2026 Mitsubishi Outlander: Is It Worth It?

In a segment as competitive as the compact crossover one, in which there’s an abundance of models to choose from, automakers must obviously find ways to stand out from the crowd. That’s what the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander is trying to do on several fronts.

This fourth-generation model was released for the 2022 model year, and over time, the Japanese manufacturer rolled out changes and improvements to keep it fresh. This year, the “regular” Outlander receives a new powertrain, while the plug-in hybrid powertrain is getting some improvements as well.

Continuous improvements are inevitable, as a model can age very quickly in such a congested segment, and fall off consumers’ shopping lists.  Aside from the Outlander, the category includes the Buick Envision, the Chevrolet Equinox, the Ford Bronco Sport, the GMC Terrain, the Honda CR-V, the Hyundai Tucson, the Jeep Cherokee, the Jeep Compass, the Kia Sportage, the Mazda CX-5, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, the Nissan Rogue, the Subaru Forester, the Toyota RAV4 and the Volkswagen Tiguan. And let’s not forget the fully electric models such as the Chevrolet Equinox EV, the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the Kia EV5 and the Tesla Model Y. It’s difficult to increase, or even to maintain, market share in this context.

Like all the crossovers above, the Mitsubishi Outlander targets families on the go, who need a versatile, safe and well-equipped vehicle, without breaking the piggy bank or spending a fortune on fuel. Several trim levels are offered, including ES, SE, LE, SEL, GT, GT Premium, and Noir.

Is the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander Powerful?

Two powertrains are available in the Outlander. The first one is a new mild-hybrid turbocharged 1.5L four cylinder that produces 174 horsepower and 206 pound-feet of torque. It’s equipped with a starter/generator that takes care of recharging the small 48-volt battery and adding a few extra ponies under acceleration (up to 4,300 engine rpm, to be precise), in addition to serving as the automatic engine stop/start system. The starter/generator replaces the alternator under the hood. It’s all managed by a continuously variable automatic transmission that can simulate the shifting feel of a conventional eight-speed automatic.

The second powertrain is a plug-in hybrid system that allowed the Outlander to set itself apart in its category, at least until some rival brands launched their own PHEVs. Freshly reworked, it consists of a 2.4L four-cylinder engine, two electric motors, a higher-capacity battery (up from 20 to 22.7 kWh) and a direct-drive transmission (it has no gears). Total output amounts to 297 horsepower, compared to 248 last year. Mitsubishi has yet to announce its torque rating, but to give us an idea, it previously peaked at 332 pound-feet.

Under fully electric driving, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV’s range is rated at 72 kilometres on a full charge, compared to 61 km for the 2025 model. And as before, it’s possible to plug the vehicle into a DC fast charger, at a max speed of 50 kW, though the vehicle is equipped with a CHAdeMO connector type, which may be harder to find on the public charger network. The on-board Level 2 charger has a max speed of 3.7 kW.

With All That, How Fuel-Efficient is the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander?

Here are the Outlander’s fuel economy ratings. We’ll note here that regular 87-octane fuel can be used for both powertrains.

Powertrain	City/Highway/Combined (L/100 km)	Combined (Le/100 km)	EV-Only Driving Range (km)	CO2 Emissions (g/km)
Turbo 1.5L I4 MHEV	9.4 / 7.8 / 8.7	–	–	204
2.4L I4 PHEV	8.6 / 8.6 / 8.6	3.2	72	58

 

From 2022 to 2025, the Outlander was equipped with a Nissan-sourced naturally aspirated 2.5L four-cylinder engine, producing 181 horsepower and 189 pound-feet, showing a combined fuel economy rating of 8.9 L/100 km. The new mild-hybrid Mitsubishi engine, which is actually an evolution of the 1.5L four found in the Eclipse Cross, is marginally more fuel efficient. In the case of the PHEV, the combined rating drops from 9.0 to 8.6 L/100 km, while its city rating improves from 9.2 to 8.6 L/100 km.

During our summer test of the mild-hybrid Outlander GT Premium, with a mix of city and highway driving, we managed an average of 8.5 L/100 km.

As for the Outlander PHEV, owners should maximise fully electric driving as best they can, and plug the vehicle in every time they get home, since Level 2 juice-ups take more time than those of competing models, and overall fuel consumption is higher than that of its plug-in hybrid rivals.

How does the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander Compare to its Rivals?

Let’s crunch some numbers between the Outlander, the CR-V, the Sportage and the RAV4.

Specifications
	2026 Mitsubishi Outlander	2026 Honda CR-V	2026 Kia Sportage	2026 Toyota RAV4
All-Inclusive Pricing	$39,422 to $66,972	$40,374 to $55,149	$35,279 to $56,229	$40,429 to $63,184
Propulsion Systems	Turbo 1.5L I4 MHEV 2.4L I4 PHEV	Turbo 1.5L I4 2.0L I4 HEV	2.5L I4 Turbo 1.6L I4 HEV Turbo 1.6L I4 PHEV	2.5L I4 HEV 2.5L I4 PHEV
Drivetrains	AWD	FWD, AWD	FWD, AWD	AWD
Output (hp)	174 to 297	190 to 204	187 to 268	236 to 324
Torque (lb-ft)	206 to 332 (est.)	179 to 247	178 to 271	163 (gas engine only) to 201 (electric motor only)
City/Highway/Combined (L/100 km)	8.6 to 8.7	6.4 to 8.4	6.6 to 8.9	5.5 to 6.4
Wheelbase (mm)	2,706	2,700 to 2,701	2,755	2,690
Length (mm)	4,710	4,695	4,685	4,601 to 4,655
Width (mm)	1,897	1,865	1,865	1,853
Height (mm)	1,740 to 1,748	1,680 to 1,690	1,678	1,688
Headroom 1st/2nd/3rd Rows (mm)	985 to 1,031 / 950 to 993 / 841 to 876	970 to 1,016 / 970 / -	959 to 1,006 / 959 to 1,000 / -	963 / 1,003 / -
Legroom 1st/2nd/3rd Rows (mm)	1,058 / 968 to 1,014 / 475 to 486	1,049 / 1,042 / -	1,052 / 1,050 / -	1,041 / 960 / -
Cargo Volume Behind 3rd/2nd/1st Rows (L)	308 to 362 / 866 to 872 / 1,822 to 1,832	- / 1,028 to 1,113 / 2,030 to 2,166	- / 977 to 1,121 / 1,852 to 2,098	- / 1,070 / 1,993
Max Towing Capacity (kg)	680 to 907	454 to 680	907 to 1,134	794 to 1,588

First of all, the Mitsubishi Outlander is the only compact crossover currently sold in Canada offering a third row of seats. It’s an advantage worth considering, although these rearmost seats are small, accessing them is difficult, and climbing out is even tougher. Let’s just say that having a flexible body helps. However, these third-row seats are handy when we need to go places with the kids, but they invited their friends for the ride without telling us.

The Outlander is a big compact, and cargo space would normally rank among the most spacious if it wasn’t for the presence of the third-row seats. We nevertheless end up with a maximum volume of 1,832 litres, which is above the segment average.

Among PHEVs, the Mitsubishi’s EV-only driving range is surpassed only by that of the Toyota RAV4 (79 to 89 km), while those of the Nissan Rogue PHEV (61 km), the Kia Sportage PHEV (53 km) and the Hyundai Tucson PHEV (51 km) are slightly lower. On the flipside, the Hyundai, the Kia and the Toyota are notably more fuel efficient. We’ll point out here that the Rogue PHEV is essentially a badge-engineered clone of the Mitsubishi, but equipped with latter’s previous 248-horsepower plug-in system, and its 20 kWh battery pack. At 3.7 kW, the Outlander’s on-board charger is slower than those of the Hyundai and Kia (7.2 kW) and the Toyota (7 to 11 kW), so Level 2 charging will take more time.

To confront our harsh Canadian winters, the Mitsubishi offers a good all-wheel drivetrain. The S-AWC system favours the front wheels in normal driving conditions, and feeds available torque to the rear wheels in milliseconds when slippage is detected. The system can also shift that torque from one rear wheel to the other in order to maximise grip. This AWD setup is more elaborated than most reactive systems in the segment, but it’s a tad less capable than the full-time system aboard the Subaru Forester.

How does the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander Drive?

The Outlander is among the heaviest models in the segment, and on the road, it shows a little. The suspension is tuned for ride comfort instead of driving dynamics, but with the family on board, we likely won’t be barrelling down twisty country roads anyway. The suspension is slightly jittery on bumpy and cracked roads, but shows more poise on the highway.

The base engine’s output is adequate for the daily drive. However, it’s the second least-powerful engine in the segment, just ahead of Mitsubishi’s own Eclipse Cross at 152 ponies. The latter is smaller and lighter, though. Let’s just say that for normal driving, the mild-hybrid engine is fine, but there will be no adrenaline rushes on board while we’re piloting this family vehicle. We can also tow a load of up to 2,000 pounds or 907 kilograms.

The Outlander PHEV is much more powerful and its acceleration times are obviously more interesting, but once again, the vehicle’s weight dampens performance, and this powertrain isn’t really exhilarating in the first place. In short, for driving pleasure, we prefer the Mazda CX-5, the Volkswagen Tiguan and the Toyota RAV4 PHEV. Or a fully electric model.

We’d also like the stop/start system to have quicker reflexes during start-ups. It’s only a second, but sometimes, that delay can seem like forever, especially in busy intersections where other motorists are impatiently waiting for us to move. The system can be deactivated.

As for the user experience, the overall dashboard switchgear is ergonomic, outward visibility is good and, aside from the piano black trim on the centre console that can easily get scratched, fit and finish is swell. The infotainment system is just as user friendly, while the Yamaha stereo sounds good, at least in the case of the 12-speaker Ultimate system reserved for the uplevel trims.

The 2026 Outlander ranges from $39,422 to $66,972, which includes the $2,125 freight and delivery charges, the $100 A/C tax and the $799 dealer fees. According to chosen trim level, the Outlander PHEV is priced between $12,600 and $13,600 above its MHEV counterpart. That’s quite a step up.

Standard features aboard the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander ES include 18-inch alloy wheels, a windshield wiper de-icer, cloth seat upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, a seven-inch digital driving instrument cluster, a 12.3-inch infotainment system touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio (with three-month trial) and a Yamaha eight-speaker sound system. Safety features aboard, which include automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, reverse automatic braking, rear park sonar and automatic high beams.

The SE variant adds fog lamps, power-folding outside mirrors, roof rails, a power liftgate, a smart key, three-zone climate control and a heated steering wheel. The LE also gets adaptive cruise control, an eight-way power driver’s seat, simulated suede and leather seat upholstery, navigation, a surround-view camera system, SiriusXM with 360L and connected services with app link.

The Outlander SEL rounds up all the features listed above, in addition to 20-inch wheels, rain-sensing wipers, a 12.3-inch digital driver instrument cluster, leather seating, ventilated front seats, heated second-row outboard seats, driver’s seat position memory and a four-way power front passenger seat.

The GT adds adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane keep assist, front and rear park sonar, rear-door pull-up sunshades, a Yamaha Ultimate 12-speaker stereo and head-up display. At the top of the lineup, the GT Premium includes semi-aniline leather seating and a rear camera mirror, and as its name suggests, the Noir edition boasts a blacked-out appearance.

So, is the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander Worth It?

The Outlander scores some important points. It’s a solid, roomy and comfortable utility vehicle. In addition, it’s a generally reliable vehicle, too, backed by the best warranty in Canada, with five-year or 100,000 km bumper-to-bumper coverage and ten-year or 160,000 km powertrain coverage. That provides peace of mind.

The mild-hybrid variants are offered at a competitive price, and aren’t the most fuel-efficient, but there are worst offenders in the segment. Depending on our daily commute, the plug-in hybrid variants offer high EV-only range that we could go weeks without needing to add fuel.

On the other hand, the Outlander PHEV soaks up more fuel than its plug-in hybrid rivals, and as much as the mild-hybrid variant, while the better-equipped trim levels cost north of $60,000. At that price, we could also consider the midsize Mazda CX-70 and Mazda CX-90 PHEVs.

In conclusion, the Outlander MHEV is worth it for its rational qualities, while the Outlander PHEV is worth it if we’re not planning on covering long distances every day, or else the extra cost of its plug-in powertrain will be difficult to recuperate with EV-only driving.