Used 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander

With seating for seven, top-notch crash-test ratings and an enviable 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, the 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander is ideal for families on a tight budget. One of the few compact SUVs available with a 3rd-row seat, the Outlander may be ordered with front- or all-wheel drive. The plug-in hybrid model continues in 2019, the only SUV in its class to offer such an electrified powertrain. Prices start just over $25,500 for a front-wheel-drive base ES model with a 166-horsepower 4-cylinder engine, and they rise to just over $34,000 for a V6-powered GT. Mitsubishi’s compact SUV competes with the Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Dodge Journey, Kia Sorento and Toyota RAV4. (The Outlander Sport, Mitsubishi’s smaller crossover SUV, is reviewed separately.)

With its 166 horsepower, the 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander is about as powerful as a Nissan Rogue, but still quite a bit less stout than a Honda CR-V or a new Subaru Forester. The 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine, backed by an excellent continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), delivers strong off-the-line acceleration and up to 30 mpg on the highway. If you need to carry a full load of passengers, the naturally aspirated 2.4 will feel a bit challenged on long grades. The 3.0-liter V6 in the Outlander GT, which mates to a conventional 6-speed automatic transmission, solves that issue while returning a laudable 27 mpg on the highway. While the V6 offers more grunt off the line and mates to a more advanced all-wheel-drive (AWD) system, it requires premium-grade gasoline.

 Small but noteworthy changes have taken place inside the Outlander for 2019. Most appreciated are the new front seats, redesigned for added comfort and support. Also, all Outlanders now have rear air-conditioning vents, along with illuminated window switches and a driver-controlled automatic up/down switch for all windows. Also, the SE, SEL and GT get SB ports. All 2019 Mitsubishi Outlanders are 7-seaters except for the PHEV, which is a 5-seater. The interior is handsome, and access to the small third row is easy. Fold down both rows of seats and there’s more than 63 cubic feet of available cargo space.

Although the Outlander doesn’t particularly stand out in a class that includes the Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4, it does have a clean look that has been improved for 2019 with an updated grille and headlights, plus revised 18-inch alloy wheels. This Mitsubishi is understatedly handsome, and people who live in, say, Buffalo, will appreciate the electric de-icer that keeps ice and snow from building up on the windshield wipers. The plug-in hybrid Outlander is distinguished by unique badging, plus a charge port hidden behind what looks like an additional fuel door. 

FORWARD-COLLISION MITIGATION
When this system, available on the SEL and GT models, determines a frontal collision with another car or pedestrian is inevitable, it warns the driver and automatically applies the brakes to avoid the impact altogether or reduce the severity of the collision.

MULTI-VIEW CAMERA SYSTEM
Want to make parallel parking your Outlander a whole lot easier? Order the Multi-View Camera System (SEL and GT only), whose cameras provide a super handy overhead view of the Outlander and its surroundings.

The 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander is available as an ES, SE, LE, SEL or GT; the PHEV comes only as an SEL or a GT. Base ES models are reasonably well-equipped with a 7-inch touch screen, rearview camera, dual-zone automatic climate control, keyless entry, Bluetooth, heated front seats and side mirrors, and 18-inch alloy wheels. The better-equipped SE adds an improved AWD system (Super All-Wheel Control), Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, dual USB ports and push-button start. The LE is even more thoroughly equipped, thanks to a sunroof, black exterior accents, a black headliner and safety features that include blind-spot monitoring, lane-change assist and rear cross-traffic alert. The SEL adds power front seats, optional leather interior trim and an available 9-speaker Rockford Fosgate sound system. In addition to the V6, Outlander GTs get LED headlights, power-folding mirrors and a conventional 6-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. Outlander PHEVs have DC Quick Charging capability, but only the GT has outlets in the rear seat and cargo areas to power electric devices.

Four primary option packages are available, the most comprehensive being the SEL Touring Package. For $3,000, Outlander buyers get LED headlights and fog lights, a power glass sunroof, the 9-speaker Rockford Fosgate stereo, a heated steering wheel and the multi-view camera system, along with adaptive cruise control, forward-collision mitigation, lane-departure warning and automatic high-beam headlights. The Convenience Package, which pairs a glass sunroof with rear cross-traffic alert and lane-change assist, is attractively priced at $1,000. Pearl White paint, of note, is a $295 option.

The 2019 Outlander, in ES, SE, LE and SEL forms, is powered by a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine that sends 166 horsepower to the front or all wheels (FWD, AWD) via a CVT. The all-wheel-drive ES model gets a simplified AWD system, while all others use Mitsubishi’s Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC) setup. The 2.4-liter engine burns regular unleaded gasoline and it gives the Outlander a towing capacity of 1,500 pounds. The Outlander GT, with its 224-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 engine, ups that to 3,500 pounds, but it does require premium fuel. The GT’s transmission is a conventional 6-speed automatic with paddle shifters. As for the plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander, it pairs a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine with two electric motors. This Outlander PHEV can run on electricity alone for up to 22 miles. When using the electrified powertrain in conjunction with the gasoline engine, which is most of the time, the Outlander hybrid has a range of 310 miles. Recharging takes around eight hours with a standard 120-volt outlet.

2.4-liter inline-4
166 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
162 lb-ft of torque @ 4,200 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 25/30 mpg (FWD), 24/29 mpg (AWD)

3.0-liter V6 (GT)
224 horsepower @ 6,250 rpm
215 lb-ft of torque @ 3,750 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 20/27 mpg

2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine + twin AC synchronous motors (PHEV)
117 horsepower @ 4,500 rpm (gasoline engine only)
137 lb-ft of torque @ 4,500 rpm (gasoline engine only)
EPA fuel economy: 25 mpg combined/74 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent)