Mitsubishi Outlander: Competition the thing

What is it?

You can understand why Japanese and Korean car makers continue to rollout petrol-only models.

Not all buyers want or can afford the cost of an electric vehicle, although that is the way the market is ultimately heading.

With a barrage of competition from cheaper Chinese rivals, anything they can do to pick up a few extra sales is fast becoming essential.

And so, we have the top of the range Outlander Exceed Tourer, powered by a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, with all the bells and whistles to match.

In fairness, Mitsubishi also offers hybrids or more specifically plug-in hybrids, for the Outlander and Eclipse Cross, but naturally they cost more — quite a bit more in fact.

What’s it cost?

Before proceeding, it should be pointed out that Outlander shares its underpinnings with the Nissan X-Trail, so you might want to shop both vehicles.

Prices for Outlander start from $39,990 for the five-seat, front-wheel drive petrol Outlander ES.

It’s followed by LS, Aspire, Exceed and Exceed Tourer, the last topping out at $57,990 plus on-road costs, with two or all-wheel drive and five or seven seats an option with some grades.

If you’re feeling a little guilty about pumping unnecessary hydrocarbons into the atmosphere, the Exceed Tourer in plug-in hybrid form takes the price to a lofty $74,490 plus on roads.

At a savings of $17,000, our test vehicle was the petrol-powered, five-seat, all-wheel drive Exceed Tourer.

Launched in May 2025, the latest Outlander features local steering and suspension tuning, reportedly adopted for markets around the world because it’s so good.

Minor styling changes have been made to freshen up the car, with updated bumpers and lower garnish, designed to create a modern look with improved aerodynamics.

The lights have also been upgraded with the rear combination units featuring a ‘smoked’ clear outer lens and a ‘black tone’ inner.

Rear turn indicators and reversing lights are now LED.

The profile benefits from updated wheel designs, with 18s for the ES and LS, and a more complex 20-inch design for Aspire, Exceed and Exceed Tourer.

Exceed adds such goodies as cooled and and heated front seats, aluminium pedals, frame-less rear-view mirror (with digital monitor), memory and auto tilt in reverse for exterior mirrors, along with front door puddle lights and a rear cargo floor box with lid.

The icing on the cake for Tourer includes two-tone exterior paintwork, full-size alloy spare, quilted brown semi-aniline leather trim, massage front seats, heated second-row seats and the Dynamic Sound Yamaha Ultimate audio system with 12 speakers.

The new 12.3-inch infotainment system features higher resolution and an enhanced response rate, with another 12.3-inch screen for the instrument cluster, plus two selectable themes.

There’s Bluetooth with voice control, AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio, built-in navigation, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto and in the case of the Tourer — Yamaha premium audio.

This includes 12 speakers and is designed to deliver a rich, cinematic experience, with a subwoofer, dual amps and Yamaha’s Digital Signal Processor (DSP) with Finite Impulse Response, delivering 1650 watts of power for an immersive sound experience.

There’s also wireless charging and five USB-C ports (2 x front, 2 x back and 1 x console box), with 12 volt outlets in the front and luggage area.

Outlander is the first model to get Mitsubishi Connect.

Available in LS grade and above, it features SOS calls, automatic collision notification, breakdown assistance, anti-theft notification, curfew alert, geo-fence alert, speed alert and tow-away notification.

Five star safety includes refinements to the haptic brake warning, blind spot intervention and lane departure prevention systems.

Autonomous emergency braking (Car to Car, Vulnerable Road User, Junction and Backover) as well as a lane support system with lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW) and emergency lane keeping (ELK) are standard.

There’s also driver monitoring, camera-linked rear automatic braking, 360 degree monitor, traffic sign recognition with active cruise control and speed limit link.

A centre airbag provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes, but the third row misses out on side airbag protection.

Outlander is covered by a 5-year/100,000km warranty or 10 years/200,000km provided you get it serviced by Mitsubishi – plus 10-year capped price servicing, plus up to four years of complimentary roadside assistance.

What’s it go like?

The new model is 4720mm long, 1862mm wide and 1745mm high, with a 2706mm wheelbase and 11.2 metre turning circle

The interior has been redesigned, with higher quality materials throughout, and stitched and quilted part-leather trim.

An updated centre console sees the cup holders relocated, while centre storage has grown 45 per cent.

In the second row, new padding improves support and the seat back itself has been lengthened for additional comfort.

For the first time cooled front seats are offered up front for Exceed and Exceed Tourer.

They’re also heated — not just the front seats but the outer, second-row positions in Tourer.

All interior lighting is now touch-sensitive LED.

Australian and overseas research and development staff worked closely to refine the updated Outlander’s ride and handling balance.

Working on roads throughout Australia and Japan, the group developed new suspension components and a steering map to ensure Outlander drives better than before.

Updates include re-calibrated front and rear shock absorbers with changes to both bump and rebound tuning, and a smaller-diameter front anti-roll bar.

The electric power steering has been re-mapped to provide improved on-centre feel and a more linear response when turning.

Finally, the whole package was calibrated to work in conjunction with a new Bridgestone summer tyre.

The updated model also benefits from several chassis and body updates designed to reduce noise, vibration and harshness.

For example, a new isolator was added to the transmission tunnel, while the use of steel for the bonnet further reduces sound intrusion.

In all, 18 structural points were identified and addressed to enhance the passenger experience.

Apart from the PHEV, all grades get the same proven 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine.

Paired with a CVT style transmission, it generates 135kW of power at 6000 rpm and 244Nm from 3600 rpm.

High-end Exceed and Exceed Tourer feature Super All-Wheel Control all-wheel drive.

With a 55-litre tank it takes standard 91 unleaded with fuel consumption a claimed 8.1L/100km for this model.

Getting into the Outlander for the first time we were impressed by the fit and finish, generous space and comfortable seats, along with the way the chunky steering wheel sat snugly in our hands.

The cabin is a nice, relaxing place to wile away the hours.

The non-turbo, non-hybrid 2.5-litre engine feels more than adequate around town, with gear change paddles and eight steps or simulated gears to play with.

At the same time it could do with some more grunt, especially when it comes to merging or overtaking out on the open road.

This is where the gear change paddles come into play, allowing you to quickly drop back a step or two.

But, with a full complement of passengers and their gear for a trip away, it could struggle.

Given Mitsubishi’s boast about Australian input into the ride and handling, we were expecting big things.

The experience on our favourite rural drive route, which features plenty of rise and fall and sneaky potholes to dodge, wasn’t bad — but it’s not what we’d call life-changing.

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Furthermore, 20-inch wheels with low profile 255/45 series rubber reduce roll in corners, but they are just not that absorbent when it comes to bumps.

The wagon crashes through potholes and even becomes a tad bouncy at speed, but fortunately doesn’t get out of shape.

A centre rotary terrain control offers a variety of scenarios to select from.

Dynamic we assume is Mitsu-speak for Sport and locks in all-wheel drive.

For anyone seriously considering heading off road in the Outlander, it’s an SUV not a 4WD, and ground clearance is a moderate 210mm.

But it will happily take you down a rough dirt road without too many dramas.

Keep away from sand — it’s hard on transmissions.

If the Japanese helped with ride and handling, the Chinese seem to have infiltrated the driver assistance systems, with a constant and unexpected barrage of irritating warnings.

Braked towing capacity by the way is 1600kg and it comes with a full-size alloy spare (tick).

Rated at 8.1L/100km. we were getting 8.6L after close to 400km of driving. The long-term average, for more than 5000km, was 9.0L/100km.

These figures are not outrageous, but by the same token are not really up to expectations in this day and age.