I am happy with my TJ Advance and love Mitsubishi. Now comes the issue. I am tempted to buy a 380.
Input and ideas welcome. I have been looking at some SX 380s. Does the SX have same suspension and sport seats as VRX and GT. There is crazy info out there and I know you guys will have the facts.
Whether 2006 , 2007 or 2008 does not matter to me (condition is more important as I will keep the new car for many a year). Is series 3 much better than series 2? I personally fitted a transmission cooler on my TJ. Would a 380 need/benefit from fitment of a transmission cooler. Now for the big question, how much better is the 380 than a KL Verada. I know.........acceleration is much better in 380, but what about average fuel consumption. My TJ has only rarely exceeded 11 litres per 100 kilometres and last week on 70 km motorway trip at 110km/hour achieved 7.7l/00km. Let me know what you think. I would like a GT, but they are rare, however, there are some bargain SX models out there with low km and low prices. I want something that handles well, as my TJ has been set up with good suspension. Cheers, John

Yes, SX has the same suspension as VR-X and GT.

There's no overwhelming reason to go a series 3.

The 380 automatic transmissions have proven themselves to be quite reliable (and very smooth). Given that the majority of 3rd gen owners fit auto coolers in an effort to prevent wavespring failure, I don't think there's any need to fit an auto cooler. I'm not saying it's a bad idea or that it wouldn't be beneficial though.

Not sure what suspension you are running on your KL, but I found that even standard, my 380 GT felt more planted and stable on the road than my old TJ VR-X with King Lows/KYB shocks. I'm very happy with the handling. Fitting a set of Dobinson springs improved handling again, although it did wear out the OEM shockies pretty quick.

In fact I'm very happy with the car overall - I don't regret moving on from my old TJ at all. My only complaint with the 380 is that it feels a big and heavy car - even if straight line speed/handling matches/exceeds the Magna, you just can't help but feel the extra weight attached. Still couldn't bring myself to go back to another 3rd gen though.

My TJ has only rarely exceeded 11 litres per 100 kilometres and last week on 70 km motorway trip at 110km/hour achieved 7.7l/00km.

The 380 can match that highway number - but around town 11s would need a mix of higher constant speed thrown in. Start stop traffic kills consumption in the 380. In Melbourne start stop peak hour traffic with a low average speed (I think about 30kph from memory) - I am in high 13s or low 14s.