Hot-selling Mitsubishi Outlander gets updated with More Luxury
BY DALE EDWARD JOHNSON
There’s a lot on the line when an automaker updates its best-selling vehicle. Change it too much and buyers may be put off and shop elsewhere. Sit still and the competition may move past you. Doing it just right is essential to remain in top spot.
This was the situation facing Mitsubishi with its best-selling model, the Outlander, available in both gas and PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) versions. Last year, there were 37,335 Mitsubishis sold in Canada, and more than half – 21,587 – were Outlanders. Of those, 8,899 were PHEVs, making the Outlander the top-selling PHEV – sedan or SUV – in Canada for the third year in a row. Mitsubishi introduced its refreshed gas version of the Outlander in 2025, and earlier this year brought out the updated PHEV version.
New Outlanders have a revised front grill and bumper; new taillights; redesigned centre console with a bigger armrest and increased storage space; a larger 12.3-inch navigation screen; and revised controls for the transmission and drive mode. Also, these newest versions are smoother than the previous generation.
The Outlander sits on a 2,705 mm (106.5 in) wheelbase and is 4,720 mm (185.8 in) long. Standard features include the Super All-Wheel Control drive system, and safety features including automated emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and lane-departure warning. There are three rows of seating for up to seven passengers.
While most automakers have an up-market corporate sibling for buyers looking for more luxury – Toyota has Lexus; Honda has Acura; Nissan has Infiniti; Ford offers Lincoln; and Hyundai and Kia share the Genesis brand – Mitsubishi has no upscale corporate cousin. The solution is to dress up the Outlander to reach buyers who what more luxury.
I recently test drove both the gas and PHEV versions of the refreshed Outlander.
As I got settled in behind the wheel, I immediately noticed all the luxury touches usually found on more expensive vehicles, from the finely-stitched leather, quilted seats to the elegant overall finish. Once underway, the ride was remarkably smooth and extremely quiet.
The Senior Director of Communications and Events for Mitsubishi Motors North America, Jeremy Barnes, told me in an interview the changes were the result of feedback from Outlander owners.
“We addressed things that customers said bugged them, or said they didn’t love, and we left the things the customers said they were very happy with.”
An example was moving the cupholders forward on the console, and to the passenger side, one in front of the other. Previously, the cupholders were side by side at the back of the console.
“The base of the cupholders’ area is slanted slightly away from each other, so if you have two tall, big cups, the lids don’t bash into each other. It’s little details like that,” Barnes explains.
There have also been changes to provide a noticeably quieter ride, with added sound-deadening material in the floor, roof and pillars.
To me, the most impressive feature is the improved sound system. Mitsubishi engineers worked in conjunction with Yamaha engineers. It’s the first time Yamaha has designed a vehicle audio system for the North American market. The doors have been engineered to act as huge speaker enclosures. Upper trim levels, like my PHEV test vehicle, have a 12-speaker Yamaha Ultimate system. I turned on Sirius XM radio, cranked up the volume, and tried out various stations: oldies, jazz, country and new hits. Familiar songs sounded very different in this system; simply put, everything sounds better. There’s lots of extra base, and the high notes are very crisp. No matter how much I turned up the volume, there was no distortion. It was like being in a sound room at a high-end stereo shop instead of in a vehicle. It’s the best sound system I’ve ever heard in a vehicle.
The gas version gets power from a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 174 horsepower. Natural Resources Canada rates the fuel economy at 9.4 l/100 kms in the city and 7.8 l/100 km on the highway.
Mitsubishi made plenty of upgrades to the powertrain of the PHEV to provide longer range, better fuel economy and more power.
A new 22.7 kWh battery means increased power for faster acceleration. The range in pure electric mode now is 72 km – an 18 per cent increase. The total driving range – using both the two electric motors and the 2.4-litre gas engine for a combined 248 horsepower – is extended to 690 kms. Fuel economy has been improved to a combined 3.2 Le/100 km. In gas-only mode, fuel economy is improved to 8.6 L/100 km for both city and highway driving.
Prices start at $36,398 for the gas version and go to $49,748 for the top trim level. The PHEV starts at $49,998 and goes to $63,048.
Overall, the well-researched and thoughtful changes on the new Outlander should be just what’s needed to keep it as Mitsubishi’s best seller in Canada – and keep the PHEV version the top-selling PHEV in Canada.
As Barnes puts it, “This update is very much a series of little things we’ve addressed. By themselves, they may not seem like much of an update, but add them all together and you get a car that feels much more luxurious.”
Dale Edward Johnson is host of Car Culture, a weekly half-hour radio program about car history in Regina, car reviews and car songs. Car Culture is heard each Wednesday at noon on CJTR 91.3 FM, Access Now Community Radio.