Striking new Mitsubishi Outlander coming to South Africa in 2023

Mitsubishi Motors South Africa has inadvertently confirmed availability of the all-new Outlander from next year as its flagship SUV above the Pajero Sport.

Unveiled as long ago as February last year, the twin of the recently revealed European-spec Nissan X-Trail walked off with the Australian Good Design Award, which prompted its South African division to announce its market debut in “early 2023”.

Priced from $34 490 (R399 685) Down Under, the effective production version of the Engelberg Tourer Concept shown at the Tokyo Motor Show three years ago uses the same CMF-D platform as the X-Trail that resulted in it becoming the first Mitsubishi model to make use of the architecture developed by the then Renault-Nissan Alliance.

Longer, wider and taller than the previous generation, the newcomer’s Nissan underpinnings stretches further in that derives motivation from the 2.5-litre petrol engine that pumps out 135kW/245Nm in the North American X-Trail and the Australian-market Outlander.

More popular, especially in Europe, is the plug-in hybrid that combines the smaller 2.0-litre petrol from the previous Outlander with a 20-kWh battery powering a front-mounted 85 kW electric motor and a 100 kW motor mounted on the rear axle.

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Combined, the plug-in hybrid produces 125 kW and allows for an all-electric range of 87 km. With the move away from diesel engines, the 2.2 DI-D unit no longer features underneath the Outlander’s bonnet.

At present, no further details regarding the South African-market Outlander prevails, but expect the mentioned 2.5-litre unit to be the sole power unit available. As in Australia and the United States, it will be paired to a CVT with drive going to all four wheels as standard.

In addition, seven-seats are likely to be standard, along with new tech features such as the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 10.8-inch Heads-Up Display from the X-Trail and a ten-speaker Bose sound system.

Mitsubishi’s Dakar derived Super All-Wheel Control system is also set to be standard fare, joined by the Active Yaw Control system and a series of safety and driver assistance features.

Despite being confirmed for next year, don’t be surprised if the first official details emerge before the end of this year.