2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Unveiled at LA Auto Show
Recently reduced to being the smallest automotive brand in North America, Mitsubishi is committed to soldiering forward with U.S. sales.
Part of that commitment means offering the sleeker, more conservative looking 2014 Outlander that the brand unveiled during the L.A. Auto Show in an attempt to hang on to its dwindling market share. The Japanese automaker has to hope that people will take kindly to its restyled utility vehicle after recently slashing many of its products including the Eclipse and Eclipse Spyder.
Mitsubishi will continue to offer both a 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine and a V6 while other options for the 2014 model include a navigation system and a 710-watt sound system. Farther on the horizon, the brand will also offer the Outlander PHEV first seen during this year’s Paris Motor Show.
SEE ALSO: Mitsubishi Committed to US Market: Brand Boss Says
The crossover also gets three new safety systems: lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control and forward collision mitigation.
Brand boss Osamu Masuko already predicted that overall brand sales will reach to 55,000 units by the end of the fiscal year and that they will read 80,000 another year after that.
The 2014 Outlander is part of that plan, but it remains to be seen if Mitsubishi will be able to come back from its difficult position.
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
More by Luke Vandezande
Comments
Join the conversation
Already ordered the ES 2WD in petrol 2.0L and just waiting for it to arrive. I test drove this against the Nissan Dualis+2, Mazda CX-5 and Jeep Patriot. The Dualis+2 (not sure if this is available in US, I live in Australia) was sluggish and heavy to steer, with the CVT. The Mazda cabin was too cramped for made me feel claustrophobic. The drive was nothing to write home about. Love love LOVED the Patriot but sadly had to let go of it since NTHSA started investigating it for stalling at highway speeds. The Mitsu (2013 for Oz) was very responsive in the 2L manual (wouldn't go CVT), very easy to maneuver and had lots of space. Fuel economy, 5 year warranty with capped-price servicing and 5-star ANCAP safety made it the winner. I bought it in the Sapphire Blue and it looks great to me. Certainly better than the outgoing model, which to me looks 90s and dated. The rear "flat-back" design and the tacky diagonal, spotted tailgates were a turnoff even though I liked the front and side profiles. I can't wait for my new SUV to arrive! Will be here 2nd week of Jan 2013 :)
It's upcoming Outlander PHEV AWD looks outstanding from an engineering standpoint. With 2 electric motors producing over 220 ft lbs of torque and the gas engine chipping in for another 140 it produces an awesome 350+ ft lbs of torque but gets 35 mpg in charge sustaining mode and a 38 mile EV only range. That will mean it's the highest gas mileage SUV in the world and able to actually tow something and seat 7. That's exactly what we need here in Colorado and I'm all for it. Sounds great to me.