Consider me a lucky girl. In the past month I’ve been able to drive not one, not two, but three different vehicles, and I am very thankful for the opportunity. First it was the 2014 Kia Sorento SX, then it was the 2014 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring, and now I’m happy to tell you how my week went with the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander SE w/ Touring Package.
As you can see from the picture above, it’s pretty sharp. I remember the older model Outlanders used to be a little boxier and compact, and the new 2014 Outlander has come a long way in my humble opinion!
Since I’m on the new look of the Outlander, I should mention how much I loved the Diamond White Pearl paint job on this vehicle, as well as the look of the front fog lights and chrome accents on the grill, and the rear combination tail lights. I thought these subtle changes gave the 2014 Outlander a sophisticated look I hadn’t noticed in the past.
Of course you always want to look cool in your new ride, so I had to get the “cool approval” from Asher. Does he look cool in the new 2014 Outlander?
As important as looking cool in our vehicle really is, let’s be honest – it’s the inside that matters most, both for comfort and safety. Now that I have to tote my Babiator-wearing little guy everywhere I go, it’s important to me that we are safe, comfortable, and secure inside of our vehicle.
The 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander will seat either 5 or 7, and I found the switch from one to the other easy to do (you basically just pull tabs – it’s super intuitive). You’re probably not going to fit 7 adults comfortably since this is a crossover SUV, but you can easily do four adults and three children without everyone being on top of each other. Here’s a good look at it.
Of course one of the features from a safety standpoint that I will definitely require in my next vehicle is the rear-view camera. I love all the airbags and traction control and stability control, but for this momma, I love to know that I’m not going to run over any children (or animals!) when I put my vehicle in reverse.
While I love the rear-camera feature, I actually think the Outlander has a safety feature I like even more than that, which I didn’t think was possible! I’m a pretty straight and narrow driver, however hubby can sometimes veer to left (he says he’s “hugging” the inside, whatever that means!). If you upgrade to the SE Touring Package, one of the features you’ll get is called Lane Departure Warning. And rather than just show you a picture, I thought I’d let you see it in action (don’t worry, hubby was filming while I was talking with both hands on the wheel!) 😉
So cool right? Now you can turn this feature off with the push of a button, but I find it to be a welcomed addition to help keep us safe on the road. If you’re in the car a lot, its easy to take for granted that you’re in a multi-ton machine hurdling down the road sometimes at 70 mph! Knowing that that your SUV will ‘talk’ to you when you’re veering gives me peace of mind.
I thought the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander had more room on the inside than it appeared from the outside. We easily fit our BOB stroller in and had plenty of room to spare, and Asher comfortably fit into his car seat in the back seat as well.
I’ll be honest, it’s always hard going back to our 2006 sedan after test driving. The 2014 Outlander we drove was equipped with the SE Touring package, which, in addition to the Lane Departure Warning, had the following yummies:
- Woodgrain interior panels & leather seating
- Power remote tailgate (love this!)
- Navigation (Sorry for the blurry pic, but I love that it tells me where gas stations and toll booths are!)
- Rain-sensing wipers
- SiruisXM Satellite Radio w/ free 3-month subscription
There are others, but I think you get the gist.
So what does the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander cost? Here’ the great news – you can get into this brand new vehicle for under $24,000! With a 10-year, 100,000 mile powertrain warranty, you can have the peace of mind to know that you’re making a good investment too. I was really surprised to hear the price of this vehicle for what you get. I didn’t even mention the fast-pass keyless entry and the one-touch start-stop engine switch. You should really check out all the standard equipment on the 2014 Outlander HERE.
Now if you want all the goodies I just mentioned, then it’s another $6100. Still, for right around $30k, you can get all the goodies you’d expect in a luxury type vehicle for well under half the price.
Not only that, but the gas mileage is amazing on this Crossover SUV – 25 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway, which is outstanding!
If I had to offer one piece of constructive criticism, it would be that I would prefer a little more giddy-up than the 2.4 L SOHC engine. Just in case you need to really punch it. The good news is that if you turn off the ECO function, you’ll hurt yourself in the mpg department, but you’ll make up for it with a little more “oomph” behind the wheel.
So what do you all think? Would you take a 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander out for a spin after reading a little more about it?
Thanks for coming to Addicted to Saving! Here’s a little bit about me so you can know who’s behind all these posts!
My name is Liza and I began my money-saving journey in the Spring of 2009 as a way to stretch a limited household income. I had lost my job and my hubby was self-employed. I launched Addicted to Saving in November of 2009 and it has grown by leaps and bounds. Since then, my hubby and I have struggled with the ups and downs of two failed adoptions and are now LOVING being parents to our little man Asher who we brought home from Ethiopia in August of 2013. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to help you save money. My goal is that you will have FUN and become empowered to save more and more money each week..
My friend just bought one and we took a road trip with our 2 kids (each!) and her mom for part of the drive (plus 2 dogs!), I sat in the middle seat of the middle row, in between 2 infants. Thankfully one was backwards so my hips could fit! At any rate, the middle seat belt kept getting tight & not letting me out. I had to use the emergency release on it a number of times throughout our drive because it became too taught across my body and even at a stop, would not loosen up. This was frustrating…and worries me a bit. I also wish the 3rd row had a latch system Since the 2nd row can fold down & has latches, why can’t the 3rd row? Not happy with that. I put my 4 yr old in her 5 pt harness seat using the seat belt, but really prefer the latch system.
i am looking at the mitch outlander sport. the thing i like best was the warranty. the thing i did not like was the noise when you accelerated. it was loud. i have been looking at small suv. i would never buy another mazda in my life. i have a mazda 6 sport wagon, top of the line and have had nothing but problems, had to file w/ fed consumer, the reg mgr was a jerk, he started calling me names during the session, they never honored the deal that they were supposed to, they have terrible cust service and they dont stand behind their dealers, they said they are independently owned and can do what they want, not their problem. have had problems since day 1, brakes, ac, fan, all replaced many times, carpet, side steps, you name, it broke, not once but many times. i drove the cx5, drove nice, but for the money, other cars are better. drove the new Toyota rav, nice, but warranty is terrible, does not drive smooth unless driving on highway, drove the Prius 5, like, actually bigger than the rav and cheaper. next will drive the sub forrester, only thing i dont like is the price and the all wheel when you have a flat tire, have to replace all of the tires or will screw up the all wheel drive. do not like the honda crv, dont like the bubble in the back. i did like the outlander has the gps and dont have to pay for it, gives you 1 yr free radio???. go0t good safety review, but edmonds, etc not rate as well. will not have the ford escape, i have spoken to people that have it, gas mileage terrible, have had major recall already, ford has terrible cust service as well. mazda is partly owned by ford now-since 2005. not sure abt nissan rogue, remodeled. when you are looking for reviews of cars, pay more attention to the owners that have the cars than what the car review companies say.
How can I buy one