Mitsubishi Outlander vs Forthing Taikon 5

What's the difference?

Mitsubishi has leaned into its strengths with this Outlander update, spending its money in subtle areas to upgrade what was already a widely appealing mid-size SUV.

The local tuning has made a notable difference to the refinement and comfort of this version, while subtle updates to the software and interior trim help to refine things even further.

If you’ve had an Outlander before, you’ll love this one, although it doesn’t help the brand to challenge new players on the value front. This leaves you with the decision of whether to pick a brand with the reputation and network of Mitsubishi, or roll the dice on a far more affordable new player.

For what it’s worth, it’s genuinely tough to pick a sweet spot here. I think the best picks are at either end of the spectrum, with the ES being outstanding value, and the Exceed being particularly plush.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

Forthing remains something of an unknown quantity in Australia, but this first look at the Taikon 5 on local roads is promising.

It’s a modest mid-size SUV that’s priced accordingly and if you’re not a car person this will likely be enough to get people into a showroom.

Compared to most of its rivals it’s surprisingly pleasant and nice to drive, which is not something you can say about many first attempts.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer with travel and meals provided.

Blink and you’ll miss the changes. Actually, squint and you still might miss them. Aside from the eye-catching new 20-inch wheels on the Exceed and Exceed tourer grades and the new ‘Moonstone Grey’ paint colour, it’s hard to tell the new Outlander apart from its predecessor.

Look closer and there’s new lower garnish designs front and rear, a tweaked grille and a smoked appearance for the rear tail-light clusters.

It’s very subtle stuff, but Mitsubishi has chosen to spend its time and money on upgrades on unseen areas.

For example, the bonnet is now steel rather than aluminium, which helps with noise insulation (and also has the side-effect of removing the high-speed ‘fluttering’ effect the aluminium bonnet had on the previous version), there’s additional sound insulation throughout the car, and cladding in the transmission tunnel to make the cabin a quieter place.

Back on the topic of appearance, though, the dash and console has also been tweaked a little. For example, the new screen looks a bit more contemporary, with a much smaller bezel and more attractive software. The console has been rearranged to move the bottle holders to one side of the electronic gear shifter, which makes for a larger centre console.

High-grade leather seat trims also now have alternate patterns, but the range follows the same trims, from cloth on the ES and LS, while the Aspire gets a microsuede and synthetic leather blend, while the Exceed and Exceed Tourer get the ‘high-grade semi-aniline’ leather trim.

Outside, the Taikon 5 is inconspicuous to the point of anonymity. If you told me it was a new model from BYD, Chery, GWM or Leapmotor, I’d believe you.

The EV and REEV versions of this car look identical and the only way to tell them apart is the badging on the tailgate. Yes, that means the EV has a fuel filler cap that doesn’t open and serves no purpose.

Beyond the Forthing lettering on the tailgate, nothing identifies the car as a Forthing. Perhaps that will come in time, once more models arrive, but for now it’s a bland look.

Take the front. The angular LED daytime running lights and headlight set-up is cliche and overdone, plus the honeycomb grille is tacky. It's not helped by the prominent charge flap smack-bang in the middle of the front bumper.

Inside, the car takes the same all-too-similar approach of hanging everything off a central touchscreen.

The 14.6-inch touchscreen is large and prominently mounted, but elsewhere the dashboard already looks dated and cheap. It’s not helped by the exaggerated circular air vents that scream Audi or Mercedes-Benz knock-off, or the large silver panels on the steering wheel.

The previous Outlander was already known for having a spacious and versatile cabin, and this continues for the new car with a few small tweaks.

The width and satisfying seat positioning continue, and seats in all grades are generous and comfortable, but particularly the leather seats on the Exceed and Exceed Tourer grade we tested.

Adjustability is good in all positions, and the digital instrument cluster has an attractive dual-dial layout and functional display options. While not the best in class, it’s far better than many rivals.

The touchscreen’s new software is meant to be faster, but I found it a bit laggy still, although the integration of Google’s API into the navigation suite is an excellent tweak, making it relevant and useful for much longer.

The tweaks to the centre console make the area more space efficient and useful, but the new cupholders seem strangely shallow, potentially causing large bottles to tip. The tweaked centre console box is nice and large, and the wireless charger is nice and accessible, although its surface is not quite rubbery enough to stop your phone from leaving the charging area in the corners.

The back seat is noticeably stadium – you sit a fair bit higher than in the first row, which eats into headroom in cars equipped with a sunroof for adults. However, width is good, as is the seat comfort.

The rear doors open nice and wide, which should make fitting a child seat easy enough, and the floor is surprisingly flat, too, which makes the middle position more useful.

The third row, which I sampled in an Aspire grade, is both hard to get into and tight once you’re in there. The second row can slide forward on a rail, offering just enough room for me, at 182cm tall, to fit back there, with my knees hard up against the seat in front, and my head nearly touching the roof.

It is for this reason Mitsubishi calls seven-seat versions ‘5+2’. Good for kids, maybe, but not adults for any extended period of time.

The boot is enormous with two rows in use (485 litres in five-seat versions, or 478 litres in seven-seaters), and for this update, the space now has a wider aperture that should make loading objects easier. Space with seven seats up is 163L. Five-seaters get a full-size spare under the floor, while seven-seaters get a space saver.

Braked towing capacity is a middling 1600kg for petrol-powered variants. The brand says not many Outlander buyers are focused on towing as a key capability for the mid-sizer.

Surprisingly standard across the Taikon 5 line-up is ventilation and a massage function for the driver’s seat. This is good value for money, plus the massage feels strong.

The driver’s seat also offers 10 ways of electric adjustment and most people should find a comfortable driving position. You sit high, which SUV buyers prefer for the commanding view.

The steering wheel doesn’t reinvent the wheel (pardon the pun). It’s conventional and straightforward, which is no bad thing. All the buttons are clearly labelled and do exactly what they say.

Behind it, the digital instrument cluster is unremarkable and clearly displays the critical information, including a digital speedometer, odometer and remaining range.

You’re able to cycle through several informative pages. Oddly, the up and down buttons on the steering wheel adjust the cluster’s brightness.

The 14.6-inch central touchscreen multimedia system is large, however it’s tilted too far back and picks up reflections as a result.

The interface is simple and there isn’t much to get lost in, which makes the occasional lag when opening apps and sub-menus harder to excuse.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard and the connection held up over our short driving loops.

The drive modes and vehicle settings live in the touchscreen, but the climate control gets its own bank of physical dials and touch-sensitive buttons. The latter is great to see given so many carmakers are burying it in the touchscreen.

Elsewhere in the cabin there is a fancy-looking and Volvo-esque crystal-style gear selector, a wireless phone charger (Exclusive only), two cupholders, an open storage area under the centre console, a decently sized centre console box, as well as a glovebox.

In the second row there’s enough space to get comfortable. At a leggy 182cm, I had plenty of legroom behind my own driving position and headroom is okay, though the panoramic glass sunroof in the top-spec Exclusive trim eats into it.

The virtually flat floor means getting three adults across the rear bench isn’t out of the question, though there’s little bolstering in the seat back and base, so you’ll slide around in the corners.

Second-row amenities include central console-mounted air vents, a singular USB-A port, as well as a fold-down armrest with cupholders.

There are ISOFIX child seat anchorage points on the two outboard rear seats and top tether points on all three.

The Exclusive comes with a power tailgate. It beeps and opens slowly, but eventually the job gets done.

Boot space is 480L with the rear seats upright, expanding to 1480L with them folded. The boot area is fairly spacious and there’s a flat load floor.

Depending on the variant there’s an underfloor compartment that’s big enough to store some charging cables.

The EV Exclusive comes with a space-saver spare wheel, which is critical if you do long-distance drives in rural and regional areas. Disappointingly it doesn’t feature in the entry-level EV Luxury which makes do with a tyre repair kit, despite having the space to fill.

All versions of the REEV also have a tyre repair kit, but this makes more sense as the space is taken up by the rear-mounted electric motor.

Both the EV and REEV are offered in two trim levels called Luxury and Exclusive. They are priced as follows:

• Forthing Taikon 5 REEV Luxury: $36,990
• Forthing Taikon 5 EV Luxury: $38,990
• Forthing Taikon 5 REEV Exclusive: $40,490
• Forthing Taikon 5 EV Exclusive: $42,490

All prices are drive-away

That pricing undercuts the likes of the BYD Sealion 6, Leapmotor C10, Geely EX5 and Starray EM-i, as well as the Jaecoo J7 PHEV.

The entry-level Luxury grade gets the following as standard:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Tyre repair kit
• LED headlights
• 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster
• 14.6-inch touchscreen multimedia system
• Four-speaker sound system
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Crystal style gear selector
• Synthetic leather upholstery
• 10-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat
• Four-way electrically adjustable front passenger seat
• Ventilated and massaging driver’s seat

That’s a fair amount of standard equipment for the asking price, but stepping up to the top-spec Exclusive adds:

• Space-saver spare wheel (EV Exclusive only)
• Power tailgate
• Panoramic glass sunroof
• Rear privacy glass
• Power-folding side mirrors
• Six-speaker sound system
• Wireless phone charger
• Synthetic leather-wrapped steering wheel

Although the EV and REEV versions of the Taikon 5 are virtually identical in terms of specifications, there are some small differences.

The EV has a proper start-stop button, the REEV doesn’t and instead turns on and off when you unlock and lock the car. Additionally the EV has an automatic mode for the climate control which the REEV misses out on.

The petrol-powered Outlander soldiers on with a drab non-turbo, non-hybrid 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine, mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission.

The brand calls this combination “proven” and it’s hard to argue given it hasn’t cropped up with any major reliability issues in the pre-facelift car.

Still, it produces a middling 135kW/244Nm, not as punchy as many turbo options, and nowhere near as efficient as hybrid alternatives.

Those seeking a more powerful fuel-sipping option may want to wait for the PHEV version arriving later this year.

While the Forthing Taikon 5 EV and REEV may look virtually identical, what is lurking under the bonnet is rather different.

The EV has a single, front-mounted electric motor that produces 150kW and 340Nm.

The REEV instead has a rear-mounted electric motor, making it rear-wheel drive. It produces 120kW and 240Nm, which is 30kW and 100Nm less than the EV.

It’s paired with a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine that’s capable of producing up to 75kW. It acts purely as a generator and never drives the wheels.

As a result of its relatively old-school sounding powertrain, fuel consumption isn’t at the forefront of the petrol-powered Outlander, with official consumption ranging between 7.5L/100km for the lightest five-seat ES 2WD version, to 8.1L/100km in the heaviest, top-spec Exceed Tourer AWD.

C02 emissions are also on the high side, which the brand will no doubt be off-setting with the new PHEV version which will offer even more emissions-free driving range than before.

One benefit of this long-serving engine, though, is it can be fed entry-level 91RON unleaded, better for the back pocket. The petrol-powered Outlander has a 55-litre fuel tank.

Both versions of the Taikon 5 have a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.

The EV has a 64.4kWh unit that’s good for up to 427km of WLTP electric range, whereas the REEV has a smaller 31.2kWh unit good for up to 170km of WLTP electric range.

For the EV that’s fairly standard for the segment, but with the REEV the battery pack is much larger than many of its similarly priced rivals.

You can’t forget the REEV also has a petrol engine that’s fed by a 43L fuel tank. This allows for a WLTP total range of up to 937km.

Both versions have a Type 2/CCS port on the front bumper, allowing for AC and DC charging.

The EV has a peak AC charging rate of 11kW and a peak DC charging rate of 80kW. The latter is mediocre, but it allows for a 30 to 80 per cent charge to occur in 30 minutes.

The REEV has a peak AC charging rate of 6.6kW and a peak DC charging rate of 40kW. Despite being slower, a 30 to 80 per cent changer using the latter is still claimed to take only 30 minutes.

The Australian team had a significant amount of input on the driving dynamics of this new Outlander, but does it make a big difference behind the wheel?

We were granted the chance to drive the old one alongside the new version to find out, and the changes are significant.

Overall, the character of the car hasn’t been fundamentally altered. This is still a somewhat plush and soft-around-the-edges family SUV, but redeveloped new suspension parts and even very minor, nerdy modifications like the thickness of sway bars have added up to a much more pleasant vehicle to spend an extended amount of time in.

The first thing you’ll notice is the retuned steering. Mitsubishi’s engineers tell us the tweaked feedback was all down to the software in the rack, and it’s a big difference, upping the firmness of the steering at low speeds, keeping the vehicle on track with more confidence while heading straight, and also removing a slight twitchiness with sudden adjustments.

Next is the cabin ambiance. The new Outlander is a relatively quiet place to be thanks to the extra insulation throughout. It combines with the new steering to give the car much more of a sense of heft than before. The engine is reduced to a distant thrum, and the road is damped away for the most part. Mitsubishi says the 20-inch wheels are a particular hit with buyers, which to me is a shame because I’m willing to bet it’s particularly comfy on the lower-grade tyres.

Elsewhere, the Outlander has a softer initial response to bumps thanks to retuned shocks, and the reduced width of the front sway bar makes for less ‘head toss’ for front seat occupants.

Does it make a significant difference? Yes. The new Outlander is all-round better balanced and better suited to our road conditions. It might not have the sophistication of more expensive options, and it still might be a tad off what the also balanced-and-comfortable RAV4 offers, although it will be interesting to get one back to see how it compares to rivals in a like-for-like test.

Just expect a much more comfort-oriented option than some rivals. These changes don’t make the Outlander as fun to drive as a Mazda CX-5 or a Skoda Kodiaq. For example, while the 2.5-litre engine and CVT combo provides a surprisingly urgent initial response, it's a dull, rubbery power application from there on.

The EV’s front-mounted electric motor is adequate, rather than quick. It’s enough to keep up with urban traffic.

Because it’s front-wheel drive with full torque available from a standstill, don’t be surprised by a touch of wheelspin if you bury the accelerator.

When taking off harder the electric motor can make prominent whirring sounds, but this kind of feedback is nice as an eerily quiet car can feel disconcerting.

In the REEV, the 1.5-litre petrol engine only ever acts as a generator, so it drives like an EV. Its electric motor sits on the rear axle, which makes it quieter from the driver’s seat and rear-wheel drive. In practice the lower outputs blunt it and it feels slower than the EV.

There’s still enough off the line. You only notice the deficit at higher speeds.

There are a total of four EV/hybrid modes to choose from, including EV-only, EV priority, hybrid and fuel only. They all do exactly what its name suggests.

Due to the limited driving program at the launch, I didn’t get to fully experience the extent of how the REEV powertrain operates under every circumstance. For example, I couldn’t drive it with a low battery charge and have it solely rely on the engine.

When the engine fires up to charge the battery, it stays quiet and in the background. If you're not paying attention you wouldn’t know it’s on.

Both versions of the Taikon 5 offer two levels of regenerative braking. There’s no one-pedal mode, meaning you need to use the brake pedal to come to a stop.

What’s surprising is the way it drives. Its rivals can drive like a dog’s breakfast and while the Taikon 5 isn’t class leading, the dynamics are better than you’d expect.

What I mean by this is the steering has some sense of what’s happening with the tyres when you turn the wheel. There are three settings to choose from and the most natural is Sport mode, which is the firmest.

There's no Australian-specific suspension tune, but it’s still generally compliant and comfort oriented. Unlike many of its rivals though, it’s not overly soft and floaty.

In terms of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) the Taikon 5 is a generally quiet car, even at higher speeds. However, we noticed some plastic trim rattles and creaks, which isn’t ideal given they're brand new.

At this stage the Forthing Taikon 5 hasn’t received an ANCAP safety rating and is therefore unrated for now.

The following safety equipment is standard across the line-up:

• Six airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Front and rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane-keep assist
• Adaptive cruise control
• Reversing camera
• Rear parking sensors

Stepping up to the Exclusive brings front parking sensors, as well as a high-definition surround-view camera.

On the road, the Taikon 5 is a welcome relief from the bings, bongs and chimes that plague many of its rivals.

That’s partly because it goes without a driver attention monitoring system. This is the culprit of many bings and bongs in rival vehicles.

The only safety gripe is the lane-keep assist can be a touch hands-on and yank at the wheel if you get too close to the painted lines.

Mitsubishi continues to offer its near-industry-leading 10-year/200,000km warranty, conditional on the car being serviced at a Mitsubishi dealer. Otherwise, it reverts to a five-year/100,000km promise.

The 10 years of warranty is joined by 10 years of capped-price servicing required at 12 month or 15,000km intervals.

Prices are tame, varying between $320 and $680 per visit, for a total yearly average of $434. It’s not the cheapest yearly average out there, but most brands also don’t have capped price servicing extended this far, so it seems like a good deal regardless.

The Forthing Taikon 5 is covered by a seven-year, 200,000km warranty, while the high-voltage battery is covered for eight years, 200,000km.

There’s 12 months of roadside assistance which can be extended out to five years provided you service within the Forthing dealer network, when required.

Logbook servicing with the REEV is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whereas with the EV it’s every 12 months or 20,000km.

Forthing is offering five years of capped-price servicing. With the EV it’s $1815 and the REEV it’s $2605 which works out to $363 and $521, respectively, per year.

Forthing is still scaling its dealer network in Australia and it currently has 20 sites operational. The company plans to have a total of 35 by the end of 2026.