Days go by and still I think of you.
It’s been a month since Mitsubishi let me borrow a 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL S-AWC for a week.
I literally wouldn’t change a single thing on it (until it needed tires). I would care for it in the way that only a true gearhead can care for a machine. It is everything I need in a vehicle right now. Here’s why I think you might like it, too.
IT’S NOT AN EVO. IT’S NOT A MONTERO.
The Evo was an edgy, turbocharged 4-door making about 300HP. The Montero was two-and-a-half tons of body-on-frame, brick shithouse with a little over 200HP. Both had Mitsubishi’s most refined All- or 4-Wheel Drive systems available for superior driving dynamics—Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) and Super Select 4WD. Neither system likely shared mechanical parts of any significance, but both were significant parts of Mitsubishi’s motorsport success in the 90s.
The Evo’s electronic, Super All Wheel Control system has settings for tarmac, gravel, and snow. It’s full-time AWD system works by modulating hydraulic pressure to clutch packs which, in turn, routes as much power as possible to the wheels with grip. The lessons learned from thousands of stage rally miles distilled into a plastic dial that makes it easier for you to go stupid fast on tarmac, gravel, and snow.
When the roads get dicey, Montero owners simply shift into 4WD at speeds up to 60MPH and go about their days. The Super Select 4WD system uses a two-speed transfer case with selectable, locking, viscous center and mechanical rear differentials to deliver the best possible traction. More than a decade of rally raid dominance, surprising Jeep and Toyota owners on the trail, so you can just shift into 4LLc and go about your day.
LEGENDARY MACHINES. YOU SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT ONE.
I can’t say the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander is legendary. But I can absolutely say you should consider buying one if you’re in the market for a new, $40k daily driver. Especially if you want something that feels sharp, grown-up, and fun to drive.
The 2022 Outlander SEL S-AWC has about 200HP and the latest S-AWC system for the same reason as every one of its predecessors—high performance driving dynamics. Without it, you just had a Lancer or a, well, nothing, I guess, since the Montero was only available with Super Select.
We love the Evo’s ability to peel back the Earth’s crust as it hooks up and blurs every line but the one you’re on. And we love the Montero’s ability to blur the lines between here and literally any place on Earth you want to drive. The Outlander continues these traditions in the modern world, where conditions aren’t so extreme.
CARS THESE DAYS. AM I RIGHT?
We could talk about cars these days and how they’re turning into glorified smartphones (with similar payment structures). That’s a very real issue and we could spend hours talking about it—but this is not that article.
At this point, I’ve already deleted well over 10,000 words about the Outlander and, well, I don’t even think Mitsubishi cares that much about this thing. What can I say? In 1996—at 19 years old—I walked into a Jeep-Eagle dealership to order a Wrangler TJ. I left in a 97 Eagle Talon. Mitsubishi has been a significant part of my life ever since.
After almost a year of infrequent check-ins, Mitsubishi finally let me borrow a 2022 Outlander SEL S-AWC for a week. They dropped it off in front of my house with just over 5,000 miles on it. I knew I would like it and was worried about coming across as a sellout, but it surprised me at just how good it is. I put over 600 miles on it in less than a week. It’s that good.
Welcome to the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL S-AWC. It’s an inviting space. 
I loved the Outlander’s quilted leather seating and trim, and the orange/baseball-mitt accents were super sharp. 
This is the most refined interior ever in a Mitsubishi. My first thought was “Range Rover”, but I’ve never been in one of those. 
My wife and I loved having separate, saved seat settings. There’s also a lighted fiber around the upper and left edge of the handle. 
FINALLY. One-touch up AND down for ALL windows. Plus, power folding mirrors, too. 
Lots of space accessory installs. 
Six-speaker BOSE sound system was most excellent. We jammed out to rock, metal, reggae, pop, synthpop, phonktrap, and more. The 2022 Outlander will gladly shake all its mirrors. 
Nice having visors that extend to reach where the sun *does* shine. 
I didn’t get a manual to read up on specifics, but there’s an SOS button to call for help in an emergency. The Outlander does connect to satellites O_o so maybe this is useful beyond cell range? See also, here, separate controls for the massive sunroof’s blackout shade curtain and opening. Oh, and there’s a sunglasses cubby ahead of the lights. 
Light controls are where you’d expect. And you can hard-switch off automatic lights if you like. (I did.) 
Lots of controls available on the steering wheel in the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander. Radio, cruise control, etc. 
The instrument cluster is entirely digital, but it has some nice options. You can easily dial things in to your liking without reading the manual. I could see myself optimizing what info shows here versus the HUD versus the center stack. 
Wiper controls. Push button start in the background. 
Pedal box. Woo. Plenty of room, nice dead pedal. 
Center stack is crowned with this nicely sized touch screen. You don’t have to use the touch screen, either. Dials and buttons work. Cars these days have a lot of options here and I found myself thinking I wouldn’t bother with most of them, but both our Android phones connected and stayed connected flawlessly for an entire week. 
3-zone HVAC controls are easy to understand and use. Nice “sync” button locks passenger and rear to whatever driver selects. There’s also a wireless charger in that opening below. Oh yeah, heated seats front AND back AND steering wheel. Glorious. 
The shifter. I had to watch a YouTube video to get it into reverse. Squeeze the button on the left and click the shifter FORWARD. A little frustrating, but I’ve been there before with a BMW 6-speed, too. Once you know what you’re doing, it’s actually really intuitive. 
Mitsubishi’s latest Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) settings are selected via rotary dial. 
The Outlander has S-AWC drive modes for tarmac, snow, mud, and gravel, with downhill assist. (Throttle and gearing response is modified alongside these, by the way. Tarmac is a lot of fun.) 
MAGIC BUTTONS. Yes, it’s a power parking brake, but it’s also a DRIVE-THRU brake. You pull up to the back of the line, stop, and press the hold button. Then you take your foot off the brake and sit there. When you give it a little gas to pull forward, the brake is eased and you move, but the second you let off the throttle, it eases back on. OMG. I miss this one a LOT. 
Moving aft, rear visibility is limited compared to the massive greenhouses of older cars. Here’s my view from the rearview mirror. 
Here’s the view over your right shoulder. 
Here’s a hard look straight back. You can see how those cameras are kind of required. Not absolutely required, but you’ll find you really appreciate having them. 
Not a bad place for the kid(s) to sit on the way to and from anywhere. FYI, the blackout shade can cover the entire sunroof, but only the front half of the glass opens. 
Second row seats recline and slide forward/back. Decent pockets in doors, rear HVAC controls on the back of the center console, with additional USB charing ports below. 
Second row also has fold-down armrest with additional cupholders. 
The Outlander has a third row, but I really don’t see how it’s useful, considering there’s no way anyone’s sitting back there. 
I almost missed these built-in, pull-up window shade screens in the back doors. You lift up and hook at the top. 
Pretty neat! 
Big, powered hatch out back can be opened from the remote. 
A peek inside the hatch. Third row is folded flat here. That’s the back of the second row. Note the nice, retractable package cover. 
Third row headrest stowage. AKA: Where you’ll keep your first aid kit and stuff once you lose the headrests. 
Second row view at night with interior lighting. 
Front row at night with interior lighting. 
And shotgun’s a nice place to be. (More roomy and comfortable than Fezzik.)
REALITY CHECK. DAILY DRIVER.
Reality check. You gotta think of it like a compromise. (Everything is.)
It’s not an Evo—but it brings a lot of the Evo’s tarmac prowess to the transits between stages where our daily drivers spend most of their time. It’s not a Montero—but it’s got enough Montero in it to simply shift into gravel-snow-mud-downhill and get on with your day, as opposed to simply spinning wheels at opposite corners.
Let me put it another way. A lot of Evo and Montero owners immediately dismiss the pleasantries, personalizing their machines for ultimate performance. The Evo may cut a sub-2-second 60-foot time and make 600whp. The Montero may be triple-locked on 35-inch M/Ts. [ Andy, we may never know what size tires fit. ] But as awesome as both of those sound, they both leave much to be desired for daily driving, whether it’s fuel economy, noise, comfort, or even simple convenience.
YOU’VE GROWN UP. SO HAS MITSUBISHI.
Where the Evo and Montero—and maybe every other legacy Mitsubishi we all love—speak to us in the language of performance driving dynamics. Let’s remember their driving dynamics and style are significant elements of their tone of voice. And their often jaw-dropping performance at the limit—at the hands of legacy owners like us—comes at the cost of a quiet, comfortable, relatively maintenance-free daily driver lifestyle. That’s where the 2022 Outlander S-AWC shines.
Think of it like a more luxurious, non-turbocharged, 8-speed automatic Evo with special Montero 4WD programming and luxury car creature comforts. Or maybe a lowered, full-time AWD Montero optimized for exploring more civilized areas. (If you’re as die hard a Mitsubishi owner as I am, I know you’ve thought about one day building both of those machines.)
Look. Ain’t nothing wrong with sinking all your money into your project vehicle and daily driving a beater to make it happen. But if you like the idea of a quiet, reliable, fuel efficient daily driver that feels more like a Range Rover than any Mitsubishi you’ve ever driven—but you still want the amazing, Mitsubishi S-AWC driving experience made famous by the Evo and Montero—I am telling you the 2022 Outlander is worth your time.
GOING ROGUE: MISSED OPPORTUNITY
The elephant in the room. Yes. The 2022 Outlander is mechanically identical to the 2022 Rogue. The differences are entirely digital and cosmetic. They’re no doubt made side-by-side on the same assembly lines and differences are installed in little black boxes. Fine.
But if you think Mitsubishi’s version of a modern, global, modular platform underpinning a dozen different models, to the tune of 1.6 million vehicles around the world is a cop-out in 2022, I think you’re missing a bit of perspective on the state of the 21st century automotive industry.
The 2022 Outlander features a new, Nissan PR25DD engine with a host of modern technologies like mirror polished cylinder bores, variable intake/exhaust timing, and direct injection, making 188HP. 
Front of the Nissan PR25DD in the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander. The intake manifold uses a special resin port to isolate the manifold from heat soak. (Note the excellent access to the top of the engine.) 
2022 Mitsubishi Outlander PR25DD view from passenger side (cover removed). 
ABS controller tucked back where it’s always been in Mitsubishi engine bays. 
Looks like wideband O2 is standard equipment these days. 
There’s room for a turbo back there, easily, but I’m not sure if the CVT could handle the power. 
Looks like EGR bits to me. 
passenger side motor mount 
I thought the pulley on the alternator was interesting 
Side view of the top of the intake manifold showing access to stuff. 
Looking down between the intake manifold and radiator core support. 
Yes, it’s a Nissan engine, but it’s the same engine in the Altima and, as shown here, sports coil-on-plug ignition. 
This thick, rubber deal looks to be covering the fuel pressure regulator. 
PR25DD fuel pressure regulator 
Electronic throttle bodies are par for the course these days. (And they’re not all bad.) 
Outlander battery terminal detail 
Good access to battery, ECU/PCM, and fuse box. 
2022 Mitsubishi Outlander engine bay, driver side view. 
2022 Mitsubishi Outlander engine bay wide shot.
I see a lot of people in the audience with the kind of theoretical and practical knowledge that only comes from direct, hands-on, blood-sweat-and-tears experience who sing that built-not-bought song all day long—and yet immediately write anything that isn’t a 10-, 20-, or 30-year old platform off—because they can’t just throw a bunch of cheap, shelf parts at it and make stupid horsepower. Funny, that.
IT’S NOT YOU. IT’S ME.
I get it, though. It’s not for you. Gearhead-to-gearhead, I’ll tell you there were several times during the week I had the 2022 Outlander where I found myself wondering how much of my frustration with cars these days stems from the cars not being as good as they say they are—versus knowing they’ve evolved beyond what I know about cars and want to do with them.
What bothers me most? Is it the state of the automotive industry? People in general? This is just what happens when too much of your identity and sense of self-worth comes from a specific car or brand? I’m thinking it’s mostly that last one. We can’t control anything else, after all.
Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with this vehicle that another 20HP wouldn’t solve, in my opinion. I literally wouldn’t change a single thing on it (until it needed tires). I would care for it in the way that only a true gearhead can care for a machine. It is everything I need in a vehicle right now.
Sadly, I’ve got to wait. Because we want the 2023 Outlander PHEV. It’s expected to have at least another 20HP and 40+ miles of pure EV range—and it’s not scheduled to land in the US until later this summer. So we’re waiting to do our new car shopping until then.
Our 2022 new car shopping list, in order, is as follows:
- 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (Ralliart Edition, pls.)
- 2017 Porsche Macan GTS
- Volvo XC40 Recharge
After that, I’ll have an even harder decision to make: Z3/Z4, NC Miata, Series 2-3 Spider, or SAILBOAT.
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