For those who need the seats, the Mitsubishi Outlander remains one of the least-expensive and most compact seven-seat crossovers on the market. Whether you think of it as a "large compact" or "small midsize" crossover, it offers a lot of features for the money.
What's New for 2015
The Outlander gets a restyled front grille and bumper and a retuned suspension. The interior gets more sound insulation, as well as standard USB input and Bluetooth hands-free and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. ES and GT get new seat upholstery, while the GT also gets new 18-inch wheels and LED tail lights.
Choosing Your Mitsubishi Outlander
The Outlander comes in three trim levels, ES, SE and GT. The top GT trim gets the 3-liter 224-horsepower V6 and six-speed automatic transmission, while the lower two trims get a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 166 horsepower and a CVT.
Front-wheel drive is standard on the four-cylinder models, with all-wheel drive an option on SE and standard on GT. All versions feature three rows of seats for up to seven passengers. Among the trims, most options are bundled into packages.
ES
The base Outlander ES comes standard with 16-inch wheels, power amenities, cloth upholstery, automatic climate control, reclining and sliding 60/40 split second-row seats, leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel and a six-speaker audio system with USB connection and Bluetooth hands-free and steering wheel-mounted audio controls. There are no factory options for this model.
GT
The top-trim GT gets the V6 engine and standard all-wheel drive, along with two-tone alloy wheels, six-speed automatic with paddle shifters, HID headlamps, LED taillights, rain-sensing wipers and wood trim. Options include the Premium Package and the Touring Package.
The third-row is tight, so don't think you're saving money over a midsize crossover. And the V6 isn't particularly powerful compared to rivals, so it makes sense to stick to mid-level SE to get most of the features you want, as well as access to driver assist technology.
Choose your Mitsubishi Outlander »