Riding on a new platform, flaunting a radical new look and powered by a new engine, the MY22 Outlander will following its predecessor’s tyre tracks and be offered in both five- and seven-seat guises, each with the option of all-wheel drive.
Nine variants will be on offer to begin with before the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) versions touch down early next year.
The nine variants are spread across five trim levels, starting with the ES and stretching up to the flagship Exceed Tourer ($49,990), comprising two five-seaters, five AWDs and a septuplet of seven-seaters.
All-wheel-drive versions carry a $2500 premium over the two-wheel drives, with all variants sharing the same 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, developing 135kW/245Nm.
Irrespective of the drive type, power is sent to the road via a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with eight pre-determined ratios on hand for when drivers want to take matters into their own hands via the paddle-shifters.
Fuel economy across the range varies from 7.5L/100km in the two-wheel-drive ES up to 8.1L/100km in the Exceed and Exceed Touring on the ADR cycle.
Riding on 18-inch alloy wheels as standard, the ES trim level comes with fabric upholstery, a 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 7.0-inch TFT driver’s display, dual-zone climate control, five or six drive modes (FWD vs AWD), reversing camera, hill descent control, adaptive cruise control and an electric park brake with auto hold function.
Stepping up to the better-equipped LS adds silver bumper garnishes, rear prvacy glass, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, keyless entry, wireless phone charging, powered tailgate, auto-diming rearview mirror, automatic headlamps, LED fog lamps, rain sensing wipers and heated wing mirrors.
Went several steps further
Building on everything mentioned previously, the Aspire roll on 20-inch alloys and features Microsuede/synthetic leather upholstery, powered driver’s seat adjustment, heated front seats, a 12.3” digital instrument cluster, head-up display, adaptive self-levelling headlights with and a 360-degree camera.
Towards the top of the tree, the Exceed goes several steps further with leather upholstery, memory function for both front seats, a panoramic sunroof, a Bose premium sound system, tri-zone climate control, integrated rear sun shades and colour-coded exterior front, side and rear lower garnishes.
The Exceed Tourer’s kit list reads much the same as the Exceed, but adds a two-tone exterior body colour, two-tone high-grade leather upholstery and massaging front seats.
Describing the new Outlander as “the best-equipped vehicle the company has ever
sold in Australia”, MMAL said it was “was crafted under the design language of ‘I-Fu-Do-Do’, which means ‘authentic and majestic’ in Japanese”.
“Mitsubishi’s all-new flagship boasts a newly developed platform and powertrain, bold
and distinctive exterior styling and a refined and serene interior with high-end finishes
and thoughtful engineering touches throughout,” a local spokesperson said.
“Outlander also features more standard driver connectivity and driver assistance features and a re-engineered, upgraded version of the brand’s signature Super All-wheel Control (S-AWC) all-wheel drive system.”
In addition to the extra surety of the all-wheel-drive system – on some variants – all Outlanders come with the latest suite of airbags and driver assist systems including driver attention alert, forward collision mitigation with cyclist detection and junction assist, blind spot warning with brake assist, emergency lane change alert with brake assist, trailer stability assist, lane departure warning and lane departure prevention with more features added at each trim level.
A few extra safety gismos are added to the mix on the LS, including rear automatic emergency braking and rear cross-traffic alert, which are also included as standard on the higher grades.
Despite being a bit long in the tooth now, the current Outlander has continued to find favour with new SUV buyers, accounting for 8.9 per cent of the sub-$60,000 mid-sized segment with 8264 sales so far this year ending July 31.
2022 Mitsubishi Outlander pricing*
ES 5-seater (a) $34,490
ES 5-seater AWD (a) $36,990
ES 7-seater (a) $35,490
LS 7-seater (a) $37,990
LS 7-seater AWD (a) $40,490
Aspire 7-seater (a) $41,490
Aspire 7-searer AWD (a) $43,990
Exceed 7-seater AWD (a) $47,990
Exceed Tourer 7-seater AWD (a) $49,990
*Excludes on-road pricing
