She bangs, she grooves: the 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS is all about the music.

The all-new Outlander is certainly functional. Equipped with all-wheel drive, it handles great on the highway, and its interior design lets you flip the seats and configure the cargo space. But this small SUV doesn't get sexy till you add the truly rockin' 650-watt Rockford Fosgate sound system (part of the optional Sun & Sound package, $1,580). Why does this relatively plain vehicle merit concert-hall sound quality?

Rockford Fosgate marketing specialist Joe Dahlquist says it's a sign of the times. Over the past five years, technologies such as quality audio systems, GPS navigation, and Bluetooth connectivity are all moving higher on buyers' priority lists, edging closer to features like airbags. Mitsubishi has been listening, so it gave Rockford Fosgate the go-ahead to create the kind of exhilarating aural experience you'd expect to find in a Lexus--and maybe not even there. "Most manufacturers won't let you get away with 10-inch woofers," says Dahlquist.

OK, so we've got muscle. To judge the subtler qualities, I enlisted indie producer, composer, and recording artist Ralph Schuckett. He's brought out the best in artists as varied as Bob Dylan, Whitney Houston, and the new out alternative artist Curtis LeRoi. So I figured Ralph and I would take a drive and check out some music.

Ralph, however, wasn't going anywhere. He showed up with a sack of CDs and we sat in his driveway for over an hour, comparing classic tracks with rarities in all kinds of genres.

His verdict? "Unreal. The sound is so clear. I'm hearing things I don't hear on my system." By the end of an hour, after we'd talked about the system's superior equalization and its ability to create the "audio image" of being in the room with the musicians, Ralph summed up his position: "I want this in my car!