2026 Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed AWD review

There are very few family SUVs that have the acclaim of the Mitsubishi Outlander, as is evident from its 23 years of being sold as an affordable family option Down Under.

The current generation is celebrating its fifth birthday in 2026 and has seen a vastly changing competitive environment. Electric cars are now massively popular, petrol is expensive, and you almost can't get away with selling a car without hybrid power now.

It seems that this generation will likely stay for a few more years, too, with Mitsubishi tweaking the styling with this latest facelift and introducing tech updates.

Still, the ZM-generation is a far cry from its humble beginnings, boasting bigger dimensions with a smaller engine than the V6 that once powered it.

While the plug-in hybrid gains all the accolades, including a 2023 Drive Car of the Year category win, the petrol-only counterparts seem to sit in the shadows.

I jumped behind the wheel of an internal-combustion, AWD Exceed to see if it's still got what it takes to battle a field of futuristic cars.

There are 14 different combinations of Mitsubishi Outlander you can buy in 2026. The range starts with the front-wheel-drive ES trim from $39,990 plus on-road costs, and ranges up to the plug-hybrid all-wheel-drive Exceed Tourer for $74,490 plus on-road costs.

Standard equipment carried up from the ES sees the 2.5-litre non-turbo four-cylinder petrol engine outputting 135kW and 244Nm paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) to either the front wheels or all wheels depending on trim.

Interior standard equipment includes a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, a 12.3-inch infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 360-degree reversing camera, and driver-assistance features.

Exceed, the trim level we are in, adds leather-appointed seats in black or grey, heated and ventilated front row, adds foot lamps, painted lower skirts, a full-sized spare wheel, and a few small additions inside from $55,890 plus on-roads.

All of the trims can be optioned in all-wheel drive for an additional $2500, besides Exceed and Exceed Tourer, which are solely AWD.

Focusing on the Exceed, circa $56,000 pits it against a top-specification diesel Kia Sportage GT-Line from $56,900 plus on-roads, a mid-spec Toyota RAV4 Edge Hybrid from $55,340 plus on-roads, and a Subaru Forester Hybrid Touring from $55,990.

The fuel-use claim for the all-wheel-drive, non-hybrid Outlander is 8.1 litres per 100 kilometres combined city and highway driving.

Following a mixture of country, city and freeway drives, the medium SUV flashed a combined reading of 9.1L/100km across my test, with economy around town occasionally jumping to 10L/100km.

It’s not the most fuel-efficient, with its main competitor the AWD turbo-petrol non-hybrid Kia Sportage returning a reading of 7.9L/100km when I tested it mid last year. Still, it does rival the non-hybrid Subaru Forester, which returned a reading of 8.7L/100km when we tested that earlier this year.

For those looking to cut down on their fuel usage, Mitsubishi offers a range of plug-in hybrid Outlanders in the same trims as the solely petrol-powered models for a $15,750 premium.

Something that would lure a lot of people into the Outlander is its 10-year/200,000km factory warranty. You will need to service the car with Mitsubishi for the full 10 years, otherwise it will be sliced to five years and 100,000km.

Luckily, Mitsubishi has capped the servicing for those first 10 years, which will see the SUV cost you $1077 for three years, and $1875 for five years when serviced to the 12-month/15,000km intervals.

Not bad considering five years of servicing will cost you $2562 if you own a petrol non-hybrid Kia Sportage, $2299 for a non-hybrid Subaru Forester, and $1990 for a Hyundai Tucson.

The 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed was quoted $1448 per year to comprehensively insure based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

The Mitsubishi Outlander scored a five-star safety rating when it was tested by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) in 2025.

This rating only applies to petrol-only vehicles from April 2025 and onwards due to safety updates the vehicle was given following the launch of the PHEV variants.

Individual scores saw the medium SUV receive 85 per cent for adult occupant protection, 84 per cent for child occupant, 79 per cent for vulnerable road user protection, and 70 per cent for safety assist.

The Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) aren't the most well-calibrated in the segment, mainly because the driver-monitoring camera will drive you up the wall.

The car is far too keen to tell you off for taking your eyes off the road, even if it means checking your mirrors, changing the air conditioning, or even looking at your speed.

This needs to be switched off every time you get into the car, and if you haven’t turned it off before driving away, you’re better off pulling over to search through the menus because it will send you back to the start every time it notices a lapse in eyes on the road.

The lane assistance seems to also be another poorly calibrated system, cutting in far too late while somehow beeping far too often and vibrating your steering wheel the second you come within a bus length of a solid white line.

It really put a cloud over the whole driving experience for me, and it’s a common theme among all Mitsubishi models. I think it’s about time the brand takes to its range with a proper update and Australian calibration.

The Outlander certainly sits on the larger end of the medium SUV spectrum, trumping the Toyota RAV4, Kia Sportage, and even the Subaru Forester.

The revised styling certainly brings this car into 2026, and I feel as if it has been future-proofed at least for the next few years. It’s certainly a good-looking car.

I can’t help but feel the 18-inch wheels on the lower trims seem to fit the overall appeal of an SUV a little better than the 20-inch wheels found on the Aspire or bigger, which is something that also affects the handling, as I expand on further down.

You have the choice of eight different colours. Solid White sees no additional cost, Cosmic Blue Pearl, Graphite Grey Metallic, and Sterling Silver Metallic will cost you an additional $790. Black Diamond, Moonstone Grey, White Diamond Pearl, and Red Diamond will cost an additional $990.

The life of a top-spec, or near-top-spec, car in 2026 is hard with the influx of Chinese counterparts on the market. These vehicles often stack tons of tech in with some avant-garde dash and seat styling, while slapping a very impressive price tag on the windscreen.

That means something like the Outlander Exceed has a lot to answer for when you open the driver’s door, and to an extent, I believe it answers most of it.

The first thing you notice is the gorgeous diamond-stitched black leather-appointed upholstery on the seats, mixed with a wide range of well-thought-out buttons and a nice-sized screen.

In terms of showroom appeal, the Outlander Exceed, from first glance, has a well-appointed interior brightened by an electric sunroof that extends to the second row.

There’s enough give in the seats that it doesn't feel like you’re sitting on a wooden horse – more than can be said about others in this segment.

The driver's seat is power-adjustable from the Aspire trim and up, while the passenger gets power from this trim and up. Mitsubishi also made the decision to add seat ventilation from mid-2025, too, which is a godsend in Australia. Although, a trip up through the Blue Mountains called for the heated seats to be switched on, which works well for toasted buns.

The decision to lead the diamond-stitched material out to the door cards means it looks and feels like a more luxurious car than it really is. Although, you’re brought back down to earth when you feel the hard plastic underneath and the 'carbon-fibre-style' trims around the window controls, which are best described as tacky.

Thank goodness, the Japanese brand has not fallen victim to putting all of the controls on the screen. A little LCD and some physical knobs control the air conditioning, a rotary dial in the middle changes through drive modes, and a nice big gear selector dominates the centre console.

Two USB-C ports, a 12-volt socket, wireless phone charger, two cupholders, and a nice big centre console with another hidden USB-C port complete the front-row equipment.

While I'm tall, the Outlander does permit a comfortable spot for my torso and head, but my legs seemed to catch on the most intrusive steering column surround I’ve had to deal with this year. I could not get my legs into a comfortable position on those longer drives, where you settle into the seats more.

The second row is plenty spacious for two adults to sit in the back seats without too many complaints about comfort. The backs of the front row are a soft-touch material rather than hard plastic, which means even taller folk won’t have knee-bashing issues.

There is recline adjustment for this row for additional comfort, a fold-down armrest with two cupholders, two USB-C ports, and a separate temperature control for the two centre vents.

Opening the power tailgate via the hands-free sensor under the rear bar opens to 478 litres of space, which is smaller than a Hyundai Tucson Hybrid at 582L and a Subaru Forester at 497L. Still, folding down the second row opens up a little more space at 1473L.

Not adding the third row to this trim level means the floor is deeper and you have more space for a full-sized alloy spare wheel, which is a rarity in 2026.

The Mitsubishi Outlander sports a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which seems to be the sweet spot for not too big nor not too small.

I didn’t experience any dropouts or lag during my time with the Outlander, even with my phone running through the screen wirelessly the whole time.

With that being said, the screen feels dated by modern standards, which was a similar story to the Mitsubishi Triton I had just gotten out of before driving this. It’s dull, and even though I love physical buttons, the ones under the screen look straight out of 2015.

Still, built-in satellite navigation and a 360-degree camera from base is pretty appealing for this segment – not just reserving it for high grades.

There are a few screens to play with, including the weather app, the Mitsubishi Connect system, which you can run through your phone for remote controls, and AM/FM/DAB capabilities.

The instrument cluster, also 12.3-inch, has some mild customisation, although most of it is dominated by an analogue-style tachometer and speedometer, which can be changed at the driver's discretion.

The head-up display applied from the Aspire trim and up is larger but perfect for me at 10.8 inches. It’s an epic addition to the car, and something I believe should be standard for all cars – showing your speed, turn-by-turn navigation, and other information.

Jumping behind the wheel of the Outlander for the first time will have you shocked that this SUV still falls in the medium category rather than large, because it certainly feels on the big side of the spectrum.

I mean large from a good point of view: you have a lot of visibility, and you feel encased in plenty of steel while sitting up quite high when compared to some of the smaller medium SUVs – say, a Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage.

With that, the car feels small and nimble to steer – the steering is very tight and precise, making it decisive and quick when navigating car parks. Yet it finds that nice balance between light and heavy, where it sits steady while driving at freeway speeds and isn't too darty.

In terms of balance, the Outlander has long been a sturdy and settled vehicle on Australia’s less-than-decent road surfaces. It seems to hold its own over undulations and poorly paved sections without being too dramatic through its body roll in corners.

What you will notice on the higher grades is the overall stiffness of the ride. Those rubberband-esque 255/45 20-inch tyres do little to take on some of that initial absorption from rough roads.

It led to noticeable road noise through the cabin, some loud clunks when hitting more aggressive potholes, and vibration through the pedals and steering wheel. It’s a shame for a car that has such acclaim for local suspension tuning to only be juked by wheels that are too large and tyres with too small an aspect ratio.

Being equipped with a 2.5-litre non-turbo four-cylinder petrol engine outputting 135kW and 244Nm is certainly an average choice, especially when this nameplate once came with a torquey V6.

It’s got enough power to move it, but a combination of the CVT with a lack of forced induction seems to make the engine work extra hard to get all four wheels moving. I can’t help but feel the Outlander would benefit from a turbocharger or a torque-converter gearbox.

With that being said, Mitsubishi calls its CVT an “eight-step”, which is a bit iffy considering they’re simulated gears. Still, it's one of the better CVTs on the market, with a more natural feel rather than just revving incessantly.

The all-wheel-drive system works well on the road to maximise grip, even when cornering a little too quickly.

It’s all just let down slightly by those wheels causing a firm ride, a slightly underpowered engine, and ADAS to drive you up the wall.

If you're looking for more pricing, specifications, and the latest offers on the Mitsubishi Outlander, head here.

The Mitsubishi Outlander isn’t a glaringly spectacular car in any buyer category. It’s just consistently decent across the board, which really makes the purchase decision hard.

When considering a top specification, it seems to linger around the same price as other mid-specification hybrid models from other manufacturers – but you’re obviously losing out on other factors.

I don’t think I could live with the ADAS. Maybe if I got into a routine of switching it off every morning or just simply covering the camera for good. Add to that, the engine being dramatic when pushed, and the wheels providing some discomfort.

With that being said, it’s still an awesome value proposition. It’s got the interior trimmings to die for, it’s got 10 years of factory support in warranty and servicing, it’s one of the more affordable options, and it’s a tried-and-tested chassis.

I suggest taking a look at a Toyota RAV4, Nissan X-Trail, Kia Sportage, and a Hyundai Tucson before driving away in an Outlander.

Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.

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