- pickup 100,871
- Phoenix, AZ
-
- autoshopper.com
2006 mitsubishi raider review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. New pickup is a dodge dakota with smoother styling. introductionthe 2006 mitsubishi raider is an all-new midsize pickup truck, although 'all new' in this case must be qualified because it uses the chassis and engine of the dodge dakota and comes off the dakota assembly line in detroit. The raider uses a welded ladder frame chassis, with hydroformed components, and follows daimler-chrysler's recent direction of producing trucks that are notably smooth and silent running. The gentle suspension sweetens the road ride, but limits off-road use. the raider was rushed to market, although because the powertrain is proven, reliability won't suffer. It mostly means that the raider's individuality will grow as mitsubishi begins to introduce options to distinguish it under the skin from the dakota. The dodge dakota was redesigned for 2005. The toyota tacoma and nissan frontier were redesigned for 2005 and the chevrolet colorado and gmc canyon were launched as 2004 models. The ranger is the last of the small compact pickups that used to make up the class. lineupthe mitsubishi raider lineup is simple, with the ls and xls in either extended cab or double cab. The xls can be had either with 2wd or electronic awd. Standard equipment includes larger power sideview mirrors, fog lamps, rear window defroster, 17-inch chromed aluminum wheels, leather, power driver's seat with lumbar support, hands-free phone, heavy-duty battery and cooling system, class iv trailer hitch receiver with seven-pin harness, sirius satellite radio, and all the power stuff. there's also a durocross model, with features including 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lamps, sliding rear window, power heated sideview mirrors that fold flat, dark tinted glass, fender flares with mudguards, side steps and a box bedliner, heavy duty cooling system and battery, and some trim enhancements. the durocross 4wd (only the xls is full-time awd) adds bfg all terrain tires, gas shocks, a skid plate and limited-slip differential. walkaroundduring the introduction of the raider we were able to spend a lot of time with the truck's chief designer, dave o'connell, who also designed the mitsubishi endeavor suv. The raider was a challenging assignment for him, because he was asked to produce something dynamically different, which had to bolt perfectly onto the dodge dakota parts, down to the door hinges, and even some of the sheetmetal had to come from the endeavor. Definitely not the dodge. The key, said o'connell, is the forward line of the a-pillar. Imagine a drop of water rolling from the roof down to the front bumper; it would have a smooth, gentle ride. O'connell certainly gave mitsubishi the distinction they asked for. The grille is nicely understated, a horizontal mesh opening with rounded top corners, split by a triangle bearing the mitsubishi motors logo. The colors of the pieces vary with the models, but we think the grille looks best in black mesh and the centerpiece with the triangle far better when it's body-colored, rather than the shiny platinum of the xls. the headlamp units are inlayed into the fender flares, resisting the temptation to put their two cents into the styling statement. The front bumper/fascia is separated from the nose by a line as clean as a horizon on the sea. The fascia is either body-colored or flat black, as are the lips of the fender flares. Blessed, practical, clean simplicity. The cabin itself is not like trucks used to be, however. Instead, it's comfortable, and there are places galore to store things. It's also very quiet inside. Whether it's polished aluminum in the xls, or simple black in the ls, it's tidy and fail-safe. Three circles, perfectly balanced. The gauges appear to be the same as in the jeep grand cherokee, and other daimler-chrysler family vehicles, and we've got nothing but praise for component sharing in this case. Twin cupholders tucked under the radio, and a third giant one that can be used for big drinks or other stuff. Under the driver's elbow, the center hatch is one big compartment. we drove raiders with both cloth and leather, and both materials were of high quality. Options in the extended cab include nothing but a storage space behind a front bench seat, or a small bench seat. the rear bench seat in the xls double cab was relatively spacious, with a decent 36. 4 inches of legroom, although the headroom was pinched by the roofline at the top of the windows. There's a big difference in performance, a small difference in price, and an insignificant difference in fuel mileage: 15/19 mpg for a 4wd v6, and 14/19 mpg for the v8. The single-overhead-cam v8 and the v6 are the same basic engine, but somehow the extra two cylinders add good power with zero downside. And the v8 runs on regular fuel, unlike some of the competition, for example the toyota tacoma, whose 240-horsepower v6 engine requires 91 octane. the v8 makes 230 horsepower and a class-leading 290 pound-feet of torque. We had the opportunity to tow around a trailer carrying a mitsubishi lancer evolution, and the raider had plenty of power for the job, with good acceleration. in normal driving without the trailer, the v8 feels surprisingly fast, for a relatively modest 230 horsepower, a benefit of its strong torque. Mitsubishi says the cases are put through rigorous tests equivalent to 150,000 miles of driving. we would have liked to take that trailer carrying the evo off into the mountains, and come blasting down a long hill; that's what separates the excellent truck brakes from the just-ok. Power Windows✔ Power Mirrors✔ Cruise Control✔ Air Conditioning✔ Aluminum Wheels✔ Alloy Wheels
Phoenix, AZPhoenix, AZ at autoshopper.com