Faults:

Premature wear of the oil pump compensator shaft, if not addressed precisely, can seriously affect engine performance.

The oil pressure light may flash at idle due to faulty sensors or wear in the pump.

Rapid wear of the brake discs, which often bend due to the weight of the vehicle.

Corrosion is a common problem in the chassis.

Bushings, stabilizer bar links, and McPherson strut mounts require frequent replacement.

General Comments:

The Outlander is halfway between a regular car and a proper SUV.

It shares many components with the Galant, especially in the interior.

It's a very comfortable and easy vehicle to drive despite its weight; there's no noticeable difference compared to a sedan, and I personally find it much easier and with better handling than my previous Pathfinder.

It comes with a very complete set of features for a 20-year-old car, including air conditioning (which works perfectly and hasn't been touched), central locking, ABS, disc brakes on all four wheels, and power steering, among other things. These features make it very enjoyable to drive, especially on long journeys.

Ingress and egress to the cabin is easy with the generous hip height of the seats, and the seats themselves are comfortable and supportive. Back seat passengers have plenty of space laterally, but taller people may find the rakish roofline cuts closer to the head than normal. Legroom is agreeable, even in the centre position.

The power unit is coupled to a Constantly Variable Transmission (CVT). The electronically controlled transmission also incorporates a six-speed sport mode, allowing the driver to manually change ratios. Performance was good both around town or overtaking on longer trips.

It exhibits good on-road attributes; a nice absorption of bumps and road noise was noted. Handling is sharp, and among the best in class.

The 2.4-liter engine, besides being fast and agile, has proven to be extremely reliable; I haven't had a single problem in almost 10 years, and I bought the car with nearly 60,000 kilometers on the odometer.

What amazed me most is the low fuel consumption, around 8 liters per 100 kilometers, which is really low for a vehicle of the Outlander's weight and characteristics.

It's a car that pleasantly surprised me, since many people didn't speak very highly of Mitsubishis from that era.

Faults:

Moisture in running light initially, standard brake, tire, and oil maintenance.

General Comments:

THIS CAR SAVED OUR LIVES.

I've driven this car (we named her "Electra" because she was "Electric Blue") for 5 years.

The negative:

The sunroof was noisy when the interior roofdoor was open and window closed, and general road-noise was a bit louder than we would have liked -- so much so that we'd have ringing in our ears after long car rides. Also, the front cigarette lighter metal holder detached but was easily repaired.

The positive:

- Power -- My prior car was an Eclipse Spyder, Turbo, so I get what a powerful car feels like. My car before that was a Mercury Topaz -- so I get what an "underpowered" car is too. This Outlander was just perfect, and I never felt frustrated getting on a highway.

- Stereo -- Sounded great, and 5-disc changer! Bluetooth would have been nice...

- Storage -- I needed to carry lots of pro video gear to events, and this thing packed it all in wonderfully.

- SAFETY -- I was just involved in a high-speed (highway) roll-over accident where our car rolled probably at least twice before stopping, upside-down. My wife and the driver were pulled out of their windows (smashed open by EMT) and I was able to crawl out after mine was smashed. AND -- our worst injury (I think) was my wife's broken shoulder. *WE ALL LIVED* This car did everything it was supposed to -- air bags deployed, side arms held the weight of the car above them so we didn't get crushed -- windshield spider'd and we weren't doused with glass.

Although my prior Mitsubishi vehicles (two) had premature rusting which ultimately caused their demise, I didn't have that happen with this car, and she took care of us when we needed. Would definitely recommend this vehicle!