By Michael Andre Adams
I thought it would be interesting to see the 2012 Mitsubishi Outlander from the perspective of a 20-something year old female, college graduate from New Jersey. Rather than the $22,345 base model, I figured she’d be far more enthused with the top of the line GT S-AWD trim level. So straight from the mouth of my god-daughter, Shamira Deveraux Young, it went like this…
“Its curves and angles caught my eyes right away. And the 18-inch rims made it stand out even more,” she said of the exterior. She also loved the elegance of the quartz brown color, which in here words, “Made it seem a little more rich. Edgy with a sporty feel” is how she summed it all up, giving it the thumb’s up on exterior design overall, which I agree.
She felt the ride was both smooth in the shifting and comfortable, as in a cushy ride. “And with the third row seat folded down, the cargo space was generous enough for one of my days at the outlets! With the seat up I’d have seating for seven, as in enough room for my girls to come along in comfort, with enough power outlets to keep all of our electronic gadgets charged and operating.” But what I would percieve to be ample space would probably never fit the bags and packages for seven women after a day at any designer outlet shopping center!
For the average woman, torque and horsepower, well, let’s just keep it real here–It aint a big deal. Stil, Shamira noted that “Compared to some others I’ve driven, it was very fuel efficient for an SUV.” she explained about the Outlander at the GT trim level, which rocks a 230 horsepower engine. That’s a significant difference above the 168 horsepower engine at the base model level. Still the GT receives a 19 city – 25 highway miles per gallon (regular unleaded) EPA rating.
On other things of importance to many women in general such as safety, the 2012 Outlander scores the highest rating of Good in front and side crash tests (after failing the side test in previous years), with a second highest rating of Acceptable in the rear crash protection, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Its warranty covers 5 years/60,000 miles under the general new car warranty; 10/10,000 on the powertrain; 5/60,000 on the restraint system; 7/100,000 on corrosion; 12 months/12,000 miles on adjustments and five years of raodside service regardless of mileage.
As with most women, she took time and patience reviewing the information on the Monroney label. “With the $2,900 Touring Package’s comes heated leather seats (driver and passenger) and Sirius XM Satellite radio; The $2,000 Navigation includes Rear View Camera Package with 40 gig hard drive Navigation and Real Time Traffic; The $1,695 Entertainment Package has rear DVD player, remote control and infrared headphones; And for $395, a Handsfree Link System to Bluetooth my iPhone. All of the extras included gave me pretty much everything I could think to ask for in a car.”
Of course that was before she went on and on about the stereo. “The six speaker, 710-Watt sound system with a powerful 10-inch subwoofer, digital signal processor and speed compensated volume was amazing! “ she explained in the height of excitememt. Speaking of entertainment she also commented on the quality of video, which for parents can be a lifesaver to keep those little rascals on the second and third rows calm and cool. “It was also very good in terms of definition,” she said.
To learn more, visit http://www.mitsubishicars.com.
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