Ain’t Nothing Stoppin’ The All-New 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander

With the clock ticking down on the 2022 (outside North America it will be marketed as a 2021) Outlander’s debut on February 16, Mitsubishi is giving us another look at the new generation compact SUV

The latest teaser shows a camouflaged prototype of the Japanese company’s SUV being punished off the beaten path, putting its latest Super-All Wheel Control AWD system to use that will encourage drivers to venture further into the wilderness, regardless of the weather and road conditions.

“We took everything we know about on- and off-road driving from the rally experiences to apply the latest Super-All Wheel Control technology in our newly developed platform”, explained the Outlander’s lead engineer, Kentaro Honda. “We also specifically developed a new drive mode selector to provide confident driving at all times and in all weather conditions. We hope that many customers will have great experiences with the enhanced driving performance of the all-new Outlander.”

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Set to debut during an online event scheduled for February 16, at 6:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. PT / Feb 17 8:00 a.m. JST / 12:00 a.m. CET), the 2022 Outlander is “bigger and bolder than the previous generations”, Mitsubishi claims. It builds on the heritage of the Pajero/Montero and has been developed under the product concept of “I-Fu-Do-Do”, meaning ‘majestic’ and ‘authentic’ (always according to the company).

The X-shaped front end continues to be part of the design language, albeit in a more rounded styling as previewed in the previous teaser The model will have large side air intakes under the slim LED headlights, a floating style roof that ends with a spoiler and muscular fenders. Last month’s leaked images have also revealed a pair of horizontal taillights with the Mitsubishi logo sitting in between, two reflectors in the rear bumper and alleged fake exhaust trim.

The new Outlander is understood to be based on the same platform as the latest Nissan Rogue / X-Trail, and might use its 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. The unit is good for 181 HP and 181 lb-ft (245 Nm) of torque, and comes paired to a CVT and standard front-wheel drive or optional all-wheel drive. A 2.4-liter hybrid remains a possibility too, and so does a plug-in hybrid powertrain.