All-new Mitsubishi Outlander makes world debut

The 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander has made its global premiere via Amazon Live, ahead of its Australian release in September or October.

Bigger, bolder and more upmarket than ever, the fourth-generation Outlander brings more technology, more luxury and a bigger new 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.

The plug-in hybrid version is yet to be revealed, but the new Mitsubishi Outlander continues to offer up to seven seats in addition to new tech including a large horizontal infotainment touch-screen and digital instrument cluster.

Other new tech includes an updated electronically-controlled 4WD and S-AWC (Super-All Wheel Control) system, new drive mode selector and wireless smartphone charging.

All this is wrapped in a bigger new body that rides on wheels up to 20-inch in diameter and features a ‘floating’ roof, a clamshell bonnet with bold OUTLANDER lettering, wraparound windscreen and narrow daytime running lights and turn signals positioned above the headlights as part of its new Dynamic Shield front-end design.

At the rear there’s a hexagonal motif inspired by the rear-mounted spare wheel of the Pajero, flanked by T-shaped tail-lights, while a special new three-coat Black Diamond paint colour joins Red Diamond, White Diamond and six standard hues for a total of nine.

Mitsubishi says the 2021 Outlander rides on a new platform (shared with the upcoming Nissan X-TRAIL) that has a 36mm-longer (2706mm) wheelbase and employs “ultra-high tensile strength steel sheet with hot stamping around the cabin to create a high-strength cabin structure with little deformation while also achieving weight reduction”.

It claims the newly developed platform “greatly improves collision safety performance and achieves a high level of steering stability; adopting connected cyclic structures around the engine compartment and cabin increased flexural and torsional rigidity of the body over that of the previous model”.

The new body's torsional rigidity is said to have improved by 33 per cent and key components of the new Outlander’s chassis are more rigid multi-link suspension, bigger brakes and quicker dual-pinion electric power steering, which reduces from 3.3 to 2.6 turns lock-to-lock and Mitsubishi says brings high-quality ride comfort and stability both while cornering and in a straight line.

Overall, the new model is 15mm longer than before at 4710mm, 51mm wider at 1862mm and 38mm taller at 1748mm, liberating an extra 35mm of front shoulder room (1472mm) and increasing the hip point by 25mm to 750mm. Front seat slide and steering wheel tilt/reach adjustment ranges have also been increased.

No Australian performance figures have been given for the new 2.5-litre petrol engine, but Mitsubishi USA says it improves maximum output by 8.9 per cent to 181hp and WLTC fuel efficiency by 2.6 per cent over the (124kW/220Nm) 2.4 it replaces, so it's likely to offer the same 135kW/245Nm outputs as the next X-TRAIL.

The new engine is matched to an eight-speed continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) with sport mode, which Mitsubishi says delivers crisp shifting and agile acceleration.

As before, AWD models incorporate a hydraulic clutch driven by an electric motor in the centre coupling, this time accompanied by an improved S-AWC integrated vehicle dynamics control system.

Brake AYC (Active Yaw Control) is now adopted on the rear wheels too, enabling constant torque distribution both front to rear and left to right depending on conditions, based on information from sensors that detect steering angle, yaw rate, driving torque, brake pressure, wheel speed and other factors.

Controlled via a centre console selector, there are five driving modes for 2WD models (Normal, Tarmac, Gravel and Snow), plus Mud for AWD vehicles.

Inside premium variants, the new horizontally-themed dashboard is topped with soft padding and stitched leather, as are the door inserts and floor console, matching the optional grey/black leather seat trim. Saddle tan accent colour and semi-aniline trim will be available for P-Line models in some markets.

In mid-range vehicles there are black suede combination seats and piano black interior highlights, while entry-level variants come with light grey or black fabric seat material and piano black highlights. Real aluminium is employed for the shift console.

Mitsubishi says new front seats maximise comfort and reduce fatigue during long trips, within a wider body that increases legroom in the first and second rows. Also aiding passenger amenity on selected variants is seat heating, three-zone automatic climate control, rear door sunshades, panoramic sunroof and a motion-activated power tailgate.

The interior technology charge is led in premium variants by a 12.3-inch fully digital driver’s display equipped with Mitsubishi’s first full-screen, full-colour liquid crystal display.

Also reserved for upmarket models is a new 9.0-inch central infotainment screen with in-built navigation (which the standard 8.0-inch unit lacks) and smartphone mirroring including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (the latter wireless). Mitsubishi says live traffic information and online software updates will become available.

Another Mitsubishi-first is a 10.8-inch full-colour head-up display with customisable content including lane departure, navigation and audio information. Audio options up to a premium 10-speaker BOSE sound system will be available.

On the safety front, a total of 11 airbags are fitted including a front centre airbag unit to prevent head clash, and the list of driver aids will extend to forward collision mitigation (FCM) autonomous emergency braking and predictive FCM, lane departure warning and prevention (LDWP), lane keep assist (LKA), rear automatic emergency brake (Rear AEB), active blind spot assist (BSM), adaptive cruise control (ACC), traffic sign recognition (TSR), automatic high beam (AHB), hill descent control (HDC), trailer sway assist (TSA), rear cross traffic alert (RCTA), driver attention alert (DAA) and a multi-view camera.

Once again, the seven-seat Outlander’s second-row seats are split 40/20/40 and have a sliding and reclining function, and there are multiple storage spaces including side pockets and a tray in the centre console. The latter also houses a 15W wireless phone charging function and USB charging ports front and rear – both Type C and A.

A range of remote functions will also be available via smartphone app, including engine start, air-conditioning operation, un/lock and vehicle location – and the ability to receive notifications when the vehicle is driven outside of a set time period, above a set speed or outside a set area.

Mitsubishi has sold 2.6 million Outlanders over three generations globally, including 167,575 in Australia since 2003, equating to 7.8 per cent of the medium SUV segment locally.

Sales of the existing Outlander were down 31.5 per cent last year, when 12,000 sales ranked it third in class behind the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson, Nissan X-TRAIL and Subaru Forester.