2022 Mitsubishi Outlander Review

The 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander is essentially the same as the Nissan Rogue, but with a distinctive design, dynamic tune, and other features that give it its own strong identity. That’s not to suggest the new Outlander and their cousins, the 2021 Rogue, are best friends, but they are rivals. The Outlander includes features like the third row of seats that help set it apart from other small SUVs.

Exterior

The Mitsubishi Outlander gets its first complete makeover in nearly a decade. The body is a little longer and wider than previously, and it’s a lot stronger. A chrome-bracketed grille and body-colour headlamp pods herald in the brand’s latest design language. The 2022 Outlander is two inches broader, 1.5 inches higher, and 0.6 inches longer than the previous model. The wheelbase is 1.4 inches longer, giving front and second-row passengers an additional inch of legroom.

Mitsubishi’s Dynamic Shield grille can be seen from a mile away, with thin LED running lights mounted high on the bumper, a mostly blacked-out grille, and some tacky looking imitation chrome around it all. The large “OUTLANDER” wordmark over the hood line is a wonderful finishing touch. Mitsubishi describes the design of its new Outlander SUV as “majestic.”

The Mitsubishi Outlander sports a tapered roof with a floating-roof element, and sporty 20-inch wheels. But that’s really where the love-it-or-hate-it styling ends since the rest of the Outlander looks clean and modern. The taillights are slim and inoffensive, too, with some nice black detailing, and there’s no chrome in the rear to speak of unless you count the satin-finished diffuser.

Interior

Mitsubishi provides three rows of seats for free in its new Outlander, but Nissan does not provide that option in the Rogue. Even Mitsubishi acknowledges that the rearmost bench is just for “occasional use,” as I try to twist my six-foot body down there.

When compared to its predecessor, the new Outlander boasts better cabin materials. With higher-quality interior accents and surfaces, the design ultimately qualifies as contemporary. There’s a slew of modern features available, such as a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a head-up display. While passengers in the first two seats have more hip and legroom, the third row isn’t designed for those with legs. Cargo capacity on the new Outlander is also increased, with 1 cubic foot added to the overall room behind the second and third seats.

Depending on the grade, the new Outlander has an 8.0-inch or 9.0-inch touchscreen. The new Mitsubishi Outlander SUV includes both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard features, but only the latter allows customers to wirelessly connect their iPhones. Charging connections are also located at the bottom of the middle stack. For volume and adjustment, the infotainment system has hard buttons and tactile knobs. A 10-speaker Bose music system, wireless device charging, and access to a remote services app are all offered as infotainment options.

The Mitsubishi Outlander has an advanced cruise control system with lane-centring called “Mi-Pilot,” which is standard on the SE and SEL trims. It’s simply Nissan’s ProPilot Assist with a different name, but it’s still one of the finest active safety systems available today. The technology effortlessly accelerates and stops, keeps the Outlander centred in the lane, and can drive around harsher curves on the road on its own.

The Outlander features a beautiful leather-wrapped steering wheel that is hefty and fits well in the hand. On this equipped SEL Touring variant, the front buckets are made of semi-aniline leather and are finished in glossy black with orange stitching. There’s also orange leather on the centre console, dashboard, and door panels. This is one of the few differences between the Rogue and the Outlander, which has a considerably slimmer steering wheel.

Engine, Power & Transmission

The 2.5-litre inline-four-cylinder engine in the Outlander produces 181 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. It only works with a continuously variable automatic gearbox (CVT). Front-wheel drive is normal, however, all-wheel drive is available as an option. Although the Outlander’s acceleration times are competitive with other compact crossovers, at highway speeds it seems less responsive and lazier, which is worsened by its gearless gearbox.

The Outlander, on the other hand, drives with fresh agility and serenity, especially when compared to the previous model. It has beautifully weighted steering, controlled body movements, and a tight ride. . Our tester sports the latter drive type plus six available drive modes: Eco, Normal, Tarmac, Gravel, Snow, and Mud mode, which is an AWD exclusive and reserved for when the going gets tough. The front-wheel-drive model only comes with five modes.

We did note a lack of separation, which allowed a lot of road noise into the cabin on all but the smoothest roads, and our test vehicle’s big 20-inch wheels with little sidewall cushion didn’t help. The brake pedal on the Outlander we tested was likewise mushy, but it pulled the SUV down from 70 mph in a class-competitive 172 feet. Mitsubishi claims a plug-in hybrid version will be available in the future, but that’s all we know for now.

Fuel Economy 

The Mitsubishi Outlander has lower fuel-economy ratings than a mechanically identical Nissan Rogue. An all-wheel-drive Outlander is rated at 24 mpg city and 30 highway, but the Rogue performs slightly better. Our real-world result of 26 mpg was a startling 6 mpg less than Nissan’s result.

Price

The Mitsubishi Outlander 2022 is the most inexpensive three-row small crossover on the market. An equipped SEL Touring model with an all-wheel-drive costs $36,445 as tested. But a base front-wheel-drive ES model starts at $25,795 as tested.

Conclusion

The ES has a tonne of nice features and is reasonably priced. However, we believe it is worthwhile to spend a little more on the SE. Which has driver assistance systems, keyless entry, and a power liftgate. Each of the three major trims has something to offer, and we believe they all justify their respective prices.