Posts Tagged ‘Mitsubishi’

2004-2010 Mitsubishi Endeavor

Friday, May 13th, 2011

By Chris Chase, Autos.ca

The last thing an auto manufacturer wants is for potential buyers – that is, anyone with a driver’s licence and a bank account – to be unaware of its products. While most driving Canadians know about Mitsubishi, many are not familiar with the Endeavor SUV.

2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor

2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor

A brand-new model for 2004, the Endeavor certainly started on decent footing, riding atop the same platform as the Galant mid-size sedan, which was redesigned the same year.

Price-wise, the Endeavor slotted in between the compact Outlander and the similarly-sized, truck-based Montero. The Endeavor was attractive, if generic, even when it was new, its looks inspiring about as much excitement as a discussion of the merits of soft versus firm tofu. (more…)

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2011 Mitsubishi RVR GT 4WD

Monday, April 25th, 2011

Review and photos by
Peter Bleakney, Autos.ca

According to the kids in my ‘hood, if you put your pajamas on backwards and do the “snow dance” (whatever that is), you’ll get a snow day. There must have been a lot of that going on here a few weeks ago, because for the first time in twelve years all the schools in Toronto and surrounding areas were closed. While the storm didn’t turn out to be quite as bad as predicted, 15 cm of snow was enough to test the winter capabilities of my 2011 Mitsubishi RVR GT 4WD and make for a bit of snowy fun.

2011 Mitsubishi RVR GT 4WD

2011 Mitsubishi RVR GT 4WD

It is in conditions such as these when owning an all-wheel-drive crossover with good ground clearance makes real sense. Equipped with snow tires, I got my wife to work in this top-trim $28,498 RVR with nary a slip, and then headed out to chew up some unploughed roads.

Mitsubishi might be late to the compact sport-ute party, but this RVR has quite a bit going for it. And gosh knows, with the competition that is out there, it had better.

Let’s start with the styling. Built on the Outlander platform, this is certainly the best looking vehicle in Mitsubishi’s line-up. (more…)

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2011 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS Coupe

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

Review and photos by
Peter Bleakney, CanadianDriver.com

The last Mitsubishi Eclipse I drove was a 2008 Spyder GT-P ($35,998 for 2011), and I will confess I didn’t like it much. It had a terrifically lusty 265-hp 3.8-litre V6 engine and lovely six-speed gearbox, but it suffered from front-wheel spin, torque-steer and way too much torsional flexing in the body structure.

2011 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS Coupe

2011 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS Coupe

So when the 162-hp four-cylinder 2011 Eclipse GS Coupe ($24,498 base) showed up at my door, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

In a nutshell, it’s an about-face from the Spyder GT-P – a good front-drive chassis in search of a better motor.

So let’s get the bad stuff out of the way. The 2.4-litre SOHC 16-valve MIVEC four is a coarse and unpleasant sounding lump right from idle to the strained 6,500 rpm redline. To be fair (and I’m being charitable here), it gets the job done. It has a fairly broad torque curve (peak 162 lb.-ft. at 4,000 rpm) and decent throttle response. While no powerhouse, the car never felt flat-footed. (more…)

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2011 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder

Friday, January 7th, 2011

Review and photos by
Jil McIntosh, CanadianDriver.com

In some arid countries, there are people who perform rain dances in the hopes that the clouds will release some moisture. I do not understand why they go to all that trouble: all they need to do is give me a convertible to drive. Right on cue, sunny skies gave way to a week of rain when I picked up a 2011 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder. Solely for the sake of our readers, I braved the sprinkles for the joy of driving with that fabric top down. (I hope you appreciate it.)

2011 Mitsubishi Eclipse

2011 Mitsubishi Eclipse

The Illinois-built Spyder disappeared temporarily for 2010, but it wasn’t for a makeover. Rather, as Mitsubishi Canada told me, the timing for the 2010 models would have seen them released here in the dead of winter – hardly prime-time for drop-tops – and so the company opted to wait for the next batch. There are a few minor changes from the 2009 versions, including a standard auxiliary input jack, and a suspension that’s 15 millimetres closer to the ground. The GS model receives trim packages that give it a more aggressive appearance, along with standard electronic stability control, while my model, the GT-P, now contains standard Bluetooth and a rear-view camera. The camera’s display shows up in the rear-view mirror when the car’s in Reverse, and it’s really appreciated on this vehicle, since the car’s tall rump tends to ruin the rearward view when backing up.

The GS uses a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine, while my tester, the GT-P, carries a 3.8-litre V6. (more…)

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Electric iMiev later, Sportback now

Saturday, February 14th, 2009

By Marc Lachapelle

 

Mitsubishi is not letting the electric-propulsion movement pass it by. The iMiev microcar presented at the CIAS: “Is not a concept car or wishful thinking; it is a very real, practical battery-electric vehicle that has been tested for the past two years in Japan” says David Patterson, leader of the iMiev joint project on this continent. iMiev, by the way, stands for: ‘i’ platform, Mitsubishi, innovative, electric vehicle. Patterson mentions that the car will go on sale in Japan next summer and that it is currently being tested in California, possibly soon in Canada. And he insists that he’s working hard to get it sold here. Its heart is a 63-horsepower electric motor mounted in a mid-ship rear position and driving the rear wheels. Its 330-volt lithium-ion battery pack can be fully recharged in 12 hours on 110 volts and half of this with a 220-volt outlet. It can also be quick-charged in only 35 minutes with a proper recharging station. 

Mitsubishi iMiev

Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands

And in the present tense, Mitsubishi is reviving the Sportback name for the Lancer family, this time for a ‘five-door’ hatchback model rather than a wagon. The GTS version gets a naturally-aspirated, 2.4-litre, 168-hp engine and a base price of $23,498 with the standard 5-speed manual and $24,798 with the optional CVT transmission. The Sportback Ralliart model is powered by a turbocharged, 2.0-litre, 237-horsepower engine coupled exclusively to a dual automated clutch sequential gearbox and it starts at $33,498.

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Posted in Gallery, Toronto 2009 | Comments Off

CIAS Tour: Mitsubishi

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

 

Touring the Mitsubishi Display at CIAS

By Michael Schlee

 

The CIAS display for Mitsubishi is a bit sparse this year. But hey, that seems to be the general theme for most manufacturers in these tough economic times.

Photo: Michael Schlee

Photo: Michael Schlee

Mitsubishi’s big feature at CIAS this year is the MiEV concept. To emphasise the fact the MiEV is an electric vehicle, the display has a power cord plugged into.

(more…)

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