2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
Last week, I had the opportunity to test drive the new 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and let me tell you the week went by way too fast. I miss this car already :'(
It arrived in a beautiful rally red color that is sure to catch anyone's attention. At a first glance, I knew I was going to enjoy this car just by looking at it. It wasn't too big like other SUV's I've driven or too small to where I'd be concerned about the space inside.
It was just perfect for a gal like me.
The Outlander Sport has a 2.0-liter aluminum engine that uses MIVEC technology to balance power with fuel efficiency. You'll get around 32 miles per gallon on the highway! There is also a nice Eco feature that helps provide optimum fuel efficiency as well. I loved that I was able to drive this around for an entire week all over town and I didn't even have to worry about filling up on gas because it still had a little over 1/4 tank left! I usually have to fill up on gas twice or even three times a week usually.
One thing I will say about the Eco mode is that while I loved that it helped make this car fuel efficient, it did hold me back from accelerating at times. Particularly while I was entering the highway. You have to speed up really quickly when entering the highway and even though I was pressing on the accelerator it was as if it wouldn't accelerate as fast as I hoped. It accelerated slow and steady, which is great for fuel efficiency, but not so great entering the highway. I'm pretty sure there is a way to turn off Eco mode like in other vehicles, but I couldn't figure it out and didn't want to mess with the settings.
The headlights on this car are insane! They're definitely something I need to point out right away, especially if you're someone who drives at night frequently. They lit up the entire street at night. It was magical.
I didn't have to worry about squinting my eyes to see in the dark where street lights weren't available as per usual. There's an automatic option that allows the headlights to turn on on their own when needed, and I kept it on that setting because I have a bad habit of forgetting to turn off the headlights.
The high beam was great too, but I didn't really need to use it where I was going.
Let's talk about the tires. The 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport features Active Stability Control (ASC) that employs sensors that monitor the grip on each tire. If one wheel begins to slip, it automatically applies the brakes to the wheels with the most traction.
It also has All-Wheel Control (AWC) that continually monitors the road and transfers power and braking in challenging conditions such as heavy rain, ice or even snow. This is definitely a feature that's important to me when looking into purchasing a car. We get really crazy weather here in Michigan sometimes, especially during the Winter. I don't want to be slipping and sliding all over the road especially when my toddler is in the car with me! This is such a great feature to have.
It features standard side-mirrors that aren't too big and give me a great sense of of my surroundings while I'm driving. I do wish that the mirrors featured the blind-spot monitoring system that I enjoyed in other cars I reviewed this past year, or the ability for the mirrors to fold into the sides for added safety while the car is in park. I still enjoyed this car even without those features though, just something to keep in mind.
Fall is here and that means cold weather, so I was pleased to learn that this car features heated front seats. It kept my buns toasty no matter how cold it got during the week of my test-drive. There are two settings, low and high so you and your passenger can choose which one makes you feel more comfortable. The low setting was perfectly fine for me. So warm! This feature would spoil me so much in the Winter.
The steering wheel had a few cool features as well. If you connect your phone via bluetooth, you can access the voice-command feature which allows you to interact with phone calls or music, hands-free. It's such a neat feature and allows you to pay more attention to the road instead of fiddling with the controls as you're driving. You can answer phone calls, change the music, raise the volume, set cruise control and more from the steering wheel.
It has a one-touch start/stop engine switch that I enjoy very much. It’s super convenient. The keys need to be inside the car itself to actually start it though, keep that in mind. There’s a beautiful 7-inch HD touchscreen display that features navigation system, access to your music settings like bluetooth, SiriusXM®5, HD Radio®, CD, and it also displays a rear view camera when you’re in reverse mode as well.
The rear-view camera was so helpful. I suck at reversing (even with a camera sometimes!), my brain just doesn’t like going backwards for some reason. But the rear-view camera on the Outlander Sport was such a treat. It gives you a wide-angle view so you can see your surroundings and it will beep when you’re getting close to an object as well.
There is also automatic climate control which adjusts the fan speed, air source, and temperature in the cabin so that you’re comfortable while you’re driving and you don’t have to worry about it too much. You can keep it on auto or manually adjust it yourself as well. The weather was super bi-polar the week I was test-driving the Outlander Sport, so I kept going back and forth between heat and A/C.
I was able to easily install my son's booster seat in the Outlander Sport through hooks between the seat as well as behind the seat so I could make sure he was really snug and safe. The back will seat up to three people and if you only have two passengers, there is an option to fold down a divider/arm-rest/cup-holder to make your passengers more comfortable as well which I think is always nice. I also really loved the leather interior in this car, I thought it added a nice touch.
The trunk space was so perfect. I don't need a lot of trunk space because it's just my son and I, but I was still able to fit so much in the trunk, I was so pleased with it. We do a lot of grocery shopping in my household and trunk space is so important– this car did not disappoint!
The cool thing is that you can even fold down the seats if you need more space. The seats split in a 60/40 fashion and you even have the option of taking the seat belts out so they don't get in the way, too. I like that the seats fold down this way because you can still seat one or two passengers in the back if you need the extra trunk space.
The 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport also features a Rockford Fosgate® Punch premium sound system that pumps up to 710 watts through nine speakers, including a 10-inch dual-voice coil subwoofer with Punch Control® to deliver deep, rich bass and crystal-clear highs. Whether you're driving alone or with others, if you like to listen to your music on blast, then this will more than satisfy you. I try to keep my music to a point where I can enjoy it but still listen to the sounds of the outside world (if there's a police car, ambulance, car accident, etc. going on). The subwoofer definitely came in handy when I wanted to listen to songs with incredible bass. If you're a music lover, you will love this feature.
The panoramic glass roof floods sunlight (or moonlight) into the entire cabin, giving everyone front row seats to the sky. My son absolutely loved this feature! While driving at night, he would let me know that he could see the stars and moon and would sing "twinkle-twinkle little star", it was so adorable. There are also LED lights that line the sides of the glass as well which added a nice touch. You do have the option of covering the glass roof as well with a touch of a button, so that's always nice too.
Overall, I really enjoyed driving the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. I would say this is a great car for me right now. It's the perfect size, it has nice features, and my son loves it too. If I was in the market for a new car, I'd say this one is the one for me.
What is your favorite feature of the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport?
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