2022 Mitsubishi Outlander

Standard kit on the Outlander ES includes:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• LED headlights
• 7.0-inch trip computer display
• 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wireless Apple CarPlay
• Wired Android Auto
• Dual-zone climate control, second row air vents
• 40/20/40 folding second row
• Trailer stability assist
• Hill start assist
• Hill descent control

Moving to the Outlander LS gets you:

• Privacy glass
• Rolling cargo blind
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter
• Keyless entry and start
• Wireless phone charging
• USB power for rear passengers
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Heated, power-folding door mirrors
• Automatic headlights with auto high-beam
• Silver exterior garnish, roof rails
• LED fog lamps
• Rain-sensing windscreen wipers

Moving to the Aspire gets you:

• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Microsuede and faux leather seat trim
• Power driver’s seat with lumbar support
• Heated front seats
• Power tailgate with hands-free opening
• Head-up display
• Auto-levelling headlights
• Surround-view camera

Jumping to the Exceed adds:

• Colour-coded exterior garnishes
• Panoramic sunroof
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• Sunshades for rear passengers
• Leather seat trim (black or grey)
• Memory for driver and passenger seat
• 10-speaker Bose sound system
• Tri-zone climate control

The Exceed Tourer features:

• Two-tone exterior body colour
• Two-tone high-grade leather interior (black and saddle tan)
• Massaging front seats

The Outlander is available in the following colours:

• White
• White Diamond
• Red Diamond
• Cosmic Blue
• Sterling Silver
• Titanium
• Black Diamond

The Outlander has a five-year/100,000km warranty as standard, but it’s extended to 10 years and 200,000km if you service in the Mitsubishi dealer network using its capped-price service program.

The first five visits at currents rates will each set you back a quoted $199 a pop, the sixth service (at six years or 90,000km) spikes to $499, before the seventh reverts to $199, then the eighth is again $499, the ninth $199, and the tenth due at 150,000km or a decade is $799.

The Outlander has never really put the ‘Sport’ in ‘Sports Utility’, and the latest iteration doesn’t change that. However, it has a big-car feel on the road and is much more refined than its predecessor.

Despite the average outputs on paper and the Aspire's 1725kg kerb weight, the petrol and CVT combination does a decent job delivering smooth progress without blowing your socks off. This is a car that's best driven sedately.

Hammer it and the CVT will flare the revs, though there’s enough insulation that even under full throttle it's rarely ever loud’ It does lack the low-down shove of the turbocharged rivals becoming increasingly prevalent in the medium segment, for similar money.

In terms of the ride and handling, there’s an interesting combination at play. The steering is light and the handling a little lofty, while the ride compliance is also taut and busy over smaller imperfections.

The Outlander settles as the speed climbs and impresses with its general refinement, though the 20-inch wheels don’t offer the cushy ride that the rest of the dynamics might lead you to expect.

We were impressed with the overall drive thanks to its predictable steering and body control, inspiring confidence whether you’re tackling B-roads or carparks.

The Outlander’s driver assist suite may be significantly more advanced than before, but I found some features lacking given the 2021 launch timing.

Namely, there’s no semi-autonomous highway driving mode like you’ll find in many rivals, and the lane-keep assist is so lax you could basically drift into the next lane. You could argue this is fixed by paying attention 100 per cent of the time, but given the Outlander is popular amongst parents with crying babies, having a safety net can be the difference between a last-minute re-centre or a dangerous accident.

Otherwise the adaptive cruise and blind-spot monitoring systems are helpful inclusions, and are useful in day-to-day driving. The clear 360-degree camera and parking sensors make manoeuvring this 4710mm-long and 1852mm-wide family SUV that little bit easier.

All-wheel drive in the case of our test car inspires extra confidence in poor weather or over loose surfaces, with Mitsubishi’s trick S-AWC system that uses torque vectoring via braking to help improve handling and enhance the dynamic feel.

What you see is what you get with the Outlander, there are no options.

Mitsubishi sold 14,572 examples of the Outlander in 2021, up from 12,004 the year before.

It was the third-best seller in the mid-sized SUV class behind the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5, and finished narrowly ahead of the Hyundai Tucson in the sales race.

The Outlander offers a lot of space and technology for the money, which has traditionally been a strong suit for the badge. It also stands out with the option of a seven-seat interior.

We’d argue the Aspire is the sweet spot in the range, though the $4000 jump to the Exceed brings desirable upgrades such as a panoramic sunroof, tri-zone climate control, Bose premium audio and memory them .

The Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid is something of a pioneer, and has been mixing petrol and electric power for longer than most rivals.

More than 200,000 have been sold in Europe alone, led by sales in Norway.