Just unveiled is the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander that represents the first truly all-new vehicle from Mitsubishi in ages, and the first since the brand was more or less taken over by Nissan a few years back.
In such, the all-new 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander which is essentially a Nissan Rogue in new clothing sports completely new design inside and out, new powertrain, new chassis and a new soul to shine when it goes on sale this spring.
The new Mitsubishi Outlander shares styling DNA with the Mitsubishi brand but represents a new direction in the details and forms. While it shares its bones with the Nissan Rogue, it has entirely unique sheet metal.
With what Mitsubishi calls the next generation Dynamic Shield design language, it has extroverted musculature form and proportion we have come to expect from the brand. In the fully trimmed example shown here, its 20-inch wheels fit well in its wheel houses. Standard wheels are 18-inch
The interior is where Nissan clearly had a hand in stepping up the game with some design appeal, color and technologies contemporary. These include an optional 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster all the rage right now and a 9-inch infotainment system and 10-speaker BOSE audio system with Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay.
Expected in this class, there will be plenty of USB and other charging ports throughout and a wireless charging pad will be available. With a standard three-row seating format, the Outlander will continue to be the outlier in this class for the highest in standard seating capacity of seven. The third row is tight indeed but good for small kids.
If you look around closely you will find a number of common pieces and parts shared with the Nissan Rogue, thus quality and craftsmanship appear to be much better than other Mitsubishi products – design and execution now more on par with expectations of buyers these days.
Speaking of Nissan, under the hood will be much the same powertrain found in the current Nissan Rogue, a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and continuously variable transmission. Specifications weren’t yet released but expect similar to the 181 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque found in Rogue.
Mitsubishi touts its rally-derived Super All-Wheel Control which will likely be Nissan’s all-wheel drive system with Mitsubishi’s branding and marketing skills. They speak of a newly developed drive mode selector allows performance and grip to be tailored to the conditions through six distinct settings. Nothing really new there, at least to the rest of the world.
The front suspension consists of MacPherson struts, the rear a multi-link occasion. A full suite of standard passive aggressive safety systems will come and some additional semi-autonomous driving features for top-end models.
Starting at $25,795, the new 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander will be built in Japan and goes on sale in North America later in the year. For now at least there is no mention of hybrid of plug-in hybrid models. More information including trim grades and specifications will be available closer to that time.
