The fourth generation Mitsubishi Outlander will likely have plenty in common with the Nissan Qashqai bound for later this year
Mitsubishi appears to be preparing the next generation Outlander behind curtains as the existing model has been around for long. The Outlander made its debut in 2001 in Japan before expanding to other markets and the latest iteration was introduced back in 2012. The third generation of the crossover had been through updates thrice over the last eight years.
The 2015 MY and 2018 MY updates concentrated on visual enhancements while a plug-in hybrid variant is also available on sale with the Outlander. The Japanese manufacturer reduced the prices of the Outlander by a big margin of around Rs. 5.30 lakh late last year and the last iteration made its market debut in June 2018, powered by a 2.4-liter four-cylinder diesel engine putting out 167 PS and 222 Nm.
With the third-gen Outlander nearing the end of its lifecycle, it is expected to get a major overhaul in design. Ever since Nissan acquired a major stake in Mitsubishi, it was reported to see a revival in India but it did not turn out to be the case yet. However, Nissan’s influence in the next generation Outlander could be substantial.
Since late 2019, we have seen the test mules of the fourth generation Outlander being tested on foreign soil. It will debut later this year with an exterior sticking by the latest design philosophy followed by Mitsubishi globally as sharp styling elements and abundant use of chrome should be part of the package. While no official information on the next-gen Outlander is available, a new report gives an in-depth look into its mechanical underpinnings.
It will have plenty in common with the Nissan’s popular Qashqai bound for debut later this year as well. Both will share components and get underpinned by the architecture developed by the alliance and thus the production costs can be kept in check. As for the performance, the fourth generation Mitsubishi Outlander will be powered by an engine borrowed from Nissan for the first time.
A PHEV system will also likely be part of the engine options and it may as well be shared with Nissan. This could be the same plug-in hybrid unit the Nissan Qashqai Sport could use. Expect the next-gen Outlander’s interior to be more upmarket with new connected, convenience and safety technologies.
