1995 Mitsubishi 3000gt Vr-4 Coupe 2-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is world's first production plug-in hybrid CUV [w/video]

Though Mitsubishi first showed us the form of its 2013 Outlander in Geneva a while back, the company saved its plug-in hybrid crossover for this week's Paris Motor Show soiree.
Mitsubishi is quite proud to offer what it says is the world's first production PHEV utility vehicle, a new model that makes use of established technologies within the company. Learnings from the company's i-MiEV electric car have worked there way into a vehicle that can travel up to 55 kilometers (34 miles) on lithium-ion battery power. Two electric motors independently power the front and rear wheels of the Outlander, while the gasoline-powered engine can be used as a generator for the motors, or to power the vehicle directly. The target combined fuel economy for the Outlander PHEV is 61 km/liter, or roughly 143 miles per gallon.
The Outlander PHEV will be introduced in the Japanese market in the first part of 2013, with European and North American markets to follow on. There is no word about an on-sale date, but while you're pondering the possibilities, check out an official video by scrolling down and peruse our high-res image gallery.

2017 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport | Affordable outlier

The $10,000 new car, truck or SUV is long dead, and the $15,000 price point is nearly so. To purchase a new vehicle and enjoy everything buying "new" implies (warranty, reasonably new tech, a long life and affordable financing), you have to spend $20,000, probably more like $25,000. We'll take a look at spending that $20K at a Mitsubishi store. If you've forgotten Mitsubishi, don't blame yourself. A generation ago, Mitsubishi's American arm had a financial meltdown, precipitated by a consumer financing plan offering zero interest and zero payments for way-too-many-months. When it was time to make payments customers simply returned the cars, leaving Mitsubishi holding a very expensive inventory worth substantially less than what was owed. Later, of course, the economy had its own meltdown, from which most of America's automotive industry rebounded. But Mitsubishi, with a sparse lineup and little marketing, is still working on that. A recent infusion of Nissan capital will help, as should Nissan's managerial oversight. Despite Mitsubishi's aging lineup, the Outlander Sport stands out - Mitsubishi continued to build it while other manufacturers were belatedly awakening to the subcompact crossover segment. And while its platform is old and its menu of standard and optional equipment dated, if you're on a tight budget you might find it attractive. Dimensionally, the Outlander Sport is a plus-size relative to Mazda's CX-3 and Honda's HR-V. For a detailed comparison of all three entries, visit Autoblog's comparison tool here. The CX-3 boasts the shortest wheelbase (101.2 inches), while the Honda sits at 102.8 inches and the compact Outlander Sport stretches to 105.1. In overall length the Mitsu is close to both the CX-3 (168 inches for the Mazda, 171.5 for the Outlander Sport and 169.1 inches for the HR-V). Finally, the Outlander Sport's 3,000-pound weight is within a belt notch of the Mazda's 2,900 and the Honda's 2,900 (front-wheel drive/manual). The Mitsubishi sheetmetal and stance is reminiscent of Audi's Q5, and while the similarity is coincidental, it's fun to have an upmarket look in a $20,000 car. Of course, once the Outlander Sport is turned on, that upmarket vibe is gone. For your $20K you'll get a 2.0-liter engine offering 148 horsepower, just north of Mazda's 146 and Honda' s 141.