2006 Mitsubishi Outlander Ls on 2040-cars

Auto blog

A car writer's year in new vehicles [w/video]

Christmas is only a week away. The New Year is just around the corner. As 2014 draws to a close, I'm not the only one taking stock of the year that's we're almost shut of. Depending on who you are or what you do, the end of the year can bring to mind tax bills, school semesters or scheduling dental appointments. For me, for the last eight or nine years, at least a small part of this transitory time is occupied with recalling the cars I've driven over the preceding 12 months. Since I started writing about and reviewing cars in 2006, I've done an uneven job of tracking every vehicle I've been in, each year. Last year I made a resolution to be better about it, and the result is a spreadsheet with model names, dates, notes and some basic facts and figures. Armed with this basic data and a yen for year-end stories, I figured it would be interesting to parse the figures and quantify my year in cars in a way I'd never done before. The results are, well, they're a little bizarre, honestly. And I think they'll affect how I approach this gig in 2015. {C} My tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015 it'll be as high as 73. Let me give you a tiny bit of background about how automotive journalists typically get cars to test. There are basically two pools of vehicles I drive on a regular basis: media fleet vehicles and those available on "first drive" programs. The latter group is pretty self-explanatory. Journalists are gathered in one location (sometimes local, sometimes far-flung) with a new model(s), there's usually a day of driving, then we report back to you with our impressions. Media fleet vehicles are different. These are distributed to publications and individual journalists far and wide, and the test period goes from a few days to a week or more. Whereas first drives almost always result in a piece of review content, fleet loans only sometimes do. Other times they serve to give context about brands, segments, technology and the like, to editors and writers. So, adding up the loans I've had out of the press fleet and things I've driven at events, my tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015, it'll be as high as 73. At one of the buff books like Car and Driver or Motor Trend, reviewers might rotate through five cars a week, or more. I know that number sounds high, but as best I can tell, it's pretty average for the full-time professionals in this business.

The Mitsubishi GT-PHEV Concept offers an unsightly look into the automaker's future

It was only a few months ago that Mitsubishi teased the Grand Tourer Concept with an image of the SUV's side profile. Now that it's just a few weeks before the Paris Motor Show, Mitsubishi released some renderings of the GT-PHEV Concept that will influence the rest of the automaker's lineup for the future. Mitsubishi is touting the concept as a "high-end next-generation SUV." Styling may indeed be subjective, but the GT-PHEV Concept has a face that only a mother could love. There's a bit of Lexus-like hate-it-or-like-it in the fascia, and the rest of it looks similar to that of the eX Concept that was revealed last year. Both concepts have grille openings that resemble the letter X, three hexagonal fog lights on the sides, and tiny slivers for headlights. The side profile of the GT-PHEV Concept reminds us of a Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, which isn't such a bad thing. The back of the concept features a rakish design with thin wrap-around taillights that also look good. If you can get past the SUV's looks, you'll find comfort the GT-PHEV's powertrain to be an interesting look into the future. The concept features Mitsubishi's next-gen plug-in hybrid system, which is comprised of three electric motors (one in the front and two at the back), a regular internal combustion engine, and a high-capacity battery. The systems work together as a full-time four-wheel-drive system. On electric-only power, the GT-PHEV Concept can travel an estimated 75 miles, while the car's total range is roughly 746 miles. Mitsubishi claims the GT-PHEV Concept is a ground tourer capable of chewing away the miles with ease. And while the automaker didn't include any images of the vehicle's interior, Mitsubishi claims the concept has a cockpit-like interior that wraps around the front passengers. The interior leather color can also be found on the roof of the vehicle for a "classy" look. Mitsubishi continues to focus on SUVs and crossovers, but we doubt the automaker will put a vehicle that looks like the GT-PHEV Concept on the road. We think this concept is more for show, but it will probably be used as inspiration for the design of the next Mitsubishi Outlander. Here's hoping that face gets toned down some.

Mitsubishi Mirage configurator is alive

Well, here's the butter knife Mitsubishi is bringing to the subcompact gun fight. It's called the Mirage, and its configurator has just gone live on Mitsubishi's consumer page, allowing those that absolutely must have a brand-new car for not a lot of money (and have never heard of the Nissan Versa, Mazda2, Chevrolet Spark or Ford Fiesta) to build their perfect example.
Prices start at $12,995 for a base DE model with a five-speed manual transmission and $14,195 for the up-market ES with the same transmission. A 74-horsepower, 1.2-liter engine is the sole powerplant. Both trims feature a continuously variable transmission for an extra $1,000 and a range of eight exterior colors, while black is the sole interior color.
Fully loaded with all the assorted packages - there are 10 on the ES model, adding things like navigation, a backup camera and LED ambient lights - the Mirage checks out at $19,540. Feel free to have a go at the configurator yourself.