I agree that the Mokka is a good product. A rebadged version is sold in the U.S. as the Buick Encore.

 

An analogy once with another Mitsubishi product that applies here. Around 1991, I was in college and my father bought my roommate and I a tv for our dorm room. This was at a department store and they had a sale on Mitsubishi tvs. The salesperson was adamant this was the one to have, but my dad saw a slight smaller Sony but at a higher price. Having had an issue a long time ago with another tv before my dad ended up buying Sonys for tvs for decades, we settled on the Sony.

Same thing applies to Mitsubishi vehicles. While good on some aspects, for just a bit more I could get (insert higher quality Japanese vehicle here).

When I lived in Mexico, they were sold but not very popular, but they had hoped with a lower price point they might sneak under the radar and grab some market share they could not get elsewhere.

 

I've had a few Outlanders as rentals and they have been fine, they just weren't appealable to me as something to buy.

 

I know that not everyone here on Car Chat is going to agree with me (or disagree, for that matter)...so I'm not going to get into an argument about it here.......I'll just state what I've seen over the years in ownership, test-drives, and static-reviews.

In general, although the poorly-made Mitsubishi vehicles coming out of the Diamond-Star plant were an exception, Japanese-designed vehicles (including Mitsubishi) seem to have reached their peak in quality and solidness of construction/materials in the late 1980s through the late 90s or early 2000s, and then a gradual downward trend after that as cost-cutting and thinner/lighter materials became the rule. With Korean-designed vehicles, they were awful in the 1980s through the mid-1990s or so, then, in the late 1990s, started a gradual upward trend for the next several years (when they added their 10/100 and 5/60 warranties), and, IMO, reached their peak from the mid/late 2000s up to just a few years ago, and are now in a (slight, but noticeable) downward trend as they, too, are joining in the less-solid materials and cost-cutting that the Japanese manufacturers did 20 years ago. I've also noticed a few patterns among European makes (particularly Mercedes and BMW).......but I won't get into that here, because the thread seems to be more about Japanese vs. Korean products.

 

Did you ever make it to the dealer?

 

We had too much stuff to do last weekend but I do still intend to go, it's close enough that if I have a few hours I'll drop in

 

Saw a new Mitsubishi dealer the other day. Really nice the black marble style exterior. I like Mitsubishi

 

Mitsubishi still around in this country......

 

Seeing plenty of the new Outlander (really a 3-row(ish) Nissan Rogue) around these days. Brought the Outlander from the edges of the segment straight into the core with a competitive product.

 

One thing that automakers, IMO need to stop doing is stuffing 3-row-seating into vehicles that were designed and intended for two rows.....particularly in the American market, where adults often tend to be on the large size by world standards.

 

Different vehicles and budgets work for different families. This vehicle was designed with its 3rd row in mind. Does that mean it's the same functionality as a 3-row Traverse? No.

It's fine for its intended target buyer. If it's not, plenty of other choices out there.

 

The Traverse, and its sister Buick Enclave, are excellent examples of crossover SUVs that were properly designed for three rows of American-sized adults. With those vehicles, GM did it right.

 

I wanted that 1998 Eclipse. Looked hot. Next gen looks horrible. Never become interested in the brand again. But the new Outlander does not look bad.

 

So I just got back from WV and my cousin and I running around commented on the surprising number of Mistubishis. I probably saw 15 new Mitsubishis. He said there's a big dealer in Beckley and they will finance anybody.

 

Well, in that part of WV, they obviously have to be able to offer credit to low-income people......if not, the dealership probably won't be able to stay in business. This is not Manhattan or Beverly Hills.

Of course, having said that, new Mitsubishis, with their generally low prices compared to most other brands in the American market, are a natural attraction to those with low income...assuming that a dealership can be found within a reasonable distance.

And that lack of dealerships (as I have stated in other posts and threads) is a significant handicap. I remember, a few years ago, a friend of mine and his wife who lived in Carson City, NV, were possibly interested in a new Outlander Sport, because, like with the Subaru Impreza, it was a good way to get AWD brand-new at a very low. I did some searching for him, and it turned out that the closest new Mitsubishi dealership where he could even LOOK at the vehicle, much less purchase one, was more then 80 miles away, across Lake Tahoe, significantly into California. I've said a number of times.....although more people are purchasing them on-line now, in general, you can't sell new vehicles without retail places to display, test-drive, and market them.

And that is probably one of the reasons Mitsubishi has dropped their upper-level/more-expensive products (Evo, Eclipse, Diamante, Galant, Montero, etc....) from the American market...they seem to be (although without an adequate number of dealerships) focusing as a niche-manufacturer for those who have little cash to spend.