- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 7 seats
- Engine
2.5i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
135kW, 245Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 8.1L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto (CVT)
- Warranty
5 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2022)
2022 Mitsubishi Outlander review
Mitsubishi's newest medium-large family SUV has the potential to strike a sweet spot of size, tech, comfort and value.
- Nice balance of ride comfort and handling
- Quality and execution of the interior
- Value for money is still strong, and cheap to service
- Improved new model sees an increase in price
- Not a true seven-seater, for space or safety
- No diesel or hybrid options... Yet
Is there a new Mitsubishi Outlander coming out?
It seems like everybody wants a seven-seat SUV these days, but do they really need it? For those that don't, but perhaps might want to hedge their bets, the new 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander could be the perfect compromise.
Mitsubishi's Outlander has been synonymous with pragmatic value, sized somewhere in between a medium and large SUV with bang for buck at the heart of its appeal.
And that seems to be a recipe that will continue, albeit in the form of something newer, sharper, more advanced, and overall much better.
The 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander is one of the first products of the three-carmaker alliance, which Mitsubishi joined when Nissan took a controlling share in the company in 2016. The third member of the alliance is Renault, which happens to own a big chunk of Nissan (and therefore Mitsubishi). And to complicate things a little more, Nissan also owns a smaller non-voting share of Renault.
Complicated, I know. It sounds like a corporate version of Days of Our Lives.
It’s worth noting in this case, because in many respects, this new Outlander is a sneak peek in many respects to what the new Nissan X-Trail will be like.
The so-called Common Module Family (CMF) architecture is found underneath, shared with the Nissan Qashqai and X-Trail, as well as the Renault Kangoo.
Another thing that has changed is – of course – pricing. Whereas the old Outlander ran from $29,990 up to $43,990 (not including the more expensive diesel and plug-in hybrid variants), this new model has gained a few thousand bucks of asking price.
It now ranges from $34,490 (ES 2WD) up to $49,990 (Exceed Touring) all before on-road pricing, but now comes standard with an automatic transmission, even from the base grade.
We've got the $47,990 Exceed specification, which varies from the higher-grade Exceed Touring only in terms of interior trimming and exterior colours. In other words, it comes with all of the specs and tech that one would expect from a high grade.
Key details | 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed |
Price (MSRP) | $47,990 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Diamond White ($945) |
Price as tested | $48,935 |
Rivals | Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace | Toyota RAV4 | Mazda CX-8 |
Is the Mitsubishi Outlander a 7 seater?
Good news is that the Outlander can still be seen as a good value proposition, even in Exceed specification with all of the fruit.
Electric leather seats with memory, heating and lumbar support, big sunroof, three-zone climate control, digital instrument cluster, head-up display, and 20-inch alloy wheels pad out the standard equipment list of this high-grade model.
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Overall, the interior of this new Outlander is very good. On top of all of the bells and whistles, there are plenty of nice touches and attention to detail in areas like common touchpoints. The gear shifter has interesting operation and ergonomics, but feels good in operation. The perforation-wrapped steering wheel is also nice, as are the areas where your elbows land.
Some of the materials and finishes perhaps don’t reek of premium like you might find in some of the modern Korean competitors. Metal-looking plastics look a bit more plastic than metal, and the piano-black panel around the electric handbrake was already scratched after 500km in this tester.
Ergonomically, the Outlander is a winner. I managed to pile on over 600km in this Outlander during my four days with the car, and never felt like I was spending too much time in the car. That's a win.
In the second row, the overall size of the Outlander starts to pay solid dividends. While it's officially classed as a medium-sized SUV, the 4.7-odd metres of length puts it somewhere in between the typical size of a medium and large SUV. And sitting in the second row, you get a sense of that extra space. There are air vents here and sun blinds in the doors, as well as climate controls and power outlets.
The seat back reclines slightly for some extra comfort, and the base slides a long way forward. That latter point is important, because the third row in this Outlander is conspicuously tight.
But before we get there, one final note on the second row: there is a sense of visibility and spaciousness here, which works well. It's plenty comfortable.
At its worst, the third row of the Outlander has literally zero leg room. While I could squeeze a clenched fist in where one’s knees would go, legs of all size have no chance of fitting.
However, that’s not the full story. Because the second row is so spacious, and it can be slid a long way forward to liberate space up the back, there's plenty of scope to find a comfortable balance for travellers in both rows.
To put this to the test, I set up my seating position in the driving seat, and then set myself up comfortably in the middle with just enough leg room. Then, back in the cheap seats, I was able to squeeze into the seat. I wasn’t exactly comfortable, but I did fit. Kids would be much happier.
So while the Outlander can’t compete with the likes of a bigger Kluger or Sorento in terms of seven-seat space, it does work well as an occasional three-row family wagon.
Another important point to make here is that the third row of the Outlander is missing curtain airbags. This might not affect its crash rating when it comes to ANCAP testing, but is still something that buyers will need to keep in mind.
As a seven-seater, the boot space of the Outlander sits a little high and yields 478L in five-seat mode. Along with the third row, the boot also hides a space-saving spare wheel, wheel replacement equipment, and your novelty-sized headrests.
2022 Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed | |
Seats | Seven |
Boot volume | 163L 7 seats / 478L 5 seats / 1461 2 seats |
Length | 4710mm |
Width | 1862mm |
Height | 1745mm |
Wheelbase | 2706mm |
How big is the screen in a Mitsubishi Outlander?
Infotainment for the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander rests around a 9.0-inch system, which looks to use new-generation Nissan hardware and software. It's got wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio, and native navigation. The operating system proved to be fast and smooth for me with what seemed to be fast processing speeds.
The combination of a handful of buttons – along with two dials and steering wheel controls – makes it easy to find your way around the system and flip between modes.
Aspire and Exceed specifications also get you a crispy 12.3-inch instrument display, which is exceedingly better than the last digital display I saw in a Mitsubishi (Pajero Sport). It has good functionality and a bright screen, allowing you to cycle through the important information you need.
There's also a good quality head-up display that projects an image onto the windscreen (rather than one of those little pop-up screens).
How safe is the Mitsubishi Outlander?
The new-generation Outlander is yet to be tested by ANCAP, and doesn't yet carry a safety score.
Standard safety equipment includes autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, traffic-sign recognition, and eight airbags, including one between the front seats to prevent occupants' heads colliding in a side-impact collision.
The Aspire (one rung below the Exceed tested here) and above also add a 360-degree reversing camera, which has a good-quality resolution through the infotainment display. You can opt between the front and rear cameras, as well as zeroing in on each kerbside.
2022 Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed | |
ANCAP rating | Untested |
Safety report | N/A |
How much does the Mitsubishi Outlander cost?
Service intervals for the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander are set at every 12 months or 15,000km.
Servicing costs don’t vary between two- and all-wheel-drive variants, with the first five visits set at $199. From that point, the next visit gets more expensive at $499.
After five years, the costs of servicing a 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander through the dealership network will be $995. After 10 years it will be $3190.
Mitsubishi offers a standard five-year or 100,000km warranty, but vehicles serviced on time at Mitsubishi service centres can receive up to 10 years or 200,000km warranty coverage.
Official fuel consumption is rated at 8.1L/100km, but during our time with the Outlander we recorded a decent 9.0L/100km. All achievable on regular 91-octane unleaded.
At a glance | 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed |
Warranty | Five years / 100,000km - doubled with dealer servicing |
Service intervals | 12 months / 15,000km |
Servicing costs | $597 (3 years) | $995 (5 years) |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 8.1L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 9.0L/100km |
Fuel type | 91-octane petrol |
Fuel tank size | 55L |
Is the Mitsubishi Outlander good to drive?
Naturally aspirated petrol engines and CVT automatic gearboxes – especially in a bigger car – often seem as appealing as a cold shower. Good news here is that the Outlander feels good to drive, with ample torque and response for the application.
The new-to-Mitsubishi 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine feels – while clearly not the same as something like a hybrid or turbocharged option – good. For the job at hand of carting kids and cargo around town, and taking off on road trips through the countryside, you can’t really call this inadequate.
Those wanting more startling performance will need to look elsewhere, and perhaps hang on for the plug-in hybrid Outlander. However, this powertrain’s performance with 135kW and 245Nm does the job, and it does it with a smidge of eloquence.
I’d put that eloquence down to a few reasons. Firstly, it feels responsive without tipping into over-excitement. The engine is also smooth and quiet unless being revved unceremoniously, and the CVT gearbox doesn't feel like a CVT gearbox.
Gear changes – no matter how artificial they might seem from a technical point of view – work well, and they allow the engine to operate at its happiest points of the rev range at the right times. Even when the foot gets fully planted, the tachometer still rises and falls, with no unending neck-wringing to be experienced.
The steering – a dual-pinion electric set-up – feels light and agile through the hands as the Outlander gets through corners.
You get a sense that the Outlander keenly turns through corners, reacting pleasingly with your steering inputs. That comes down to the so-called ‘Super All Wheel Control’, which looks to brake individual wheels to help the car rotate through the corners.
Some pockmarked roads showed the Outlander to have well-tuned suspension around town, smoothing out the rough surfaces with some impressive decorum. Don’t forget, the 20-inch wheels of this Exceed specification make this a tougher job to nail.
Key details | 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed |
Engine | 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol |
Power | 135kW @ 6000rpm |
Torque | 245Nm @ 3600rpm |
Drive type | All-wheel drive |
Transmission | CVT automatic with stepped eight-speed mode |
Power to weight ratio | 76.7kW/t |
Weight | 1760kg |
Tow rating | 1600kg braked / 750kg unbraked |
Turning circle (kerb-to-kerb) | 10.6m |
Should I buy a new Mitsubishi Outlander?
When you throw in that value contingency of an occasional seven-seater that doesn’t really put a foot wrong anywhere, the new Outlander is a prime choice for those with a big (or growing) family.
Mitsubishi, once a champion of cut-price family motoring, has managed to hold onto its high-value positioning. At the same time, this new Outlander, particularly in high grades like the Exceed tested here, takes a leap forward in refinement, comfort, and upmarket interior styling.
It may be more expensive than the Outlander it replaces, but that car hadn't always kept pace with competitors in the medium SUV class. That's not the case for this new Outlander, which is well worth a look for buyers on the hunt for a new, family-friendly, flexible SUV.