The automaker’s golden goose sees a dozen small but meaningful updates, including a killer sound system
But, since we consumers are a capricious lot, manufacturers often feel the need to update their products halfway through that new-model cycle, especially their best-sellers, lest the competition come up with some drastic remake that threatens their golden goose. Hence, the design gets “refreshed.” Typically, the process involves “bold” new taillights, a “dynamic” front bumper, and “sensuous” new seat stitching that “dramatically” enhances interior appeal. A new suit, in other words, but likely not from Harry Rosen’s Tom Ford collection.
Those 23,295 Outlanders are also about equal to the total number of vehicles the company sold just two years ago. In other words, the Outlander truly is Mitsubishi’s golden goose, and the company is absolutely determined that it keep laying its golden eggs.
What’s new with the Mitsubishi Outlander for 2025?
So, yes, the 2025 Outlander gets a “daring and distinctive” new front grille and a revised “hexaguard horizon” design identity. But there are also some meaningful upgrades and, even if some of them are subtle, most, if not all, are the result of feedback from current Outlander owners.
For instance, the shocks at the rear have seen their damping revised for a better ride. The front stabilizer bars, meanwhile, have seen their diameter reduced in size for superior on-centre stability on straight roads. Oh, said diameter has only been reduced from 25 millimetres to 23.5 mm, but it’s a measure of Mitsu’s devotion to the Outlander that such small changes are being made barely three years into its recent major redesign.
Inside, there are distinctly more changes, one of the most ingenious being cupholders that have not only been moved further forward for greater access, but that have seen their orientations adjusted, the front receptacle now tilted 93 degrees (three degrees forward versus the old Outlander) and the rear one angled 87 degrees (three degrees rearward).
For those thinking these points too picayune to laud, understand that Mitsubishi’s engineers did this so that very large cups — Big Gulps and Starbucks’ Grandes — can sit side-by-each without their lids interfering with each other. That last should be read as having the lids pop off and pour, as has happened to Yours Truly, boiling hot coffee all over tender human epidermis. There is also a new 12.3-inch screen for the infotainment system, its bright 1280×720 display and enhanced graphics and widgets another boon for those shopping the Outlander in 2025.
The signature upgrade for 2025, however, is the addition of sound systems by Yamaha, the first time the world’s largest instrument maker has ever added one of its signature audio systems to a North-American-market vehicle. And, unlike other marques which see the premium brand only gracing top-of-the-line trims, all Outlanders will see speakers from the Japanese giant. Oh, the more expensive models will boast 12 woofers and tweeters while the lesser trims only eight. The top-of-the-line Ultimate system also boasts Yamaha’s Digital Signal Processor and diaphragms made from Zylon for crisper sound.
Two features stand out with Yamaha’s top-of-the-line audio system. The first is that, while most sound systems incorporate speed-compensated volume control (SCV) that adjust volume according to velocity, Yamaha’s also adjust the bass frequencies as speeds increase. Better yet, the tonal compensation changes when you’re driving off-road, and there is even a mode that changes the frequency modulation when it’s raining, Yamaha’s engineers saying it massages the highs to compensate for the sound of rain drops hitting the windshield, as well as the squeaking made by rubber wipers on glass. There is even, should you choose it, compensation for the whoosh of the air rushing through the heating system.
Yamaha also insisted that Mitsubishi also completely redesign the doors, not only to accommodate the speakers and dampen unwanted vibrations, but so that its internal structure could be optimized for its new job as speaker enclosure.
I can’t speak to the effect of any specific technology — I am no sound soundmeister myself — but we did spend an inordinate time listening to ‘70s on 7, and can vouch for Yamaha’s Ultimate system. Oh, it isn’t quite as ear-splitting as its 1,650 watts of dual amplification suggest, but it is as clear as anything Bang & Olufsen or Harman Kardon have ever put in an automobile. That a sound system of this quality is in a “lowly” Mitsubishi Outlander is unusual. And, no, the Bose system in your Mazda, Honda, or, in fact, older Outlanders is not in any way comparable.
What powers the 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander?
One other sound has been enhanced as well. Mitsubishi’s 2.5-litre four-banger, long a raucous little thing, is a mite quieter in the 2025 Outlander, producing decidedly less noise, vibration, and harshness than its predecessor. And, no, it’s not because Mitsubishi has tweaked the engine — in fact, it’s identical to the 2024 model’s — but because, depending on the exact trim level, anywhere between 30 and 45 kilograms of sound insulation have been added to some 18 areas of the body structure. Mitsubishi claims a reduction of six decibels in overall sound insulation, which according to acousticalsurfaces.com represents a 34% reduction in “perceived volume.”
The little four is no powerhouse — it pumps out 181 horsepower and an equal number of torques — but it feels no slower for the weight gain, and Mitsubishi claims its overall fuel economy, 8.9 litres per 100 kilometres, is no different. It is, as I said, decidedly more silent, however, and as a result, feels sportier because you can put your right foot deeper into the pedal without the engine starting to sound like the proverbial bucket of bolts. I don’t know if it was any quicker to accelerate to 100 kilometres an hour, but it sure did sound happier.
The other surprise is that, despite the rear dampers being softened and the front sway bars less sturdy, the new Outlander handles better than I remember. We spent part of our test day snaking up the mountains overlooking Pasadena, and the Outlander handled it better than most Japanese three-row family SUVs I’ve tested. Hardly a sports car to be sure, but at least a willing participant to the abuse I laid on its 255/45 R20 Toyos.
How popular is the Mitsubishi Outlander?
Are all of these changes enough to make anyone who wasn’t previously considering Mitsubishi suddenly start shopping the Outlander? No, they are not. Other than the Yamaha sound system, these are all changes subtle in the extreme and not nearly important enough — unless, of course, you have, as I said, burnt the crap out of your almost-nether regions because of wonky cupholders — to base a purchase decision on.
How much is the 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander in Canada?
And, for those shopping the new Outlander, here’s the 2025’s price walk. The base ES will now start at $35,598 (up $1,000, but it gets the lesser Yamaha sound system); the 2025 SE costs $38,298 (also up a grand); the LE $41,298 ($1,300 more than 2024); the SEL 43,998 (up $1,100, but getting ventilated seats); the GT is up 2,100 bucks to $46,498 (but gets that 12-speaker Yamaha sound system); and finally, the top-of-the-range now costs $47,498, some $2,600 more than last year, but it gets the aforementioned Ultimate audio system as well as a digital rearview mirror.
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