5 PROBLEMS With Mitsubishi Outlander You MUST Know!

The Mitsubishi Outlander is one of the only compact crossovers on the market that offers a third row seat, and on paper that sounds like a genuine advantage. But here's what the brochure won't tell you. A feature list and a functional vehicle are two very different things. If you're weighing up the Outlander against the competition, there are five problems worth understanding before you make that call, because this is your wallet and your daily life on the line. Number 5 – Useless Third Row The third row is practically the Outlander's signature selling point. Walk into a dealership and it's likely one of the first things a salesperson will bring up. In a class where most compact crossovers top out at five seats, a seven-passenger option at this price point seems like a real differentiator. That part is true. What follows, however, tells a different story. Imagine you're heading out for a weekend trip – three kids, two adults, luggage in the back. The Outlander's third row sounds like the answer, until someone actually has to sit in it. That third row is going to feel like an afterthought to anyone over the age of ten. The passenger volume behind the second row sits at just 18 cubic feet – enough for a child, but a genuine squeeze for the average adult. Getting back there involves folding, ducking, and negotiating with the vehicle's geometry in a way that most people are going to find irritating after the second attempt. Cargo space tells a similar story. With all three rows in use, the Outlander is only going to offer around 13 cubic feet of storage behind the back seat – roughly the size of a large carry-on. Meanwhile, rivals like the Hyundai Santa Fe are going to give you over 40 cubic feet in a two-row layout, without the packaging compromises. The Outlander's third row exists, but it's not going to be living up to the promise that comes with it. Anyone regularly needing to seat more than five adults should be looking elsewhere from the start. And if you think a cramped third row is frustrating, wait until you hear what the plug-in hybrid is going to be costing you relative to what it actually delivers. 4. Plug-in Hybrid Is Expensive And Not So Efficient The Outlander Hybrid is going to be presenting itself as a compelling proposition. Electrified, all-wheel drive, seven seats, and a class-leading 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty. At first glance, that's a strong list. The issue is that once you get past the spec sheet, the math stops working in the buyer's favor. Most people shopping for a plug-in hybrid have a specific calculation in mind. They're paying a premium up front, and they're expecting that investment to come back through lower fuel bills month after month. It's a reasonable expectation and one the Outlander Hybrid is going to be struggling to meet. The fuel economy figure in hybrid mode sits at roughly 27 miles per gallon combined, trailing behind class leaders by a noticeable margin. The Honda CR-V Hybrid, the Kia Sportage Hybrid, and the Toyota RAV4 are all going to be delivering stronger real-world efficiency figures without requiring a plug. Then there is the price. The Outlander PHEV is going to be starting at around $46,000 for the base ES trim, climbing past $56,000 for the top-spec Black Edition. That's a premium of roughly $10,000 to $15,000 over the non-hybrid Outlander. For a buyer expecting that investment to pay off in fuel savings, the Outlander Hybrid's efficiency numbers are going to be making it a hard case to justify. Rivals in this price range are arriving with more capable hybrid systems, sharper real-world economy, and in some cases, a stronger overall driving experience. The warranty is excellent, but a warranty alone isn't going to be covering the gap at the pump. And speaking of things that aren't covering expectations, the way this vehicle drives on a daily basis is a problem that goes beyond the powertrain alone. Number 3. Forgettable Handling There's a version of this critique that would be easy to dismiss. After all, a compact family crossover isn't supposed to be a sports car, and the Outlander has never pretended otherwise. But there's a wide gap between sporty handling and the kind of competent, reassuring dynamics that make a vehicle genuinely pleasant to drive every day. Unfortunately, the Outlander is going to be landing on the wrong side of that line. Consider what a daily driver actually demands. Highway merges, sudden lane changes, the occasional tight corner when you've misjudged a turn. These are the moments when a vehicle's chassis either earns your trust or quietly loses it. Body roll is going to be a noticeable presence in anything resembling a spirited corner. The suspension, set up on soft springs paired with stiffer dampers, is going to be delivering a combination that satisfies no one particularly well. Impacts hit harder than the ride quality suggests they should. While the chassis is still going to be exhibiting enough lean underload, that driver confidence takes a quiet step back. The steering is going to be offering sufficient heft at low speeds, and the Outlander is going to be staying composed through gradual curves. But the dynamic experience is going to be feeling more disconnected than grounded for anyone spending the majority of their time on highways and suburban roads. The Mazda CX-50 Hybrid is going to be offering a markedly more engaging and balanced chassis for comparable money. For anyone who values the sense of precision and body control that other vehicles in this segment are going to be delivering, the Outlander is going to be asking them to lower their expectations. And if the handling already has you second-guessing the cabin experience, the engine noise is going to be finishing the job. The Outlander's new turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder is arriving with a mild hybrid system. A 48-volt setup that is going to be assisting with stop-start events and modest fuel economy gains. On paper, it represents a meaningful step forward from the naturally aspirated engine it replaced. In reality, the experience behind the wheel is going to be painting a more complicated picture. Few things wear on a driver faster than an engine that makes itself heard at the wrong moments. Every highway on-ramp becomes a reminder. Every pass on a two-lane road draws attention. That's exactly the situation the Outlander's engine is going to be putting drivers in. One tester called it noisy and gutless, another described it as the little engine that couldn't. The stop-start system is contributing its own frustration. When the engine shuts off as the vehicle decelerates and then restarts, the transition is going to be sending a small but noticeable jolt through the cabin. The kind of sensation that over a daily commute is going to be wearing on driver and passengers alike. A button can deactivate it, but that's a workaround, not a solution. The 0-60 time of 8.6 seconds is going to be placing the Outlander among the slower options in the segment, behind hybrid variants of the CR-V and RAV4, and even the non-hybrid Nissan Rogue. For a buyer who is going to be driving this vehicle every single day, the powertrain refinement gap between the Outlander and its closest competitors is going to be difficult to ignore. But that gap becomes even harder to overlook when you start comparing what the same money is going to be buying elsewhere in this segment. Number 1. Plenty of Alternatives This is the problem that underpins all the others. The Mitsubishi Outlander is not operating in a thin or forgiving segment. The compact crossover class is one of the most competitive in the entire automotive market and the alternatives surrounding it are going to be arriving with more polished powertrains, sharper dynamics, and in several cases, better overall value. Here's the question. Every Outlander buyer is eventually going to be asking themselves, what else could this money buy? At the Outlander's mid-range price point, the answer is a long one. The Honda CR-V Hybrid is going to be holding a perfect 10 out of 10 rating from car and driver. The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is going to be delivering over 40 miles per gallon combined at a starting price that undercuts the Outlander PH-EV significantly. The Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe are going to be offering legitimate 3-row seating, actually usable 3rd rows, at prices that compete directly with the Outlander's upper trims. When the Outlander's top-spec SEL is going to be landing at nearly $47,000 before options, the weight of the competition becomes impossible to set aside. That figure is going to buy a fully loaded Kia Sorento Hybrid or a well-equipped Santa Fe Hybrid. Vehicles with roomier 3rd rows, stronger hybrid systems, and higher overall scores from every major independent reviewer. The Outlander is going to be holding a legitimate position for buyers who need the 3rd row option but can't stretch to a larger SUV. Outside of that narrow use case, the segment surrounding it is going to be making a stronger argument at nearly every price point. The Mitsubishi Outlander has many strengths, such as an exceptional warranty, genuinely comfortable front seating, and an interior that presents itself well above its price bracket. But with a 3rd row that serves mostly as a marketing point rather than a practical seat, a plug-in hybrid variant that is asking premium money for below-average efficiency, a chassis that leaves experienced drivers wanting more, and an engine that is making its presence felt in all the wrong ways, it doesn't seem like an obvious choice anymore. But don't think that more popular rivals are flawless. All of them have limitations, including the Volkswagen Tiguan you can check out in our next video. It imposes itself as a more upscale alternative, but it falls behind the competition in many ways, including performance because its turbo-4 engine feels underwhelming when compared to rivals.