with seven airbags, Mitsubishi's Fuse hands-free communication system with Bluetooth streaming audio and USB input and the same mechanics we see throughout the line. Up the ante to the SE 2WD and you shell out $21,695 but end up with FAST-key passive entry and one-touch start/stop, 18-inch wheels and auto on/off HID headlights. The final step in the Outlander Sport family is the SE AWC (there it is again), which adds heated front seats, an available (and giant) transparent panorama roof and Mitsubishi's All Wheel Control all-wheel-drive system.

Here's one that'll win you money at the local pub.

Which of these vehicles has magnesium paddle shifters? A) Chevrolet Corvette; B) Aston Martin DB9; C) 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander; D) A and B but not C; E) B and C but not A.

If the car world were an action film, Mitsubishi would be in the tenuous last five minutes of the last reel. The snake-headed alien space monkeys have beaten the hero to a bloody pulp. He's oozing from every pore and it looks like the space monkeys are about to turn the earth's population into food pellets. Will the hero suddenly find a last burst of strength, grab a Louisville Slugger and with a wry, "Batter up, space monkey," turn the aliens into primate piñatas? We don't know. The movie's not over yet.

It's 57 degrees and the fog is rolling in off the Pacific, but we're not about to go top up in our 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GT. We crank the heat, fire up the seat heaters and pull on a dorky hat, because that's what you do with a convertible: You live life out in the open.

Have a bad day at work? Did you miss an episode of The Office? Or maybe you had a tiff with your "better half"? Maybe we can help. Few things in life have such an immediate and positive effect on one's mood as a convertible. Somehow, dropping the top on a gorgeous day melts away minor annoyances and injects a childlike joy into one's spirit. With the warm sun, a nice breeze and "The Big '80s" blasting out of a megawatt sound system — you realize that life ain't so bad after all.

Import trucks all have one thing in common. They aren't American. Except cases like the 2006 Mitsubishi Raider pickup, which cunningly claims dual citizenship.

There's a fine line between quoting and plagiarism. Quoting means you're borrowing the best parts of a story and giving credit to the author. Plagiarism is bold-faced copying. One is good, the other gets you fired. With that in mind, let's talk about the 2006 Mitsubishi Raider pickup.

Most of the people who have driven the Outlander GT have had positive comments about this compact sport/utility. One noted, "the Evo-inspired nosejob has done a great job of giving the Outlander some much-needed character. Other than the absence of a telescoping steering column, this loaded variant actually seems like a decent bargain." But at over $33,000, it isn't exactly the least expensive crossover in this category.

The Oulander GT is another value-minded crossover in the garage, this one with Evo-like personality and styling. It's also one of the very few vehicles on the market today with a tailgate that uses a flipdown bottom half-door, making it easy to load gear. But editors are not thrilled with the head unit.

When thinking of the Mitsubishi Lancer, most car enthusiasts envision a muscular Evolution X charging through a remote mountain pass. While the Evo hogs the spotlight--and the imaginations of car nuts -- it is the humble, less aggressive Lancer that serves as the halo car's foundation and rules the three-diamond's annual sales sheets. In 2010, the base Lancer accounted for 46% of Mitsubishi's total U.S. sales; the Evo only 6%.