2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Se on 2040-cars

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2016 Mitsubishi Outlander has fresh design and a bump in refinement

Mitsubishi hopes to have the delivered the big finish to this year's New York Auto Show, with its new midsize, three-row Outlander. The company seems oddly emphatic in pointing out that the SUV is "not just a cosmetic 'refreshing'" at the top of its press release; we thinks you doth protest too much, Mitsu. The real freshness starts with the exterior styling, which is said to break ground on a new design language for the brand. The half-chrome, half-blacked out front fascia is certainly the most eye-catching part of the SUV, though taut, conservative details make up the rest. We don't expect a lot of love-it / hate-it comments based on this Mitsubishi (though you guys do surprise us sometimes). But however the company may draw attention to the "over 100 engineering and design improvements" made to the SUV, what's under the hood feels familiar. No mention is made of the 2016 engine lineup, so we expect the 2.4-liter four and 3.0-liter V6 to carryover unchanged from last year. There is a new CVT, however, said to come with improvements to acceleration and "shift feel." Other updates include a more composed chassis, rigid body structure and improved levels of NVH thanks to sound insolation and noise-deadening glass. Pricing and new technical specs (such as they might be) are soon to be out in the near future. In the meantime, feast your eyes on the new Outlander's style in our gallery from the show floor. Mitsubishi Motors New 2016 Outlander Makes World Debut at the 2015 New York International Auto Show The 2016 Outlander showcases Mitsubishi's new design language for the first time on a production vehicle The new Outlander features over 100 engineering and design improvements The 2016 Outlander marks a new era for the Mitsubishi brand relating to style, refinement and overall driving experience Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) today unveiled the new 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander seven-passenger crossover at the 2015 New York International Auto Show. The 2016 Outlander is the first Mitsubishi production vehicle to showcase the brand's new design language. The 2016 Outlander is not just a cosmetic "refreshing," however, and features an unprecedented number of important engineering and design improvements that increase the level of refinement and overall driving experience. The 2016 Outlander is a segment-leading vehicle that will appeal to buyers wanting value, quality and safety.

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.

The last Mitsubishi Evolution in the US sold for $76,400

UPDATE: The final Mitsubishi Evolution, Final Edition number 1,600, sold at auction for $76,400. The proceeds will go straight to Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino and Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County in celebration of Hunger Action Month. While we're sad to see the Lancer Evolution disappear, we're at least glad to see that the last one on our shores will do some good for those in need. Mitsubishi announced that the very last Lancer Evo X Final Edition for the US, number 1,600, will be auctioned on eBay for charity. The auction starts tomorrow at 9 am Pacific time and runs until Thursday, September 15 at 9 am. Considering the car's collectability and auction availability, the last Evo will probably go for well above MSRP, but that's a good thing. All of the proceeds will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank in Orange County and Feeding America in Riverside and San Bernardino, so the higher that bidding reaches for this particular car, the better. Aside from the charitable and collectible reasons, the Final Edition Evo is also the best version of the classic sport compact Mitsubishi has built. It has an extra 12 horsepower over standard and comes with the five-speed manual transmission. Plus it gets upgraded Bilstein shocks, Eibach springs and Brembo brakes. So if you want to buy the last, best version of a great car and help people while doing it, log into your eBay account this week and put in your bid. Related Video: