After joining the Renault-Nissan alliance, Mitsubishi received huge help from its former competitor and introduced the fourth generation of the Outlander in 2021.
Mitsubishi was caught off-guard by the 2007 world financial crisis and, even though it survived, it couldn’t make a new lineup that could save the brand. Most of its vehicles were old, and, apart from the L200 pickup and the Outlander, the rest of the rang struggled to survive on the market. After a few troubled years, Mitsubishi ended up in the Renault-Nissan alliance, and the first new product developed together was the Outlander.

It was a new design language for Mitsubishi. The Outlander featured LED lights on top of the front fascia, with squared LED headlights mounted on the sides, above the bumper. Its broad, shield-like, chromed grille with three slats on the upper side and a black squared area were unusual for the Japanese brand. From its sides, the blacked-out B-pillar and the D-pillar shape gave the impression of a floating roof. Mitsubishi kept the split tailgate system that made it famous in the compact SUV segment.

While the exterior was flashy and daring but not luxurious, the interior was a different story. Depending on the trim level, the Outlander featured cloth or leather seats and a premium interior feeling. Its gear selector was small and placed on top of a tall center console. A large display filled the instrument cluster while an additional touch-screen made it on top of the dashboard, above the center stack. Like its predecessors, the Outlander’s fourth-generation provided room for seven people, with two folding seats in the trunk.

At the launch, the Outlander was available exclusively with a newly developed 2.5-liter gasoline engine paired to a CVT that sent the power in all four corners.

The quest for cleaner vehicles but the desire for SUV vehicles was in the opposite direction.
But the Mitsubishi figure-out a way to solve the problem with the Outlander PHEV.

The 2016 model of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV marked the second generation of the electrified SUV from the Japanese car-maker. It was unveiled at the 2016 New York International Auto Show. It was the answer not only for all of those who were looking for an ecological vehicle but also for all of those who were looking for a car good for everything.

The styling was upgraded when compared with its predecessor, with a new front fascia. Its appearance looked more modern, with some chromed details on and around the grille. The smaller headlights were available with LED light, which not only lights better, but they also are using less electricity to run. The rest of the car still looked like a jacked-up station-wagon.

Inside, there was enough room for up to five passengers. Unlike the older Outlander, which was available with seven seats, the PHEV had to carry the batteries and those are stored under the floor. There are 80 cells there and the 12kWh batteries take some space. Mitsubishi managed to install three true seats in the back, with enough legroom and headroom.

The PHEV stands Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. Basically, the car is intended to be charged at home and start the day with the batteries fully charged. On regular home-outlet power supply, that would take up to 5 hours.

Mitsubishi’s seven-seater crossover went all bold for 2016 as it surfaced at the 2015 New York Auto Show, also being the first vehicle in the range to showcase the automaker’s upcoming design language.
Rough and solid is how you can describe the 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander as its design is now dictated by horizontal lines, square shapes and sharp angles. The headlights are now squinting and the front fascia is dominated by a huge trapezoidal grille while the rear makes do with large taillamps and a more chiseled tailgate.

The reconfigured interior includes a redesigned steering wheel, seating surfaces, accent trim, rear folding seat, headliner, display audio system and auto-dimming rearview mirror with Homelink (GT model).

Mechanically, the 2016 Outlander comes with an upgraded chassis for increased stiffness, a redesigned suspension and Electric Power Steering, noise-isolating windshield and rear door glass, more sound insulation throughout the vehicle and added safety features.

The 2012 Mitsubishi Outlander came with a completely new model on the GS Platform developed together with the now defunct DaimlerChrysler.
The Japanese carmaker tried to do a well-built SUV with up to seven seats and enough technology included to be an appealing car, but it forgot to pay for a better design team.

The first Outlander was built on a compact-size platform. This one is bigger and, with a 2.67-meter (105.1”) long wheelbase and a transverse engine, has enough room for seven passengers. The last two are in the trunk and were large enough to fit two adults in the previous generation, but only children for this third generation.

Under the hood, there are three choices: 2.0-liter gasoline, a 2.2-liter turbodiesel, and a PHEV. The PHEV was, by far, the most interesting powertrain. It had a 2.0-liter gasoline engine and two 81 hp motors. The vehicle achieved a 52.3 km (32.5 miles) electric range from its 12 kWh batteries placed under the cabin, between the axles. The maximum speed in electric-only mode was 120 kph (74.5 mph).

The cabin was fitted with new technology for that year, including an infotainment unit able to connect to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The middle row has a sliding and adjustable backrest to help access to the third row and improve mid-row passengers comfort.

Mitsubishi built the second generation of the Outlander in Europe together with the French group PSA (Peugeot-Citroen) and took a diesel engine from Volkswagen.
After five years on the market, Mitsubishi dropped the first generation of the Outlander, and the second generation was unveiled in October 2006. It was built as a world car and adapted for specific markets. To prove that, Mitsubishi dropped the Airtrek nameplate from the Japanese market and use the Outlander, like in the rest of the world.

The car’s design was a mix of angular lines and curved panels. It sported glass-covered headlights and a split grille. Depending on the trim level, it featured an aluminum shield under the apron, protecting the engine and the gearbox. In the back, Mitsubishi installed a set of clear taillights with LED-like lamps inside. The carmaker chose a split opening system with the top side going upwards and the bottom being lowered when opened for the tailgate.

Inside, the Outlander offered room for seven in a 2-3-2 configuration. While the last row was not very comfortable, it could host two adults for short distances. At the front, the carmaker installed a dashboard inspired by the Lancer, with a binocular-style instrument cluster. Depending on the transmission, the carmaker installed paddle-shifters for the automatic gearbox versions and a rotary knob for the transmission switching the car between front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive with an option for a locking center differential.

Under the hood, Mitsubishi installed a choice of three engines: two with gasoline and one turbodiesel. The latter was a 2.0-liter TDI from Volkswagen.

The model actually rolled out the assembly line in 2001 as the Airtrek, 2003 having been the date of the car’s inception as the re-named Outlander.
It was the same car as the Airtrek with little extras to differentiate one from another. The Outalnder sported a different grille and headlights while its overall length was stretched by nearly 5 inches. Until 2005, when the car entered its second life cycle, it came with a choice of three gasoline units displacing 2.0 L and 2.4 L. The first had a turbocharged version while all engines had 4-valve cylinder heads. The 2.0 L Turbo was by far the brawniest with power and torque outputs of 148 hp and 223 Nm.