The Mitsubishi Outlander may be the most overlooked car on sale in America today.
Americans buy more compact SUVs than any other type of vehicle. Mitsubishi’s compact offering has some unique traits to recommend it – a hideaway third row of seats, a 10-year powertrain warranty, an excellent all-wheel-drive (AWD) system that also enhances dry-road handling, and a more upscale cabin than many rivals. A plug-in hybrid version can travel up to 38 miles on electricity alone.
But it remains a slow seller in a field of CR-Vs and RAV4s, perhaps because of Mitsubishi’s limited dealership network.
Fixing that problem could take time. But the company can double down on what works about the car quickly. For 2025, the Outlander is due for an update. Mitsubishi will build on the vehicle’s strengths.
We don’t know pricing for 2025 yet. The 2024 model on sale today starts at $30,075, including a mandatory $1,495 destination fee and a $185 “welcome package” that’s also tacked on unless the vehicle is special-ordered without it.
New Sound System
Mitsubishi is keeping the SUV’s exterior under wraps for now. But the company has released photos of a cabin upgrade.
The headline is a new Yamaha sound system. Mitsubishi says it’s “the first time that Yamaha has ever developed an in-car audio system for a North American-market vehicle,” so we don’t know what sound quality to expect.
But just two companies dominate car sound systems — names like Bang & Olufsen, JBL, and Mark Levison are all brands of Harman International, which competes with Bose. New competition in the market is good news.
A new center console design looks cleaner, with the cup holders moved to an easier-to-reach spot. Mitsubishi promises new interior colors, though the only photos released so far show the same black-and-saddle-tan scheme that works so well on the current model.
The changes aren’t likely enough to make the Outlander rocket to the top of a competitive class. But they hold its charms intact as the compact SUV segment keeps improving. If you have easy access to a Mitsubishi dealership and your lifestyle means you’re unlikely to move far from it while you drive your next car, it might be worth a look.
Mitsubishi says the 2025 Outlander will begin arriving in dealerships in February.