2024 Mitsubishi Outlander: The Forgotten Contender

The 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander does not come with any significant changes. To keep things interesting, a new top-level Platinum Edition model is added With distinct exterior and interior design, this new model looks quite interesting. Mitsubishi also plans to reduce your ownership costs with a two-year complimentary scheduled maintenance as standard. The 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander price starts at $28,395. Let's review the pricing of all the trims and check out if the all-new Platinum Edition model is worth the price.

Bold Exterior Design 

The Mitsubishi Outlander shares its platform with the Nissan Rogue. However, you certainly won’t know that with any of the exterior design because it is very different from the Rogue and also a lot more bold than most of the competition. Talking about the front design, there’s a very large grille up front that is going to kind of come down all the way to this lower section and have this large, large piece of chrome that accents the side of it. 

The bold chrome Outlander is spread across the hood, and below is the large Mitsubishi emblem right in the center of the grille. The headlights are quite unique, and they have separated housing on each side. The daytime running light and turn signal indicator are above the main headlight. The headlights get reflector LEDs on every single trim level, and there’s LED fog lamps on all but the base trim. 

Compared to the unique and bold front styling, the rear design is going to be a lot more clean and classy. I really like the look of the sleek knife-like tail lamps. The tail lights have an LED brake light portion, incandescent reverse light, and incandescent turn signal indicator. The lower bumper area is all body colored, and there are faux exhaust outlets on both sides but no real exhaust outlets. 

Except the base trim, every other model comes with 20-inch alloy wheels, and that's pretty rare for this segment. The wheels look really good, and there's a contrast finish on them. The mirrors are power-adjustable, and heating and blind spot monitoring are standard. The new feature for this year is the Platinum model with black exterior, and you're actually going to have a silver roof. However, there’s an option for a black roof as well. 

Well-Appointed Interior 

We do get the smart entry system on board, and there’s access to remote start via the Mitsubishi phone app, and it's going to be free to you for 24 months. The interior on the Platinum trim feels very luxurious. You get different material and color options. However, the Platinum Edition gets Touring Package features as standard. The semi-aniline leather feels smooth and supple, and I love the diamond stitching on the board The front seats are eight-way power adjustable, and you do also have memory seating built into the door. The Outlander does have an unexpectedly nice interior. The door trim gets a lot of the leatherette material running all through the surfaces, and there’s a nice diamond-quilted area in the center. 

The upper dash is also covered in nice soft-touch plastic. We have more of the leather material running through the center section with the double-color contrast stitching going through the lower areas. We also have padding along the center console for our knees to rest against with comfort. The Platinum trim gets a 12.3-inch full digital gauge cluster and shares most of the functions with the Nissan models. Also, there’s a 10.8 in head-up display as well. 

The steering is wrapped in perforated leather and does support heating. However, it’s manually adjustable. The center console storage is not something I like, as it’s on the lower side for an SUV of this size. Above it there’s two large cup holders and provision for wireless charging as well. The short and stubby gear shifter looks cool, and there are paddle shifters as well for simulated gear changes. For enhanced comfort, there’s three-zone climate control, and there are physical buttons for everything. We are also going to have three-stage heated seats.

Nissan offers a 10-speaker Bose premium sound system with the Platinum Edition, and it's quite up to the mark. The central 9-inch infotainment system is similar to that seen on many recent Nissan products. Strangely, there’s a wireless Apple CarPlay, but the Android Auto needs a USB cable for connection. Mitsubishi offers a large panoramic sunroof as an option on most trim levels, and the same is standard on this one. 

The rear seats are much better than the competition. So, there’s 40 inches of legroom and 39 inches of headroom, which does place it above RAV4. It's also going to be above the Nissan Rogue, but it's still slightly less than the Honda CR-V. In the center we do have rear vents, and that's standard. Having a third row in this segment is quite rare, and the Outlander is the odd man out. However, it’s best suitable for kids and not adults, as there is hardly any space. 

Coming to the cargo capacity, there is 12 cu-ft of cargo space behind the third row of seats. Folding them down extends the cargo space to 33 cu-ft behind the second row seats. Folding the second row extends it to 80 cu-ft, beating Toyota RAV4 and Nissan Rogue. However, it slightly falls behind the Honda CR-V. 

2024 Mitsubishi Outlander’s Underwhelming Powertrain

The standard 2024 Mitsubishi gets a 2.5-liter inline-four engine that makes 181 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque. The unexciting powertrain is mated to a CVT, and FWD is standard while AWD is optional. The 2024 Outlander can tow up to 2,000 pounds. 

Acceleration feels adequate in urban conditions but very lazy at highway speeds. 

The 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander’s 0-60 time of 8.3 seconds is similar to some of its rivals. However, the way it catches up speed is sleep-inducing. The CVT does not make the situation any better. Also, it is not one of the most efficient options in the segment, even when driven in Eco mode. It delivers 24 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, and 27 mpg combined. With AWD, the mpg ratings drop by 1 mpg. 

The Outlander Is No Mazda CX-5 But Handles Quite Well 

The Outlander accelerates at its own pace. However, it’s not going to knock your socks off by any means. The continuously variable transmission feels much better, and the rubber band effect is not very prevalent. Of course this is also a Nissan transmission, and they have done a lot of work on making it a seamless transmission. 

The Outlander drives pretty well and offers a much more composed ride. The steering is well-weighted and accurate. It handles well, and most curvy roads won’t hamper your confidence. However, don’t expect CX-5 levels of agility or fun here. Overall, a decent handler for its class, but NVH levels could have been better.

Should You Consider It? 

The 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander is good at many things, but the competition does it better. To be honest, with new emerging rivals, the Outlander has lost its shine. It delivers on many fronts but falls short too on some. So, overall, it’s a well-packaged product that’s overshadowed by more capable competitors at a very similar price tag.