Summer Family Adventures in the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander GT

It's summertime and the livin' is easy! Especially when you have the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander GT  to drive and get around town in. Even though it's summer and we don't have the schedule of school and after school activities, we are still busy, busy, busy! So I was excited for the chance to test drive the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander GT for the week and try out all the great features it has to offer.

The kids were super excited when the Outlander was delivered and it was just in time for the Fourth of July holiday week. They thought it was super cool how the Diamond White Pearl exterior matched perfectly with our red, white, and blue motif for church that Sunday. I loved the heated, power side-view mirrors, power glass sunroof, and 18-inch two-tone alloy wheels.

The power side-view mirrors are probably my favorite exterior feature of the 2018 Outlander. When you unlock the car, they fold out, and when you lock the car they fold in. This means no more dings and scratches on your side-view mirrors from other parked car doors or shopping carts trying to squeeze by in the parking lot. Now, because it's the middle of summer, I didn't need to use the heated feature on the side-view mirrors. But I know that it would really come in handy on frosty winter mornings here in Orange County.

We drove the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander GT down to Carlsbad to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony on the new LEGO City: Deep Sea Adventure Submarine ride at LEGOLAND and I appreciated all the safety features that kept us safe on our adventure. The Adaptive Cruise Control uses radar technology to help you maintain a safe driving distance from the vehicle in front of you. 

The Forward Collision Mitigation uses both laser radar and camera technology to determine  if a frontal collision with a vehicle or pedestrian is imminent. It warns you with both audible and visual signals and, if necessary, automatically applies moderate to emergency braking to reduce the severity of the collision, or if possible, prevent the collision. 

The Blind Spot Warning and Lane Change Assist alerted me when a vehicle was in my blind spot. That is so helpful when you are traveling on the freeway. And if you try to change lanes while someone is in your blind spot, then you get a three-beep warning to let you know to stay put until the car is gone. The Lane Departure Warning keeps you in your lane using an onboard camera and warns you audibly and visually if you are leaving your lane unintentionally.

Let's talk about the cargo space! The 2018 Outlander GT is a seven passenger vehicle when the third row of seats is up. However, when you need space for stuff and not for people, the Outlander has you covered! It is easy peasy to put the third row of seats down and then you have plenty of space (63.3 cubic feet to be exact) for everything you need for a day at the beach. We had a wagon, two chairs, an umbrella, two boogie boards, beach bag, towels, and puddle jumper in there and it all fit with no problem.

Then we had some quick grocery shopping to do after the beach and the groceries all fit along with all of our beach supplies. The back seat is a 50/50 split, so you can seat a 6th person and still have some extra room for cargo. It came in especially handy when all five us were in the Outlander because all three kids didn't want to sit next to one another on the middle bench. So, we would 50/50 the third row and Isabella would sit back there and the stroller would still fit next to her.

We also love the power glass sunroof with sunshade and tilt feature! It makes trips to the pool for evening swims a lot of fun. It has been really hot here during the day, but the evenings are a great time to open up and enjoy the cooler evening air with the sunroof.

Some of the other features I liked from the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander GT are:

• Multi-view Camera System
• 7" Smart Touchscreen Display
• Rockford Fosgate Sound System
• Leather seats
• Push to Start 
• Remote Power Tailgate

We loved driving around in the 2018 Outlander. It handles well and even though it seats seven, I feel like the exterior design is sleek and doesn't look bulky. It was the perfect size for our family of five and I'd recommend it for a families of 3-6 also.

Family Adventures in the 2016 Hyundai Tucson Limited

We love adventures. In fact, most nights before my kids go to bed, they ask,
"What fun thing are we doing tomorrow?" It must be in the genes because my mom was
really great about taking myself and my four siblings on adventures during our
school breaks - whether it was a long road trip to my Grandparents' house in Idaho
or tours at the local marshmallow or chocolate factories in town. So I really enjoy when
I can tell them that we are doing something really fun that makes them exclaim,
"Cool! That sounds awesome!"

 

We were thrilled when we had the chance to test drive the 2016 Hyundai Tucson Limited
and use it take some pretty amazing adventures together during the week. The gorgeous
4-door compact SUV arrived just before our trip to Adventure City, so we were excited
to hop into this sweet ride for our first adventure of the week. The first thing I noticed
was how pretty it was. Really just gorgeous. I totally drive an old van and so it was
awesome to have something so beautiful to drive and have heads turn when you drive
by because the car is so very aesthetically pleasing. I mean look at those 19-inch
Sport alloy wheels and gorgeous ruby wine exterior color. Plus, it has the most
straightforward, easy to use navigation system that I have ever used. It even has a
Google powered search so you can find locations you've never been to before.

A couple of days later we loaded up and headed for a little road trip to LEGOLAND

to see the unveiling of the One World Trade Center in Miniland. The drive was smooth

and enjoyable all the way to Carlsbad. The kids enjoyed the cushy leather seat,

roomy interior and panoramic sunroof. And I enjoyed the Blind Spot Detection,

Lane Departure Warning, and Automatic Emergency Braking keeping us safe on

the road. And hey, the SiriusXM radio and panoramic sunroof didn't make it an

unpleasant drive either. The Limited's 1.6 Turbo GDI engine has 175 horsepower

and can deliver up to an EPA-estimated 33 MPG on the highway.

Perhaps the real test is taking the Tucson Limited to the beach! I mean, we take a lot

of stuff - stroller, boogie boards, cooler, chairs, umbrella, toys, towels, kids and the

kitchen sink. So, we can't be having a car with itsy bitsy trunk space. The Tucson does

not disappoint. We didn't even have to fold down the 60/40-split rear seatbacks. 

I was pleasantly surprised that it all fit and I could still see out the back window.

On the Fourth of July we took an all family adventure to Grandma's house for a big BBQ.

The kids were worried that daddy wouldn't be able to fit, but when it says it seats five, it

really does seat five. Grace's car seat and Isabella's booster seat made sitting in the
middle of the rear seat a little snug, but no one complained on the 30 minute drive,
so it musthave been fine. Isabella won't need her booster in about 5 months, so
then it would be plenty roomy for the five of us.

Now, everyday can't be a major adventure to LEGOLAND or the beach and sometimes
the most exciting thing you are doing is returning your books to the library. However,
when you're in the Tucson Limited with a the panoramic sunroof, even that is a blast.
Plus, the standard review camera and rear parking sensors made parallel parking at
the drop-off curb a breeze.

We were all very heartbroken when our 8-day test drive was over the the 2016
Hyundai Tucson Limited was over. I had a really hard time handing the keys back.
Between the roomy interior, great safety options, SiriusXM radio, FANTASTIC
and easy to use navigation, and can I say it again PANORAMIC SUNROOF,
I would seriously consider making one a member of our family the next time we are
in the market for a new car.

With an MSRP of $33,670 it is priced right around other compact crossovers and
SUVs with similar options. If you'd like an insider tour of this cute car, then check out the
video below or click over to my YouTube Channel and see what else we've been up to.