After a day of sun-filled, winter driving here are the results:
6 – 2013 Mitsubishi RVR (71.57%)
On its own, the Mits RVR isn’t a bad vehicle. It has all the makings of a practical, well-designed compact crossover ideal for our Canadian winters. However, once it lined up next to the competition, its shortcomings were glaringly obvious, and something none of us could ignore despite our positive preconceived notions before the comparo drive began.
Let’s start with the good: From the outside the 2013 Mitsubishi RVR has a manly, go-anywhere look that appealed to both the male and female sides of our comparo panel. While perhaps not as futuristic-looking as a few of the vehicles on our alternative compact crossover drive, the Mitsubishi RVR still manages to remain relevant and modern with clean lines and subtle chrome accents.
Inside, the 2013 Mitsubishi RVR continued to impress our panel with its simplistic, easy-to-use centre stack, as well as comfortable leather seats. The backseat offers plenty of room (with an easy install of a baby seat) but the upright design of the seats themselves is less than comfy. And as for trunk space (569 litres available in the trunk with the rear seats up), the RVR boasts one of the largest making it one of the most practical in terms of storage and cargo.
And that’s where the good ends. The 2013 Mitsubishi RVR is equipped with a 2.0L I-4 MIVEC engine good for 148 hp and 145 lb-ft of torque, and despite the Sportronic CVT with paddle shifters, the transmission was the source of its undoing. Across the board, we all felt that the transmission was slow, generally uncooperative and created a far too loud powertrain. Even when “shifting” for ourselves the transmission felt outwardly lazy. It’s comparison drives like these that really show a car’s true nature, and when the RVR was measured up against the likes of the Nissan and Subaru’s CVTs, it was clear to all of us that Mitsubishi needs to go back the drawing board on this one.
Another area of complaint amongst our panel was the need to cycle through “settings” to attain an AWD lock. While the ability to change the drivetrain from 2WD to AWD is a measure to save on fuel and keep the RVR more efficient, it’s also rather obnoxious. With the AWD on full lock, the 2013 Mitsubishi RVR managed our highly unscientific 0-25m acceleration test in the 3-4 second range (as most did). It was not the best, which may have something to do with the slow-to-react transmission.
And on the subject of fuel efficiency, over our drive day the Mits averaged 12.2L/100km. Not an outstanding number, but not the worst either. Overall, the Mitsubishi RVR is a capable AWD vehicle with a ride height befitting any good off-roader (215 mm) and enough cargo space to haul family and gear, but it just didn’t live up to the bar set by others on the comparo.
6 – 2013 Mitsubishi RVR (71.57%)
On its own, the Mits RVR isn’t a bad vehicle. It has all the makings of a practical, well-designed compact crossover ideal for our Canadian winters. However, once it lined up next to the competition, its shortcomings were glaringly obvious, and something none of us could ignore despite our positive preconceived notions before the comparo drive began.
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| The Mitsubishi RVR still manages to remain relevant and modern with clean lines and subtle chrome accents. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour) |
Let’s start with the good: From the outside the 2013 Mitsubishi RVR has a manly, go-anywhere look that appealed to both the male and female sides of our comparo panel. While perhaps not as futuristic-looking as a few of the vehicles on our alternative compact crossover drive, the Mitsubishi RVR still manages to remain relevant and modern with clean lines and subtle chrome accents.
Inside, the 2013 Mitsubishi RVR continued to impress our panel with its simplistic, easy-to-use centre stack, as well as comfortable leather seats. The backseat offers plenty of room (with an easy install of a baby seat) but the upright design of the seats themselves is less than comfy. And as for trunk space (569 litres available in the trunk with the rear seats up), the RVR boasts one of the largest making it one of the most practical in terms of storage and cargo.
And that’s where the good ends. The 2013 Mitsubishi RVR is equipped with a 2.0L I-4 MIVEC engine good for 148 hp and 145 lb-ft of torque, and despite the Sportronic CVT with paddle shifters, the transmission was the source of its undoing. Across the board, we all felt that the transmission was slow, generally uncooperative and created a far too loud powertrain. Even when “shifting” for ourselves the transmission felt outwardly lazy. It’s comparison drives like these that really show a car’s true nature, and when the RVR was measured up against the likes of the Nissan and Subaru’s CVTs, it was clear to all of us that Mitsubishi needs to go back the drawing board on this one.
Another area of complaint amongst our panel was the need to cycle through “settings” to attain an AWD lock. While the ability to change the drivetrain from 2WD to AWD is a measure to save on fuel and keep the RVR more efficient, it’s also rather obnoxious. With the AWD on full lock, the 2013 Mitsubishi RVR managed our highly unscientific 0-25m acceleration test in the 3-4 second range (as most did). It was not the best, which may have something to do with the slow-to-react transmission.
And on the subject of fuel efficiency, over our drive day the Mits averaged 12.2L/100km. Not an outstanding number, but not the worst either. Overall, the Mitsubishi RVR is a capable AWD vehicle with a ride height befitting any good off-roader (215 mm) and enough cargo space to haul family and gear, but it just didn’t live up to the bar set by others on the comparo.
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| Inside, the 2013 Mitsubishi RVR continued to impress our panel with its simplistic, easy-to-use centre stack, as well as comfortable leather seats. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour) |