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Test Drive: 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL

2022 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL
2022 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL in Alloy Silver Metallic

2022 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL S-AWC

Class: Compact Crossover

Miles Driven: 222

Fuel Used: 9.8 gallons

Real-world fuel economy: 22.6 mpg

Driving mix: 65% city, 35% highway

CG Report Card
Room and ComfortA
Power and PerformanceB
Fit and FinishB+
Fuel EconomyB
ValueB+
Report-card grades are derived from a consensus of test-driver evaluations. All grades are versus other vehicles in the same class. Value grade is for specific trim level evaluated, and may not reflect Consumer Guide's impressions of the entire model lineup.
Big & Tall Comfort
Big GuyA
Tall GuyA
Big & Tall comfort ratings are for front seats only. "Big" rating based on male tester weighing approximately 350 pounds, "Tall" rating based on 6'6"-tall male tester.
Drivetrain
Engine Specs181-hp 2.5L
Engine Type4-cylinder
Transmission CVT automatic
Drive WheelsAll-wheel drive

EPA-estimated fuel economy: 24/30/26 (mpg city/highway/combined)

Fuel type: Regular gasoline

Base price: $33,745 (not including $1195 destination charge)

Options on test car: Accessory tonneau cover ($195), Welcome Package ($160; includes carpeted floor mats, touch-up paint pen, center-console tray mat)

Price as tested: $35,295

 

Quick Hits

The great: Excellent passenger space/comfort and cargo versatility; broad range of available comfort and driver-assist features

The good: Competitive pricing; topline SEL trim delivers upscale interior ambiance and several desirable features; pleasant driving character; additional flexibility of third-row seating (albeit very cramped)

The not so good: So-so acceleration; only one powertrain is available for now; Mitsubishi brand’s sparse dealer network in some markets

More Outlander price and availability information

 

John Biel

After stepping aside for a year, a gasoline-engine Outlander compact SUV is back in Mitsubishi showrooms for model-year 2022. It’s totally new of course, but Mitsubishi didn’t have to reinvent the wheel to make it happen. That’s because this Outlander shares its platform and powerteam with the redesigned-for-2021 Nissan Rogue.

The Mitsubishi Outlander is completely redesigned for 2022 on a platform shared with the redesigned-for-2021 Nissan Rogue. The Outlander is a bit bigger all-around the the Rogue, however, with unique styling inside and out.

Don’t think that means the Outlander is just a Rogue in a fresh Mitsubishi wrapper. While they share a 106.5-inch wheelbase, at 185.4 inches long, 74.7 inches wide, and 68.8 inches high the Outlander is a little more than 2 inches bigger in all those dimensions than the Nissan. That gives the Mitsu enough space for its third-row seat, an extremely rare feature in the class that the Nissan doesn’t have. Plus, the Outlander’s all-wheel-drive system is its own, and features more and different terrain settings than those used by the Rogue.

Test Drive: 2021 Nissan Rogue Platinum

Much of the new Outlander’s switchgear and digital displays are shared with the Rogue, but Mitsubishi manages a distinctive look and feel nonetheless. SEL models come nicely equipped with lots of desirable features.

The Outlander didn’t go completely dark during 2021, just its previous 4- and 6-cylinder gas models; a plug-in hybrid kept the nameplate alive for the year. For ’22, though, the only way to go is a 2.5-liter four and continuously variable transmission (CVT) picked up from the ’21 Rogue (the ’22 Rogue loses this 2.5 engine and gets a turbocharged 1.5-liter 3-cylinder instead). In the all-wheel-drive SEL model that Consumer Guide tested, the 181-horsepower engine proved itself a better highway cruiser than an in-town jackrabbit. The engine operates surprisingly quietly for a four, helped to an extent by a better-than-average CVT that doesn’t make the powerplant moan with exertion in pursuit of its power peak.

EPA fuel-economy estimates for the AWD Outlander are 24 mpg in city driving, 30 mpg in highway use, and 26 combined. (Note that projections for higher-trim AWD Rogues are a mile or two per gallon higher.) However, in this tester’s 89.9-mile stint that included 66 percent city-style motoring, the truck averaged 23.2 mpg.

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The Outlander shares its unconventional push/pull gear selector with the Nissan Rogue. The center console is also home to a drive-mode selector knob and a wireless charging pad located in the cubby bin forward of the shifter.

Mitsubishi’s S-AWC all-wheel drive (for “Super All Wheel Control”) is available on all models at an $1800 upcharge from front-wheel drive—though the line-topping SEL Launch Edition has AWD as its lone driveline. Five drive modes—“Tarmac,” “Gravel,” “Snow,” “Normal,” and “Eco”—are available to all at the twist of a knurled console dial, but a “Mud” setting is added to those with S-AWC. All-wheeler Rogues have five modes, one of which is “Sport” for different power delivery. Ride isn’t especially disturbed by highway cracks or expansion joints but the all-season tires sound off with loud thwacks. Handling is easy and maneuverability is good.

The test vehicle had a starting price (with delivery) of $34,940. SEL is the trim level at which body-color bumper and side-sill accents, roof rails, leather seat upholstery, heated rear seats, auto-dimming rearview mirror, key-linked memory of driver’s-seat settings, 3-zone automatic climate control, and a 12.3-inch LCD instrument-cluster display are added as standard equipment. The climate system and instrument display are features new to the Outlander/Rogue.

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In SEL trim, the Outlander boasts a surprisingly classy cabin ambiance; handsome quilted leather upholstery is standard. Occupant space is quite generous in both the front and rear seats.

Note that most of those items are found inside. Indeed, the test vehicle felt like a step up in cabin execution for Mitsubishi. SEL seats and imitation-leather door panels are done in the currently popular diamond-quilted pattern. There is good distribution of padded surfaces on the dash, doors, and armrests—even a little on the console sides. Driver instruments and info displays show up bright and legible. Large windows make for good outward vision all around.

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Unlike the Nissan Rogue (and every other compact SUV save for the VW Tiguan), the Outlander offers a third-row seat. That seat is exceptionally cramped, but it can still be useful for small children and/or very short trips. There’s a slim 11.7 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row. The extra-tall headrests must be removed when the seats are folded down (there’s a handy storage spot for them underneath the cargo floor; see pic in the photo gallery below).

There’s plenty more in packed into the Outlander by the time it gets to SEL territory. Exteriors sport LED headlights and fog lights, 20-inch two-tone alloy wheels, and a hands-free power liftgate with adjustable height limit. The power-folding side mirrors and front seats are heated, and leather covers the shift knob and steering wheel. Infotainment features—navigation included—are displayed on a 9-inch touchscreen and conveniences run to Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, wireless smartphone charging, satellite radio, and keyless entry and starting. The biggest of the driver-assistance features is Mi-PILOT (Mitsubishi’s name for Nissan’s ProPILOT system) that pairs adaptive cruise control with automatic lane centering to steer and change speeds with the driver’s hands contacting the steering wheel. Also included are front and rear automatic emergency braking, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic alerts, lane-keeping assist, and front parking sensors.

The audio system works with clarity and ease. The drive selector looks like it a conventional shift lever but only the grip moves forward or backward to go into Drive, Reverse, or Neutral, with Park activated via a button. In our experience, it wasn’t hard to get used to. Climate management consists of two handy dials to set up-front temperature with all other functions entrusted to lots of buttons.

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The Outlander offers fine overall cargo space for a compact SUV; there’s 33.5 cubic feet of space behind the second-row seats, which expands to 78.3 cubic feet with the second-row seatbacks folded.

First- and second-row legroom dimensions vary between the Outlander and Rogue but both offer plenty of room in these areas. The Mitsu’s second row is quite spacious—especially if there’s nobody in the third row, because with seats back, there’s almost no third-row legroom. In truth, children are the only people with a legitimate shot at being able to inhabit the third row.

Personal-item storage is all right, but just. There’s a modest glove box, small console box, slits in the sides of the console, four small door pouches with bottle holders, and pouches on backs of the front seats. Cup holders are placed in the console, the pull-down second-row center armrest (which creates a pass-through when retracted), and in the sidewalls that flank the third seat.

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The Outlander loses its V6 engine with its redesign; for now, the sole powertrain is a 181-hp 2.5-liter 4-cylinder paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission. SEL models come standard with 20-inch alloy wheels.

Cargo space with the third-row seats in use is tight—just 11.7 cubic feet (there is some organized small-item storage under the floor). It expands to 33.5 cubic feet with the seats down. The rearmost seats fold flat, but you’ll have to remove the tall, paddle-like headrests. Sidewall flipper levers make it possible to remotely drop the 40/20/40-split second-row seats for more than 70 cubic feet of cargo capacity.

While the reduction in engine choices appears to be a shortcoming for the new Outlander, it has gained other features that should tickle the fancies of today’s car buyers (and a new plug-in-hybrid version is slated to return soon, probably as a 2023 model). Its passenger room and seating/cargo flexibility add another layer of appeal.

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The redesigned-for-2022 Mitsubishi Outlander inherits plenty of strengths from its Nissan Rogue platform, and tops them off with distinctive looks, an upscale interior, and an occasional-use third-row seat–all at competitive prices.

Listen to the Car Stuff Podcast

2022 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL Gallery

Click below for enlarged images.

2022 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL

2022 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL

Test Drive: 2021 Nissan Rogue Platinum

2022 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL

Car Stuff Podcast

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