2024 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

Mitsubishi's Outlander Sport is a small SUV with standard all-wheel drive, a low cost of entry, and solid warranty coverage. But there are other not-trivial considerations: Not only has the Outlander Sport remained essentially the same for 13 model years (sure, there have been face-lifts), but its base 2.0-liter engine hasn't seen a power bump in all those years either. That means that buying a new Outlander Sport today, with a few appearance and tech exceptions, is essentially like buying an Outlander Sport in 2011. There is a more powerful optional engine choice but it, too, is unremarkable. Meanwhile, the rest of the SUV market has made huge strides in efficiency, design and tech.

SUVs in the Outlander Sport's class encompass a wide spectrum of specialities and capabilities. We tend to favor those that do everything well. The Mazda CX-50 and CX-5, the Honda CR-V and the Kia Sportage all come to mind. Subaru's soft-roading Forester approximates the Outlander Sport in size and mission too.

Mitsubishi isn't blind to the sea of newer and nicer SUVs competing with its aging Outlander Sport and it has taken a number of steps to make it more appealing. In addition to the generous five-year basic and 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, it's added five years of roadside assistance and two years/30,000 miles of included service. In other words, there are reasons, powerful ones, to give the Outlander Sport a look. If what you're after is basic, low-cost transportation that comes with hassle-free peace of mind, the Outlander might be the right choice.