Mitsubishi Outlander 2022: five-star safety rating now covers plug-in hybrid

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Mitsubishi can now boast that the entire Outlander midsize SUV range is covered by a five-star ANCAP safety and crash rating.

The Mitsubishi Outlander scored well in the four key areas, with ratings of 83 percent for adult occupant protection, 92 percent for child occupant protection, 81 percent for vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians as well as 83 percent for safety assistance. 

The Outlander is fitted with an array of airbags including dual frontal, side chest, side head, centre and knee variants. 

Autonomous emergency braking, a lane support system with lane-keep assist, lane departure warning, emergency lane keeping, speed assistance and blind spot monitoring are all standard across the Outlander range. 

Adult protection fared well, particularly in the areas of side impact, oblique pole and frontal offset tests. 

Child protection did very well with the vehicle scoring 45.43 points out of a possible 49 in frontal offset and side impact testing. 

Vulnerable road user protection was generally good, with slight shortcomings with pedestrian detection at night when crossing a road. Backover AEB is also not included with the Outlander range. 

The Outlander range begins with the ES which is priced from $34,490 before on-road costs and comes standard with a 9.0-inch smartphone link touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six speaker sound system, keyless entry, multifunction steering wheel and LED headlights and brake lights.

A 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol four-cylinder engine is spread across the range that produces 135kW of power and 245Nm of torque. 

The plug-in hybrid version is soon to be released here in Australia which will pack front and rear electric motors that produce 40 percent more output than before. 

The PHEV will have a larger battery onboard, too, now at 20kWh of capacity, to help boost the electric-only range to 87km on the WLTP cycle. That is a considerable increase from the outgoing model that could only travel 45km of WLTP claimed range. 

The plug-in hybrid is scheduled to be released in Australia during the first half of 2022. 

Mitsubishi Outlander 2022: prices in Australia

All prices listed are before on-road costs.

• ES five seat 2WD CVT: $34,490
• ES five seat AWD CVT: $36,990
• ES seven seat 2WD CVT: $35,490
• LS seven seat 2WD CVT: $37,990
• LS seven seat AWD CVT: $40,490
• Aspire seven seat 2WD CVT: $41,490
• Aspire seven seat AWD CVT: $43,990
• Exceed seven seat AWD CVT: $48,490
• Exceed Tourer seven seat AWD CVT: $50,990
• PHEV: pricing and variants TBA