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There’s not a more dog-eat-dog automotive segment than the compact sport-utility/crossover, where buyers are presented with a competitive array of all-weather, family-friendly options.
It’s a field that’s long been dominated by vehicles like the Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, Volkswagen Taos and Honda CR-V, with numerous others badges and models all vying for a piece of the action.
Count among these the Mitsubishi Outlander, a four-door SUV that boasts three rows of seating, which alone makes it a segment standout. It aims at and largely succeeds in fulfilling the core expectations of what a modern family vehicle should be.
A roomy interior, available all-wheel-drive, a fuel-efficient and reasonably punchy turbocharged inline-four, and budget-minded pricing for entry-level trims — all of which make the Japanese maker’s flagship domestic offering worth a tire kick.
Last redesigned for the 2022 model year, the Outlander is offered in six trim levels — ES, LE, SE, Ralliart, Trail Edition and SEL — all of which are powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline four engine making 177 horsepower and 207 foot-pounds of torque that’s mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission. Front-wheel-drive comes standard with ES, LE, SE and SEL trims, with all-wheel-drive available as an option. AWD is standard for Ralliart- and Trail Edition-trimmed samples. There also is a plug-in-hybrid version of the Outlander, as well as the smaller and less-expensive Outlander Sport.
Pricing starts a bit over $32,000 for front-wheel-driven ES-trimmed models, which sport a fairly straightforward list of standard equipment that includes keyless entry and ignition, dual-zone automatic climate controls, a set of 18-inch alloy wheels, an eight-speaker sound system, 12.3-inch infotainment interface, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. All-wheel-drive Outlanders also are equipped with standard heated front seating and front wiper deicing.
Regardless of trim level, all Outlanders feature a battery of standard safety-sensing tech, including forward-collision mitigation, blind-spot and cross-traffic alert, lane-departure alert and rear-parking assist.
Upgrading to higher trim levels opens up additional tech features and decorative details, including rain-sensing wipers, a wireless smartphone charging pad, nicer upholstery, a powered liftgate, power-adjustable front seats, an external 360-degree camera array, bigger alloy wheels and more.
Our all-the-way SEL-trimmed tester’s $40,845 base asking price boasted a long list of standard goodies, including a set of 20-inch two-tone alloy wheels, leather upholstery, a heated steering wheel and second-row sliding seats, a power-adjustable front passenger seat, tri-zone automatic climate control, a panoramic sunroof and more.
Sweetening the pot (as well as inflating the out-the-door cost) was the $3,500 SEL Premium Package’s upgraded leather upholstery, 12-speaker Yamaha premium audio system, padded faux-leather door inserts, black rear roof spoiler and 10.8-inch heads-up display. Factoring in a few three-figure options and the $1,745 delivery tab, the grand total rose to $47,235 (which, for what it’s worth, is about the average price nowadays for a new vehicle).
As such, our Outlander went about its business in an agreeably competent manner. The rev-ready turbo-four engine delivered enough accelerative urgency to handle highway passing and merging maneuvers (60 mph arrives in roughly 8.5 seconds), though there was more than a bit of accompanying engine roar. Handling is precise and predictable but hardly rises to the level of what anyone might call exciting. We suspect that most of this model’s prospective customers will be perfectly happy with this, though.
The attractive and well-appointed cabin punched above its weight, featuring a pleasing saddle-brown-on-black pallete accented by bits of brushed-aluminum accenting. A rotary drive-mode selector conveniently located aft of the sliding shifter knob was topped by the center stack’s array of climate-control buttons. The easy-to-read-and-operate LED infotainment screen sat high on the dash and complemented the digital gauge cluster.
Adults had no trouble settling in and finding sufficient room in the front seats and rear 60/40 split-folding rear bench. Complications arose once the small third-row bench was needed. Legroom was effectively nonexistent until the second row was slid forward, which in turn required the same for the front row. While it demonstrated the reason why such seating arrangements are as rare as hens’ teeth in the compact segment, it nevertheless was a nice feature to have if needed.
There’s 11.7 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, which expands to 33.5 cubic feet with that row folded, and 64.3 cubic feet with both rows folded. Properly equipped, the Outlander has a maximum towing capacity of 2,000 pounds.
Vehicle type: Four-door, seven-passenger all-wheel-drive compact SUV.
Engine and transmission: 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-four (177 horsepower and 207 foot-pounds torque), continuously variable automatic.
Base/as-tested prices: $40,845/$47,235.
EPA estimates: 26 mpg city, 30 mpg highway, 27 mpg combined.
The good: Comfortable and spacious cabin for front- and second-row passengers; roomy cargo capacity; decently punchy turbo-four engine; lower-trim models’ budget-minded pricing; long list of standard equipment; 1-ton towing rating; comfortable and quiet cruising quality.
The bad: Harsh engine noise under hard acceleration; laughable third-row legroom; could use another 20 or so more ponies under the hood; gets pricey in tonier trim levels; ho-hum handling.
Bottom line: The Outlander aims at and largely succeeds in meeting the core expectations of a modern sport-ute.
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