The global premiere of the new-generation Mitsubishi Outlander will take place in February 2021 in the US, but new renders allow us to see the advanced exterior design right now.
After an embarrassing leak and subsequent teaser images, new computer-generated renders of the next Mitsubishi Outlander appear to be on the mark, showing off the brand’s evolving design language.
Created by Kolesu.ru artist Nikita Chuiko, the look is clearly inspired by the 2019 Mitsubishi Engelberg Tourer concept – albeit without the roof box, show-car wheels and solid front skid plate.
The grille has changed slightly for this render, inspired by the recently upgraded Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross small SUV, which has just launched in Australia.
The rear-end design features almost identical tail-light designs to the concept SUV along with a similar overall look and feel, albeit with less chrome and more body-coloured panels.
After its global debut in February 2021, the next-gen Mitsubishi Outlander will be launched in Australia in the second half of the year brandishing a range of high-tech new features, from cabin infotainment through to driver assist safety tech.
Conventional petrol engines will form the mainstay of the fleet, with potential powerplants including the 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol unit (135kW/245Nm) from the upcoming Nissan X-TRAIL, which would be an improvement on the Outlander’s current 2.4-litre engine (124kW/220Nm).
There’s a chance Australian-spec models could get the Japanese brand’s 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine (110kW/250Nm), while the mid-size SUV will also continue to offer a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain offering at least 50km of EV driving range per charge.
As previously reported, Mitsubishi is developing its PHEV technology on a broad range of fronts – including high-performance variants – but it remains to be seen whether the 2021 Outlander will get a heavily upgraded hybrid system or maintain the current set-up comprising a 2.4-litre petrol engine paired with twin electric motors and a 13.8kWh lithium-ion battery.
Either way, Mitsubishi has promised the new Outlander will be “bigger, bolder and better than ever before, and will be the quietest and best-equipped Mitsubishi ever sold in Australia”.