Even though it may not look like it, the Outlander Sport is Mitsubishi’s best selling model on the North American market and it has just been updated at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Despite the fact most people expected an all new car, the new 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is nothing more than a facelift of the previous model which comes with changes on the outside and inside the cabin while having a pretty much identical powertrain. This is a bit disappointing but it will allow them to sell the car for under $20,000 which is better than most of its competitors.
At this price point, the Outlander Sport will come with a lot of features and a frugal engine while those looking for more will still have to pay only around $25,000 which is still great considering it will come better equipped than most. The release date for the production model has been set for the first half of 2016 and it will likely be replaced some time in the near future with an all new model.
2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Exterior Design
The design of the new 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is the biggest change over the previous model and it is their first car to receive Mitsubishi’s Dynamic Shield design which is going to be used on most of their future models. This design does add a lot of chrome to the car which may not please everyone but it does make it stand out from a crowd which is probably why Mitsubishi added it in the first place. The headlights come as standard with Xenon beams which is a plus over the previous model and even in the base trim level the car will come with LED daytime running lights. The back received a similar plastic shield to the front and the tail lights now have a new pattern for the LED matrix. The wheel arches have been beefed up with wider black plastic inserts in order to give the car a more aggressive look.
Interior
Inside the cabin the car received an all new 6.1 inch infotainment screen with a new interface for it while the higher end models will get a premium audio system as well as satellite navigation, but only at an extra cost. The interior also gets a new design for the steering wheel, auto dimming mirror and even three new interior colors which will be available only on the higher end trim levels.
2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Engine
Engine wise, the 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport comes with the same basic two engines as before which is a bit of a shame because the two are not really the most efficient or the most powerful. The base model will come with a naturally aspirated 2 liter inline 4 petrol engine good for 148 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque which is enough for city use and not much else because it is quite inefficient at high speed cruising and not that refined. The better choice would be the 2.4 liter naturally aspirated inline 4 which is a worthy upgrade offering 168 horsepower and 167 lb-ft of torque and the best part about it is that it will use just as much fuel as the smaller 2 liter unit.
Both of them will come with front wheel drive as standard but the lesser unit will use a 5 speed manual while the 2.4 liter unit will come only with a CVT which is also available on the 2 liter unit as an option. All wheel drive will also be offered on both models as an option which is a nice addition over most of its competitors but it is a drawback because the car will likely never be used in off-road and it will use more fuel when equipped with the AWD system.
