration that have made the previous Outlander GT so desirable.
 
I have seconds’ thoughts now to ask my Mitsubishi dealer to keep the $1000 initial deposit and just wait for 8-months and buy the 2013 model at the end of the year if I could know for certain that this 2013 Outlander will keep its 3.0 litre engine. What is your advice?
 
Comments said that the car will have a front battery and a rear battery for the plug-in hybrid. I do not think the car will responds like the Outlander GT with its active front limited differential, center mechanical differential and center limited differential. The front limited differential is what makes the GT S-AWD so great to drive on snow, mud, and sand.
 
Will Mitsubishi stop production of the GT all together? I hope Mitsubishi will offer both models to US customers.

#112 of 127 Re: 2013 Outlander [batman47] by fushigi

Mar 11, 2012 (4:50 pm)

Replying to: batman47 (Mar 10, 2012 5:29 pm)
Engines: I can see no more than 3 offering: 2 + hybrid/PHEV. So they might still do the 4 cyl (inexpensive), 6 cyl (performance/GT), and PHEV (fuel economy). I suppose it depends on the price points.
 
Outlander, well any Mitsu model, are not going to sell in CR-V numbers so it can be a challenge for Mitsu to offer lots of engine choices. It helps if the other choices are simply imports of options available in other markets. But please no diesel. That'd be a sales disaster in the US; we simply won't buy them apart from a few exceptions (like VW).
 
Putting down a deposit: I would advise against it for several reasons, including not knowing how much you'll like the ride/drive experience, there never really being that much of an availability issue with Mitsus (again, they don't sell so fast that a model will be tough to find), and putting down a deposit far in advance to me tells the dealer you'll buy the car at any price so your ability to negotiate a good deal when the time comes will be hampered.
 
Battery: I think the front/rear battery thing is simple confusion. The videos show a centrally located large battery pack. That's the "rear" battery. There will be a front battery, but it'll be just a normal 12V battery like any other car with an ICE has. It'll be used to power accessories and possibly to start the ICE. As for responding like the GT, it'll be different. All torque off the line will be good but passing power won't be as strong. For me the AWD need is almost entirely for driving in winter conditions so if the AWD system isn't as advanced due to integration with the EV side of things, I can live with it.
 
My concern is if the PHEV costs substantially more than the V6 model after tax/government incentives. If that happens then few people will opt for it.

#113 of 127 Buying an Outlander by batman47

Mar 13, 2012 (2:52 pm)

Some members will wish to buy an Outlander using the following procedure and save $1500.
 
1- Have a meeting with the CEO of the Mitsubishi dealership
2- Say that you want to order an Outlander from Japan (because the car you wish to buy is not in the show room)
3- Most probably the CEO will say that you will need to leave a deposit (e.g. $1000)
4- Then you say you want to pay only the ‘invoice / dealer’ price and not the MSRP
 
Dealers even selling the car to you at ‘invoice’ price will still have a fair profit. The Dealer will be committed because it is almost a 100% certain sale.
 
5- Most probably the dealer will accept your offer.
6- Most probably you will get your car 3-months after
 
Advantages of this approach:
 
a- Ask the dealer to provide you with a complete PDI on the car when the car arrives to the US.
b- The accessories and options will be assembled most probably in Japan and the fitting of the items will be much better than those carried out at a local port (e.g. LA, US)
c- You will buy the accessories options that you indeed wanted. You will not need to pay for accessories and options that you do not want as those shown in the show room cars.
d- You can still reject the car if some serious problems arise during the testing (e.g. engine does not start, vibration, doors uneven, body indentation, paint spot, lights not working, etc, etc) which is very unlikely.
e- Mitsubishi has a very stringent quality control in Japan and it is very unlikely that the engine of your new car will not sound as the other GTs.
 
Disadvantage of this approach
f- If there is nothing wrong with the car, it will be hard to reject the car without losing $1000 and
g- You will lose $1000 if you decide to buy a RAV4 instead of a 2012 Outlander GT
 
For example the 2012 Outlander I have ordered the MSRP is $30,520 and the Invoice or price I will pay to the dealer before taxes is $29,042. This was the pre-contract arrangement. According to Edmunds the invoice nowadays of the 2012 Outlander GT falls at $28,494 (True Market Price).
 
Loyalty discount will make the total price to pay before taxes at $28,542.

#114 of 127 Re: Buying an Outlander [batman47] by steve_ HOST

Mar 13, 2012 (7:39 pm)

Replying to: batman47 (Mar 13, 2012 2:52 pm)
Holdback on Mitsubishi's is 2% of the Base MSRP so the dealer can make money even selling for invoice. (link)
 
I'd try to make any deposit refundable myself. A lot can happen in the weeks between ordering a car and picking it up.

#116 of 127 Outlander parts from Japan and Australia by batman47

Mar 31, 2012 (7:12 am)

There are many OEM parts (accessories, options, and parts) that now can be ordered from the USA directly from Japan. I assume many members have the money to buy, but are unable to order / buy them in the USA market. Usually dealers (part departments) are reluctant to help.
 
Here is a tentative way to get stuff for your Outlander from Japan:
 
1- Download the latest catalogue (PDF file) of the Outlander in Japan. Ways to do this have been given in this forum (There are 2-files. One file is concerned with the Outlander itself and the second file is concerned with accessories and options)
2- Part numbers in the Japanese PDF file have the same format as in the US, easy to read and the prices are in yens. Approximately 100 yens is one US dollar
3- Access web page: nst-auto.com/outlander. The page is in Japanese but use google translate to have the page in English. You may order on line but you can request your stuff by telephone, as I did.
4- If you decide to phone introduce yourself and ask for the item or items you would like to order (i.e. part numbers)
5- Give your personal data and address in the US where the goods are going to be sent. Better ask for an email address where you can write an email text with all your stuff.
6- You will be given the price of the product and price of shipping (usually air) to your home
7- If you agree, He/she will ask for your Debit/Credit card details
8- Your goods will arrive to your home in 2-weeks or less
 
Part number MZ531375 (mudflaps) and 2-japanese oil filter (MD360935) have arrived at my home from Japan for my 2012 Outlander GT.
 
Equally, you may order from Australia some stuff. For example Mitsubishi Australia accessories catalogue exhibit front seat (MR935441) and rear seat (MR935442) cover kits that appear they are not sold in any other place on the planet. The seat cover has the logo of Outlander scribbled on it. I think they are cute. Furthermore, they also sell One-touch sunshade (MZ518059EX) that fit neatly on the Outlander interior windscreen.
 
You may access carpenterautomotive.com.au and fill a request part form online. You may telephone there and ask to talk with the part department man. The process to order and payment is similar to the Japanese order.
 
I have seen also a Mitsubishi windshield-banner-decal 4” x 38” ($15) at which in my opinion gives the Outlander a very nice distinction that features the perception of robustness of a rally car. Although this is not to everybody’s taste I will definitely order one. Access the eBay (USA) web page and enter in the search field: Mitsubishi windshield-banner-decal 4” x 38”. The banner can be ordered from a sample of 5-colors. You may pay with your PayPal facilities.

#117 of 127 Re: 2.5 year ownership report [fushigi] by fushigi

Jun 10, 2012 (8:12 am)

Replying to: fushigi (Dec 12, 2011 5:52 pm)
I bought my '10 Outlander GT in December '09 so it is now 2.5 years or 30 months old.
 
Mileage: 23,7xx
Lifetime fuel economy: 21.2 MPG
Total repair cost: insurance deductible for a replacement windshield
Maintenance: oil changes every 6 months, tire rotations every year, and I previously mentioned replacing the air filter with a K&N (which I do to save money, not for better power/economy)
 
The next oil change will be on Tuesday. That will also include the "30K maintenance" work since the book notes it as 24 months or 30K miles. I'm in between that: shorter 24K miles but longer 30 months so I figured I'd do it now to make sure the warranty is maintained in case I need it later on. With the added work this maintenance will be the first one to top $100.
 
There's really nothing new to report. Everything works. It hauls my cargo. The heat & heated seats kept up with an admittedly mild Chicagoland winter and the AC is keeping up just fine with our 90+ degree days in late spring/early summer.
 
The P0 error I mentioned in my previous update has not recurred.
 
I work from home mostly so the miles aren't piling on very fast.
 
We visit friends in far-suburban-Chicago and with the roads & traffic we wind up maintaining 40-45 MPH speeds. At that speed the instant economy gauge floats between 30 & 50 MPG. Too bad I'm generally too impatient to drive that slow for long stretches.
 
While I maintain strong interest in the plug-in hybrid Outlander that Mitsu is promising to release here in 2013, truth be told I don't see myself upgrading this car anytime soon unless my commute changes. I already sometimes go 3 weeks or more between fillups and because my miles driven is low, that aspect of operating cost is insignificant compared to the payment. And a hybrid/plug-in certainly isn't going to help on that front.

#118 of 127 GT roof rack by fastgst

Jun 18, 2012 (3:14 pm)

Does anyone know why the GT doesn't come with the roof rack standard like the lower models.
Instead it says Thule plug in mount point but does not explain how it works or how much.
 
How difficult is it to install or uninstall the roof cross bars on the GT? I won't use it all the time but want to know the difference between the GT/Thule system and the SE side rails where you throw the mitsu cross bar ($250) on.

#119 of 127 Re: noeffectx... [fushigi] by batman47

Nov 13, 2012 (1:01 am)

Replying to: fushigi (Sep 09, 2011 10:13 am)
Did you install the OEM tow hitch (#MZ313809) yourself or was it installed by a Mitsubishi technician?
 
I have ordered the part and it is very heavy. The installation instructions imply taking off the exhaust and the gas emission canister before assembling the tow hitch.
 
If you did the installation job could you provide some hints of how to do it without lifting the car with a hydraulic ramp? Is it possible to do the job with my back on the floor and the car lifted with jacks?
 
Also is it still possible to access the spare tire easily when the tow hitch is in place?
 
Help much appreciated.

#120 of 127 Re: noeffectx... [batman47] by comem47

Nov 14, 2012 (7:38 am)

Replying to: batman47 (Nov 13, 2012 1:01 am)
I haven't followed the changes in Outlanders over the years, but installing the factory tow hitch on my 2007 was no big deal and the spare tire lowers just fine with that hitch. I don't remember jacking it up off the ground either. I think I used a floor jack to hold it up in position while I fastened the frame bolts.

Messages Page 12 of 13

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