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Striking new Mitsubishi Outlander coming to South Africa in 2023
Despite an official date being unknown at present, the Outlander will premiere in "early 2023".
Outlander has been radically redesigned with little from the old model prevailing outside.
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.
