Mitsubishi: Outlander is capable of so much more

Mitsubishi Australia has decreed its best-selling Outlander medium SUV is capable of so much more than the daily grind and usual mid-sized family-hauler duties, with there being some “great” opportunities for expansion or specialisation.

Speaking to carsales at the 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander media launch in Adelaide last week, the brand’s product strategy manager Jason Griffith said adventurous road-bias SUVs like the Hyundai Santa Fe XRT and Subaru Wilderness portfolio were gaining in popularity and that he’d like to see the Outlander “evolve” into something more.

“[The] Opportunities are great,” he said.

“The underpinning of our Super All-Wheel Control system is really a good all-wheel drive-capable SUV, and we’re really proud of that, and that underpinning does set a space to expand that in the future.

“I’d like to see it … it’s becoming more flavoursome in the market; that people are wanting this more adventurous sort of vehicle in an SUV, and I certainly hope that we could work towards that in the future.

“Certainly, we’ve got the underpinnings for it.”

Griffith stopped short of confirming if a more capable Outlander or Outlander PHEV was actually going to happen or not but added he’d “expect” the brand to “head in that direction at some point with a big model” given Mitsubishi Australia’s ‘adventure heritage’.

Exactly what that product might look like is obviously unclear right now, but odds are a suspension and tyre upgrade will be par for the course along with a couple of unique cosmetic and interior touches.

The prospects of a more focused performance take on the Outlander, particularly the PHEV, are far murkier despite the 2022 debut and continued existence of the Mitsubishi Vision Ralliart concept – one example permanently resides in Adelaide – which previewed an Evo-spec medium SUV.

Griffith said anything Ralliart-related would have to be done properly and bring meaningful performance gains in Australia rather than the meagre styling packs and accessories offered in other markets.

The Outlander PHEV is already one of the more potent offerings in the mainstream medium SUV class with a combined 185kW/450Nm – despite not being marketed as a performance model – and is currently being treated to the same local ride and handling program the petrol versions ahead of the updated version's release in the coming months.

Still, there is a precedent for a more athletic Outlander; the previous-gen PHEV GSR was offered with upgraded Bilstein suspension as standard to tighten up the handling and deliver a more focused ride quality.

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