Redesign, reboot, revamp.
Mitsubishi teamed up with Nissan in 2022 to make a last-ditch effort to save the now fourth generation Outlander from extinction by utilizing Nissan’s compact crossover Rogue platform. In typical Nissan fashion, it did the best it could, while for Mitsubishi, the struggle is still real.
The Outlander has a 2.5-liter dual overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine producing 181 horsepower and 181 lb.-ft. torque. With these numbers, you would think power would be more than sufficient, but it is in fact the opposite. It is so underpowered that it actually is on the brink of being unsatisfactory while coming in with a zero-to-60 mph time of just over 8.5 seconds. For Mitsubishi this is normal as it is notorious for cutting every “cost-corner” in attempts to keep the price point as low as possible for consumers. In addition to the underpowered four-cylinder engine, we notice the continued failure of the eight-speed continuously variable transmission in the Outlander. The fake shift integration helped with the continuous whine that normal CVTs exude, but don't be fooled. That snowmobile-like transmission is cheaply designed, exceptionally loud and nothing to approve of.
