Mitsubishi i: JDM flavor might save Mitsubishi.

Description

[Please activate annotations on your player] T-Bone tours us through his straight-from-Japan Mitsubishi i. This mid-engine, turbocharged, all-wheel-drive city runner is a direct connection to an era when light weight and smart packaging made small cars feel like racecars. For decades, Mitsubishi has engineered "Keijidosha" -- Japanese urban vehicles constrained by size and power regulations. Mitsubishi's Kei expertise helps debunk small-car cliches. The i seats four full-framed passengers without compromising comfort. Road noise and harshness levels are average. The i's 2150-lb curb weight allows it to accelerate onto freeway onramps with only slightly more aggressive pedal pressure than powerful-but-porkier US-market compacts. When the Mitsubishi i arrives in US showrooms in 2011, its gasoline engine will be swapped in favor of an all-electric drivetrain. Neither T-Bone nor I have driven the battery-powered version yet, but the i-MiEV is currently in service as a Best Buy Geek Squad fleet vehicle at select stores in California. Its 100-mile range and 81 MPH top speed should satiate commuters, but 'range anxiety' may concern long-distance drivers. Our days with the i were punctuated by mouth-agape stares, finger pointing, and several conversations with strangers. Mitsubishi must consistently deliver unabashedly unique vehicles like the i to remain relevant to American car shoppers. T-Bone: the T is for Twitter. twitter.com 24x7 car culture analysis. twitter.com

Keywords

highmileage, mitsubishi, jdm, turbo, mid, engine, electric, turbocharged, keijidosha, kei, car, purple, japan, japanese, auto, culture, small, microcar, minicar, supermini, hypermini, mivec

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