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22nd
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Outlander Sport is the first Mitsubishi to use lightweight, dent-resistant front fenders made from recycled plastic. Further, with regenerative braking, class-leading 0.33 Cd aerodynamics, and electric power steering, the Sport achieves up to 31 mpg on the highway. Drivers will appreciate such premium features as hill-start assist, seven airbags, 710-watt audio, Bluetooth phone and audio capability, and all-wheel drive.
31 MPG on the highway is not an easy feat to achieve on any crossover vehicle. Mitsubishi manages it on the Outlander Sport. They've taken the outlander chassis and made a vehicle that is 15 inches shorter. Now close to the size of the largest Mini, the Countryman. It's a small crossover to be sure, but it manages to maintain most of what makes a crossover work. It is available in either front wheel drive or all-wheel drive flavors, and can be had with either a 5 speed manual transmission or a continuously variable transmission, or CVT.
The 2.0 liter inline four cylinder is the only engine option, although the engine bay look like it could easily accommodate a V-6. This engine was a joint engineer venture between Mitsubishi, Hyundai, and Chrysler. While it does manage to be almost Honda smooth, it just doesn't have the power to make things interesting. It generates 148 HP, which in the Outlander Sport, is only good for 16.6 second quarter mile run at 83.9 MPH. Perhaps where this engine to receive a turbocharger like its competition from Mini and Nissan, the picture would change somewhat.