2025 Mitsubishi Outlander Review: Affordable, But Buy The PHEV Instead

Mitsubishi is an odd company. As it stands, Mitsubishi's claim to fame is making inexpensive cars; the age of the sporty Eclipse coupe and rally-inspired Lancer is long gone. For years, the Mirage was least expensive new car you could buy. The 2024 Mirage has a listed MSRP of just $16,695. Move up in size and its SUV offerings are still towards the lower end of the price bracket. Other than price, Mitsubishi doesn't really stand out much in 2025.

Last year, I reviewed the plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander and I found it to be a perfectly serviceable PHEV with a lot of space and pretty good tech onboard (thanks in no small part to Nissan, which furnished a lot of the interior). This week, I was tasked with evaluating the non-hybrid 2025 Mitubishi Outlander SEL. Mitsubishi's current lineup is composed of six models, and three of them are variations of the Outlander. There's the PHEV, gas-powered Outlander, and the coupe-ified Outlander Sport.

What makes the conventionally powered Outlander different than the hybrid? Not a lot aesthetically (apart from, of course, the different badging and the absence of a charging port). Mechanically, the Outlander is powered by a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-banger that produces 181 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. 

Those numbers don't paint the Outlander as a power house of any sort, but you get 26 combined miles per gallon and a towing capacity of 2,000 pounds, so the powerplant is certainly up to the rigors of daily use, if not all that efficient. The Outlander is also a three-row SUV with seating for seven in what is, from the outside, a pretty compact package.

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On the inside, the Outlander I was driving was fairly decked out with quilted leather seats (the door inserts are synthetic leather), heated and ventilated front seats, a heated second row, a 12-speaker Yamaha sound system, and a panoramic sunroof. For all intents and purposes, the Outlander was a luxury car. One qualm I did have is that the infotainment setup and gauge cluster are nearly identical to the Nissan Rogue I reviewed earlier. It might behoove Mitsubishi to at least differentiate the interior a bit, especially with two screens you spend a lot of time looking at.

As far as actually driving the Outlander, it fits awkwardly into the "good" category. I wasn't wowed with any particular part of the driving experience, but it wasn't bad either. The CVT lends itself to pretty smooth acceleration that might be a boon to people who want exactly no nonsense while driving. It's boring, but not in a way that should be seen as a detriment. A microwave is similarly boring, but it will chug on for years without complaining. The Outlander is an appliance, and that's a perfectly acceptable place for a car to be. Not every car has to be a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII with a million rally wins and enough horsepower to get investigated at the Hague.

The Outlander excels at doing its job and nothing else. It's a crossover SUV you can fit a lot of stuff/people into with no fuss (or fun) to speak of. With its leather appointments, it's the equivalent of a nice bottle of sparkling water. One benefit the Mitsubishi does have over a lot of the competition is a 10 year, 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. Really, only Hyundai can match that; even a well-respected brand like Toyota only offers a 60-month, 60,000 mile powertrain warranty. A long warranty period is certainly a boon in an era where tariffs and political strife could threaten car part pricing.

At the beginning. I mentioned that Mitsubishi makes inexpensive cars. That's certainly the case with the base model Outlander ES, which starts at $29,645. That's not too bad for a three row SUV, considering a three-row Toyota Highlander starts at $39,820 and a three-row Kia Sorento starts at $31,990. The Outlander I drove, however, with its many accoutrements and Mitsubishi's fancily named "Super All Wheel Control" system (aka all wheel drive), saw the price jump up considerably: it starts at $38,795. 

Additionally, the Outlander was equipped with a $795 two-tone "Moonstone" and black paint job, that actually looked pretty sharp. The Yamaha sound system and leather will net you $3,050. The tonneau cover in the rear luggage compartment is $210.

Mitsubishi offered this Outlander with a "welcome package" that consisted of carpet floor mats, a tray mat, and some touch up paint for good measure. It $185. Welcome, indeed. Lastly the "Launch Package" included some "OUTLANDER" scuff plates, a spoiler just for fun, puddle lights, and a blacked out Mitsubishi badge. Add on the $1,495 destination charge and you arrive at the final price of $45,930, completely eliminating Mitsubishi's price advantage over other brands.

At that price, you're almost certainly better off buying a Toyota Highlander Hybrid, which is an eight-seater three row with more power and better fuel economy at 35 combined miles per gallon. It starts at just a little bit more at $46,320. Unfortunately Mitsubishi falls into the same pitfall as its corporate compatriot Nissan. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Outlander. If you buy one without doing any comparison shopping or research (please don't do that when you are shopping for a car), you'll probably be satisfied, but the argument for the Outlander falls apart when you compare it to almost anything else within the same price bracket.

Mitsubishi made a good car, but it falls short of greatness by not being able to differentiate itself from the competition in any way that isn't surface-level leather seat upholstery. If you want something that actually stands out within the Mitsubishi lineup, the plug-in hybrid Outlander offers enough technological funkiness to shine.