2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse Gs Auto Leather Sunroof 60k Mi Texas Direct Auto on 2040-cars

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Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

Junkyard Gem: 1990 Mitsubishi Mirage Sedan

In the early 1970s, Chrysler (lacking funds to develop a brand-new subcompact for the American market) began importing Mitsubishi Colt Galants and putting Dodge Colt badges on them. Chrysler's relationship with Mitsubishi deepened over subsequent decades, with numerous Mitsubishis sold here with Dodge, Plymouth, Chrysler, and Eagle badging. That didn't stop Mitsubishi Motors from selling some of the very same vehicles, though, once sales of Mitsubishi-badged cars and trucks began here in the 1983 model year. Starting in 1979, Colt badges moved over to the front-wheel-drive Mirage, with the Mirage itself appearing here for the 1985 model year. Here's one of those cars, a rare 1990 sedan in a Denver self-service yard. In 1990, Americans could choose between four near-identical versions of this car sold by different marques: the Mitsubishi Mirage, Dodge Colt, Plymouth Colt, and Eagle Summit. The MSRP on the '90 Mirage sedan was $8,559 (about $15,015 in 2022 dollars) and the prices of the other three were so close as to make no real difference; customers could just shop for the best rebates and financing. Americans couldn't get this generation of the Dodge/Plymouth Colt as a sedan, though Canadians could. Most of the Mirages and Summits sold here were hatchbacks, but Mitsubishi and Eagle dealers probably wanted something to compete with the Civic and Corolla sedans of the era. Mitsubishi certainly got its money's worth out of the 4G aka Orion engine family! This is a 1.5-liter SOHC 4G15, rated at 81 horsepower. The early Hyundai Excel (and its Mitsubishi-badged twin, the Precis) got a version of this engine. If you bought the Mirage Turbo, you got a DOHC version displacing 1.6 liters and blasting out 135 horses (but it was only available here until 1989 and just as a hatchback). That 81 horsepower was even less fun than it sounds, in this case, because the original buyer of this Mirage skipped the standard-equipment five-speed manual and paid extra for the three-speed automatic. It has air conditioning, with the "Econo" mode that was so popular among 1980s Japanese cars. Not quite 100,000 miles passed beneath its wheels during 32 years of service. At some point, a set of Mercury Tracer hubcaps was slapped on the unsightly steel wheels. The lug holes don't line up, but who's going to notice? Sold out of the now-defunct Ehrlich dealership in Greeley, Colorado, back when you could buy an Isuzu or a Nissan on the same lot.

2016 Mitsubishi Outlander confirmed for New York debut

Mitsubishi is putting a lot of work into updating its lineup this year after strong sales growth in 2014. In addition to bringing the Concept GC-PHEV (pictured above) to the 2015 Chicago Auto Show, the Japanese brand is already spilling the beans about its plans for the New York Auto Show. "All of our 2016 model year vehicles will be refreshed with our new brand identity, starting with the 2016 Outlander, which will make its world premiere at the New York International Auto Show in April," Mitsubishi Motors North America Executive Vice President Don Swearingen said at the Chicago show. The future Outlander has already been spied testing in Europe. However, the launch of the plug-in variant has reportedly been pushed back until some time around April 2016. In the meantime, the Mitsubishi is showing the Concept GC-PHEV from an earlier Tokyo Motor Show in the Windy City. The company promises the vehicle's chunky design suggests its future design language, which is rumored to preview a future Montero. Under the hood, the GC-PHEV has a supercharged V6 and plug-in hybrid making 335 horsepower and an eight-speed automatic gearbox with power going to all four wheels. The GC-PHEV also has some sci-fi features to go with its next-gen looks, including something called the Tactical Table. While the name sounds like a high-tech way to play board games, the system lets occupants share information from a smartphone with the vehicle and other passengers. The concept includes an augmented reality windshield and collision mitigating braking, as well. Related Video: MITSUBISHI MOTORS CONCEPT GC-PHEV MAKES NORTH AMERICAN DEBUT AT THE 2015 CHICAGO AUTO SHOW Futuristic, full-size crossover concept provides a glimpse at the brand's new design language applied to a large SUV Features a powerful yet highly efficient supercharged V-6/electric motor plug-in hybrid, 8-speed automatic transmission and full-time Super All-Wheel Control all-wheel drive Features technology that Mitsubishi is working towards incorporating into production vehicles Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) today unveiled the futuristic Mitsubishi Concept GC-PHEV at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show. The full-size SVU concept provides a glimpse at the brand's new design language applied to a large vehicle.