Mitsubishi's updated family favourite spotted: 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander takes shapes as it prepares to battle the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Nissan X-Trail ePower and Kia Sportage

An updated Mitsubishi Outlander has been spotted cruising the streets of Japan.

Images leaked by local car blogging site, Creative Trend, show a minimally-camouflaged Outlander on the Tomei Expressway south of Tokyo.

The car appears to be sporting many of the design upgrades teased in official images earlier this month, including new-design 20-inch aluminium wheels, new-design LED headlights and new Moonstone Grey metallic paint.

Camouflaged trims on the vehicle's upper front grille and lower front bumper also suggests further cosmetic changes.

Creative Trend speculates new rear LED indicators to match the revised LED headlight design previously teased by Mitsubishi, though the images are inconclusive.

The exterior changes appear to be relatively minimal compared to the interior and drivetrain upgrades already confirmed by Mitsubishi.

According to the Japanese automaker, interior upgrades will include a new 12.3-inch central multimedia screen (likely borrowed from the shared-platform Nissan X-trail), ventilated leather seats, higher quality material trims across the interior, as well as a bespoke Yamaha speaker system.

The mid-life upgrade will receive the latest-generation plug-in hybrid four-wheel drive powertrain, according to the European-based Carscoops. The plug-in hybrid set-up is likely to offer a greater output than the current 185kW/450Nm model, while an upgraded battery pack is anticipated to push pure-electric range close to 100km.

It'll also receive a few chassis tweaks and suspension upgrades to improve ride comfort.

The upgraded Outlander is lined up for an official European reveal on October 1, for an expected European release date of Spring 2025 (March-May). Mitsubishi Europe confirmed to Carscoops production will commence in Japan before the end of 2024. It will likely hit the Japanese market before then.

A Mitsubishi Australia spokeperson told CarsGuide that information regarding the updated Outlander was limited to overseas markets for now, but that it was logical to assume news of an Australian launch woud be announced at a later date. 

The current Outlander and PHEV variant have enjoyed strong sales in Australia, with combined sales up 26.2 per cent in the last 12 months to July.