New Mitsubishi Outlander Will Be Sold Together With The Old PHEV Model

The new Mitsubishi Outlander finally made its official debut yesterday, bringing a fresh new design, Nissan Rogue platform, and a single-engine option to the segment of affordable seven-seat SUVs. At launch, the Japanese utility will be offered only with a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated engine, mated to a CVT gearbox. Wait, where’s the plug-in hybrid?

In the official press release, accompanying the 2022 Outlander’s debut, Mitsubishi didn’t say anything about what is likely the most desirable powertrain for the SUV. Roadshow was quick enough to reach out to Mitsubishi and ask them about the plug-in system. It turns out, the new Outlander won’t get it right from the beginning, which means the previous-generation Outlander PHEV will remain on sale.

At this point, it’s not clear how long it’ll take for the automaker to adapt its PHEV system to the Rogue architecture. Roadshow estimates it could be approximately a year away until we see the new and more aggressive Outlander with an electrified powertrain under the hood. Until that happens, you’ll have the option to buy the old model with the PHEV system.

That may seem like an odd move but Mitsubishi wants to make sure it has an affordable plug-in hybrid SUV on sale. Meanwhile, if you want the new look Outlander, you’ll have to satisfy with its somewhat dull 2.5-liter inline-four engine with 181 horsepower (135 kilowatts) and 181 pound-feet (245 Newton-meters) of torque. If these numbers seem familiar to you, that’s because they are identical to the Rogue.

As for the new PHEV powertrain, Mitsubishi made it pretty clear the Outlander is the flagship model for the brand. This means it’ll get all the best the company has to offer and we can only hope this includes a revised PHEV system with more electric miles at a single charge.