Outie11

So today, West Loop Mitsubishi received their first batch of new 2014 Outlanders. There were only 3, two ES's and one SE. Below are thoughts and pics of the product.

1. This thing is MUCH MUCH MUCH smaller than it appears in photos, and looks MUCH MUCH MUCH better in person. In photos, the rear overhang looks very obnoxious and it looks very wide and just huge and bloated. In person, however, this is far from the case. Everything comes together very well and the design is cohesive and clean. Its not that tall, either. I cannot stress it enough, before you say you dont like the way it looks, wait and see it in person. Even the clay color isn't as bad in person as it is in pics. Because of the cars lines, it plays optical illusions in photos to make it look stretched and wide and disproportionate, in real life its not.

2. The interior is vastly improved. Mitsubishi focused on every detail. The lower dash is made of harder plastics, par the course for this class of vehicle, and the upper dash is squishy which will make auto magazines happy since they are the only ones that really care about this. Its very modern and almost VW-like in its design. This carbon-fiber trim looks awesome in person and has a nice texture to it. Nothing in the interior is flimsy or cheap feeling, everything feels substantial. Buttons for the HVAC, the audio, and the signal stalks had heft and had a damped, high quality feel to them.

3. The SE had a 6.1 inch touch screen radio. This is a low-res display, but the graphics weren't bad at all and it worked in bright sunlight very well. It is responsive, and it does lack haptic feedback. I didn't test the voice commands but it displayed audio on my ipad on the screen promptly. FINALLY, when you have an ipad or i device hooked up to it, if you turn the car off then back on, it will start from where you left off, not at the beginning of the song!

4. Seat materials have improved and are a bit softer than the out going car. The leather feels high quality and looks plenty durable.

5. The third row is still kind of a joke for adults but kids will be fine. It is much sturdier and finished better than the out going car.

6. Just so everyone is clear: THE 2.4L 4-CYL ENGINE IN THE NEW OUTLANDER IS NOT A CARRY OVER ENGINE. I repeat, THE 2.4L 4-CYL ENGINE IN THE NEW OUTLANDER IS NOT A CARRY OVER ENGINE.

7. Now that we got that out of the way ( I did that because LAZY auto mags are still publishing that blatant lie) the new 4J12 2.4L engine features a SOHC design with MIVEC, that can independently adjust intake and exhaust valve timing on a single cam shaft. That, in combination with the 200 pound weight loss, you will not notice the loss of those additional horses over the 4B12 engine at all. Power was more than adequate both in the city and on the highway at all times and the CVT has been revised as well. It was more responsive than my OS and it was much quieter in it operation. The ride was great, with a stiff dampening that kept body control very high, but soft tuning to soak up bumps and jolts in the road. You can feel the weight loss in the corners as well with its sprightly handling and nicely weighted steering. That steering can get a little light in the city, but its never over boosted and there are no dead spots in its operation. Its precise, if a little uncommunicative.

8. While there are no more paddle shifters for the CVT and 4-cyl combo (darn) the revised transmission has a Ds mode (see pics below) that puts the CVT into a sport mode. It allowed the engine to rev higher and longer and basically threw its eco programming out of the window in favor of quicker acceleration and increased responsiveness. It worked well and I actually preferred it over the 6 simulated gears. There is a new Eco mode activated by a switch on the dash... NEVER USE IT. You go from 166HP, to 40HP and the A/C never cooled off the cabin of the SE model I drove. The Eco mode dulls throttle response and puts the A/C into a low energy consumption mode. With that pesky little nanny off, it honestly felt no worse than any other 4-cyl naturally aspirated engined CUV on the market today.

9. The two-tier storage console is gone, in favor of a removable tray. I preferred the old setup better, but said center storage console is now deeper and larger. The sliding center armrest is gone in favor of a larger armrest. The gear shifter feels positioned too far back on the console but it was never uncomfortable to use.

10. Enjoy the pics. Please feel free to ask any questions




This is the interior of the ES base model. Note the Driver Info Center (DIC) is a non-color LCD display that shows fuel level and mileage and outside temp. There is a trip computer that will show avg fuel consumption, avg speed, DTE, and maintenance interval info.





Every outlander, even base models get auto temp control. The SE one-ups it to dual zone temp control.



I really liked this imitation carbon fiber trim! The SE gets the wood-grain plastic trim which looks better in person, but they really should consider making this imitation CF trim at least an option on the SE's because its really nice!



Honestly, go look at it in person before you damn its styling.



It really does look much better in the flesh.

dondi0210

Very Nice! It will look much better with extra accesories installed.

mRVRsport

OP,
Nice write up and thanks for giving us your initial impressions!


However, this new Mitsu design-language looks and sounds just like that they said about the Pontiac Aztek > "You got to see it in person... pics doesn't do it justice."
Well, I hate to be that uncle who has to tell the aweful truth, but that kid's just not easy on the eyes.

Photos usually are the first thing/time anyone sees of something new, so if their initial marketing photos don't (or Can't) make a positive 1st impression... well, what can I say? My wow factor is still very low.

And, I'll even be very direct and point out it's the entire front facial area + hood that's spoiling this new SUV.

BTBean

@MRVRSport - Yeah, what demographic are they aiming at? The visually impaired? That front end is horrid.

Outie11

So... Have you seen it in person??

mRVRsport

^
No sir, I have not...

But, for you > I'll have my wife video my facial expression once I see one in person, just to really capture what I think of the design.

(The color is not bad, I sort of like that dark burnt orangy hue. Go Longhorns!)

Burtonrider1002

I forsee it going something like this: