2007 Mitsubishi Outlander VRX review
24 Nov, 2007
43 Comments 
2007 Mitsubishi Outlander VRX review
CarAdvice rating: 
Recommended Retail Price: $43,490
Options Fitted: Pearlescent Paint - $350
- by Karl Peskett
Value for money. It’s subjective, naturally, but who really wants to spend more than they have to? Isn’t it what most people are after these days?
Yes, there are exceptions, like when you hang a tag off something and it has the name Ferrari printed on it. But even that’s debatable, as some would argue that you get so much more with it – prestige, heritage and other non-tangible associations.
At the lower end of the scale we have the hotly contested midsized SUV market. And one of the players is staking its claim as a versatile, capable and cost-effective bush basher.
The Mitsubishi Outlander received an extreme makeover late last year which removed the stubby nosed, slightly awkward look and replaced it with cosmetically attractive and well balanced proportions.
Location: Home / Mitsubishi, Behind the Wheel / ...
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(27 votes, average: 4.15 out of 5)
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November 24th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
I own the LS 7-seat Activ version, and its a great car. However, the plastic on the doors are horrible. The doors are the weakest link, can’t seem to close them properly without slamming them shut and the sound they make.. well.. sounds bad. Legroom at the rear is fantastic esp when you slide the rear seats as far back as possible. Apart from the bad plastics and somewhat noisy 2.4L MIVEC engine, the ride is smooth, handling is great for a car of this size, extremely practical and light on fuel (again for a car of this size).
I guess you can’t get everything when you pay so little.
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November 24th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
I nearly bought one of these V6 VR-X’s, but I just couldn’t live with the cheap feel of the interior, especially the door trims which are one piece of moulded plastic.
The drivetrain is 1st class, although it is a little thirsty…. now matter how I tried, I couldn’t get anywhere near the claimed 9.9L/100km economy. It tended to average about 16L/100km around town.
I found the handling was brilliant for an SUV, it was as good as many so-called sports cars.
Mitsubishi deserves to sell a lot of these vehicles, and coupled with the new Lancer, I really do think we’re seeing a resurgence away from the oblivion that they were heading towards in the last few years.
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November 24th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
I quite like the new Outlander and this will be on my test drive list next year when I look to get rid of my Outback.
I’d definitely go the V6, although the 16L consumption Foggy quotes is a bit of a concern.
Re the interior I have also read others saying the build/fit quality of the plastics is below par. I guess that’s something you have to weigh up with the overall package.
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November 24th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
You can’t have an X5 for 25% of the cost. What you do get with the Outlander, is probably the best all round value for money SUV on the market.
I agree, the interior trim still needs work and Mitsu should benchmark Subaru in that department but then, they wouldn’t be able to build enough of them!
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November 24th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Me thinks the RAV4 V6 is a better SUV.
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November 24th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
this in white looks awesome.
thats right, white!!!!!
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November 24th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Momo, who is “Me” are you talking about your self or me? If me, I never said anything about which SUV is better.
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November 24th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
I like the look. Out of Rav4 and Outlander, i’d have the Outlander because it looks better and it was not taken off the market, unlike the RAV.
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November 24th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
I wrote Me without a dot at the end so it couldn’t possibly be you, unless you insist. Its pretty funny though :D
Actually, you should be glad that Toyota did take the RAV4 off the market to get it right, unlike Mitsubishi Japan who chose to hide faults (recallable cases) with their vehicles that became international news in 2000. Mitsubishi’s cover up started way back from 1977, totaling 23 years. Do you still want to trust this company?
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November 24th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
LOL, funny what hapend! But I’d be carefull about Mitsubishi!
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November 24th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
I average around 11.0L/100km around town (lots of hills) the 4 cylinder. On highways that drops easily to 8.0L/100km. The good thing about the 4 cylinder model is that the CVT auto allows for a lower rpm whilst delivery similar performance. Very good for highway cruising.
Though I have an issue that I might have to call up Mitsu about.. there is a soft whine/hum when the engine’s rpm is @ 1200 - I believe this is something to do with the CVT… any ideas?
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November 24th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
Our colt CVT has an occasional soft hum…it is normal for CVT…I have no issue with it…and 52,000ks and 2.5yrs later we’ve had not one problem on that little gem. I love the Outlander…and driving around Geelong it is evident they sell like hotcakes! There is one in every second driveway! They are very stylish, like the new lancer. Some may take issue with some cheap cabin finishes but let me assure you…they will not come apart or rattle…Mitsus are always finished very well…and unlike Holdens you won’t have to hold then panels to get them to stop vibrating! I know that from having had nearly 20years experience with Mitsus. And some regretted forays into the world of Holden.
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November 25th, 2007 at 8:51 am
the great thing about mitsubishi is that even if something mechanical does go wrong with it, mitsubishi will fix it for free for 10 YEARS! You even get free roadside assistance for 5 years. But seriously you dont need any of it, i used a mitsubishi magna station wagon as a courier vehicle for 5 years, and anyone who knows how couriers drive will know just how hard they work their vehicles! The only thing that ever went wrong with my magna was NOTHING! thats right absolutely nothing ever went wrong with it. People tar mitsubishi with the unreliability brush cos of what they where like back in the original shape magna and sigma days, but seriously they have moved along a hell of alot since then!
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November 25th, 2007 at 9:04 am
Another pretend 4wd, as if there weren’t enough!!
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November 25th, 2007 at 11:04 am
pretend 4WD my arse! how is that pretend? go jump off a cliff!
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November 25th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Regarding the sequential shifts on Mitsubishi, the Outlander automatics have push forward for up-shifts and backward for down-shifts.
But on the Evo X with TC-SST, its the reverse. I prefer the Evo’s implementation, but how confusing for the driver if you drive both these cars.
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November 25th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Yea, every car is different for the shifts. I personally prefer down but meh, hardly use it anyway as its more economical for the CVT to choose its own ratio.
This is not a pretend 4wD, true it may not be able to go up a mountain but then again you wouldn\’t be looking in this category for one like that! Anyway, read some reviews around b4 purchasing the Outlander and some have stated its 4WD capabilities are slightly better than the other softroader.
You know which is a pretend 4WD? the Kluger 2WD.. Mazda CX-7 (AWD.. but I doubt its meant for offroad).. and some of the other \”only 2WDs SUVs\”.
Hardly see any where I live but I\’ve taken a few trips to sunny coast and the gold coast, I find that where there are beaches there are heaps of Outlanders!
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November 25th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
THAT’S RIGHT! The 10 year warranty.
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November 26th, 2007 at 6:37 am
LOL,
$43.5k,……Houston we have a problem!
Its more than a $39k Mazda CX7, of which C/A will be testing soon, soon soon…..
Cheers
F-0
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November 26th, 2007 at 9:01 am
Frugal One, I believe, in my opinion, the CX-7 and VRX are a different class of cars. One is a soft roader than can still go offroad, one is a crossover that can’t go offroad (unless its dirt roads). That said, I think the CX-7 is a larger car… the Outlander is actually, quite puny when viewed from the back at least.
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November 26th, 2007 at 11:47 am
in my previous job they replaced our commodores with outlanders. it was not great in a downtown city enviroment and the seats were crap but mind you it was the base model. Also the rear storage area wasnt good enough (especially when you are carting around drums of paint but that was more of a stupid company decision than mitsi. one thing i did enjoy about it was flipping the tail gate down and sinking a few beers and fish and chips in the local look out point. It was a great recreational vehicle leaving the city and going camping or whatever
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November 26th, 2007 at 11:56 am
Bob, the Mitsu has no low range or diff lock, its nothing more than a all-road vehicle [As is the CX7]
These are daily drive SUV’s designed for road use and the odd dirt road adventure.
In the case that they will spend 99.94% on road, you might as well get the best performing and resale too [and can you believe its CHEAPER!]the mighty CX7, of which C/A will be testing soon…….:-)
Cheers
F-0
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November 26th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Frugal One, yes you can lock the center diff via a switch, its locked using electronically controlled transfer clutch.
It may overheat if you over use it, but will likely get you out of trouble if used with care.
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November 26th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
I wouldn’t take a CX7 off road unless I feel like taking a long walk home, period.
I wouldn’t take an Outlander too far off road in case I puncture a tire and have to use the space saver spare.
Yes, I would take the RAV4 V6 off road. It won’t go as far as a Prado, but its a better compromise than many others.
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November 26th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
Frugal One, it actually does have a lock, just like the X-trail to my memory. All the other softroaders don\’t have a lock though.. I think.
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November 26th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Bob, the RAV4 does have diff lock, its the large circular button on the dash, to the left of the stereo.
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November 26th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
I own a 4 month old Outlander VR 5 seater. In general I am happy with the vehicle, moved out of the previous X-Trail (great car). The V6 is awesome and the exhaust note is surprisingly sporty, the space is good too.
A couple of issues: there is a rattle coming from somewhere around the gloveboxes (can’t source) and a knocking sound from the left side of the windscreen like it is flexing over bumps. Also the windows rattle in their tracks when down 2-4cm. The airconditioner compressor cuts in and out (loud enough to hear with windows up in traffic) in a cycle of 30sec or so.
All of these points were mentioned to the Services Department on its initial service. Interestingly (or not) they could not fix anything. Couldn’t source the rattles, said the window rattle was normal, and a/c was too compared to another Outlander. Quite disappointing, I will take it up further with Head Office if it is build quality problem.
Anyone else with those issues?
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November 26th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
Comegetsome,
We purchased a V6 VRX Outlander a couple of months ago and I have to say we are regularly surprised by the Outlander.
We havent experienced any of the issues you have, though the only criticism we have is the hard internal plastics, not a major issue in anyway.
The Outlander is powerful and refined and in our opinion underated and those of you who simply want to whinge, keep you opinions to yourselves until you drive one, if your honest with yourself you’ll soon consider buying one too.
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November 27th, 2007 at 12:18 am
Also bought an Outlander VRX with the 7 seats. Verry happy with the car, great driving dynamics for its size, though fuel consumption is a bit high for this modern V6. Great features for the money and safety technologies is at par with vehicles which cost twice as much. 3rd row seat though small, proved to be quite handy at times, especially for the once in a while “kids transport service” As they say better have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Its really a great value for money.
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November 27th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Comegetsome,
I don\’t have all of your issues but I do notice that the aircon has the loud cycle every 30-40 seconds. It is in fact VERY LOUD from the outside but doesn\’t intrude into the cabin. My passengers have no clue about it. I guess the only reason why I can hear it is that when stopped at a light, you can hear a light click and feel it through the brake pedal.
The windows do rattle, when they are halfway down for me. Anything higher or lower - they don\’t rattle. My guess is that the build quality of the doors isn\’t up to par. The Drivers window needs to get the tint redone again - somehow something keeps scratching it!
There is a creaking sound from the dash when the aircon is relatively VERY cold compared to the outside. Irritating at first but doesn\’t happen that frequently for fussy me to be bothered.
VRX26,
That\’s the same exact reason we got the 7-seater LS! You can actually squeeze in teenage girls at the back though :P Has all the airbags but minus the ESP (which should be standard.. damn you mitsu) and the 3.0L engine.
MoMo,
My bad. The last time I sat in a RAV4 I did not notice the switch. I assume then the only one without one is the CX-7? So the CRV, RAV4, Outlander, X-trail all have one?
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November 27th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Comegetsome,
To add, the rattle and knocking sound sounds very like my aircon dash issue. I suspect it has something to do with the crappy plastics and the aircon being cold (expansion and contraction). Similar sound which our aircon units at home make in the heat of summer! Though as we use them more, the sound seems to be dulling so I hope that in due time the sound in the Outlander disappears too?
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November 27th, 2007 at 10:07 am
For Bob, regarding your window tint. I wanted to get the front windows done to match the back, but the guy at Tint a Car said he didn’t recommend it as the plastic seal (usually rubber) at the base of the window scratches the tint when it is done. Apparently it is very tight and he had learnt from doing a couple not to recommend it.
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November 27th, 2007 at 11:12 am
Bob, CRV and Forester don’t have diff locks I think. Forester do have low range if you pick the manual version.
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November 27th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Comegetsome,
As mine is an LS, it does not have rear privacy glass. The rear windows are fine and so is the passenger vehicle but the drivers window is very tight. I can live with scratches but the thing is that I believe the “glue” from the felt is sticking onto the tint - leaving glue marks all over the window.
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November 27th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Correction, Forester do have low range if you pick the manual non-turbo version.
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December 6th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
It’s a thousand times better than the Rav4 and Rav V6, I say!
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January 13th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
I just want to say thankyou for all the info. We hired an outlander in brissy and absolutely loved it. Was only an LS but boy was the picked up going up the hills on the way to the coast wonderful.
We are currently looking at purchasing an outlander in the coming months and i have my heart set on the luxury model. Still discussing whether to get the 2.4 or 3.0L
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January 17th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Damn annoying that with the MY08 model you can no longer option up the XLS model with Fosgate audio and sunroof. You have to buy the luxury model which only comes in 7 seater version which I don’t want.. Stupid decision. Surprising lack of effort from 2 diff dealers in finding a solution.
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January 30th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
I purchased an 07 Outlander VRX ex-Demonstrator. Those of you interested in purchasing one of these vehicles, here are a few things that could be a little better. To be honest some of the things I am about to list are a little petty, but its hard to find many faults with the Outlander, Mitsubishi really has put together a good package in the fully spec’d models.
Firstly, when booting the engine I find in the low gears (1st, 2nd) there is allot of noise but not much of an outcome, the engine seems to come into its own when hitting 3rd and 4th when you can really feal the pull of the V6. A couple of times I have been put in the situation where I have had to hammer the throttle resulting in rather large torque steer. Can be a little abrasive when sitting at the lights and pressing the throttle, I have seen other reviewers also say the same thing.
Interior is decent, however I think Mitsi skipped one very important feature which is common in well…almost every car, there is no lower back lumbar adjustment on the drivers seat. So anybody with any sort of back problem will need to be shoving a cushion at the lower back level, even though the manual advises against this. A couple petty things to add to the mix: Only the driver’s power window button is lit, I have been a passenger of the Outlander and when wanting to wind the window down at night, you’re looking into a black void. The side mirrors are meant to fold in, but you have to do them manually yourself (not electronic). When the front seats are fully back it reveals two big ugly bolts which are holding the seats to the floor, most other cars have plastic mouldings over these for aesthetic purposes.
The B-pillar on the Outlander is also rather large, this is possibly the fact it has a curtain airbag fixed in this pillar. This pretty much blocks any ‘over the shoulder’ view; however with the hulking convex Outlander mirrors you shouldn’t ever need to look over your shoulder ever again.
That’s pretty much all I could find wrong with it. I love my Outlander and love driving it. I suppose it would be impossible to make a perfect car as people have differing opinions on well….everything.
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February 6th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Hi all, after having owned fords most of my driving life (25 years)I finally decided to try something different. I tested most cars mentioned but went for the VRX 5 seater V6. Took a while to get used to but really enjoy driving it now. Front wheel drive is heaps of fun especially in the wet (even with torque steer). V6 sounds awesome from 3500 revs and up. If i drive carefully can get 11L/100kms.
Only complaint is electronic throttle can tend to lunge the car if you dont go easy from a standing start.
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February 24th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Comegetsome,
Before I purchased a VRX 07 model, I did plenty of research which was mainly on overseas sites. I remember someone in the US talking about the ‘elusive’ source of wind noise and they reckon it is the covers that are underneath the mirror mounts. Apparently you can remove then and put something like cardboard to fill the void and stop the rattle and the noise is gone. I have experienced the noise but as of yet have not done anything about it.
- goodluck
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September 13th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Hi all, looking at getting a manual LS but am concerned about the space saver spare. I read it was banned in india and they offered a full size spare. I have talked to one dealer and they said to buy another wheel and put it in the boot. I spotted an integral energy fleet Outlander with a full size spare, it sticks out more but doesn’t kill your clearance. has anybody looked into this or go it replaced ? and what did it set you back ?
An outlander looks great but I have some reservations after coming down from my 4Runner SR5 Ltd.
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December 3rd, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I bought a 07 VRX outlander in December 07. I am really happy with it. It has brought alot of joy, great car. I have had no problems what so ever and I will agree with most on some interior plastics but again you can live with that. The fuel consumption I suprised with in regards to some that have been quoted. I have and can get mine down to 8L/100 easy, I have had it lower. Thats with premium fuel also. My father bought a VR first and he gets his down to around 7.9L/100. In town yes they are heavy but I live near the CBD of sydney and can average 15L/100 and under but I don’t drive it enough around town for that to be a concern. We have great camping trips in it, tonnes of room, great features like that split rear gate, I’ve taken it along some roads where I thought noway but it done it easy and Im no 4WD guru. The best feature of this car is its ability to switch from 2wd to awd and lock at the rotation of a dial. Cruise along a hwy in 2wd saving fuel then turn off and get out through the bush with awd and lock, to easy. The V6 goes great, its not slow, lets face it if you want fast you get a HSV Clubby or if you want a balls out 4WD get a landcruiser. The outlander is just so versitile, great car.
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