Hands on with the Outlander GT

Posted on November 29, 2010May 5, 2015 by MD

Since the Outlander Sport wasn’t powerful enough for me, Aaron, the manager at Quality Mitsubishi though the Outlander GT with its 3.0 V-6 might be a better fit.

It’s a slightly bigger vehicle and slightly more powerful. It comes standard with a third row of seats, although I can’t say I would want to sit in them for a long road trip. For hauling, the third row seats fold flat, however, the back row doesn’t. This is an issue I currently fight with in my Explorer and have seen in many other vehicles as well. It definitely limits what you can carry in the back which can be frustrating.

Overall, the interior felt virtually identical to the Outlander Sport. The dashboard still feels enormous and the stereo is too integrated into the dash for each after market integration. The seats felt like higher quality than in the sport, but still very boxy and not as nice as what I currently have. Although the model we took out didn’t have one, a power panaromic sunroof is available.

Driving the Outlander GT was indeed more my speed than the Outlander Sport. It still had a nice tight turning radius which is helpful when parking but it was still slower than I would like from 0-40 mph. Especially compared to my Explorer Sport, but was pretty peppy between the 40-70 mph range. Passing wasn’t an issue… at least the cars I chose to pass while on the highway. But, as I said, it was still slower than what I currently drive and not quite as comfortable.

I think if you drive mostly in the city or the suburbs, the Outlander Sport is probably enough of a vehicle and will get you better gas mileage. However, if you travel on the highway at all, I think I would recommend the GT as the better model. Regardless though, the Outlanders just aren’t the vehicle for me.

Hands on with the Outlander Sport

Posted on November 15, 2010May 5, 2015 by MD

A few weeks ago I received an intriguing email regarding the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. Mitsubishi had rigged up a vehicle to be driven remotely and would be opening it up soon for test drives. On the one hand I thought this was completely daffy because honestly, how much can you really tell about a car if you’re not really behind the wheel driving it? On the other hand though, I thought it was a fun bit of marketing that was sure to get at least a few people talking.

Finally I got the notification that the Outlander Sport was available on the internet to be test driven. Once you clicked through and secured your place in line you were given the opportunity to practice, watch other drivers or find out more about the Outlander. The Outlander specific site is extremely robust and worth spending a few minutes on to explore.

The practice was smooth and I felt like I got a good handle on how to control it. The actual “test drive” on the other hand was another story. There was a lag between you directing the car and it actually doing what you wanted which became very frustrating… and then before I knew it my turn was over. Needless to say, I barely collected any of the “badges” to compete for the prize they will be giving away.

This was definitely one case where the concept was much better than the actuality. But, the virtual test drive worked in that I was curious to see how the actual vehicle drove.

The Outlander Sport is a smaller cross-over vehicle intended on competing with many of the smaller SUV’s on the market. It’s designed to be very fuel efficient which in the current market is definitely a selling point.

Ground clearance is definitely low, especially compared to my current ride, however, with laws being what they are now, that’s something I’m just going to have to deal with I guess. The lines are nice. It’s similar to other vehicles in its class, but I think it’s still somewhat distinctive. The Outlander Sport is slightly smaller than the other Outlander models so you lose the third row of seats, but not much else.

The hatch area is a little on the small side compared to what I’m used to. The seats don’t fold flat, but I think it’s rare to find a vehicle where they do. They do have a pass through in the left back seat though which could be quite useful.

Sitting in the vehicle, I wasn’t very comfortable. The dashboard is HUGE. I swear it was so big you could lay on it comfortably. Ok, well, maybe not quite that big, but that’s how it felt to me. The seats felt cheap and stiff. I can’t imagine doing a long road trip sitting in them. Hopefully they get more comfortable with use. The model I took out had a dual transmission which means it had the paddle shifters.

The Outlander Sport was quiet and had a nice tight turning radius – Definitely good when you need to flip a u-turn or even turn into a parking spot. The ride was very smooth and car-like. I quickly discovered however why the Outlander Sport is so eco-friendly…. It was S L O W. I would be scared to get on the highway in something that accelerated that slowly and I dread getting stuck on the on ramp behind one.

I can see the Outlander Sport being good for city travel, but definitely not the car for me.

Quality Mitsubishi

Posted on September 22, 2010May 5, 2015 by MD

Image via Wikipedia

I have to say, overall, my feelings towards Quality Mitsubishi are mixed.

My initial email from their internet manager, Howard Nelms was short, to the point, and NOT a form letter. You’ll find that obvious form letters are a bit of a pet peeve for me. He responded specifically to something I mentioned in the comments as well as some of the current incentives being offered on the EVO and like a good sales guy, asked when today I could come in and look at it.

I exchanged a couple of emails with Howard letting him know I was specifically interested in test driving the EVO to see how it handled. He asked again when I could come in, I gave him an approximate day and time to which he gave me a simple “Great, I will see you then.”

However, in the meantime I also received two phone calls in the same day from one gentleman and a third the next day from another as well as an email from someone else other than Howard. Really? Hey Quality, are you guys communicating with one another over there at all?

This week, I also received in addition to my direct responses from Howard, some apparently automated responses that felt even more out of context considering I had started a dialogue with Howard and even told him when I would be coming in. Here’s the email I received yesterday afternoon after I had been at the dealership at the day and time I said I would only to find that Howard doesn’t work Saturdays. Hmm, not off to the best start.

Dear Melissa,

Thank you for reaching out.

My name is Howard, and I’m your Internet Sales Manager here at Quality Mitsubishi Inc..

I wanted to let you know that your request has been received, and I’m working on finding you the perfect Mitsubishi.

To help me serve you better, would you please answer a few questions for me?

1) Would you like to talk via e-mail, the phone, or in person?

2) Have you test driven your Mitsubishi yet?

3) Are you interested in more than one Mitsubishi?

By answering these questions, I’ll know the best way to provide you with what you want: a hassle-free purchase or lease experience with one-price shopping. And, if we don’t have the exact Mitsubishi that you’re looking for, we’ll do our best to find it for you.

You can reach me by email at (email removed) or by phone.

I look forward to working with you.

Thankfully for Quality Mitsubishi, Chris Clifton came in to save the potential sale.

I have to say, the customer parking isn’t very clearly indicated in my opinion and so I missed my turn the first time around as I wasn’t sure where their drive was (they were between dealerships) and where as a customer I should park. A frustrated customer is never a good way to start. You don’t want a customer deciding to not bother with you because they can’t find your entrance, or worse, pulling into the wrong dealership and potentially seeing something they want.

Chris greeted me in a timely manner and asked if I was there to see anyone specifically. I told him I was and gave him Howard’s name to which he replied that Howard doesn’t work Saturdays. This wouldn’t have been an issue if when I told Howard I would be by the dealership Saturday afternoon he didn’t tell me that he would see me then. I told Chris the big reason I was there: to scope out, get more info on and most importantly, test drive the EVO. As I expected, Chris said they don’t let the EVOs go out without a signed deal. I told him, that was definitely an issue as that was the only reason I came in and I specifically told Howard I wanted to test drive and wasn’t given any indication it would be an issue.

Chris said he would ask his manager what they could do for me, but in the mean time, would I be interested in checking out an EVO.

I won’t deny it, especially when car buying, I can be a difficult customer. I know a lot about cars and especially one I’m considering. I will ask questions that I know the answer to just to see how the sales person will answer as well as questions that I don’t know the answer to. Chris was awesome. He was able to answer almost all of my questions and those he wasn’t able to answer, he found an answer to. This was a welcome change as I have had salesmen in the past try and make something up, patronize me or try to BS me. If you don’t know something, say you don’t and find the answer. Not a hard concept.

As I was saying, Chris was awesome. He was very knowledgeable not only about the EVO but the Mitsubishi line and was able to answer some of my most random questions about the EVO and how it compared within the trims and to the other Mitsubishi cars. Like a good salesman, early in our conversation he asked what other cars I was considering and was fairly knowledgeable about many of them as well and could point out aspects of the EVO that were different (and of course better).

While it’s great to look at cars, what you really want to do is see what they’re like behind the wheel (and I don’t just mean sitting in one). This of course looked like it was going to be an issue, but as I told Chris, I had no problem taking out a used model, but it was very important for me to see how the car could drive so I could determine if it was staying on my potential car list…. or getting crossed off.

Luckily for me, Quality Mitsubishi was able to work something out for me and I got to take a car out. However, that is another post.

Chris did a great job explaining all the features of the car. I also spoke with his manager, Aaron Moore after my test drive. I was very open with both Chris and Aaron about what other cars I was considering and that I had no definite time line in mind for purchasing. Especially as some of the cars I’m considering haven’t come to market yet. I never felt pressured or patronized and if I decide to buy a Mitsubishi, I will certainly buy from Chris Clifton.

Getting Familiar with Mitsubishi

Posted on September 19, 2010May 5, 2015 by MD

The first step in my search was to start visiting car manufacturer websites. I decided to focus my attention first on the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (EVO) as it’s one of the few cars on my list that is currently available.

My initial impression of the Mitsubishi website (once I found the correct URL) is favorable, although I will admit I had to resort to a search engine to find it. It’s mitsubishicars.com if you’re interested.

It’s simple, well laid-out and intuitive.

It’s easy to find the information you want from many different avenues and in a variety of formats. There’s plenty of photos and videos for those who want more visual stimuli, there’s plenty of specs for those who want the facts. They also make it easy to compare the various models within each make.

Now the important part. How functional is the build your own model aspect of the website.

I’ve narrowed it down to the EVO model and click that I want to build my own. It next asks me what trim level I want. I have four options: the GSR, SE, MR, MR Touring. The photo, price and description changes as I click on each option. This is very good as your customer may not quite remember which trim package they were liking the best and this provides a reminder without taking up a lot of valuable real estate.

After selecting the model, you are asked to select the color. It’s a small thing, but the color changes on the photo as I click each option.

As a consumer, this is something I really want. Yes, some people know exactly what color car they want because it’s their favorite color, others pick a color they think looks best on the car, and others will pick when they’re at the dealership. Regardless of how they pick a car color, it’s important for the consumer to see their option. If you have the default as yellow and I want a black car but am forced to see the yellow car every time I make a choice, I may abandon the process before I finish. Yes, believe it or not, many consumers are that finicky. Not only that, but if I’m building “My Car” than it should reflect the options I’ve selected.

I am next taken to the Packages and Accessories page. This is an area that could be slightly more user friendly. You click next to any options you want and it selects them. The name and price are listed as well as a spot you can click to pull up a description and/or picture. However, most car companies offer many of these options either separately or as a package, yet no package deals are listed. Not all of the options have photos, and some are only photos without a description. The price keeps a running total as options are added and subtracted.

Finally, you’re given a run down of everything you’ve selected and given the option of printing it, or requesting a quote. Upon inputting your zip code, you are able to select a dealership. As a consumer, I very much like the option of being able to select which dealership my information is sent to rather than it automatically being sent to my “closest” one because maybe I’ve had experience with a particular dealership in the past and may or may not want to do business with them again. Or perhaps, I would want a dealership close to work instead of home or for some other reason. Either way, consumers like choices.

As part of the information request process, Mitsubishi requests (although they don’t require) your current vehicle make and model. No big deal right? I select my year and then my make. But when I get to the model selection, I run into a hitch. Apparently the Mitsubishi marketing department only thinks those Ford drivers interested in the EVO drive cars. There isn’t a single option for any of the Ford SUVs or trucks. The only options that aren’t currently visible are the Thunderbird and Crown Victoria (which interestingly enough isn’t in alphabetical order like the rest of the options).

Some may say so what? But this is actually rather important. All marketing departments should be aware of and abide by the GIGO principal. (Garbage In, Garbage Out). If you’re taking the time to request the information, you want it to be correct and useful. By not offering all options, you’re forcing your customer to either select a different vehicle, or not provide you the information at all. If the information you’re requesting is so unimportant that you don’t care if your customer doesn’t answer it, or provides you with incorrect information, than why are you asking it? You’re wasting your consumer’s time and yours, not to mention you’re getting inaccurate information which is basically useless.

Now comes the fun part. It has been my experience that many dealerships try to automate as much of the next step via email and drive you nuts with phone calls. I will be curious to see how Quality Mitsubishi (my chosen dealership) handles me.