Overnight, Mitsubishi’s North American division announced it would launch an “all-new rugged variant of [the] Outlander” in 2026, with the new SUV to be better suited to those wanting to go off seal surfaces.
Said to feature “off-road bodywork, off-road-focused drive modes and performance upgrades, [and] unique interior styling”, it will be based on the recently launched, US-market Outlander Trail Edition, which scored minor cosmetic improvements over the base SUV.
According to Mitsubishi, “this vehicle will take the company’s legendary Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC) all-wheel drive system, honed from Mitsubishi Motors’ 12 wins on the legendary Dakar Rally and on the muddy tracks of the World Rally Championship, to the next level, allowing families to explore further beyond where the pavement ends.”
The existing Mitsubishi Outlander is already fitted with the S-AWC part-time all-wheel drive system, which like many similar systems sends power to the wheels where it’s needed.
While Mitsubishi is yet to reveal more details about the off-road ready Outlander, Automotive News – which first flagged potential for the new variant early last year – reports it was previously shown to dealers in May 2024, with sources describing it as “Subaru Outback-like.”
The Outback was long the lifted wagon version of the Legacy (or Liberty in Australia), though the next-generation model recently launched for the US has gone more down the SUV path, closing the gap between it and the Forester.
Given the Outlander is a half-step larger than the Outback, it’ll compete in a relatively niche category, with similarly sized vehicles like the Ford Bronco being more off-road focused with greater on-road compromises.
It’s not yet clear whether the new Outlander variant will be offered outside of North America, though production for that market and Australia comes from the same plant in Japan.
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