Car Reviews, Recipes

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.0 LE AWC

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.0 LE AWC | getinmymouf.com

This post is made possible through a partnership with the kind folks at Mitsubishi Motors, who provided us with a vehicle to test drive for a week. You can follow the conversation on social media with the hashtag #DriveMitsubishi.

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It’s been a few years, but the Outlander Sport’s big brother, Outlander (minus the Sport) was one of the first vehicles we were able to test drive for this blog. I was impressed with Mitsubishi’s value, as you can get a lot of car for not a lot of money. With another vacation to Southern California scheduled, I needed some wheels for a short road trip between San Diego and Los Angeles. Fortunately, the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport was up to the challenge.

Specs

MSRP (as tested): $25,210
MPG Estimate: 23 city – 29 highway
Engine: 2.0L MIVEC SOHC 16-valve, 4 cylnders
Power: 148 hp @ 6000 rpm | 145 ft-lbs. @ 4200 rpm
Transmission: CVT
Color: Alloy Silver Metallic

Click here for more info about the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.

Comfort

As with any vehicle that is part of a journey to Los Angeles, you want something comfortable, ‘cause your gonna be in the car for a while. The nearly “3 hour drive” from San Diego was more accurately described as 2 hours from San Diego to LA and another hour trotting along in LA traffic.

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.0 LE AWC | getinmymouf.com

Look, I’m a seat snob. I’m old and grumpy now and just thinking about three hours in a car makes my back ache. It’s simple:  I like my car seats to feel like a recliner. Seriously, I will regularly take naps in my daily driver at during worktime lunches.

Are the seats in the Outlander the most comfortable? No, but you’re also not paying $50K for an Outlander Sport. definitelyately weren’t uncomfortable and for a $25k CUV, they did the job just fine.

Accoutrements

My favorite feature of the Outlander was the inclusion of the Apple Car Play—Seriously, why isn’t this mandatory in all cars? Write your senators.

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.0 LE AWC | getinmymouf.com

If you’re into road trips and you like to rely on GPS, this is a clutch feature you’ll love. No more squinting at your phone for directions, as everything is displayed on the vehicle’s larger screen.

I’m also an audiophile and listen to millions of hours of podcasts, audio books on audible, and music on Spotify, so it’s also great to have those within an easier reach as well.

Looks

Over the years, Mitsubishis haven’t been known for their smashing good looks. Except for maybe the 90-2000’s era Eclipses, Mitsubishi seemed to be happy not to stand out. But I think they’ve done a great job with the exterior of the Outlander Sport. It looks sporty. It looks fun. It looks ready for anything.

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.0 LE AWC | getinmymouf.com

It also has cool black wheels (another feature I wish more cars shared).

Cargo

No vehicle post would be complete without a picture of luggage in the back.

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.0 LE AWC | getinmymouf.com

Although I was traveling solo, you can get an idea of what the Outlander Sport can hold. Two checked bags and then some would fit in the rear without issue.

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.0 LE AWC | getinmymouf.com

Performance

What I really enjoyed about the Outlander Sport was that it had the feel of a car, but the benefits of an SUV. It was nimble, easily parkable, and visibilty was good all around. It was also nice to have the lift of sitting a bit higher up than a sedan.

Gas mileage average roughly 27 MPG, which falls in line with Mitsubishi’s estimates.

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.0 LE AWC | getinmymouf.com

You can never have too much power, so I’m known for advocating a turbo charger in every vehicle (which will be my main platform for my 2020 Presidential campaign). The Outlander Sport could use a few extra HP for merging onto highways, but got the job done for city driving. Especially since you rarely exceed 15 MPH in LA.

Since I was in sunny California, there was no need for the all wheel drive (or “All Wheel Control” aka AWC as Mitsubishi calls it). However, for a crosserv near the $20K mark, I would give this a strong look for folks in heavy snow states.

Pics from the Drive

San Diego | getinmymouf.com

Classic San Diego Palm Trees. View from my Friendbnb (bed and burgers).

San Deigo | getinmymouf.com

It doesn’t look like it, but this is a secret beach.

Los Angeles | getinmymouf.com

View from my Silverlake Airbnb: Welcome to Los Angeles.

Los Angeles | getinmymouf.com

Take a hike.

Overall

All in all, what the Outlander Sport does best is its ability to hide great value behind a sexy exterior. With an MSRP around $25K, you could easily get that down closer to $20K with incentives and shrewd negotiating. Additionally, you can’t forget about the 10-year / 100k-mile powertrain warranty and 5-year / 60k-mile new vehicle limited warranty. It’s nice to know won’t need to worry about costly repairs during ownership.

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.0 LE AWC | getinmymouf.com

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Disclaimer:  As noted at the top of this post, we were provided a vehicle by Mitsubishi to test drive for approximately one week. We were not provided any monetary compensation and all opinions expressed here are our own.

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Reviews, Travel

Enjoy Los Angeles

I love Los Angeles, but I know there are a lot of people out there who have either had bad experiences, or just have zero desire to spend any precious vacation time in La La land.

There’s actually so much to do and so many ways to experience L.A. that, after a few trips, I think I’ve finally figured out how to experience the city in way that can even change the minds of nonbelievers:

Choose Your Location Wisely

Los Angeles covers a wide geographic area, so when planning a trip, try and stay in a location central to most of the things you want to check out. Otherwise, you’ll be spending A LOT of time in traffic.

For my last trip I stayed in this Airbnb guest house, located in Silver Lake. The location had a ton of perks including easy street parking (rare for L.A.), it was central to an infinite number of food options (I’ll touch on that later), and because it’s a residential neighborhood, the atmosphere is much calmer than staying in a hotel in Hollywood.

Silver Lake | getinmymouf.com

Such a calm street. I could totally live here.

If you’re a runner, staying near the Silver Lake Reservoir gives you an easy jogging path to start or end your day. As an added bonus, there’s a dog park nearby, so how can you run past dogs and not have great day? Oh, it is a reservoir, but don’t expect to see any water…

Keep Your Wheels Small

You’ll be doing a lot of street parking (you do know how to parallel park, right?), so make it easy on yourself and rent or borrow a car that’s on the smaller side. Thanks to DriveShop and Mitsubishi, I was hooked up with a 2016 Mitsubishi Lancer for the week (check out our car review here). The Lancer was nice because it was nimble enough to get around easily, yet wasn’t so small that I felt cramped.

2016 Mitsubishi Lancer SEL AWC | getinmymouf.com

2016 Mitsubishi Lancer 2.4 SEL AWC

Ridesharing is Your Friend

Although you’ll have to drive most of the time, it’s nice to occasionally not have to get behind the wheel. As much bad press as Uber and Lyft get, I still have yet to have any experience that is anywhere close to as awful as nearly every taxi ride I’ve had.

I also highly recommend using uberPOOL or Lyft Line to share your ride with a stranger. Sounds a little weird at first, but your ride costs will be cut in half AND you might meet some cool people. Thanks to sharing a ride one night, I got some sweet restaurant recommendations from two locals (shout out to Christine & Nick!). Unfortunately I didn’t make it out to their top pick, a new Nashville hot chicken joint in Chinatown, Howlin’ Rays, but I can guarantee I’ll be back soon…

Eat as Much as Possible

If you’re not eating well in L.A., then you’re doing something horribly wrong. I ate so well that it was almost painful (I didn’t wake up hungry once during the trip). There are hundreds of must-eat lists, celebrity chef restaurants, and local-filled dive joints to discover, but here are a few of my favorite bites:

The Fairfax breakfast sandwich from Eggslut (Downtown in Grand Central Market) – Almost custard-like scrambled eggs with chives, cheddar cheese, Sriracha mayo, caramelized onions, on the world’s softest brioche bun. And of course I added bacon. Easily the best egg sandwich I’ve ever eaten.

eggslut LA | getinmymouf.com

Good brews and great burgers from Stout (Hollywood) – Their signature Stout Burger did not disappoint and was topped with blue cheese, Emi Gruyere, rosemary bacon, caramelized onion, horseradish cream, and roasted tomatoes. And with over 30 beers on tap and 4 0z pours, you can sample nearly all of them in one night (thanks to Uber and Lyft). The staff is super friendly as well, and will happily share some celebrity sighting stories (everyone apparently has an Andy Dick encounter) and most of the waiters will even let you read their screenplay. Kidding, I actually didn’t meet any writers, but I did meet a stunt man, stand-up comic, improv performer, and a DJ.

Stout Burger - LA | getinmymouf.com

World class dim sum at Din Tai Fung (Glendale) – Din Tai Fung is a popular international restaurant with only six locations in the U.S. (all on the west coast). Man those soup dumplings…You think you’ve had dumplings, but you just don’t even know! Go with a group and order everything on the menu.

Din Tai Fung Glendale | getinmymouf.com

Cheap eats at Porto’s Bakery & Cafe (Glendale) – Porto’s is one of those places where–no matter how much you order–you always feel like your bill is way too low. This bakery has it ALL. Literally anything you could possibly want. My favorites were the fried potato balls filled with cheese or meat. And dessert…good luck picking one item.

Porto's Bakery Glendale | getinmymouf.com

Porto's Bakery Glendale | getinmymouf.com

Everything at Republique (Hancock Park) – With such huge range in flavors drawing inspiration from around the world, you will definitely find something that hits any craving you have. They cure their own meats. They bake their own pastries. They even have a daily house-made soda special. My Cuban sandwich was perfect and the Tangerine Vanilla Soda was like a liquid creamsicle on steroids. DO indulge in something sweet; my jam-filled bomboloni (basically a filled doughnut…also on steroids) was so good I cried a little.

Republique LA | getinmymouf.com

Indulging in ice cream at Salt & Straw (Larchmont) – Check out these insane flavors. Bet you’re craving ice cream now. I went with two of their staples:  Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache and Stumptown Coffee & Compartes Love Nuts (chocolate-dipped caramel-coated pecans). Ice cream nirvana was immediately achieved.

Salt & Straw LA | getinmymouf.com

A delicious marriage of French, Mexican, and California cuisine at Trois Familia (Silver Lake) – As my final meal in L.A., I enjoyed breakfast of a real champion: Crispy hash brown chilaquiles, sunny side up egg, cotija, salsa macho. I had tears streaming down my face as I took the last bites.

Trois Familia | getinmymouf.com

Take a Hike

With as much eating as you should be doing, you might want to hike off some calories.  Luckily, there are tons of trails to check out like Runyon Canyon, the Griffith Observatory hike, and of course the famed Hollywood Sign hike.

Echo Mountain LA | getinmymouf.com

Thanks to my L.A. hiking buddy (and cousin) Stephanie, I was directed to my new favorite spot:  Echo Mountain. It’s was a reasonable 30-minute drive from Silver Lake and wasn’t very crowded (although it was a weekday). The hike itself is a moderate five-mile round-trip adventure that rewards hikers with scenic views and the ruins of “White City,” a former resort at the top of the mountain. Bring water and sunblock, ’cause you’ll be in a lot of sun.

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Still not convinced? Fine. Guess I’ll just have to go back for more ‘research’ to try and make a better argument…

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Car Reviews

2016 Mitsubishi Lancer 2.4 SEL AWC

2016 Mitsubishi Lancer SEL AWC | getinmymouf.com

This post is made possible through a partnership with the awesome folks at DriveShop and Mitsubishi Motors, who provided us with a vehicle to test drive for a week. You can follow the conversation on social media with the hashtag #DriveMitsubishi.

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We needed a small, sporty car for a California trip starting in Los Angeles and ending in San Diego, so we were matched up with a 2016 Mitsubishi Lancer 2.4 SEL AWC. Having minimal experience with Mitsubishi, I was intrigued since the Lancer is one of the least expensive all-wheel-drive sedans money can buy.

Specs

MSRP (as tested):  $22,805
MPG Estimate: 23 city – 31 highway
Engine:  2.4L MIVEC SOHC 16-valve, 4 cylnders
Power:  168 hp @ 6000 rpm  | 167 ft-lbs. @ 4100 rpm
Transmission:   CVT
Color:  Diamond White Pearl

For more info, click here to view the 2016 Mitsubishi Lancer brochure.

2016 Mitsubishi Lancer SEL AWC | getinmymouf.com

An evening in University Heights – San Diego, CA

Comfort

I’m seat-spoiled in my daily driver, so I wasn’t expecting a compact sedan to have comfortable seats. Fortunately, the driver’s seat didn’t cause any back pains on the trip from Los Angeles to San Diego. The seats were firm and not necessarily something that I’d fall asleep in like a recliner, but they do the job surprisingly well.

2016 Mitsubishi Lancer SEL AWC | getinmymouf.com

Was disappointed that there was no telescoping steering wheel, but despite this, the wheel position wasn’t a distraction. Overall driving comfort was good – nothing ends up standing out as uber-comfortable, but after driving the car a lot you realize that everything does it’s job to a point where you don’t even think about it. Like the car isn’t trying to distract you in any way. It simply wants to do its job.

Oh, Lancer…you’re so humble.

2016 Mitsubishi Lancer SEL AWC | getinmymouf.com

Performance

Power was sufficient enough that I don’t recall ever feeling like we needed more umph to get around or to merge on to the highway. I’m also a big fan of car having good handling over a soft ride, so I enjoyed the car’s nimbleness around turns. I can safely say that if you need to make a quick U-turn in the middle of a neighborhood street, the Lancer can easily handle it.

We didn’t really need to use the all wheel drive for anything, but it was nice to have…just in case. Would love to take this car for a spin in some light snow to check out its capabilities.

Gas mileage for our trip was closer to the low end of the range at about 24 MPG, which might have been affected by the L.A. traffic for part of the trip.

2016 Mitsubishi Lancer SEL AWC | getinmymouf.com

2016 Mitsubishi Lancer SEL AWC | getinmymouf.com

2016 Mitsubishi Lancer SEL AWC | getinmymouf.com

Living like a local in Silver Lake – Los Angeles, CA

Who Should Buy This Car?

You should buy this car if you want a humble car with all wheel drive at a reasonable price. You might like this car if you enjoy spirited acceleration and fun handling, but don’t need something filled with a bunch of technological bells and whistles. It also doesn’t hurt that Mitsubishi offers a solid warranty with a 5 yr/60,000 mile basic coverage and 10 yr/100,000 mile powertrain coverage.

2016 Mitsubishi Lancer SEL AWC | getinmymouf.com

Wine time at Miramonte Winery – Temecula, CA

2016 Mitsubishi Lancer SEL AWC | getinmymouf.com

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Disclaimer:  As noted above (you did read the whole post, right?!) we were provided this vehicle courtesy of DriveShop and Mitsubishi. Other than being allowed to test drive this vehicle, we were not provided any monetary compensation for this post. As always, all opinions remain our own.

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Reviews, Travel

Red Truck Rural Bakery – Marshall, VA

Red Truck Bakery - Marshall, VA #getinmymouf

Thanks to DriveShop and Mitsubishi, we had a Rally Red 2015 Outlander for a week that begged to be driven (check out our review here). And thanks to a grey, rainy day, our original outdoor plans were nixed, so we decided to head west to add some color to our day at Red Truck Rural Bakery in Marshall, VA.

Red Truck Bakery - Marshall, VA #getinmymouf

Red Truck, meet Red Mitsubishi. #DriveMitsubishi

Red Truck Bakery is an iconic bakery and market that has historically only had one small location in Warrenton, VA. Luckily for us, they had their grand opening of the new, larger Marshall shop. How grand was the opening? I dunno, maybe you should ask Academy Award Winning Actor, Robert Duvall:

The trip out west on Route 66 is much different than the mess that I normally sit in every weekday. The small town of Marshall is about an hour outside of Washington, DC; once you get past the cookie-cutter residential developments of Prince William County, you start to feel the calming sensation of being surrounded by green stuff–you know, actual nature, like trees, hills, mountains. So, despite the rain, we had a comfortable ride in the Outlander along with some pleasant scenery to take in.

When we arrived at Red Truck Bakery, we were met with an exterior that was charming and blended in well with that small town vibe. Parking is easy, as they have plenty of space out back, but there was also ample street parking available. We parked on the street thanks to my stellar parking abilities (aka a backup camera).

Red Truck Bakery - Marshall, VA #getinmymouf

That small-town feel follows you inside, as the staff and customers were all friendly and eager to provide recommendations on what to order. It’s the kind of place where you get the impression that everybody knows each other, even if they don’t.

Red Truck Bakery - Marshall, VA #getinmymouf

Red Truck Bakery - Marshall, VA #getinmymouf

The wall of deliciousness.

Red Truck Bakery - Marshall, VA #getinmymouf

These fellas would have made a fine picnic had it not been for the rain.

When it comes to the actual food, the choices were quite overwhelming for us first-timers. First, there’s a glowing case of baked goods–all of which were fighting for our attention–as well as two refrigerated grab-n-go cases with sandwiches, drinks, and other goodies. On top of that, there is this wall of jars and bottles of packaged goods from other local and lesser-known companies. Who knew a mini food mecca could exist in a small town bakery?

Tina tried their (highly coveted) Veggie “Beetloaf” Sandwich (roasted beets, sweet potatoes and ground walnuts). She was instantly a fan and for me, as someone who doesn’t really like beets all that much, I enjoyed the few bites I had. It doesn’t taste as “beety” as it looks, and rather has more of an “herby” taste.

Red Truck Bakery - Marshall, VA #getinmymouf

Veggie “Beetloaf” Sandwich: roasted beets, sweet potatoes and ground walnuts.

For us meat eaters, you can’t go wrong with their Chicken Salad Sandwich. Or as I will forever call it, the Kitchen Sink Salad Sandwich (as they put everything but) in this jam-packed sandwich, including fresh local roasted chicken, grapes, apples, celery, raisins, walnuts and a hint of curry, with local Bibb lettuce.

Red Truck Bakery - Marshall, VA #getinmymouf

Chicken Salad Sandwich: fresh local roasted chicken, grapes, apples, celery, raisins, walnuts and a hint of curry, with local Bibb lettuce.

Sandwich Tip:  The sandwiches are pre-made and are grab-n-go, so they can sell out fast. So, it’s highly reccomended that you give them a call to reserve what you want. Luckily, we called ahead and got the very last Veggie Beetloaf Sandwich. 

Red Truck Bakery - Marshall, VA #getinmymouf

Peach pie. Maybe the last of the season…

Our dessert included peach pie and a cookie, but was completely overshadowed by one of the best cranberry-orange walnut muffins we’ve ever eaten (sorry, not pictured). I can’t remember getting this excited about a muffin before… I mean, it’s just a muffin, but it’s not.

We didn’t try them (still not sure where I discovered that willpower), but the pumpkin scones with maple glaze beckoned like an old friend, while the ham scones looked as if they could be my new future best friend. Until next time, scones…until next time.

Red Truck Bakery - Marshall, VA #getinmymouf

Overall, we really enjoyed this little gem of a store and highly recommend giving them a try. The Marshall shop is also in proximity to two of our favorite wineries, Barrel Oak Winery and Aspen Dale Winery, so Red Truck is a convenient place to grab a picnic lunch before heading out for a day of wine tastings. And if you do go, leave the willpower at home and take ALL the scones home with you.

Red Truck Rural Bakery
8368 W. Main Street
Marshall, VA 20115
RedTruckBakery.com
Twitter: @RedTruckBakery
Facebook

Red Truck Bakery - Marshall, VA #getinmymouf

Disclaimer:  We were not compensated by Red Truck Rural Bakery in any way for this post. We really like ’em and you should too!

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