Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed 2025 Review

Surprise, surprise, prices of the 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander have increased in line with the arrival of the updated model to the tune of $2050-$2800 depending on the variant, meaning the range now opens from $39,990 plus on-road costs (ORCs).

The penultimate Exceed variant we spent most of our time in meanwhile starts from $55,140 plus ORCs; a clean $2500 up-tick over the previous version on account of all its new gear: premium Yamaha sound system, a 12.3-inch infotainment system, connected services, wireless Android Auto, a frameless digital rearview mirror, ventilated front seats and an expanded array of active safety gismos.

Driver monitoring has been added to the mix along with camera-linked rear autonomous braking (AEB), a top-view camera and traffic-sign recognition with active cruise control and speed-limit links.

The rest of the toys list reads the same as before, with highlights including quilted leather upholstery, tri-zone climate control, 20-inch alloys, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, powered tailgate, heated and memory front seats, heated steering wheel, sat-nav and smart key.

While there might not be much new on the exterior, all 2025 Outlanders have been treated to a new centre console that shuffles round the cupholders, gear selector, drive mode dial and park brake button to all fall easier to hand and maximise storage space.

One key detail applying to both the Exceed and the even more lavish Exceed Tourer is the fact they’re no longer offered with seven seats – Mitsubishi Australia’s market research showed most flagship Outlander buyers never used the (tiny) third row and binned it in favour of a full-sized spare wheel.

No changes have been made to the 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine (135kW/244Nm) or the continuously variable transmission (CVT) it operates through, with drive still sent to either the front or all four wheels depending on the variant. The Exceed is all-paw only.  

The centrepiece of the 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander’s update is without doubt its new locally honed chassis set-up developed and refined out the back of Yankalilla in South Australia, barely an hour from Mitsubishi Australia’s head office in Adelaide.

The intent was simple: make the new model ride and handle better than the previous version. And that’s exactly what the combination of Australian and Japanese engineers have managed to do, with the MY25 Outlander feeling much more sophisticated in most environments, especially winding country roads.

Thanks to retuned springs and dampers at both ends and a narrower front sway bar, the Outlander sits flatter in corners and doesn’t load up its outside front tyre as much, nor does the front axle tie itself in knots quite so easily over mid-corner bumps or camber changes.

You’d never call it decidedly athletic, but the Outlander’s newfound ride-and-handling balance puts it right at the pointy end of the segment for versatility. It’s enhanced further by the more relaxed and progressive steering that feels far more cohesive with the suspension than the old model’s now seemingly over-boosted calibration.

That new centre console is a winner in our eyes, as is the enlarged centre storage bin and 12.3-inch infotainment system, the latter looking a whole lot more elegant than the previous 9.0-inch unit that was cursed with acres of wasted space and out-of-place dials.

Other pluses include the addition of the rear AEB system, the full-size spare wheel, extra soundproofing and connected services suite, not to mention the fact very little about the Outlander’s exterior design has been altered beyond the grille finish, bumper trim and wheel design.

The Exceed’s ‘Super All-Wheel Control’ all-wheel drive system remains polished and versatile across all reasonable surfaces, as do the engine and transmission.

There’s no denying the 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed is a better vehicle than its predecessor, but this author can’t help but wonder how much better it could still be.

For all the newfound chassis refinement, tech enhancements, soundproofing (steel fenders included) etc, Mitsubishi overlooked one of the Outlander’s biggest bugbears: the overzealous throttle pedal.

In the ‘Normal’ drive mode the throttle is simply too touchy and highly strung for day-to-day use. While you’d no-doubt get used to it overtime, it’s a small detail that’d take minimal time to fix and make another genuinely meaningful improvement to the drive experience.

It’s not so bad on the Exceed, but front-drive Outlanders – and X-TRAILs – will light up the front wheels in the blink of an eye if there’s even a drop of moisture on the road, especially in town.

This can make for lurchy progress away from rest in the all-wheel-drive versions as both axles dig in and grip, the solution being to engage ‘Eco’ mode, then all is well… until you need to overtake and are presented with an atmospheric four-cylinder-CVT combo in its most meagre setting.

On that note, it would’ve been good to see the aging powertrain instilled with a dash more power and/or torque to help it make easier progress on the open road seeing as the only other powertrain available is the significantly spritelier (and hugely more expensive) 185kW/450Nm plug-in hybrid.

As for the new equipment, good on Mitsubishi for fitting the Outlander with a driver-monitoring system. However, as in the Triton dual cab, the system struggles when it doesn’t have a clear line of sight to the driver’s eyes; sunglasses are of particular distain and net a variety of semi-frequent warnings.

The pre-update 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed was already a decent and well-equipped mid-size family bus, but the update’s revamped suspension and steering have made it a front-runner in its increasingly competitive class.

It might not have the vast powertrain options of its Korean rivals, uber-low fuel consumption of the Toyota RAV4 or cut-throat pricing of the Chinese, but its all-round blend of refinement, practicality, unique style and versatility have, and will no doubt continue to endear the Outlander to Aussie customers.

The new suspension and steering tunes are worth their figurative weight in gold while the updated interior is easier on the eye and to live with, especially if you count the full-size spare wheel.

The tech and safety upgrades are both reasonable and well-founded in keeping the Outlander current against an ever-increasing crop of younger challengers and evolving heavyweight rivals, too.

2025 Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed at a glance:
Price: $55,140 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 135kW/244Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 8.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 185g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2021)

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