Friday Fleet Notes: 8.17.07

By David Thomas

March 5, 2015

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A few of us got in the last of our summer vacation this week, so the notes aren’t as extensive as usual. Luckily, we got quite a few impressions on one, joyous driving in another and some awkward moments in a new convertible.

Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD

The Outlander turned out to be an awfully fun SUV to drive, but if Mitsubishi wants to move a ton of them, it’s going to have to improve the look and feel of the interior. For as strong as the engine was (and as good as the gas mileage was, for this class), the cheap plastic feel of the dash and doors was off-putting. There’s a cubbyhole on the top of the dash, which is a great place to stash stuff, but the plastic top was curling down a bit at the corners, cheapening the feel of the car.

Driving the Outlander, though, was something else entirely. It had great pep, allowing me to pass when I needed to. It got from 13 to 25 mpg, which is higher than many V-6 SUVs I’ve driven recently. The seats, both in the front and second row, were very comfortable and supportive. The Outlander has kind of a nifty third row that literally pops up from the cargo area in the back. My daughter thought that was pretty cool, but it’s clearly meant for small kids. The seat is small and thin, but it would work fine for carpooling. Mitsubishi has a contender here, but it needs to sweat the details a little more.

Patrick Olsen, Managing Editor

It’s no secret that the once-small Toyota RAV4 SUV has gone through a growth spurt, becoming larger and heavier than the model it replaced. Mitsubishi’s Outlander has also experienced this, but unlike the RAV4 — which still feels like a relatively small vehicle when you’re behind the wheel — the Outlander’s newfound size is felt when maneuvering in tight spots or changing lanes.

On the plus side, the front and second rows of the Outlander are spacious, and the driver enjoys great forward visibility. While the Outlander’s V-6 isn’t as eager or frugal as the RAV4’s optional one, it’s definitely strong enough.

By Mike Hanley, car reviewer

I reviewed the new Outlander last year and was mightily impressed with its handling and engine but, like Patrick, I was less swayed by the interior materials. In this uplevel model that came into the fleet last week, I was again impressed with the engine but thought the steering felt heavier than before.

The XLS trim also came with upgraded leather seats that were nice but didn’t help improve the overall feel of low quality in the interior. It’s still better than some, but it’s hard to beat Honda or Toyota.

David Thomas, KickingTires editor

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It only takes a brief drive to appreciate the S8’s diverse attributes, primary of which is a 5.2-liter V-10 engine that makes 450 hp. The car is deceptively quick, so it’s nice that Audi includes a large digital speed reading in the instrument cluster that grabs your attention better than a traditional analog gauge can. It might keep you out of a few tickets.

With such a sweet engine under the hood — as well as an adjustable suspension that seems up to the task of reining in the full-size sedan’s body motions — it’s a little disappointing that the highly boosted steering system feels little different than a regular A8’s; the low effort and lack of road feel just doesn’t feel appropriate in the S8.

Mike Hanley

Believe it or not I walked away from my short 24 hours with the S8 thinking about the stereo more than the engine. The V-10 is nice, but I found it more responsive and just plain more fun in the smaller Audi S6. I did think the power opening and closing trunk was ludicrously extravagant, yet still useful.

As an overall package though, I could see how the S8 is well-rounded for the high-powered executives out there with a racing streak. Besides the engine, there’s suede-like headliner material, carbon fiber and metallic finishes, and deep sport seats. Plus, this one was all black and will make any driver feel like a movie hero. You can’t put a price tag on that. Well, you can. It’s $108,840.

David Thomas

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I got to take the Eos home for the weekend, and I have to admit I just didn’t feel comfortable driving it. Mainly it was the seating position that I could never get “just right,” but it was also the fact that the Eos just didn’t feel masculine enough for me to be driving. I know, I know. That is a completely chauvinistic comment to make, but then I pulled up to our house and my wife took one look at the Eos and said “that’s cute.”

When we went to run errands around town on Saturday with the top down, I had her drive it. I just couldn’t come to grips with ever owning this car myself. For the record, my wife couldn’t get comfortable in the driver’s seat either. On the plus side, the top works perfectly and the sound system, even in the base model, was crisp and clear with the wind rushing overhead. The 2.0 turbo is a favorite engine of mine and is plenty powerful for the Eos, although there is an available six-cylinder. Even with a bigger engine I don’t think the Eos would be on my list of favorite rides, but that’s just the chauvinist in me talking.