LIKES
- Rugged SUV style
- Tech-laden cabin
- New safety equipment
- Proven Rogue bones
- Well-equipped in base trim
DISLIKES
- No hybrid model (yet)
- Buzzy powertrain on the highway
- CVT neuters acceleration
- Third-row is a vestigial appendage
BUYING TIP
The 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander sells solid crossover utility with grace notes of throwback SUV style.
What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander? What does it compare to?
The 2022 Outlander is the first entirely new Mitsubishi SUV in more than a decade. A seven-seat crossover with an architecture shared by the Nissan Rogue, the 2022 Outlander rivals the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, VW Tiguan, and Subaru Forester.
Is the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander a good SUV?
It’s a big improvement over the old one, building on the Rogue platform and adding its own twist. Solid value and safety scores lead the Outlander to a TCC Rating of 6.5 out of 10.
What's new for the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander?
Everything. Sold in ES, SE, SEL, and SEL Touring models, the latest Outlander bypasses curves for folds that recall the rugged shape of the old Montero SUV. The Outlander’s front end has a high-set grille and down the sides, it’s cut like a Crossfitter. The rear end’s banded with thin taillights that sum up the shape: tinged with vintage, but not haunted by it.
Inside, the Outlander’s dressed and blessed with a straightforward horizontal dash design, capped by a stand-up touchscreen and framed by piano-black or aluminum trim. Diamond shapes abound, to go with the three in the logo.
The Outlander’s new but familiar drivetrain is a 2.5-liter inline-4 rated at 181 hp, coupled to a continuously variable transmission with eight pre-programmed ratios. The EPA estimates 27 mpg combined.
Front-wheel drive’s standard and all-wheel drive is available with up to six driver-selectable modes: Eco, Normal, Tarmac, Gravel, Snow, and Mud. The Outlander’s suspension is a mix of front struts and an independent multi-link rear setup. The 2022 Outlander is wider and roomier than before, with about an inch more leg room in the front two rows. Its more spacious interior grants the new Outlander seating for up to seven passengers, though the front seats will be the most comfortable. A power driver seat is standard, while heated front and second-row seats are an option. The rear two rows fold nearly flat to boost cargo space, which maxes out at 79.7 cubic feet. With the third row up however, cargo room is only 11.7 cubic feet.
On the safety front, the Outlander has standard automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, rear parking sensors, hill descent control, and trailer-sway control; options include adaptive cruise control, active lane control, and a surround-view monitor.
The Outlander ES comes with a third-row bench seat, power features, cloth upholstery, and 18-inch wheels. On the options list, or standard on some trims: a 9.0-inch touchscreen, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay, 20-inch wheels, a 10.8-inch head-up display, semi-aniline leather, 10-speaker Bose audio, a panoramic sunroof, and a power tailgate.
How much does the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander cost?
Base 2022 Outlanders come in at $26,990, with more expensive versions pushing up past the mid-$30,000 mark.
Where is the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander made?
In Japan.
Styling
Unconventional styling makes the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander stand out.
Is the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander a good-looking car?
The Outlander’s styling risks all live at the front, with a bold nose that belies the rest of the crossover’s minimalistic rear and interior. It gets a point for being brave, making it a 6.
While it won’t win any beauty contests, the Outlander’s unique front styling is highlighted by six-element LED headlights that flank the lower part of the prominent grille. From the side the Outlander has a bit of Range Rover in it, with a very flat beltline and vertical sides. Both the profile and the rear are much tamer than the front.
Performance
The Outlander’s hesitant acceleration can be attributed to its CVT.
Sluggish acceleration costs the Outlander a point here, and its other attributes aren’t strong enough to earn it back another point so it gets a 4 on performance.
Is the Mitsubishi Outlander 4WD?
It can be, but front-wheel drive is standard. Adding all-wheel drive costs $1,800 on all trim levels, except for the limited quantity SEL Launch Edition. AWD also adds a few off-road-specific drive modes, such as snow, gravel, or mud.
Shared with the Nissan Rogue, the lone powertrain is a 181-hp 2.5-liter inline-4 joined to a CVT. And much like the Rogue, the powertrain struggles when it comes to acceleration from both a stop and for passing. The naturally aspirated engine doesn’t hit maximum horsepower until it gets pretty high up in the rev range and the CVT makes it hard for the engine to reach its power, let alone stay in it. This results in the Outlander feeling sluggish, and slow to respond to accelerator inputs. The forthcoming plug-in hybrid model will likely drive much better, as the electric motor helps with launches and low speed responsiveness.
The Outlander feels solid on the road with decent ride quality and a softer suspension that does a good job absorbing road imperfections without upsetting the cabin’s serenity. There is some body roll when the road gets twisty, but no more than expected in a crossover of this ilk.
Comfort & Quality
The third-row is tiny enough to be useless.
The Outlander earns an extra point for its ability to fit five adults, but no extra points given for its fit and finish and sparse rear cargo space behind the standard third-row. It earns a 6 out of 10 here.
The Outlander has grown in this redesign; the wheelbase is 1.4-inches longer and it is 2.0-inches wider as well. Most of that added space has gone to the second row, which offers 39.9 inches of rear leg room (and plenty of head room as well). But the third row, which was already tight to begin with, has dropped from 28.2 down to 18.7 inches of leg room. There is zero chance an adult fits back there; the floor is so high that there isn’t even room to put your feet under the second-row and from the look of it, not even a small child has a chance of being remotely comfortable (and good luck strapping in any kind of car or booster seat). Even though Mitsubishi touts the Outlander as having the only standard third row in the segment, it’s not good for anything really.
Cargo room behind the third row is a paltry 11.7 cubic feet, but it’s more likely that third-row will stay permanently folded and that opens up the cargo area to 33.5 cubic feet of cargo space. With both rows dropped, there is up to 79.7 cubic feet of cargo space.
Safety
The Outlander’s superb crash-test ratings boost its safety score.
How safe is the Mitsubishi Outlander?
The Outlander’s superb safety ratings, robust safety features, and good outward vision give it a sparkling safety score of 9..
The 2022 Outlander earned a five-star rating from the NHTSA and the IIHS gave it a Top Safety Pick+ award, which is considered to be the industry’s most rigorous safety recognition.
Features
The Outlander’s robust feature set and lengthy warranty give it excellent value.
From the ES to the SEL, the Outlander is well equipped. Standard and available features both earn a point, as does the 5-year/60,000-mile warranty and a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. A good infotainment system adds another point to a 9.
The base ES starts at $26,990 and comes with an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, 18-inch alloy wheels, and the safety gear mentioned above.
Which Mitsubishi Outlander should I buy?
More premium features such as a 12.3-inch driver display, Bose sound system, and a panoramic sunroof cost an extra $2,300.
How much is a fully loaded Mitsubishi Outlander?
The top grade SEL starts at $33,140 and adding on the Touring package brings it to $37,640 with AWD. The SEL comes with leather upholstery, a power passenger seat, heated rear seats, tri-zone automatic climate control, and the driver display that’s an option on the SE.
Fuel Economy
The Outlander’s fuel economy is average, until the plug-in hybrid arrives.
Is the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander good on gas?
The Outlander gets below average fuel economy for this class, with an EPA-estimated 24 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, 27 mpg combined for FWD models. AWD models come in slightly behind that at 24/30/26 mpg.
Somehow, that’s worse than the Nissan Rogue with which it shares a powertrain. With the same engine/transmission, the FWD Rogue gets 27/35/30 mpg. FWD versions of the Honda CR-V also get 30 mpg combined, as does the Toyota RAV4, and even the Subaru Forester with its standard AWD system gets 29 mpg combined.
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