- Mitsubishi is one of those car brands you might need to be reminded, periodically, still exists. But it's still kicking. With a scaled down vehicle lineup, you can still find a few of the Japanese brand's products out there, including this week's tester, the Outlander.
- It features a minimal fuel-economy increase, and better in-town drivability, but overall not much has changed. Mitsubishi put some of its limited marketing muscle behind Outlander, which has received a mild refresh consisting primarily of suspension and cabin tweaks. But the biggest change is the new hybrid powertrain that now comes standard.
The former naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine is replaced by a new turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder with hybrid assistance. It loses 7 hp, so it now has 174 horsepower, but the hybrid makes 206 pounds-feet of torque, a gain of 25.
There are the ES and SE trim levels, a top-of-the-line SEL Black Edition and a sporty Ralliart trim. Pricing is as follows:
- ES: $31,965
- SE: $36,315
- SEL: $41,015
- Trail Edition: $41,615
The entry-level Outlander ES has standard 18-inch alloy wheels and LED headlights and taillights. Inside, you’ll find manually adjustable front seats, cloth upholstery, push-button start and dual zone climate control. Tech features include an eight-speaker audio system and a 12.3-inch touchscreen with navigation and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Optional are all-wheel drive and headlight washers, windshield-wiper de-icers and heated front seats.
Standard safety gear for the 2026 Outlander includes forward collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alert, a driver-attention monitor, automatic high beams and rear parking sensors.
The SE includes 20-inch wheels, LED foglights, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a power liftgate and keyless entry. Inside, the SE has a power-adjustable driver’s seat, synthetic suede upholstery, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a 360-degree camera system and wireless phone charging. Headlight washers and windshield-wiper de-icers are also included with AWD on the SE and SEL, and they come standard on the Trail Edition.
Based on the SE, the Trail Edition wears black lower-body cladding as well as black 18-inch wheels, mirror housings and roof rails. It also features mud flaps, a black hood decal, dark-chrome window trim and a spoiler. Only available with AWD, the Trail Edition also includes a panoramic moonroof.
The SEL forgoes the Trail Edition’s black exterior trim but keeps the moonroof and tech upgrades. It also gains a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, leather upholstery, a power front-passenger seat, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, tri-zone automatic climate control and rear window shades. The Trail Edition and SEL also add lane-centering steering, navigation-linked adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, road-sign recognition and front parking sensors.
The new hybrid powertrain is standard on 2026 Outlanders. It’s mated with a continuously variable automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard on the ES, SE and SEL; AWD is a $1,800 option on the ES, SE and SEL and standard on the Trail Edition.
With FWD, Mitsubishi says the 2026 Outlander returns an estimated 26/31/28 mpg city/highway/combined; the AWD Outlander is rated at 26/30/27 mpg (official EPA ratings for the 2026 model are not yet available). Those are minimal increases from the prior model's 24/31/27 mpg with FWD and 24/30/26 mpg with AWD, but the increased low-end torque should make the updated Outlander more responsive in low-speed, around-town driving.
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