The 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander is an all-new generation of Mitsubishi’s compact crossover. Mitsubishi is part of the Japanese conglomerate Nissan, Renault, and Mitsubishi, an alliance that allows for shared car design and cost reduction from its resources to produce a vehicle.
In a video produced by Mitsubishi Seiji Watanabe, Division General Manager of Design, talks about the design inspiration of the flagship 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander, saying that change began with the proportions while still being true to our core values. Watanabe got the exterior design structure and proportions right.
When the icon of design, Walter D’Silva, gives you the nod your life becomes bigger. Alessandro Dambrosio, a Milan-born architect with an Industrial Design degree from Milan’s Politecnico is Mitsubishi’s Executive Design Director of Advanced Design. Dambrosio has worked in design for Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati, and the Volkswagen Group, including Bentley (think Bentayga) and Lamborghini. Mitsubishi hiring Dambrosio shows a desire to design a car worthy of its competitors.
The exterior and interior design are more mature and give an elegance I have not seen in Mitsubishi. The exterior headlights were the only confusing part for me. It went from big and chunky to an empty spot between the headlight and the grille, save for the rectangle cap that ended up being a headlight washer. I would have liked to see more continuity between the backlights and the headlights. I know this chunkiness works for the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride, but I prefer the look of the Mazda CX-9.
In the same video, Kazuo Yano, Executive design director for interior design, talks about the roominess in the three-row SUV. I would have made this a 2-row SUV. The third row would be for children under four years old, and even they would be cramped. This is not just an issue with Mitsubishi; it is for most compact SUVs that go for the third row. Most of the time, the third row is kept down for more cargo space. I always wonder how much weight, parts, price, fuel economy, and technology go into those two seats that make it worth putting them in the SUV. I am sure the car companies have penciled out the number of people who buy a 3-row car, but anyone that knows me knows I am waiting for the Outlander plug-in hybrid electric vehicle 2-row SUV.
Omotenashi
“Omote” means public face – an image you wish to present to outsiders. The word Omotenashi means every service is from the bottom of the heart – honest, no hiding, no pretending. It reminds me of my friend Ruthie. If you went to Ruthie’s house for tea, you sat at the table while Ruthie heated the water and made the tea. It was a simple, honest way for her to welcome you into her home.
The interior is very welcoming, calm, warm, and inviting. The interior colors are handsome. When you open the door, there is a mixture of classic and new. The knobs and dials can be distinguished without looking at them, the thoughtful design of the steering wheel, interior lighting, display controls, and even the storage components. When I was exiting the car, I put my foot out to hold the door open, and the Mitsubishi logo popped up on my sneaker.
Every 2022 Outlander is equipped with a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder that makes 181 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. The torque peaks at 3,600 rpm, where the continuously variable transmission (CVT) comes into play. Every Outlander comes with a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, as well as a 5-year/60,000-mile standard warranty and five years of free, unlimited roadside assistance.
Is the Outlander safe?
The Mitsubishi SEL I drove is equipped with Mi-Pilot Assist, a Level 2 advanced driving assistance system (ADAS), and it’s one of the most impressive technologies to come out of the merger. Keith Turner drove the same Mitsubishi Outlander and talks about his impressions of the SUV in the following video.
Mi-Pilot Assist equips the Outlander with adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, camera-based lane-keeping assistance and lane-centering assistance, and a traffic sign recognition system. The Navi-Link function adjusted my speed based on the navigation map data and GPS.
Additional safety equipment on the 2022 Outlander SEL include:
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic
Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and brake assist
An Electronic parking brake with auto-hold
Active Stability Control (ASC)
Hill Start Assist (HSA)
Trailer Stability Assist (TSA)
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) with tire fill notification
Automatic High Beam (AHB)
Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM) with pedestrian detection
Driver Attention Alert (DAA)
Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (RCTA) and Rear Automatic Emergency Braking (Rear AEB)
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
Front parking sensors
Cruise control
Advanced dual-stage front airbags
Driver and passenger SRS knee airbag
Front seat-mounted side SRS airbags
Side curtain SRS airbags
Rear outer-board seat-mounted SRS side airbags
Front seat-mounted SRS Center airbag
Adjustable front seat shoulder belt anchors
Three-point seatbelts with pre-tensioner for driver, passenger, outer sides of the 2nd-row seat
LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) for 2nd row
Seatbelt reminder for all seating positions
Child safety rear door locks
Anti-theft alarm system
Anti-theft engine immobilizer
Rear seat alert
Competitors to the Outlander include
Honda CR-V
Toyota RAV4
Nissan Rogue
Ford Escape
Mazda CX-5
GMC Terrain
Kia Sportage
Chevrolet Equinox
Hyundai Tucson
Kia Sorento
Ford Explorer
2022 Mitsubishi Outlander trims, pricing, and specs
2022 Mitsubishi Outlander 2.5 ES
24 MPG City/31 MPG Highway2 · 7 seats · 2WD or S-AWC
Starting at $25,7951
Top features:
- 7-passenger seating
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Forward Collision Mitigation
- Blind Spot Warning (BSW)
- Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (RCTA)
- Rear Automatic Emergency Braking
- Push-button start
- Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
- Front USB ports
- 8-inch Smartphone Link Display Audio (SDA) – SiriusXM with a 3-month all-access trial
- Bluetooth wireless technology
2022 Mitsubishi Outlander 2.5 SE
24 MPG City/31 MPG Highway2 · 7 seats · 2WD or S-AWC
Starting at: $28,8451
2.5 ES features PLUS:
- 20-inch two-tone alloy wheels
- LED front fog lights
- Heated door mirrors
- Handsfree power remote liftgate
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Leather-wrapped shift knob
- The synthetic leather seating surface
- Heated front seats
- FAST-Key Entry System
- MITSUBISHI CONNECT with Safeguard and Remote services and a 24-month trial
- Multi-view camera system
- Front parking sensor
- MI-PILOT Assist
- • Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Traffic Jam Assist
- • Lane Keep Assist (LKA)
- • Lane Departure Prevention (LDP)
- • Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR)
- 9-inch Smartphone Link Display (SDA) with navigation – SiriusXM© with 3-month all-access trial
- HD Radio
- Smartphone wireless charging
- Rear USB ports
2022 Mitsubishi Outlander 2.5 SEL
24 MPG City/31 MPG Highway · 7 seats · 2WD or S-AWC
(as tested 31.7 mpg final)
Starting at: $31,945 (as tested 2022 OUTLANDER SEL 2.5 S-AWC 4-DOOR SUV MSRP $33,745; out the door $37,995)
2.5 SE features PLUS:
- Leather-appointed seating
- Key-linked driver position memory system
- Roof rails
- Heated rear seats
- 3-zone automatic climate control
- Auto-dimming rearview mirror
- 12.3-inch Full LCD meter cluster display
2022 Mitsubishi Outlander SE TECH
24 MPG City/31 MPG Highway2 · 7 seats · 2WD or S-AWC
Starting at: $31,145
SEL Tech Features:
- Power panoramic sunroof
- Auto-dimming rearview mirror
- 12.3-inch full LCD meter cluster display
- Bose premium audio w/ 10 speakers
- 20-inch-two-tone allow wheels
- LED fond front fog lights
- Heater Heated door windows
- Front rain-sensing wipers
- Handsfree power remote liftgate
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Leather-wrapped shift knob
- Synthetic leather seating surfaces
- Heated front seats
- FAST-Key Entry System
- Mitsubishi Connect with Safeguard and Remote services and a 24-month trial.
- Multi-view camera system
- Front parking sensor
- MI-PILOT Assist Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Traffic Jam Assist; Lane Keep Assist (LKA);
- Lane Departure Prevention (LDP); Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR)
- 9-inch Smartphone-link Display Audio w/ Navigation – SiriusXM with 3-month All Access trial
- HR Radio
- Smartphone wireless charging
- Rear USB Ports
2022 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL TOURING
24 MPG City/31 MPG Highway2 · 7 seats · 2WD or S-AWC
Starting at: $34,6451
SEL Touring Features:
- Power panoramic sunroof
- Auto-dimming rearview mirror
- 12.3” full LCD meter cluster display
- Bose™ premium audio w/ 10 speakers
- 20-inch-two-tone allow wheels
- LED front fog lights
- Heated door windows
- Handsfree power remote liftgate
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Leather-wrapped shift knob
- Synthetic leather seating surfaces
- Heated front seats
- FAST-Key Entry System
- Mitsubishi Connect with Safeguard and Remote services and a 24-month trial.
- Multi-view camera system
- Front parking sensor
- MI-PILOT Assist Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Traffic Jam Assist; Lane Keep Assist (LKA); Lane Departure Prevention (LDP); Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR)
- 9” Smartphone-link Display Audio w/ Navigation – SiriusXM with 3-month All Access trial
- HR Radio
- Smartphone wireless charging
- Rear USB Ports
- Heated steering wheel
- Rear door sunshades
- Semi-aniline premium leather-appointed seating surfaces
- Bose™ premium audio w/ 10 speakers
- Head-up Display
- Leather-appointed seating surfaces
- Key-linked driver position memory system including mirror
- Reverse auto tilt mirrors
- Roof rails
- Heated rear seats
- 3-zone automatic climate control
- Auto-dimming rearview mirror
- 12.3-inch full LCD meter cluster display
Anyone who knows me knows I love plug-in hybrids and EVs. Mitsubishi has announced that the PHEV will be making its way into the Outlander. As much as I loved the SEL, I would buy the PHEV. This would be an awesome vehicle with a PHEV and fuel-efficient to boot.
The 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL is on sale now at a car dealer near you.
Leave a Reply