The 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander GT S-AWC

This week at Daily Rubber we had the pleasure of driving the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander GT S-AWC. In October of last year we had the 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport SEL for a week and therefore we are somewhat familiar with Mitsubishi’s crossover SUV lineup.

Last year was a bit crazy because we received the car right in the middle of moving! This time around we are settled in and while it came in handy last year, this year we had more time to focus on how cool this SUV really is.

If you have a busy family like we do then there are a few things you will want right off the bat when choosing a new car.

1. Does it have enough space for the family?
2. Is it comfortable?
3. Does it have enough entertainment for a rambunctious 5-year-old?

Once I checked off all of those things off the list then the rest of it is just bonus! So let’s get into the perks, shall we:

One of the first things we noticed was the flawless Diamond White Pearl paint job and sporty grill with the Mitsubishi triple diamond emblem and chrome accents.

The interior was very nice as well with leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter. This model offers seating for seven which is not common for this class of compact crossover SUVs (more on this later) and plenty of technology, including Apple Car Play.

The controls are simple and easy to use and not too overwhelming, the 7″ touchscreen display was quick responsive and very intuitive. Bluetooth and Apple Car Play connected easily, I was listening to music and receiving hands-free calls in minutes.

Our vehicle came equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission and Mitsubishi GT’s advanced AWD technology which is called Super All-Wheel Control or GT S-AWC.

We used the Outlander daily commuting to and from the office, the ride was controlled and comfortable and the suspension did a nice job handling DFW’s street and highway imperfections.

The side mirrors came with built-in turn signals and auto-fold when you turn the car on and off, making it much easier for you or others to walk between cars in tight parking lot.

Auto-fold mirrors with built-in turn signals

Even the roof was cool, LOL, with a shark fin antennae and built in bars to support a roof rack if you are the outdoorsy type that wanted to do a little skiing, snowboarding or bike riding.

The full time LED headlights provided added safety during the day and excellent visibility at night.

The Mitsubishi Outlander GT S-AWC crossover vehicle offers a compact 3rd row however, I did not find it very useful, my 5-year-old is really the only person that could sit back there comfortably. Not to mention, when you install the headrest it hampers the visibility of the driver when using the review mirror, I found the headrest to be a little too long and somewhat of a distraction.

The premium Rockford Fosgate sound system was spot on and provided a well-balanced crisp sound with a lot of thump.

I was a little surprised to see not so great reviews on the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander GT S-AWC however; our experience with it was great!

The Mitsubishi comes in five trim levels— ES 2.4, SE 2.4, LE 2.4, SEL 2.4, GT 3.0 S-AWC. We had the GT 3.0 S-AWC with a starting MSRP price: of $23,945.00, price tested: $34,245.00.

What’s awesome:
• Comfortable ride, great handling
• Rockford Fosgate subwoofer with serious bass
• Power glass sunroof with sunshade and tilt feature

What’s not so awesome:
• Hard to reach USB in the armrest
• A little slow on the acceleration
• Our Blind Spot Warning did not work (could have been disabled / or user error)

Some notable features:

• 3.0L MIVEC SOHC 24-valve V6
• Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC)
• 7.0″ Smartphone Link Display Audio (SDA) System
• Multi-view camera system
• 710-watt Rockford Fosgate® premium audio system with 9 speakers
• LED headlights
• Blind Spot Warning (BSW) with Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) and Lane Change Assist (LCA)