I can’t believe that in just 2 short months my son will be getting his driver’s license. My oldest has been driving for two years now and commutes from college each weekend to work. More and more each day I respect cars and car manufacturers to keep my family comfortable but mostly safe on the roads. Although we have older model cars lined up for our kids to drive, we look forward to the day when we can purchase a newer car with modern safety features and technology. On a recent test drive of the 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander 3.0 GT, there were a few great things that stood out while checking out this car for the week.
2016 Mitsubishi Outlander 3.0 GT
When it comes to safety and technology, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, hands free phone usage are all things you can do right on the steering wheel or nearby. Adaptive Cruise Control is so smart, it can increase or decrease your car’s speed to maintain a following distance that you set. Advanced versions can slow and stop your car in traffic, then accelerate for you when traffic evens out. Just like regular cruise control, a tap on the break turns it off. Lane Departure Warning systems alert you if you’re drifting out of your lane using visual, vibration or sound warnings on highways when painted road lines are clear and bright on both sides of the lane. This is a feature that would benefit people driving at night, possibly fatigued, or to help new drivers. *Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Departure Warning comes with the GT Touring package making the model we tested retail for $35,195.
Parents and young adults alike are addicted to their phones, and having the pairing option and hands free set up can keep eyes where they should be, on the road. I tried for the first time to text from the car and it was surprising how easy it was to work. With keys in an ignition becoming a thing of the past, the key fob has a slot to store while driving and a screen on the dash will light up and ding when you forget to grab the key.
The large 6.1″ display and backup camera is great for veteran drivers and those new behind the wheel. 
USB ports are a must for any car for us now, nearly being a dealbreaker without one. Right in the center “glove box” you have one plus a 12V outlet. Though I’d love one in the back seat as well, you can’t be too picky.
With 5 of us, we’ve used our vehicle with a third row the most in the past 10 years. Now that we have another adult driver in the home and one ready to be independent, we don’t need as much space. I love that the 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander 3.0 GT has the third row, 7 passenger option if needed, but you can also extend the trunk space when you’re commuting, driving around town, or taking a weekend away as a couple.
When the third row is in use, the space is tight as is the trunk space. Not a deal breaker, but just something to note.
You can easily have a sixth seat and partially fold down the third row when traveling or running daily errands as a larger family to gain a few more feet of space.
The second row has plenty of leg room (especially if the people in the front are short like me).
The leather seats are also a must for our next car. These by no means were slippery or got too hot (unless I had the seat warmers on), they are so comfortable and as my children are growing up won’t take too much of a beating with stains like my current cloth seats (I’ll spare you an awful image). The Rally Red exterior was gorgeous and we are definitely partial to that color car. Paired with silver, chrome, and black it’s just a gorgeous vehicle.
Standard Mechanical Features include:
- Engine: 224-hp 3.0 liter V6 MIVEC
- 6 speed automatic transmission
- Gas Mileage: 20 mpg city, 27 highway, 23 combined
- Warranty: 5-year/60,000 miles up to 10 years/100,000 miles
What are some must-haves/deal breakers when thinking about buying your next car?
We were offered the car on loan for one week, all opinions are 100% ours.
The trunk fits groceries, narrow suitcases, sports equipment and more. Putting the back seat down, the trunk doubles in size easily and conveniently and I can see traveling back and forth from college visits being easy on packing. Split folding rear seat can give just that little more room you may need plus space for an extra passenger. 
The interior of the car is styled pretty basically (plastic), controls are straight-forward and easy to work. Steering wheel mounted cruise control, audio controls, and Bluetooth controls are good to keep young drivers focused on the road and not fumbling with music or phone calls when driving. Is that the ignition button on the left below the dash, that’s odd!
Teens love the stereo with iPod and USB compatability for their electronics and the navigation system can be added for importance of learning a new area when away from home. 
None of our 3 current cars have a screen for navigation, so the rearview camera is a nice add for new drivers but in this tiny car you can really maneuver in and out of spaces so easily it’s pretty amazing! 
The screen can open for CDs and tilt for glares due to the sun or surrounding lights. Now here’s another oddity, the letter B on the automatic shift panel. We’d never seen this and looked it up, it’s similar to the L on some cars. B stands for engine braking and should be used when you are “riding the brakes descending a long steep slope” and when asking others, they say it’s not necessary at all. We didn’t touch it.
The driver’s sun visor includes a vanity mirror (lid and ticket holder) but the passenger side does not. Strange, yes as a passenger would more likely need or want to use the mirror in our experience with kids, just another something we noticed and placed in that odd column.
Overall the car is a great buy starting at 12,995 though ours was $16,295 for the model we tested. The gas mileage alone is the biggest selling point for a young driver. 
It’s definitely cute says the Junior in high school, and would be “so easy to park” in town or a college city we’re currently exploring. To learn more, visit 
