2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Road Test and Review

Mitsubishi is on a roll, posting a 7.7 percent sales increase in 2017 even as overall sales for the industry dropped. A large part of its success is due to the Outlander, which had its best year ever in 2017 and is posting record sales so far this year. crossovers are a hot property and the Outlander is a standout.

The 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander offers room for up to seven passengers, a wide range of trim levels, and advanced safety features. There’s also plenty of room for cargo and a solid infotainment system, all at an affordable price. Let’s take a closer look.

There are five affordable trim levels with a choice of either front-wheel or all-wheel drive on all but the top GT, which features only all-wheel drive. The base ES starts at $23,945 with standard features including a 7-inch touchscreen, a tilt and telescopic steering column, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. The SE adds fog lights, heated front seats, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel at $24,945. The LE starts at $26,145 with black exterior accents, power-folding side mirrors, black roof rails, and additional safety features including blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and lane change assist.

The SEL piles on the features with auto on/off headlights, chrome accents, rain-sensing wipers, an eight-way power driver’s seat, leather seating surfaces, and a power liftgate from $26,145. At the top of the lineup is the GT with similar features to the SEL, but with a more powerful 3.0-liter V6 engine and a starting price of $32,245.

The base powertrain on the Mitsubishi Outlander is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 166 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque paired to a continuously variable automatic transmission, or CVT. The top GT trim gets a more powerful 3.0-liter V6 engine with 224 horsepower and 215 lb-ft of torque paired to a six-speed automatic transmission. Our test model was the SEL with all-wheel drive, which has the smaller engine. It’s enough to move the Outlander along, but it’s not an aggressive drive.

Accelerating in city traffic, the Outlander does well and is quiet and composed. On the highway, it’s a different story. Getting up to speed takes a heavy foot on the gas and the CVT makes things intrusively loud. There’s no doubt the Outlander’s engine is working hard to merge into heavy traffic. If you need extra speed for highway passing, don’t expect a quick response when you hit the gas.

The benefit of a smaller engine is better fuel economy, which is a good compromise for a value-focused crossover like the Outlander. The 2.4-liter engine achieves an EPA-estimated 25 mpg in the city, 30 mpg on the highway, and 27 mpg combined with front-wheel drive. Adding all-wheel drive makes those numbers dip by 1 mpg. The 3.0-liter engine cuts the numbers further to 20 mpg in the city, 27 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined.

These are solid figures making the Outlander a value when you walk out of the showroom and when you drive right past the gas station. Even with all-wheel drive, which is a feature that many in snowier regions won’t even consider doing without, the Outlander is an economical choice. Only if you choose the more powerful engine do its numbers pose a budgeting challenge.

The Outlander is an affordable crossover, which might make you think Mitsubishi compromised heavily on ride and handling. You’d be wrong. The ride is surprisingly smooth and very comfortable, especially if you’re sitting up front. The second row gets an equally smooth ride, but the third row is typically narrow and stiff, meaning those passengers will feel the bumps. Overall, the Outlander does a great job of managing uneven pavement and soaking up the bounce from potholes and rough road surfaces.

Handling is also solid, especially for a crossover. These aren’t vehicles that generally have sharp handling, but the Outlander is controlled across rougher roads with responsive steering. It takes light input and manages to avoid being sloppy. Driving long distances in the Outlander won’t leave the driver exhausted from the effort.

There is room for seven passengers in the Outlander, with supportive and comfortable front seats that provide plenty of room for even larger adults. The second-row bench seat is wide enough to easily seat three adults, although the middle passenger gets a less comfortable spot. The third row seats two, but it’s a very tight fit. Taller adults aren’t going to be comfortable and even smaller folks will find things snug. It’s best used only on occasion for the grown-ups. Kids, however, won’t have a problem sitting back there at all.

Quality materials like available leather seats and trims create an attractive interior. This isn’t a fancy vehicle and there are lots of plastics, but there’s enough variety in the colors and textures to keep it from feeling cheap. The Outlander is a bargain that looks and feels like more than it costs.

If it’s cargo instead of people you’re taking along for the ride, the Outlander offers 10.3 cubic feet behind the 50/50 flat-folding third row, which is enough to stow groceries and smaller items like strollers. There’s 34.2 cubic feet behind the 60/40 split-folding second row and 63.3 cubic feet behind the first row.

The Outlander can also tow up to 1,500 pounds, so you can still seat seven passengers inside and carry cargo on the outside. Base models have accommodations for a roof carrier plug-in, while higher trims feature roof rails — providing yet another option for cargo. A low load floor makes stowing heavy items easy, and there’s a new power remote liftgate standard on the SEL trim. For those whose needs switch often from people to cargo and back again, the Outlander is a solid choice.

The infotainment system in the Outlander now features a 7-inch touchscreen display even on the base model. A screen this large is often reserved for top trims, making it a nice bonus on the Outlander. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, however, aren’t available on the base model, though they're standard on the rest of the lineup. A six-speaker audio system, Bluetooth wireless technology, steering wheel controls, USB port, AM/FM, and HD radio are standard features.

Moving up the trim ladder adds SiriusXM, steering wheel voice controls, and dual USB ports. Optional on the SEL and standard on the GT is a nine-speaker 710-watt Rockford Fosgate audio system. The sound quality of the upgraded system is very good, and the infotainment system is easy to use. It’s not as fully featured as some systems, but it provides the key features people want, especially seamless smartphone integration.

The 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander gets top marks for safety. It’s an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 2018 Top Safety Pick, with the highest rating of Good in all crash tests performed. It also received a Superior for available front crash prevention technologies. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the Outlander an overall five-star rating with individual four-star ratings for frontal crash and rollover tests.

Base trims of the Outlander come with limited advanced safety features. But once you reach the middle of the lineup, there’s standard a blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and lane-change assist. The top SEL and GT trims add adaptive cruise control, forward collision mitigation, lane departure warning, and automatic high beams as options. The lack of advanced safety features on lower trims helps keep pricing down, and making them optional not standard on top trims keeps those trims more affordable, too.

The Outlander offers three rows of seating in a value-priced package that’s a particularly good deal in lower trims. It has attractive styling inside and out, and a comfortable and roomy interior, aside from the cramped third row. It also has good room for cargo once you fold down the third row, and it can even tow a little extra should the need arise. It offers exactly the flexibility that makes crossovers so popular. Strong safety ratings further add to the Outlander’s appeal.

The downside is underwhelming performance from the base engine, which doesn’t have quite enough power to handle the Outlander’s bulk. It balances that disappointment with good fuel economy, as long as you stay away from the larger engine on the top trim. The 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander isn’t a driver’s car, but it’s a good choice for families on a budget who need that third row of seating.