The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Decent value
- Competitive tech
- Smooth PHEV ride
- Seating for seven
- PHEV efficiency
Dislikes
- Outdated gas engine
- Inefficient CVT
- Polarizing styling
- Kid-only third row
Buying tip
features & specs
Mitsubishi packs the 2024 Outlander with value, topped off with an impressive warranty.
What kind of vehicle is the 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander? What does it compare to?
The 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander is a compact crossover with three rows and two powertrain options. It rides the same platform as Nissan’s Rogue but is more comparable to the VW Tiguan and Kia Sorento.
Is the 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander a good SUV?
The plug-in hybrid Outlander is a better SUV than the gas Outlander, though we base our TCC Rating of 6.0 out of 10 on the latter’s overall value, standard features, and excellent warranty. If we rated the Outlander PHEV separately, its smooth performance and improved efficiency would bump its rating to 7.2 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander?
Mitsubishi now includes two years of limited maintenance along with its impressive standard warranty. Tweaks to the trim lineup include a mild styling refresh for the SEL Black Edition, which is now available with the PHEV powertrain, and new Platinum Editions for both gas and plug-in hybrid versions.
The Mitsubishi Outlander shares a platform with the smaller and more conventional Nissan Rogue, though the Outlander benefits from three rows of seating and a more distinctive, if somewhat polarizing, exterior design. The Outlander has a kinda goofy, round-cheeked face, rather plain sides that lead to narrow taillights, and a variety of attractive alloy wheel designs. Though the Outlander and Rogue share some interior components, namely the physical infotainment and climate controls, styling again goes in different directions.
The gas-only Outlander gets just 181 hp from its 2.5-liter inline-4 engine, which comes with a CVT and front-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is available across the lineup. With front drive, the Outlander tops out at a combined 27 mpg.
The PHEV model adds a battery pack and a motor on each axle (all-wheel drive comes standard), good for 38 miles of EV-only range. It’s more expensive, but comes with better standard tech features as well as its improved efficiency.
The Outlander’s third row is best left for kids, the smaller the better. In fact, the second row is best left for kids, as well, at least if you’re planning to seat three across. The cargo hold measures a scant 11.7 cubic feet.
Mitsubishi supplies a good list of advanced safety features, and offers active lane control and adaptive cruise control, which together can provide very limited hands-free driving.
How much does the 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander cost?
The 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander starts at $29,840, including a destination fee of $1,445. That includes cloth upholstery, a power driver’s seat, an 8.0-inch touchscreen, and 18-inch wheels. Options include a 10.8-inch head-up display and leather upholstery.
Mitsubishi has not yet announced pricing for the 2024 Outlander Plug-in Hybrid, though it will likely start around $42,000.
Where is the 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander made?
In Japan.
2024 Mitsubishi Outlander Styling
It won’t win any beauty pageants, but at least the 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander stands out from the crowd.
Is the Mitsubishi Outlander a good-looking car?
Well, it has personality. It’s unique-looking enough to earn a point above average, good for a 6 here.
The front end’s combination of chubby cheeks and a razor-sharp grille is odd, but bold Outlander badging atop the hood leaves no question. The Outlander wears the floating-roof look with blacked-out rear door pillars, a crossover trend that should be on its way out by now but works well here.
The cabin has a more conventional design, with soft curves executed in good quality materials. The 8.0-inch touchscreen looks small, but the 9.0-inch touchscreen looks better, and the smattering of components from Nissan’s parts bin work just fine.
2024 Mitsubishi Outlander Performance
The 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander performs best with the plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Nearly every rival provides more robust performance, even the Outlander’s cousin, the Nissan Rogue. The 2024 Outlander comes with a 2.5-liter inline-4 and a sloppy CVT that makes 181 hp even worse in practice than it sounds on paper. It’s loud and angry, but at least Nissan’s engineers perfected the Rogue’s noise insulation and overall smoothness, and the Outlander benefits there. It earns a 4 here, with two points subtracted for the Outlander’s base powertrain and one added back for the ride quality.
The Outlander Plug-in Hybrid, evaluated separately, would rate a 6 thanks to its competent handling and its smooth transitions from electric to gas power.
Is the Mitsubishi Outlander 4WD?
The gas Outlander can be fitted with all-wheel drive across the lineup, and it’s standard on the Outlander PHEV.
How fast is the Mitsubishi Outlander?
Not very fast at all. The inline-4 idles loudly and the CVT squanders whatever performance potential the engine may have. It’s a waste of a well-tuned chassis, which smooths out big impacts even though most versions ride on 20-inch alloys. It stays planted on winding roads, and offers decent steering heft though not much feel.
The latest generation of Outlander was designed specifically to accommodate a PHEV powertrain as well as gas, so it, too, handles well. The powertrain combines a 20-kwh battery pack, a front 85-kw motor and rear 100-kw motor, and a 2.4-liter inline-4 engine. It’s designed to operate as often as possible in electric mode, resulting in acceleration that’s not quite as quick as an EV or even a more powerful PHEV, but certainly an improvement over the gas Outlander, with 248 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque driving the full-time all-wheel-drive system.
With an additional inch of ground clearance and a brake-based torque vectoring system to improve grip, the Outlander PHEV is a better soft-roader than the gas version, too.
2024 Mitsubishi Outlander Comfort & Quality
The third row of the Mitsubishi Outlander is nice to have, even if it’s more package shelf than usable passenger space.
On paper, the 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander seats seven, but in practical terms, four or maybe five occupants is the max. It’s a 7 here, with a point each for five-passenger seating and for decent cargo space when the third row is folded.
Front passengers get supportive seats with driver’s-seat power adjustment. Gas models get an impressive 39.9 inches of legroom for the second row, and PHEV models get a still-good 38.6 inches, with wide doors for easy ingress and egress. The third row splits the difference between passenger and cargo space, with just 18.7 inches for kids’ legs and 11.7 cubic feet for storage.
That third row folds away, though it’s a chore thanks to the straps and latches, opening up a more reasonable 33.5 cubic feet. With the second row folded, almost 80 cubes are available.
Materials are decent for the money, with standard cloth upholstery and options to upgrade to synthetic or genuine leather. High-end trims get quilted upholstery and aluminum-look accents.
2024 Mitsubishi Outlander Safety
Good crash-test scores and plenty of tech make the 2024 Outlander a safe choice.
How safe is the Mitsubishi Outlander?
It’s a good choice. It earns a point for its IIHS Top Safety Pick though the NHTSA awards a four-star overall rating for sub-par frontal crash protection. That neutralizes the point earned. But lots of standard and available crash-avoidance features help earn it a point each to a 7.
Forward and reverse automatic emergency braking and blind-spot monitors are standard across the lineup, and SE and higher trims add adaptive cruise control, active lane control, and a surround-view camera system. These features are part of the MI-Pilot bundle, which is basically the Nissan ProPilot Assist package out on loan.
2024 Mitsubishi Outlander Features
The 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander is a great value thanks to plenty of standard features and generous warranty coverage.
The 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander is well equipped across the lineup with a solid list of standard features, a large touchscreen, plenty of options, and a great warranty. It earns a 9.
The entry-level ES comes in at $29,840 including a $1,445 destination fee, and boasts an 8.0-inch touchscreen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, cloth upholstery, crash-avoidance technology, parking sensors, and 18-inch wheels. Another $1,800 adds all-wheel drive across the lineup.
Mitsubishi backs the Outlander with five years or 60,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage and 10 years or 100,000 miles of powertrain coverage. For 2024, the warranty includes two years of scheduled maintenance.
Which Mitsubishi Outlander should I buy?
For $32,890, the SE adds synthetic leather upholstery trimmed with suede, heated front seats, a 9.0-inch touchscreen, navigation, and more driver-assistance features. The Tech Package, around $2,000, adds a digital instrument cluster, Bose stereo, and a sunroof.
How much is a fully loaded Mitsubishi Outlander?
Mitsubishi hasn’t yet published pricing for the Outlander Plug-in Hybrid, but the fully loaded model will likely cost about $50,000. It comes with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, semi-aniline leather upholstery, heated and cooled front seats, wireless charging, a heat pump for more efficient warm-up and climate control, a power tailgate, and a head-up display.
2024 Mitsubishi Outlander Fuel Economy
Plug-in hybrid models impress with 64 MPGe and 38 miles of range.
Is the Mitsubishi Outlander good on gas?
It’s not great, but the Outlander PHEV offers more efficiency. Based on the gas powertrain with front-wheel drive, with EPA ratings of 24 mpg city, 31 highway, 27 combined, the Outlander earns a 3 here.
Estimates for all-wheel-drive gas models fall to 24/30/26 mpg. Consider that some competitors exceed 30 mpg combined.
The 2024 Outlander PHEV would earn an 8 here if it was rated separately, thanks to its 38-mile electric range and hybrid mode estimates of 64 MPGe combined.
