The fourth generation Mitsubishi Outlander has been the brand’s most popular model since it came to Australia in 2023. Offering a multitude of trim levels and options, the range-topping GSR Plug-in Hybrid offers more aggressive styling than its siblings.
The exterior features blacked out trims wherever you would find chrome on other variants, including pieces in the bumper, window trims, mirror caps and the wheels, while a subtle (and the only) GSR badge sits out back.
The Outlander was already a tough and muscular design, but the GSR has an imposing presence – particularly in a darker shade. Purely a styling package, with everything under the skin the same as an Exceed Tourer, it’s priced from $79,630 drive away.
Other GSR-specific touches include the Outlander across the bonnet in black, although the large PHEV badges on the front doors remain chrome, meaning they stand out a fair bit, particularly on darker coloured cars.
In GSR form, you can choose from White Diamond, Red Diamond, Graphite Grey (like ours) or Black Diamond. Inside is a nice and comfortable cabin with lots of leather touches. It is a sea of blacks and greys though, which makes it a little bland.
Silver highlight stitching features in an interior that otherwise really doesn’t ooze much of a wow factor. The floor mats again highlight that the car is a Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV). In a positive, the front seats are equipped with massagers for when you need to unwind.
The front and outer second row seats offer heating and while there’s plenty of room for taller passengers, middle-seat travellers may find the tapered roof and the large panoramic glass panel and sunroof sees their heads touching the liner.
Three zone climate control is appreciated though, as is the inclusion of retractable window shades for the rear doors. Two ISOFIX and three top tether points are included for child seats. It is a 7-seater, but row three is for small children at best.
It’s been said that the Outlander can fit adults in the third row (indeed, in all rows), but this must come at a sacrifice of the legroom in the second row, which can be adjusted appropriately, but it would be like playing Tetris with humans.
The way the third-row seats are deployed requires an engineering degree too, as it’s quite a process folding and flipping the bench back and forth. No doubt it’s something owners will eventually get used to but it otherwise seems to be an overcomplicated solution.
Boot space is a mere 191-litres with all three rows in place, opening to 461-litres as a 5-seater, or 1387-litres with only the front seats available. The tailgate is one of those that can open with the swing of your foot under the bumper.
This works with varying degrees of success (and embarrassment). Tech-wise you’ll find a digital instrument cluster, a huge 10.8-inch head-up display and a 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
There’s some tactile buttons and knobs for the common tasks. Apple users can connect their phone wirelessly. Those on Android have to make do with the arguably more reliable wired connection.
Audio is provided through a 9-speaker BOSE audio system with a subwoofer that’s quite decent to the ears. Without the radio playing, we did notice more of the sounds of the electric motors and whirring happening during our drives.
We figure these would be unnoticed in normal conditions with the radio on. Being a plug-in hybrid, the Outlander GSR is equipped with a 20kWh battery and a 2.4-litre four cylinder combustion engine, which output a combined 185kW and 450Nm.
This combination gives the car a surprisingly good amount of go. The steering feel is very light but helps in keeping the car easy to drive and manoeuvre around town. There are five levels of regenerative braking, including one-pedal driving.
Drive modes include Eco, Normal and Power. Traction options like Tarmac, Mud, Snow and Gravel feature too, all accessible via a rotary dial in the centre console. Mitsubishi promote a combined fuel economy of 1.5-litres/100km but the best we could manage was 5.8-litres.
That’s probably the result of testing out just how quick the Outlander dashes from a standstill. It proved to be genuinely a fun SUV to drive. The advantage of a PHEV is the ability to plug the car in overnight and make use of the electric battery the following day.
The Outlander offered up around 50-60km of electric driving range which was more than enough to cover our return trips to work. A handy feature is the inclusion of a DC charging port as well, an offering that’s usually reserved for full EVs.
Recharging the Outlander PHEV’s battery to 80 per cent can be done in approximately 38 minutes at a public rapid charger, or up to 9.5 hours through a standard power point. On the safety front, Mitsubishi’s MiTEC offering features in the GSR.
It includes features like adaptive cruise control, driver attention alert, traffic sign recognition, blind spot warning, lane change alert, hill descent control and loads more. Each one has been implemented well and work without annoying the driver.
The 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV GSR is covered for 10-years or 200,000km, with 10 years of capped price servicing also included. Already a nice and very popular car, there’s now another trim level to consider.
While it’s a great vehicle to drive and definitely family-friendly, we had to ask whether the price premium for some blacked-out chrome, some different colour choices and a single, almost unnoticeable GSR badge on the rear is really worth it.
If you are considering an Outlander PHEV, take the time to go through the different trim options and see what works best for you. To find out more, visit the Mitsubishi Motors Australia website.
To get a low rate finance quote, talk to Australia’s best reviewed car finance broker; Credit One. To see a great range of vehicles for sale, check out OnlyCars.com.au.
Our test vehicle was provide by Mitsubishi Motors Australia for independent review purposes.
