Look out Toyota RAV4, the new Mitsubishi Outlander has officially touched down.
The 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander has been snapped testing beside its predecessor, before it hits Australian showrooms in September or October 2021.
The next-generation Outlander plug-in hybrid, which has yet to be revealed, will follow early in 2022.
Mitsubishi Australia has previously confirmed it is developing a local suspension tune for the new Outlander.
It’s also heavily involved in developing the upcoming Triton ute.
MORE: How Mitsubishi Australia is shaping the next Triton
“We do want to get vehicles here to do local development before the vehicle goes to market, but managing that is quite difficult with COVID,” Owen Thomson, senior manager of product strategy for Mitsubishi Australia, earlier this year told CarExpert.
“Australians are very practical. One of the key things for us is the practicality and functionality of the vehicle, and how you use it every day,” Mr Thomson said.
“The other thing is the way the vehicle drives, particularly around suspension. We have huge diversity around geography and conditions, not just climactic but in our road conditions.
“We’re of the belief… if it works in Australia it’s probably going to work anywhere.”
MORE: 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander review
With bones shared with the new Nissan X-Trail, the 2022 Outlander represents a big departure from the ageing current model.
At 4710mm long, 1862mm wide, and 1748mm wide with a 2706mm wheelbase, the car is significantly larger than its predecessor.
It’s 51mm wider, 38mm taller, and 15mm longer than before to be precise, with a 36mm longer wheelbase.
With a new platform comes new technology. Inside, there’s a new centre airbag between the front seats to stop limbs smashing into each other in a side-impact collision.
A full suite of driver aids will be offered, including forward and reverse autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, rear cross-traffic assist, blind-spot assist, a surround-view camera, and driver attention monitoring.
There’s also trailer sway assist and hill descent control, working in tandem with a revised take on Mitsubishi’s Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) system to make the new Outlander more capable than its predecessor.
Like before, the all-wheel drive system packs brake-based torque vectoring, but Mitsubishi says its new clutch system is faster-acting than before. The Outlander will also be available with front-wheel drive.
Power in the USA will come from a 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine and an eight-speed CVT.
Peak power is 135kW and peak torque is 245Nm. A more powerful plug-in hybrid variant will be released in the future, but details aren’t yet available.
Inside, the Outlander takes a huge step forward from the outgoing model.
Like the Nissan X-Trail, there’s a 9.0-inch central touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument binnacle, backed by a 10.8-inch head-up display.
Base models will feature conventional analogue dials, and the quilted interior finish pictured here will be reserved for higher-end models.
There’s also wireless phone charging, USB-A and USB-C ports, and a huge range of smartphone storage options across all three seating rows.
Mitsubishi says there’s more head-, leg-, and knee room in the new car, and claims the third row is easier to fold than before. There’s a broader, more spacious boot under the powered tailgate as well.
