Hello, all. I just purchased an Outlander Sport ES yesterday. I purchased the vehicle out of necessity (long story). I'd be much happier with the vehicle if it came with even a couple convenience/luxury options. Having said that, I would love to be able to upgrade a few things. However this is my first foreign car, and I'm not sure what I can get away with. Is it possible to install options on this vehicle to make it more in line with a higher trim level?

I'm mainly looking at the head unit. I spend too much time in a vehicle every day to not have options such as android auto, or even a nicer screen. Is it possible to install, say, a GT head unit into an ES? Or is it necessary to do aftermarket? Also, is the molding for the subwoofer that's in the GT, also in the ES, or is the only option to put a box in the back?

I'm also curious as to whether anyone has tried to swap the key ignition with the factory push start? Is this possible? Things like remote start or heated seats, I'll have to get with the dealer on, but those would be nice down the road.

Lastly, I'm coming from a big ol Ram 1500, so as you may have been able to tell, I'm having a bit of a hard time with the downgrade. Is it stupid to want to put a small lift kit and more aggressive tires on these FWD 4 bangers? Just would love to have a bit more masculine vehicle.

If there's maybe a forum dedicated to this subject, it would be awesome, but it seems like there isn't a lot of info on these. Thanks everyone!

 

>Is it stupid to want to put a small lift kit and more aggressive tires on these FWD 4 bangers? Just would love to have a bit more masculine vehicle.<

I’m not a fan of luxury or interior upgrades, however I did a few cool things to my wifes 2019 RVR 2.0 L (i’m totally guilty of borrowing it to go hunting because it’s much better on fuel than my pickup and just as capable)

Here’s most of what i did:

H&R Spring kit from Germany
cost $600 (not including install) and gave me nearly 2 inches of lift. The best part is you can use the stock struts if you prefer. The difference is immense the H&R springs are much higher quality and stiffer.

I purchased much lighter 16 inch aftermarket rims (Matched the factory camber and offset) and squeezed some 235/70R16 Sailun A/T tires on it. This seems to be the largest width I could fit without any rubbing.

It now has 1 foot of ground clearance compared to around 9 inches or so stock (New tires also gave it some height) and it’s much better for driving off road. Really makes Mitsubishi’s AWC system shine in the mud.

Lancer Ralliart OEM air inlet duct ($120) fit quite nicely after a little shaving and removing some plastic guarding that was blocking airflow. The 2.0 L screams like a banshee under full acceleration and you can hear it drawing the air. Definitely a power increase, better aspiration but possible slight loss of fuel economy. (I have a heavy foot)

I purchased an aftermarket strut bar ($70) which tightened the cornering with less body roll.

Godspeed lancer aftermarket sway bar end links for the front. The stock end links are a weak point on these OS models especially with frequent off-road use. Aftermarket links are at least double the thickness of the stock ones. May also purchase rears soon. I should’ve done all four at once.

K&N panel filter because why not.

my next project will be to figure out how to successfully do a cat delete, Maybe a throttle body upgrade but I need to exercise caution to not ruin the wifes vehicle lol.

all in all there’s not very much you can do with these SUVs but they do share many parts with the Lancer and outlander platforms and there’s some great threads on this forum that explain everything in detail. These OS are fun to drive for a 4cyl and relatively quick in sport mode with AWC. My only issue is, of course, the CVT. Ewwww. Severely limits your engine upgrading and is the biggest red flag on the vehicle. But the wife can’t drive stick and the MT models are very rare and almost nonexistent here.

whatever you do, Enjoy your OS, friend.



Comparison to stock rim and tire

Rear height difference with Spring kit and tires. I don’t have a good picture of the front but it’s slightly higher than the rear.

Ralliart OEM Air inlet duct shipped from Japan

Inlet duct after install (not my photo)

Comparison to stock intake on the right

Aluminum strut bar, flat design doesn’t interfere with any fluid caps under the hood