I’m going to let you in on a little bit of inside baseball: Whenever a journalist collects a press car, the manufacturer sends over a package of documents, usually including a window sticker, technical details, and a waiver. After picking up a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (stay tuned for more tomorrow), I received the loan agreement, the Monroney, the spec sheet, and something else: Booty pics.
Rest assured, this wasn’t some employee accidentally sexting a journalist. Oh no, these derriére daguerreotypes are professional posterior photos from Mitsubishi, sent for a good, clean reason. At this point, you probably have two questions: “What?” (in the style of Lil’ Jon) and “Why?”
See, these hams are part of the official media kit for the Outlander PHEV because Mitsubishi is proud of its new seats. The front chairs in the new Outlander PHEV use dual-layer urethane cushions that claim to have butt-saving benefits. As per Mitsubishi, “A superior level of comfort is sought by reducing the concentration of pressure on the ischial bone.”
So what is the ischial bone, anyway? Well, it’s actually a swelling rather than a bone, to start. The ischial tuberosity is located right at the bottom of your pelvis, or in other words, it’s what you sit on. By spreading out pressure on those bones, the theory is that you end up with a more comfortable seats. It’s why it’s nicer to sit on a sofa than, say, granite.
Surprisingly, a car manufacturer showing journalists images of butts isn’t even that unusual. When Mazda rolled out the current generation Mazda 3, a healthy chunk of the product presentation was dedicated to how the driver would sit in the vehicle, complete with detailed diagrams. I know Mazda bangs on about the philosophy of horse and rider as one, but that seemed like a lot of time dedicated to the saddle. Mind you, I’ve spent a lot of time in the current Mazda 3, and I get what the engineers are on about. Those are some pretty decent thrones.
So, how are the seats in the 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV? Well, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out, but I can certainly give you a horrifically-overexposed shot that initially was thrown on the cutting room floor. Check out all that shoulder support, then form your own predictions. Unless you’ve been reading spec sheets, I have a feeling you aren’t quite ready for what’s in store.
(Photo credits: Thomas Hundal, Mitsubishi, Anatomist90 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)
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Back when I met my partner she was doing disability accommodation research for her masters. Part of her thesis was a paper on optimizing physical support for wheelchair users, and she would explain it using the utterly perfect term “butt-chair interface.” That one still gets a chuckle out of me.
Interesting.I seem to remember Tesla something similar a couple of years ago with the Model 3.
BTW what’s going on with that second to last image? The clear coat reflects so much light it looks like a prop for a horror movie.It’s hilarious
As a tall person whose shoulders are both higher and wider than most seat designers expect, I predict those shoulder bolsters will be an ergonomic nightmare.
Butt beats shoulder every time
In all seriousness, I don’t know that the Mitsu Butt Scan™ image is all that convincing. While the cheek pressure points are less pronounced than the alternative, it looks like it puts additional pressure on the tailbone. My buttcheeks have built-in padding and are made for sitting; they can withstand a little pressure. My tailbone has no such padding and can’t withstand much pressure when seated.
Mitsubishi seats will make your bum smile and wink!
{ phrrrrrrrrrrtttttttt }
“phrrrrrrrrrrtttttttt”
That’s the exact sound that thousands of ants make when marching to an abrupt halt.
The ants fear the barking spiders.
They know not to get in the farty lady’s car. There’s no food left out for them there.
…is what I say in my mind whenever I read “Miata PRHT.”
lol
Wow! I’ve seen sports cars with less bolstered seats.
But of course then I think wait why can’t we have an actual Lancer for them to go in instead of yet another CUV being crammed up our…
If it wasn’t for CUVs they would be dead. Sure it’d be nice to have performance cars back (Ralliart bodykit for Mirage doesn’t count) but I guess the economy+finances of the company don’t allow any fun
“I guess the economy+finances of the company don’t allow any fun”
I am AMC, laughing in my grave.
Is it only me that for a split second read OBTURATOR FORRAMEN and wondered at the speed of human evolution, what obturation is and why it is necessary for the consumption of noodles?
If you eat too many, you’ll later find yourself playing FANFARER FORTHECOMMONMAN on the toilet.
Mitsubishi:
Superior for your posterior.
Mitsubishi is the butt of a lot of jokes, and they’re always bringing up the rear in sales, but this is some technology I can get behind! Thanks for getting to the bottom of this.
COTD.
Agreed.
bottom bum tss
Bum toxic shock syndrome?
You gotta quit booty bonging recreational drugs.
I mean, at least cut back on it.
It’s a pun playing off the classic meme with the monkey playing the drums where it goes buddum dum tss that you post when somebody says something clever.
Take your smiley face then. Cause that’s funny.
I suddenly feel like it’s my first day on the internet.
I think my age is showing.
Can any of you help me figure out how to turn this nonsense off?
This deserved its COTD.