2019 Mitsubishi Outlander

Offering up to three powertrain options - a 2.4-liter engine, a mild-hybrid 2.0-liter engine, and a more powerful 3.0-liter V6, the SUV has managed to capture the attention of a lot of people and has seen a growth in sales. With slight interior design change and a few feature additions that might impress you over its dated exterior design philosophy, the 2019 Outlander competes with the likes of the Volkswagen Tiguan, Subaru Forester, and Nissan Rogue. 

Mitsubishi has made the 2019 Outlander available in four different trims- ES, SE, SEL, and GT, with two engine options. The base ES trim starts from $24,695 and the price goes up to $33,195 for the top-of-the-line GT trim. As standard, the Outlander comes with a decent feature list that includes dual zone-automatic climate control, second-row air vents, 60/40 split-folding second row, leather-wrapped steering wheel, cruise control, a 7-inch infotainment screen, etc. The GT trim gets a lot of additional safety features and boasts a bigger 3.0-liter V6 engine. This is one thirsty engine and does not offer that much performance as well.

The SE trim gets an optional Convenience package that adds a sunroof, power-folding side mirrors, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. The SEL trim gets two packages, the Premium package, and the SEL Touring package. The Premium package adds LED headlights and foglights, a sunroof, a heated steering wheel, a nine-speaker Rockford Fosgate audio system, and a 360-degree parking camera system. The SEL Touring package includes automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with automatic braking, and a lane departure warning system.

Which Trim should you buy?

The base trim offers a decent amount of value and also packs decent specs but for added safety features and a more opulent cabin experience, the SEL trim is recommended if you are willing to purchase the Outlander. The GT trim offers a lot of features like the 9-speaker Rockford-Fosgate audio system, paddle shifters, and hosts of opulence including a more powerful V6 engine but it comes with a hefty price tag of over 33 grand and is best suited for enthusiasts.

The 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander gets powered by a base 2.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-4 engine available on all three trims except the GT. This engine is capable of pumping out 166 horsepower and a maximum torque of 162 pound-feet. The transmission duties are taken care of by a continuously variable system and come with front-wheel drive as standard and can be upgraded to an all-wheel-drive system. The GT gets a 3.0-liter naturally aspirated V6 engine which pumps out 224 horses and a grunty 215 pound-feet of torque and comes with an all-wheel drivetrain.

The base engine lacks immediate thrust and loses power in sudden accelerations. It does the 0-60 mph run in 9.2 seconds which is quite sluggish. The CVT is not the best, it is relatively sluggish and affects the overall on-road experience. The GT surely improves this time with its 0-60 mph time of just 7.3 seconds! GT or not, the top speed of the car is limited at 118 mph.

The base Outlander falls in the slowest crossover SUVs in the market. The only car slower than the Outlander is the Rogue with its 0-60 mph coming up in 9.6 seconds. The Subaru Forester returns the best time at 8.5 seconds, with the Tiguan on its tail at 8.6 seconds. In the quarter-mile run, however, the Forester is the slowest one, with a 17.3-seconds time whereas the Rogue takes a second spot at 17 seconds. The Tiguan takes 16.5 seconds only. 

How well does the 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander handle?

The Outlander is updated with tuned suspensions and steering capabilities for the 2019 model year. Mitsubishi claims that they have worked on the chassis to deliver better on-road stability. The SUV takes down corners with ease and very less amount of body roll and the steering feels much stable and offers good feedback.

The ride quality is also enhanced with decent cushioning of the seats. That being said, the suspension set-up is on the firmer side and after a while, the ride starts to feel firm and hard. The CVT destroys any good experience one can have out of the car with its underpowered gear shifts. All in all, the steering feels better than before but is still numb; and as a result, the overall handling is not up to standards.

Braking Performance

The braking performance of this SUV is decent but it has smaller 11.6 front and 11.9 rear brake rotors which means that the consistency is on the lower side. When pressed hard on the pedal, it comes to a halt at 121 feet from 60 mph. The performance is good considering the competition and that is because of its lower curb weight, but the smaller brake rotors fall short of performance in the longer run.

The Outlander delivers a segment-leading braking performance despite packing small brake rotors. It is followed by the 2019 Nissan Rogue and Subaru Forester at 124 feet and 129 feet respectively. Both of them sport similar-sized brake rotors, leaving the Tiguan at last with its 134 feet distance. The Tiguan has the highest curb weight in the competition but it also sports bigger front brake rotors.

The engine may feel underpowered but performs exceptionally well in terms of fuel economy. Although the figures are not segment-leading, it still does 25 mpg in the city, 30 mpg on the highways, and a combined fuel economy of 27 mpg. Coupled with a 16.6-gallon fuel tank, the range is decent with 448 miles overall. The GT returns 20 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. 

Except for Volkswagen, all three SUVs offer good fuel economy with the Subaru and Rogue offering the leading figures followed by the Outlander. The Forester and the Rogue return 29 mpg combined, excellent for the class. The Tiguan returns the least at 25 mpg combined. In terms of range, the Subaru offers the best, at 482 miles combined. The Outlander comes in second with a combined range of 448 miles. The Rogue has a low range of 421 miles due to its smaller fuel tank capacity. The Tiguan’s range does not even cross 400 miles combined.

The 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander stands tall in the segment in providing a spacious and practical cabin to the Outlander. The fit and finish inside the cabin are excellent even though the cabin has a lot of plastics around. The dashboard looks and feels good and is soft to the touch, holding the infotainment system in the middle and the driver’s instrument cluster. The steering wheel is leather-wrapped with controls mounted on either side for cruise control and audio. What is completely wrong with the interior is that the materials feel cheap and the design is not attractive. Also, the engine damping has not been done well, which leads to engine vibrations being felt in the cabin.

The cabin can hold up to 7 people and offer decently comfortable rides. The seats are mounted pretty tall and the lack of adjustments fails to make the interiors very comfortable. The cloth seats come as standard and have enough cushioning. The higher trims come with leather seats that add an upscale feel to the cabin. The first and the second row have plenty of room, unlike the third row which is only suited for children. But as a 7-seater in the competition, it is a great option for added practicality. The cargo space takes a hit because of the third row and offers only 10.3 cubic feet and can be expanded with the third-row seats down to 34.2 cubic feet. The visibility through the cabin is excellent at the front and at the sides as well.

The Mitsubishi and the Volkswagen are the only 7-seaters among the competition and they both offer a spacious cabin but the latter option has even lower third-row dimensions. This affects the practicality further. The Subaru and Nissan have increased legroom in both front and rear because of the lack of a third row alongside plenty of cargo space as well. The Forester offers the most cargo space at 74.3 cu-ft, followed by the Rogue at 70 cu-ft and the Outlander at 63.3 cu-ft. Apart from the capacity differences, the four cars are close in terms of interior space. The rivals come with better adjustability options than the Outlander. Some key interior features are:

• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Power adjustable driver seats
• Cruise control
• Rearview camera
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror

What’s there to keep you entertained?

With the updated features, the infotainment system on offer is impressive on the 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander. It houses a 7.0-inch touchscreen display which offers crisp colors and better viewing angles. Although, the interface is hard to follow and sometimes does not respond to touches properly. It also misses out on the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity but still has enough features available as standard. Some of the key infotainment features are:

• 7-inch touchscreen display
• Android Auto connectivity 
• Apple CarPlay connectivity
• SiriusXM
• Bluetooth connectivity 
• Six-speaker audio system
• USB ports
• HD radio
• Rockford Fosgate 9-speaker audio system (Optional)

After getting a few changes in the exteriors, the 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander is now on par with the competition. The design looks more busy than attractive. The crossover style profile suits the Outlander. The front end gets sharp headlights and DRL setups and a chrome intake grille. The nose is kind of in-your-face-types and there’s a lot going on in the front. The side shows the deep wheel arches and a thick shoulder line that gets a deep recess on the doors. The rear gets LED taillights with a lot of chrome accents. The attention to detail is uncompromised. The rear is probably the most good-looking part of the car. For the updated model year, the Outlander now sits on a set of 18-inch alloy wheels and comes with all-weather tires as standard.

The 18-inch wheels look stunning on this car, making it appear more upscale and well-done. Talking about the overall dimensions, it has a significant road presence for a mid-size SUV. Mitsubishi has done a great job in saving some weight and making it lighter than some of the rivals. With a ground clearance of 8.5 inches, you can take the Outlander for some mild off-roading if needed.

The 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan is the longest SUV in terms of length and wheelbase. The car also weighs the most at 3721 lbs. The other options offer similar dimensions, with the Mitsubishi having the least curb weight of 3329 lbs and an impressive ground clearance similar to the Subaru. The Subaru has great off-roading capabilities, all thanks to the HTRAC all-wheel-drive that comes standard. The Tiguan and the Rogue have the least ground clearance in the lot. The Forester and the Outlander share the same wheelbase as well. Some of the exterior features are:

• LED daytime running lights and taillights
• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Heated and powered mirrors
• Power glass sunroof
• Hands-free entry
• Chrome accents all around the car
• Rear privacy glass

A robust build quality and a number of safety features make the Outlander a safer option. The SUV is rated quite high by the NHTSA with 5 stars in the overall safety and ‘Good’ in every major category by the IIHS, which also awarded it the ‘Top Safety Pick’. The safety features are plentiful as standard but the higher trims get advanced driver assistance tech as well. The optional active safety features are a must but are pretty expensive. Some safety features available are:

• Tire pressure warning system
• Forward collision mitigation
• Blindspot warning
• Lane-keeping assist
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Multi-view camera system

2019 Mitsubishi Outlander vs. 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan

Both the Outlander and Volkswagen Tiguan are great SUVs with their ups and downs. The former is a more practical option among the two with better fuel economy, cabin practicality, and braking performance except for the engine performance where the Tiguan is just better and comes at a slightly cheaper price tag.

2019 Mitsubishi Outlander vs. 2019 Subaru Forester

At the starting price of $24,295, the Forester is a better all-around option at a slightly lower price tag. As a 5 seater, the SUV is more capable in terms of performance, interior spaciousness, fuel economy, and overall practicality than the Outlander. The Mitsubishi Outlander is a 7-seater and that is the only advantage it has over the Forester.

2019 Mitsubishi Outlander vs. 2019 Nissan Rogue

With its slightly better powertrain, the Rogue offers better fuel economy than the Outlander. The cabin is similarly spacious with the latter option being a 7-seater, it cuts out the cargo capacity. The Nissan Rogue has a better build quality over the Outlander but the interiors look dated compared to the Outlander. In the end, it comes to personal preference, whether you want a third row of seating or not.

There's no doubt that the 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander is a great SUV, however, the underpowered engine, a slightly lower build quality inside the cabin, and a laggy infotainment screen make it less appealing to potential buyers. Regardless, the SUV comes fully loaded with safety features and has a better ride quality than most of its rivals. If you are in need of a three-row SUV, the Outlander is one of the very few options available in the segment. However, if a 5-seater is what you want there are better offerings out there.