2025 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL First Test: Extra Power Went to the Wrong Place

For a car brand that just doesn’t have the presence it once did in the American market, it’s a wonder Mitsubishi decided it would continue manufacturing the Outlander for as long as it has without a more exciting standard powertrain. Unfortunately, the 2025 refresh applied to the non-hybrid Outlander didn’t include a fix; it still uses the same underpowered 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine it did before. (The far better plug-in hybrid variant sees the same overall changes for 2026.) Having driven and now tested the 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander, we’re starting to wonder if this SUV would be better off if it were only offered as a PHEV.

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The Mitsubishi continues to rely on a 2.5-liter I-4 that only produces 181 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque. This, in a vehicle that weighs in at 3,919 pounds as tested. While the continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) keeps the Outlander’s weak engine in its most efficient torque band, there just isn’t enough of that twist to properly motivate this SUV. 

When merging onto the highway, you’ll find it takes a while. In our testing, the Outlander requires 8.9 seconds to break the 60-mph mark. And, when driving around, you’ll find the excitement Mitsubishi was once known for is completely lost in the 2025 Outlander. Circling our figure-eight test track is a practice in momentum maintenance, as the brake pedal is hard to modulate and the steering just feels lifeless. Add in that lackluster engine, and any desire you have to go fast is quickly frustrated. 

For its weight and crossover-shaped aerodynamics, the Outlander does get good EPA-estimated fuel mileage at 24/30/26 mpg city/highway/combined, and it will take you as far as you need to go as long as that’s within its 377-mile range for a full fuel tank. But really, the Outlander needed more power than anything else. Only the available (and excellent) Yamaha-developed stereo qualifies as more powerful than before. 

And although the brake pedal is hard to modulate smoothly, slamming on it does stop the Outlander from 60mph decently. It needs only 117 feet to come to a rest from that speed. Just expect to feel a lot of dive and bounce in the soft suspension as it allows the body to move under harder maneuvers. It could probably stand to have some rebound dialed back in to at least kill that bouncy feeling, but it really needs more of everything in the power and chassis department for at least a semblance of athleticism.

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On the plus side, for most buyers in this space, the trade-off is that the 2025 Outlander won’t jiggle the fillings out of your teeth or make you as queasy as riding a bad roller coaster. It will hold the road and not make you feel like you’re moments away from disaster if you happen to go a little too fast. Comfort is more appreciated than sportiness in a mainstream compact SUV, and the Mitsu delivers in that regard. We just wish the Outlander felt like a proper Mitsubishi with a solid steering feel, better control during braking, and more power going to the wheels.

The other good news is, for its 185.8 inches of body length, you do get usable cargo room in the 2025 Outlander. With all three rows up—oh, right, we should mention it has a rare-for-this-class third-row seat, though it’s tiny—you’ll only have 10.9 cubic feet to hold your stuff, but with the third row down you gain nearly 20 cubes back (30.6 cubic feet of total capacity). If you really need the additional room, folding the second row up gains you 64.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity.

Comparing its cargo capacity with the third row of seats stowed away to other SUVs in its class such as the Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester, and Honda CR-V, the Outlander only beats the Forester when the second row is in use, but barely. At 28.9 cubic feet, the Forester is the smallest, followed by the Outlander, the RAV4 (37.6 cubic feet), and the CR-V, which is the biggest at 39.3 cubes. When those second-row seats are stowed away, the Outlander swaps places with the Forester (74.2 cubic feet), then comes the 69.8 cubic feet of the Toyota, and the Honda has the most cargo room at 76.5 cubes.

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If you’re on the taller side, the 2025 Outlander offers plenty of headroom for those north of 6 feet tall. Even with the included sunroof, you have up to 38.8 inches up front, 37.4 inches in the second row, and 34.5 inches in the third row, but good luck fitting your legs back there. You only get around 18.7 inches of legroom in the jump seats. That’s positively tiny compared to what you get in any one-size-up midsize three-row SUV, the class where such third-row seating is far more common (because, well, there’s room for it). We won’t hate on Mitsubishi too hard for including the third row, since it’s something you won’t find in any other similarly sized SUV, but try putting even kids back there, and you really start to see the compromise of offering a third row in something that just wasn’t meant for it. The identically sized, mechanically similar Nissan Rogue this Outlander is based on, for example, sticks with only two conventional rows of seats.

It’s unfortunate the 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL looks as good as it does inside and out and comes in below $50,000 for a three-row SUV. As we pointed out in our first drive of the 2025 Outlander, the rest of this SUV is among the best Mitsubishi has produced in years. The interior is luxurious, the ride is comfortable and quiet, and there’s that boomin’ new audio system from Yamaha. If it wasn’t for such a lackluster engine, dead steering feel, and poor-performing suspension, the Outlander could easily be a great non-hybrid SUV to recommend on its amenities and safety features alone. If outright performance takes a third-row seat to more everyday-friendly interests, the Mitsubishi is still worth a look. Although it might be $2,170 more expensive, the $42,460 2024 PHEV version is the one to get as at least the electrification really makes up for a lot of the regular $40,290 non-PHEV Outlanders’ issues.