MSRP: $32,599

Sports fans have seen it all too often.  A coach who won a championship or two stays around a little too long.  The rest of the game starts to pass him by, and he is the last one to know it.  Usually, he stays around a year or two too long.  This is what has happened to the Mitsubishi Eclipse and Spyder.  2012 will be the last year for the Eclipse Spyder Convertible.  Will it be a victory lap or a wake?

The 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GT Convertible is the highest of three trim levels.  It has a 3.6 liter V6 engine that produces 265 horsepower.  It has 18-inch alloy wheels, front-wheel drive, and a 5-speed automatic transmission.  It is rated at 17 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.

The Spyder GT comes with heated front bucket seats with 6-way power driver controls and driver’s height adjustment.  It also has full power accessories, cruise control, leather upholstery, a tilt-only leather-wrapped steering wheel, a sunroof, foglights, xenon headlights, and automatic climate control.  The audio system is a Rockford Fosgate with AM/FM/satellite radio, 8 conventional speakers, a subwoofer, a 6-CD/MP3 player, and an audio jack.

The Spyder also has anti-lock brakes, side front airbags, stability control, and traction control.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave it their highest scores of good for front and side impacts.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The interior is fairly attractive, especially considering the average quality of the materials.  The front seats have plenty of legroom, but the rear seats are basically a 2 + 2 afterthought.  Headroom is obviously not an issue with the top down.  There is only 5.2 cubic feet of cargo space in the trunk with the top down, and 15.7 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down.

The Spyder is a sport car, and the handling and ride reflect that.  The steering and suspension are tight and give great response.  The engine, though, is merely ordinary, and there is too much torque steer when accelerating in a sporty manner with front-wheel drive.

All in all, the Spyder is a tired old car that is rightfully being put out to pasture.  It looks pretty cool, and is almost a decent sport car for a poser who doesn’t really want to put too many demands on it, but there are much better for less money.

The verdict: the Spyder might not be dead yet, but it’s doing a pretty good imitation.

The 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander is a compact crossover SUV.  The XLS is the third of four trim levels, and the lowest to get the new, more powerful engine.  It is really a five-seater, but the XLS gets a third row seat.  It was given a few improvements to make it more sleek and modern, while keeping the underpinnings of a nice multi-purpose crossover.

The Outlander XLS comes with a 3.0 liter V6 engine that produces 230 horsepower and 215 pound-feet of torque.  It has 18-inch steel wheels, all-wheel drive, and a 6-speed automatic transmission with manual shift override that allows you to choose from front wheel drive or two different mods of all-wheel drive.  It is rated at 18 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.

The XLS also comes with a leather-wrapped tilt-only steering wheel, full power accessories, cruise control, cloth sport seats keyless entry, keyless ignition, automatic climate control, voice-activated Bluetooth, the Fuse hands-free link system, a trip computer, roof rails, foglights, and heated side-view mirrors.  The audio system has 6 speakers, AM/FM radio, a CD/MP3 player, a USB/iPod input, and an audio jack.

The Outlander also has stability control, traction control, anti-lock brakes, side front airbags, side curtain airbags, and front head restraints.  In government crash tests, it got perfect ratings of 5 stars on frontal and side impact tests.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also gave it its highest score, “good,” in side and frontal offset tests.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

Just like the exterior was given a more sleek and modern look, the interior was also improved.  The materials are high-quality with the exception of a few cheaper materials, and the design is quite attractive.  There is plenty of cloth, stitching, chrome trim, and a little bit of leather to keep you visually engaged.  The cabin is large enough to be quite comfortable for five, with plenty of headroom and legroom.

We recommend folding the third row “seat” or removing it altogether and using it for storage space unless you are using it to transport part of a very young youth baseball or soccer team.  If you fold both the second and third row, you can get over 72 cubic feet of cargo space.

The Outlander’s best attribute is that it handles like a sport sedan and rides like a family car.  It also has a little bit of zip to it with the V6 engine, and the versatility of the all-wheel drive helps it handle the road in virtually any conditions.

All in all, the Outlander XLS a fun crossover SUV with stability control and perfect crash-test scores, but the useless third row seat makes it almost like a big family sedan.

The verdict: good for a young family because of the crash test results, but probably too much of a tweener for most other demographics.

MSRP: $24,699

2012 is the last year for the Eclipse.  Sometimes, that can be great, but sometimes it can be a long last year.  For 2012, Mitsubishi isn’t really putting a lot into the Eclipse.  They are making them, but they are pretty much stamping 2012 on the 2011 model.  They have managed to raise the price a bit, though.

The 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS Sport is either a sport coupe or a sport hatchback, depending on who is describing it.  It has a 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine that produces 162 horsepower.  It has 18-inch alloy wheels, front-wheel drive and a 4-speed automatic transmission.  It is rated at 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.

The GS Sport comes with heated front sport seats and 6-way driver adjustment, 50/50 split-folding seatbacks, a tilt-only steering wheel, full power accessories, cruise control, keyless entry, foglights, xenon headlights, a sunroof, standard air conditioning, heated power mirrors, and leather upholstery.  The audio system is a Rockford Fosgate with 9 speakers, AM/FM/satellite radio, a 6 CD/MP3 changer, and Bluetooth.

The GS Sport also comes with anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control, side front airbags, and side curtain airbags.  It got the highest scores of “good” from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in crash tests for front and side impact.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

On first impression this is a nice car.  The exterior design is sleek, has curves in all the right places, and even a rear spoiler.  When you get into the car, you notice that the front seats are very comfortable and have plenty of headroom and legroom.  On first look, the interior design is pretty cool.  Then you notice that many of the materials are not worthy of a car over $20,000.

The rear seats, as in most hatchbacks, lack headroom.  A hatchback has to be built bigger or with the downward curve starting behind the point where a rear seat passenger’s head can touch the roof.  The Eclipise is neither, and the rear seats are almost useless for an adult.  There is 15.7 cubic feet of storage space behind the seats, though.

The engine is not powerful enough for a sport car.  The only way you know there is any acceleration at all is because the car can go from being still to moving.  The GS does cruise smoothly at highway speeds, though.  It just takes awhile to get there.  It does handle fairly sporty.  The steering and suspension are actually tight enough to handle much more than the engine can give it.  Despite the sporty tuning, the ride is still decent.

All in all, though, there are just too many things to dislike about this car.  You can get a better engine, but it costs a bit over $4,000 more.  This begs a question: why on earth would you make a car that drives and rides like a Nissan Versa and then try to market it as a Ford Mustang?  This car is overpriced by about $6,000.

The verdict: a sheep in wolf’s clothing.  Baa.

MSRP $33,995

The 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution costs close to twice as much as the standard Lancer.  Not only does it cost more, but it looks different.  The large rear spoiler portends that it is going to have a lot more power than the standard model.  It is called the Lancer Evolution because it starts with a Lancer and evolves it into a pony car.

The 2011 Evolution GSR is a high-performance compact sedan.  It has a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine that puts out 291 horsepower.  This is one of the best displacement/horsepower ratios we have seen in a small car.  It has 18-inch alloy wheels, all-wheel drive, and a 5-speed manual transmission.  It is rated at 17 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway.

The Evolution GSR comes with a tilt-only, leather-wrapped steering wheel, keyless entry, cruise control, full power accessories, Recaro sport bucket seats, foglights, and the Fuse voice-activation system.  The audio system has 6 speakers, AM/FM radio, a CD/MP3 player, a USB/iPod port, an audio jack, Bluetooth, and streaming audio.

The Evolution has anti-lock brakes, side front airbags, side curtain airbags, driver’s knee airbags, active front head restraints, stability control, and traction control.  It also has a lot of advanced handling technologies built in.  In government tests under the 2010 standards, the Lancer received four stars for front passenger front impact protection and five stars for driver front impact protection.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave it perfect scores of “good” in all tests.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

While the exterior is very sleek and sporty, the interior doesn’t give any sign that the car is anything more than an economy sedan.  Besides the very comfortable and stylish Recaro sport seats, the interior is quite ordinary.  The alloy foot pedals do remind you that you are in a car built for speed, though.

There is plenty of  headroom and legroom in both the front and rear seats, but only 7 cubic feet of cargo space in the trunk.  Unlike the standard Lancer, the rear seat doesn’t fold down, so there isn’t a lot of extra cargo space to be had.

Really, though, if you are spending the extra money on this car, you aren’t buying it for cargo space.  You are buying it for performance, and the Evolution GSR doesn’t disappoint.  Of course, we don’t recommend trying this at home, but the GSR goes from zero to sixty in 4.9 seconds.  The spoiler creates enough downforce to keep the GSR on the road through raucous turns, and the suspension can handle pretty much anything you can give it.  The all-wheel drive helps even more with traction, and unlike older sport cars, ESC is there to bail you out if you get too carried away.

As on all sporty cars, the main negative is the ride quality.  It is definitely stiff, and it requires your passengers to have a sense of adventure.

The verdict: pony cars rock.

The 2011 Mitsubishi Endeavor LS is a 5-seat, midsize crossover SUV.  It has been around since 2004, and hasn’t really seen a lot of changes.  It has built a reputation for quality and versatility, but the game has changed.  Has Mitsubishi stuck with a “pat hand” too long?

The Endeavor LS is the lower of two trim levels.  It has a 3.8 liter, V6 engine that produces 225 horsepower.  It has 17-inch alloy wheels, front wheel drive, and a 4-speed automatic transmission.  It is rated at 15 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway.  An upgrade to 4-wheel drive is available, though it decreases mileage to 19 mpg on the highway.

The LS comes with keyless entry, a tilting steering wheel, full power accessories, cruise control, cloth upholstery, standard air conditioning, and foglights.  The audio system has 6 speakers, AM/FM radio, CD/MP3 player, and Bluetooth.

The Endeavor has all of the modern safety essentials: anti-lock brakes, stability control, traction control, front side airbags, and side curtain airbags.  IN government testing under 2010 standards, the Endeavor got 4 stars for front impact front passenger protection, and a perfect 5 stars for everything else.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave it perfect scores of “good” in all tests.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

If there wasn’t any competition, the Endeavor would be a nice crossover.  The interior has a lot of headroom and legroom in both the front and rear seats, and the seats themselves are reasonably comfortable, at least on short trips.

There is plenty of cargo space for its segment: 40.7 cubic feet behind the seats and another 34.9 cubic feet that can be added by folding over the rear seat.  The dashboard has a functional appearance, and the controls are logically placed and easy to reach.

The drive and the ride are average.  They aren’t a detriment, but they won’t inspire anyone, either.  The steering is fairly responsive, and the suspension can handle commuting and hauling a family around town.  The ride is not luxury, but it isn’t really uncomfortable, either.  Acceleration is decent, but nothing special, and there is enough power to take care of business, but none really left over for anything else.

There are some negatives here.  Most of them pertain to a model’s engineering staff resting on its laurels or focusing its energy into the next bigger, shinier model.  The cabin doesn’t look like it has been updated in at least ten years.  It is a melange of hard and soft materials, with some that are cheaper than one would like to see in any vehicle over $20,000.  The seats could use more support, too.

Most of all, though, the 4-speed transmission is outdated.  A more modern, 6-speed automatic would take more advantage of low-end torque for acceleration while providing more gas mileage, especially on the highway.

The verdict: the Endeavor was a great vehicle 8 years ago.  That isn’t good enough any more.

The 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander SE is a compact crossover SUV, but a lot more on the SUV side than most crossovers.  It looks almost like a family sedan in a way, but still has plenty of excitement.  It might not be a perfect family vehicle, but it will work just fine for a single person, a young couple, or a small family.  It all depends on what you want in a vehicle.

The Outlander SE is the second of four trim levels.  It has a 2.4 liter, 4 cylinder engine that produces 168 horsepower and 167 pound-feet of torque.  It has 18-inch alloy wheels, front wheel drive, and a continuously variable transmission (CVT).  It is rated at 23 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.

The SE comes with sport seats, a leather-wrapped, tilting steering wheel, cruise control, full power accessories, sliding second row seats, third row seats, cloth upholstery, turn signal mirrors, foglights, keyless entry, and keyless ignition.  The sound system has AM/FM radio, a 6-CD changer with MP3, and an audio input jack.

The Outlander comes with anti-lock brakes, stability control, traction control, side front airbags, side curtain airbags, and active front head restraints.  It aced all government tests under the 2010 standards, and aced all tests from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The interior, while not luxury by any means, is passable.  The materials are a mix of midrange and lower cost, but not enough to cross over into negative territory.  There is plenty of space in the first and second rows.  Headroom and legroom are more than enough.  Also, there is plenty of cargo space, and even more if you fold the second row, the third row, or both.

The Outlander handles very well, and is tweaked more for sporty performance than family use.  It doesn’t sit high enough off the ground to be a true off-road vehicle, but you wouldn’t know it from the suspension.  The steering is accurate and responsive, and the suspension can handle both cornering and surface irregularities with a minimum of roll or pitch.  The CVT works well for both mileage and acceleration.  The SE runs smoothly without a lot of noise or laboring.

There are negatives here.  Some are trade-offs and some aren’t.  First of all, the SUV-style suspension makes a lot of noise.  The fact that it is tweaked more for sport makes the ride too firm for some.  It is probably irritating to some that a suspension that would be great for off-road use is wasted on a vehicle that doesn’t have enough ground clearance to take full advantage of it.

Also, the third row seat is borderline useless.  It would be very uncomfortable for long rides, and isn’t fully covered by the side curtain airbags.  Also, the 4-cylinder engine is a bit weak.

The verdict:  perfect vehicle if you live on a dirt road, but I can’t find another reason to buy it.

The 2011 Mitsubishi Galant SE is a midsize sedan.  The SE is the higher of two trim levels.  Extra conveniences and features are the main reason for buying a Galant over its competition, and the SE has a lot of them.  But are conveniences and features enough to make the Galant a good buy in a somewhat crowded market segment?

The Galant SE has a 2.4 liter, 4-cylinder engine with 160 horsepower.  It has 18-inch alloy wheels and a 4 speed automatic transmission.  It is rated at 21 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.

As mentioned, the Galant SE is packed with features and conveniences.  It has an 8-way power driver seat with lumbar adjustments, a leather-wrapped, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, full power accessories, automatic climate control, a rear spoiler, heated mirrors, a back-up camera, foglights, dual illuminated vanity mirrors, heated mirrors, a navigation system, color display screen, and a power sunroof.  It also has a Rockford Acoustic Design sound system with 8 speakers, a 6-CD/MP3 changer, satellite radio, and Bluetooth.

The Galant has side front airbags, side curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes, stability control, and traction control.  It got 5 stars in all government tests under 2010 standards except for driver protection in a frontal crash, in which it got 4 stars.  It got top grades of “good” in all tests from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The seats are roomy.  There is plenty of both legroom and headroom all around.  Cargo space is almost average for its class.  The pure amount of features and gadgets is very nice from a driver’s point of view.  There are so many that you may imagine you are piloting an airplane.  The Galant drives nicely.  The steering is precise and the suspension gives a little bit of road feel to the driver without sacrificing ride quality.

There are quite a few negatives here, though.  Most of them come down to one core issue: in spite of a few tweaks, the Galant hasn’t really been redesigned in seven years.

Think of how far things have come in seven years.  Imagine a driver in a race car with aerodynamics and gear ratios from seven years ago.  He wouldn’t win a race.  In fact, he would be hard-pressed to finish anything but last of the cars who don’t crash.  This is the main problem facing the Galant, in both cosmetics and performance.

The cabin just doesn’t look remotely contemporary.  People’s tastes have changed in the last seven years, and the Galant doesn’t reflect that.  The performance aspects are not any better.  Between the aerodynamics and an outdated, 4-speed transmission without enough gear ratio choices, the Galant fails to get the gas mileage it should.  When you consider its mediocre power performance, it’s a “worst of both worlds” scenario.

The verdict:  the Galant is a “gallant” effort, but Mitsubishi has fallen short here.  The gadgets are nice, though.

MSRP  $27,999

The 2011 Eclipse Spyder is Mitsubishi’s performance convertible.  It has two doors and seats four.  It is one of the few convertibles in its price range.
The Spyder has been around for four years, and carved out a decent niche in its market.

But times are changing, and so is the competition.  Does the Spyder still have enough left to snare a decent market share in its web, or is is the competition treating it like a common, household pest?

The 2011 Spyder GS Sport has a 2.4 liter, 4-cylinder engine that produces 162 horsepower.  It has front wheel drive and a 4-speed automatic transmission.  It is rated at 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.

It has a tilt steering wheel, heated front seats, a 6-way driver seat with lumbar adjustment, full power accessories, cruise control, keyless entry, standard air conditioning, foglights, xenon headlights, and heated power mirrors.  It also has a Rockford Fosgate audio system that has a 6-CD changer, MP3 player, satellite radio, an audio jack, and steering wheel controls.

The Spyder has anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control, and side front airbags that compensate for the convertible top by being tall enough to cover the occupants’ heads.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the Spyder it’s highest rating of good for both side and frontal crashes.

Conclusions and Driver Feedback:

On the outside, the Spyder looks like a great car.  Its exterior has been an eye-catcher since it came out.  It has a sleek, modern “look” that is much better seen than described.  The interior has a nice design, too.  The Spyder is a very modern-looking car, and should have no problem attracting a younger market.

There are plenty of features to like, and the stereo is an upgrade over many.  Also, the front seats and the trunk have a lot of room.  The steering is responsive, and the suspension, while sporty, isn’t so stiff that it makes passengers suffer from sacrifices in ride quality.  All in all, the performance is enjoyable but relatively sedate.

The problem here, though, is that the competition is shooting for performance that is inspiring.  And any car with the word “performance” in its description should seek to inspire, not merely placate.  The problem with the Sport is that the engine simply isn’t powerful enough to inspire anyone.  Calling this engine a dog would be an insult to canines.

If Mitsubishi were to put this engine in a lightweight car with a sportier suspension, it would have itself a world class car.  But the Spyder is too heavy  for this engine.  Also, the rear seats are almost an afterthought.  This is much more like the old “2+2” design in which the rear seat isn’t really meant to be a rear seat than a 4-seater.

The verdict: sometimes you’re the “Spyder,” and sometimes you’re the fly.  This Spyder can’t get unstuck from its own web.

MSRP  $16,595

The 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer ES is a small economy sedan with an attitude.  Even in the base trims, it has a sporty edge that may differentiate it from the competition.  But is it enough to compete in a crowded marketplace?

The Lancer ES is the second of four trim levels and the lowest trim with air conditioning.  It has a 2.0 liter, 4-cylinder engine that produces 148 horsepower.  It has 16-inch steel wheels and a 5 speed manual transmission.  It is rated at 24 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway.

The Lancer ES comes with a tilt steering wheel, driver seat with adjustable height, cruise control, keyless entry, full power accessories, and a trip computer.  The sound system has 4 speakers, AM/FM radio, a CD/MP3 player, an audio jack, and steering wheel audio controls.

The Lancer ES comes with anti-lock brakes, stability and traction controls, side front airbags, and full length side curtain airbags.  It got 5 stars for front impact driver protection and 4 stars for everything else.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rated it “good,” which is its highest rating.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

While the Lancer ES is an economy car, it tries very hard not to look like one.  It succeeds on some levels, but won’t fool anyone into thinking it is either a luxury or a sport sedan.  It’s attitude, though, goes a long way toward at least giving an air of excitement.

There is plenty of space in the interior; the front seats have plenty of headroom and legroom.  The rear seats, which are often cramped in smaller cars, give enough headroom and legroom for even taller passengers.

The ES, as a lower trim, has the less-powerful engine.  This is great for fuel economy and makes it a decent commuting vehicle.  The handling, while not quite sporty, does provide a bit of feel and response.  The ride, while not spectacular, is decent.  There is just enough of a sporty edge here, even in the lower trim, to make the ES a viable alternative to tamer models.

There are a few negatives here, too.  The interior is quite ordinary, and almost undermines what Mitsubishi is trying to accomplish with the exterior.  Basically, the interior doesn’t show as much imagination as the exterior, and is made of cheaper, harder materials than one would like.

Also, the base engine can be a bit noisy, especially at higher speeds.  In addition, the Lancer ES trades acceleration for higher mileage.  You may like this sense of balance, but it leaves some drivers wanting more.

The steering wheel doesn’t telescope, and that may make larger drivers feel a bit pinched.  For most, it won’t matter, but some would rather see more versatility from the steering column.

The verdict: industry people like this car despite its flaws, solely on its “look.”  But, as the old song goes, “you can’t judge a book by looking at its cover.”

The Mitsubishi Lancer is a luxury vehicle with a sleek exterior design to show off, a powerful engine, alloy wheels and top notch safety features. One lucky buyer will get the chance to ride around in the discount brand new car, for more information contact R.C. Hill Mitsubishi in DeLand, FL 1 877 785 6515. Other hot deals from R.C. Hill Mitsubishi:
+2011 Mitsubishi Endeavor $22,203-
+2011 Mitsubishi Galant $15,183-
+2011 Mitsubishi Lancer $13,807-