Review: 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport (ninth place) -National Cars

This review is part of a nine-car comparison ofcompact crossover SUVs. The Outlander Sport isranked ninth place of nine.

The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport came to the marketthree years ago as a product that was alreadyseriously compromised - albeit intentionally so. It'ssmaller and less powerful than nearly any competitor,which led to an unusually low price and unusuallygood fuel economy. This came at the expense of

acceleration and cargo volume, and the car also lacked the plush cabin and smooth, quiet ride foundin many competitors. (The Outlander Sport is unrelated to the Mitsubishi Outlander, a larger modelrecently redesigned for the 2014 model year.)

Today, competing compact crossovers match or exceed the Outlander Sport's fuel economy withoutneeding to sacrifice acceleration so severely - robbing it of a standout virtue that had been essentialto a not-too-scathing review in 2011. That now consigns it to the back of the class despite recent2013-model updates.

To be sure, the car's gas mileage is still quite good by the class standards, particularly in the city.EPA estimates are 24 miles per gallon in city driving, 29 mpg on the highway and 26 mpg in mixeddriving; this reviewer averaged 25.4 mpg during a weeklong test in mixed driving. (The typicalcompetitor is rated for 25 mpg overall.) And although base prices still remain tantalizing, Mitsubishicharges a lot for its options.

There are some high notes beyond the price and fuel economy: An Acceptable score in a toughInsurance Institute for Highway Safety small-overlap offset crash test - the second-highest of fouravailable ratings - is enough to beat all but one competitor. Mitsubishi offers a longer warranty thanmost automakers. And its petite exterior dimensions and tidy turning radius are handy in urbanconditions.

But beyond that, there's not a heck of a lot topraise in the Outlander Sport. The 2.0-liter,148-horsepower engine is overworked in thisheavy, boxy vehicle - the car feels particularlylethargic off the line, and improves little fromthat. It's mated to a continuously variableautomatic transmission, which lacks set gearrations, and this rarely works well in an enginethat doesn't have pep and a nice engine sound.This Mitsubishi has neither. The car's drivingexperience is defined by a sense of wheezingslowness, even though instrumented testingfrom other reviewers says it's slightly quickerthan a couple of competitors. No larger engineis offered.

The rest of the driving experience isn't greateither. The tested car's large 18-inch wheels pound over bumps, and the Outlander Sport jiggles atlow speeds. It handles with decent agility, but it has an unsettling tendency to continue in whateverdirection it was last pointed rather than naturally straightening out, leading to constant wrestlingwith the heavy steering.

Inside, there's decent passenger space, but the seats are hard and flat, and cargo room badly trailsthe competition. The typical competitor is some 10 inches longer than the Outlander Sport, and mostof their extra size went into room behind the rear seat, which is quite skimpy in the Mitsubishi at20.1 cubic feet. A high cargo floor doesn't help either the car's capacity or the ease of loading.Several competitors have more than 50 percent more room. The Outlander Sport is certainly not animpractical vehicle, but you can do a lot better in nearly any competitor.

The interior is far more serviceable than plush, with thinly padded armrests and stiffly operatingclimate knobs. Skip the navigation system to keep a more user-friendly audio head instead of a slow-responding touch-screen surrounded by small buttons.

For the money

The Outlander Sport starts below $20,000, which is in economy car territory even with powerwindows, locks and mirrors, cruise control, a Bluetooth cellphone link, and 18-inch alloy wheels.

But that quickly soars if you want anything more.

An automatic transmission adds $1,200 on the base ES (it's standard on other models), and a

handful of extras - a proximity key and HID headlights - push the SE model to $23,000. Add $1,200more for the LE, which adds a power driver's seat and some trim changes. It costs $1,400 for all-wheel-drive on any trim, and - on the SE and LE only - $2,000 for a package that includes apanoramic sunroof and upgraded sound system, and $2,300 for a slow-responding touch-screennavigation system and infotainment interface, among other options. If you want leather seats, that's$950 more, and Mitsubishi doesn't even install the leather at the factory.

In total, an Outlander Sport comparably equipped to this comparison's competition -- with all-whee--drive, heated leather seats, and a sunroof -- would be an LE with a sticker price of $28,620. Expectto haggle a few thousand dollars of that price, and the resulting estimated transaction price of$25,449 is quite competitive for this class. But it's still only the third-cheapest vehicle in thiscomparison.

Long story short, the more features you want, the weakerthe Outlander Sport fares. In a comparison of base-modelcrossovers, it would come across more favorably, thanks toa larger price advantage.

Not that much more favorably, though. An Outlander SportES has a roomy rear seat and high seating positioncompared to other vehicles at its price point -- such as

compact economy cars -- though even the Mitsubishi isn't so much less than a comparable NissanRogue or Hyundai Tucson/Kia Sportage.

But there is no longer much that the Outlander Sport does better than the competition, and itspowertrain is the nail in the coffin to its general mediocrity - at any price. Give it a look if you'relooking at base models and price is your main criterion, but even then don't expect to be wowed.And once you're adding a lot of options, forget about it.

Overall grade: F

- More photos of the 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

- Report card: Rating the Outlander Sport -- how does it compare in different ways, such as comfort,safety and fuel economy?

- Report card: Ranking the Outlander Sport -- how does it stack up for different types of buyers?

More from this comparison:

- Next article: 2013 Toyota RAV4 (8th place)

- Introduction

- Rating the nine compact crossovers

- Ranking the nine compact crossovers

- Quick summaries of the nine compact crossovers: Pros, cons, conclusions.

See also:

All Cars Examiner car reviews

Review: 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer SE

Review: 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander GT

Vehicle tested: 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

Vehicle base price (MSRP): $19,710

Version tested: SE AWD

Version base price (MSRP): $23,695

Vehicle price as tested (MSRP): $28,570

Vehicle price as comparable (MSRP)*: $28,620

Estimated transaction price as comparable**: $25,449

Test vehicle provided by: Mitsubishi Motors North America

Key specifications:

Length: 169.1 inches

Width: 69.7 inches

Height: 64.2 inches

Wheelbase: 105.1 inches

Weight: 3,263 pounds

Cargo volume behind rear seat: 20.1 cubic feet

Cargo volume with rear seat folded: 48.8 cubic feet

Turning circle: 34.8 feet

Engine: 2.0-liter I4 with 148 horsepower

Transmission (as tested): CVT automatic

EPA city mileage: 24 miles per gallon

EPA highway mileage: 29 miles per gallon

EPA combined mileage: 26 miles per gallon

Observed mileage during test: 25.4 miles per gallon

Assembly location: Japan

For more information: Mitsubishi website

*Prices as comparable refer to cars with all-wheel-drive; an automatic transmission; heated, poweradjustable leather seats; and a sunroof, or the nearest equivalent.

**Estimated transaction prices are based on data from Truecar.com and dealer quotes.