I don’t often think about my car’s horsepower, but when I do, I am rushing to get somewhere, trying to merge onto the freeway, or hauling a bunch of supplies from The Home Depot. We live up on the Sammamish plateau which, if you live in the greater Seattle area, you either know as “the east side” or “that place where all the Microsoft employees live.”
Getting to the Sammamish plateau requires climbing a 615 foot hill, usually in the rain, while navigating a windy little road. This soggy commute is usually a drag, but this week was a little different. I had an opportunity to test drive the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander. Sitting in traffic never felt so luxurious.
I was very impressed with how comfortable and well-equipped the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander was for the price. The interior had a sophisticated design with seat warmers, leather seats, and top-notch electronics. I couldn’t help but say, “wow, this is really nice” when I climbed inside.
Being a gadget guy, I really appreciated the Outlander’s 7-inch HD touchscreen and navigation system. It was able to do 3D mapping, showed the road speed limits, and gave weather updates. When I left extra early one morning, the system warned me about possible ice on the road. I was blown away by this feature.
After a few days, I became very spoiled by the Outlander’s keyless entry system. I just kept the key in my computer bag, along with my phone. The door would unlock when I approached. When I pressed the push button start, the system would automatically connect to my phone and start playing my favorite Pandora radio station. It isn’t often when high tech can just simply work. Mitsubishi did a really nice job with the electronics in this vehicle.
Speaking of audio, the Rockford Fosgate sound system was one of the highlights of my test drive. The system pumps up to 710 watts through nine speakers, including a 10-inch dual voice coil subwoofer (in the back of the vehicle). It didn’t matter if I was rocking out to Jimi Hendrix or grooving to Diana Krall, the sound system delivered deep, rich bass and crystal-clear highs.
The Outlander is great for families because it has plenty of interior space, with seating for up to seven people. When I folded down the third row, there was ample room for our two golden retrievers to ride along in the back. The large, automatic power liftgate made it easy to get the dogs in and out while still holding onto their leashes. Mitsubishi says there is 128.2 cubic feet of total passenger volume, with 63.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity.
Even with all of that space, it never felt like I was driving a “big car.” The 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander had a nice turn radius, which made it simple to park in the structure at work. The backup camera (which displays on the 7-inch HD touchscreen) makes it easy to back out of a crowded parking lot. The Outlander has a lane departure warning system that beeps if you hug the lane (which I often did while driving the windy road to our house).
Under the hood, the Mitsubishi Outlander has a 3.0 V6 engine and a 6 speed automatic transmission. You need that extra power if you are hauling around seven people or if you have a pile of lumber in the back. On my everyday commute, the extra power was fantastic for merging onto the freeway quickly and climbing that steep grade to the plateau. The engine was designed with efficiency in mind, so even with all that horsepower you can still get over 30 mpg on the highway.
The 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander is the highest rated crossover for safety. It has seven airbags: front driver and passenger, seat mounted side, side curtain, and driver’s knee airbags. I’d imagine that it would feel like a giant marshmallow cloud if you happened to hit anything.
One of the more intriguing features was the Outlander’s forward collision mitigation system. The car senses if you are about to hit an object and will apply the brakes to help lessen the impact. Assuming you were already slamming on the brakes, it has something called brake assist which will apply extra pressure for an emergency stop. You can’t help but to feel more confident driving around when you have safety features like that on your vehicle.
The 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander starts at $23,195 for the base model and goes up to $28,195 for the GT. It comes with a 5 year / 60,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty and a 7 year / 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. With a warranty like that, you can take the family out for a long road trip with confidence.
This was my first time getting to drive a Mitsubishi and they certainly have a new fan. The 2015 Outlander had lots of power, a fantastic sound system, and the latest safety features to keep your family secure on the road.
