Mitsubishi Outlander 2016 News

The new-car market is set to break two records. It’s on track to become the biggest June to date

If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. The adage explains why car makers like to launch their latest and greatest at the annual New York motor show. Many of the cars unveiled there won't make it here in the near future, if at all. CarsGuide casts an eye over the models that will.The Chevy Spark arrives wearing a Holden badge in early 2016.The company has addressed criticisms of the previous model by upgrading the fabrics, improving the fit and finish and stiffening the chassis to improve roadholding.The new Spark's looks have been streamlined with a longer wheelbase and lower body and there's a new more powerful 1.4-litre engine.Holden vehicle performance director Ian Butler says local engineers will give the car a local suspension and steering tune. "We made sure the car remains fun and agile but will now deliver even more sophistication," Butler says.The Civic coupe concept previews the 10th generation small car that will reach showrooms late this year.Designed by Honda's US studio along with the sedan — Europe will shape the hatchback — the Civic uses shorter overhangs and sharper lines to differentiate itself from the unloved previous model.The new model will have a 1.5-litre turbo engine matched to a six-speed auto or continuously variable transmission.Honda Australia head Steve Collins says the Civic is a crucial model. "Because it is a global car, ours will share some of the styling characteristics with the car just launched in New York and it will also have design features specific to our region."More interior space and more upmarket interiors mark the new Optima.A big hit in the US — Kia sold 160,000 last year — the Optima hasn't enjoyed such success locally.Kia Australia spokesman Kevin Hepworth says the new car is a more refined package, headlined by a 2.0-litre turbo engine that pushes the car to 100km/h in just on seven seconds. "(It has) improved ride, more rear space and an engine that will be a class benchmark for power and economy," Hepworth says.Top-spec US models use a 360 degree camera, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking and blind-spot alert. The car is due in Australia late this year.The 570S is aimed squarely at the Porsche 911 Turbo and Audi R8 V10. Essentially a detuned version of the 650S supercar, the 570S nevertheless shares no panels with its big brother.The 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 is retained, although outputs have been reduced to 420kW/600Nm. That's good for a 100km/h sprint time of 3.2 seconds.Its Australian launch is early 2016 — expect a price in the high $300,000s.The facelifted Outlander's most obvious change is the "dynamic shield" front end, to be worn by future Mitsubishis.Mitsubishi Motors Australia marketing head Tony Principe says the update includes revisions to the Outlander's suspension, steering and drivetrain."Outlander will continue to offer great SUV functionality, terrific fuel economy and low running costs," he says, "but it will now be significantly quieter, more responsive and even more enjoyable to drive, making it a real stand out in the medium SUV class."The Outlander is launched locally next week.The massive Lexus spindle grille and flared fenders make the new RX hard to miss. The SUV also gets a 50mm increase in wheelbase to differentiate it from its NX stablemate, but the extra length doesn't include an anticipated third row of seats.The vehicle will be sold with both a 3.5-litre V6 and a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain, each good for 221kW.The RX will have head-up display, 12.3-inch infotainment screen, heated rear seats, and optional 11.6-inch rear entertainment screens. Optional safety gear includes lane departure and blind spot warning, lane keeping assist and adaptive cruise control.Built on the same aluminium-intensive architecture that underpins the XE and F-Type models, the XF is up to 190kg lighter than the current model.Interior upgrades are just as impressive, from head-up display to 10.2-inch infotainment setup using a quad-core Intel processor and ethernet connectivity for super-quick response. Touch and voice control abet smartphone-style apps for everything from remotely warming the car to calculating owners' arrival time at a destination.A new 2.0-litre turbo diesel will be the entry point while its supercharged petrol V6 puts out 280kW. Prices are expected to start below $80,000 when the XF arrives here early next year.The Boxster Spyder is all about driving purity, so owners will have to operate the fabric roof by hand. Based on the design and mechanicals of the Cayman GT4, this is the most powerful Boxster yet — its 276kW 3.8-litre boxer six-cylinder is lifted from the 911 Carrera and matched to a six-speed manual transmission. Porsche quotes 4.5 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint and fuel use of 9.9L/100km.The Spyder will arrive here in the third quarter, priced from $169,000.

The New York motor show in April will see the announcement of which vehicle has won the 2014 World COTY, and there looks to be a tough -- and very varied -- field of finalists.Last year's winner was the Volkswagen Golf, which also took awards in pretty well every country on the globe. But this year it could be anything from the little electric BMW i3 to the offroading Jeep Cherokee and even the Citroen C4 peoplemover, judging by the shortlist.A panel of 69 motoring experts from around the world -- including Carsguide's Paul Gover and National Motoring Editor Joshua Dowling -- will choose the winner from: Audi A3, BMW 4 Series, BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Ford Fusion/Mondeo, Infiniti Q50, Jeep Cherokee, Lexus IS, Mazda3, Peugeot 308 and Skoda Octavia.The 10 finalists for the 2014 World Luxury Car are the Bentley Flying Spur, BMW X5, Cadillac ELR, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati Ghibli, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Macan, Range Rover Sport and Rolls-Royce Wraith.Due to a tie, there are 11 finalists for the 2014 World Performance Car: Alfa Romeo 4C, Audi RS 6 Avant, BMW M6 Gran Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Ferrari 458 Speciale, Ford Fiesta ST, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, Mercedes-Benz A/CLA45 AMG, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Turbo and Volkswagen Golf GTI.A separate panel of five 'green' experts will choose the 2014 World Green Car from Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (+ Audi e-gas), BMW i3, Honda Accord Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Volkswagen XL1.Similarly, a panel of five design experts will decide on the 2014 World Car Design of the Year, from among: BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Mazda3, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Volkswagen XL1.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Rumours of a hybrid drivetrain for Mitsubishi’s next-generation Evolution performance flagship are gaining momentum, with a new report by Japanese magazine Holiday Auto suggesting that the next Evo will maintain its traditional turbo petrol and all-wheel drive attributes with green-friendly plug-in hybrid power.According to the report, the Evo will benefit from technology developed for efficiency-focused models like the new plug-in Outlander SUV to improve on the current model’s combined fuel consumption of at least 10.1L/100km, while boosting performance to new levels.Porsche, McLaren and Ferrari have recently proven that the words performance and hybrid are not at all mutually exclusive with their 918 Spyder, P1, and LaFerrari fastest-ever models, and it’s only a matter of time before such tech trickles down to more affordable performance models like the Evo.The Mitsubishi is not the only bang-for bucks champion in line for hybridisation, with Nissan’s next GT-R also set to incorporate some form of efficiency-boosting electrification and Honda has confirmed a similar shift for its upcoming NSX.Holiday Auto suggests that the Evo will use a similar dual electric motor layout to the Outlander PHEV, but will ditch the SUV’s atmo 2.0-litre petrol engine for a smaller 1.1 litre turbo unit similar to that used by the XR and AR concepts shown in Tokyo recently.Mitsubishi is reportedly targeting outputs similar to a 3.0-litre aspirated engine for the Evo-spec 1100cc unit, which suggests something in the vicinity of 170kW, before electric power is factored in.   Such a 155kW/L specific output would mark a significant jump from the 108.6kW/L achieved from the 217kW 2.0-litre turbo unit in the existing Evo X, and exceed even the 133.1kW/L achieved by 265kW 2.0 litre four powering the Mercedes A45 and CLA45 AMG twins.Even with the Outlander PHEV’s dual 60kW electric motors, a circa-170kW petrol engine would have the potential to trounce the current Evo X, but these could be uprated in the pursuit of GT-R rivalling performance reported elsewhere.Also key to a hybrid Evo’s performance potential will be maintaining the Outlander PHEV’s battery system location ahead of the rear axle for the benefit of weight distribution.Other reports have suggested that the next Evolution will require a bespoke platform to deal with its unique packaging and performance demands, suggesting it could lose the Lancer name for the first time in the model’s history.Such a repositioning would mirror Nissan’s GT-R, which was distanced from the Skyline nameplate for the first time when the current R35 model launched in 2007.The next-generation Lancer is set to ride on a platform shared with the Renault-Nissan Alliance, but it is unclear whether this strategy extends to the mooted Evo replacement.This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn

And the new Outlander will be bringing plenty of excitement when it arrives later this year with new engines, a totally new look, premium interior treatment and features and the availability later on of a plug-in hybrid 4WD version that uses a back up internal combustion engine.The new, lighter Outlander has a much smoother look something like a scaled down version of Ford's Territory mixed with the Mitsubishi Challenger.It's handsome from all angles and practical too with seven seat capacity and fold flat seats for improved load carrying capacity. The tailgate is one piece and is available with electric assistance.Rake and reach steering wheel adjustment makes an appearance as does dual zone climate control and optional xenon headlights. A rear vision monitor is likely in all Aussie spec' models while noise, vibration and harshness has been reduced for improved interior comfort levels.Safety equipment is more comprehensive and Mitsu' will offer new Outlander with sophisticated equipment such as adaptive cruise control, collision prevention that automatically applies the brakes and lane departure warning. It will be available with 2WD and 4WD with a choice of a 2.0-litre petrol engine or a 2.2-litre turbodiesel. The petrol has a five speed manual or CVT and is good for 110kW/195Nm output. It replaces the previous 2.4-litre four cylinder petrol (and the 3.0-litre V6 petrol).The turbodiesel is good for 110kW and 360Nm in six-speed auto form and 110kW/380Nm in six-speed manual. All Outlanders have auto stop and go to optimise city fuel economy.The big news is the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) model which uses an electric drive engine for each axle and an internal combustion engine as a generator or EV motor assist through three drive modes."Pure" uses the electric motors alone for propulsion. "Series" uses the twin electric motors for 4WD and the internal combustion engine as support while "Parallel"? uses the internal combustion engine for front wheel drive and the two electrics for 4WD.It's said to be super fuel efficient and offers strong performance over a wide operating range. No price details are yet available.

The Outlander arrives with new engines, new transmissions and new trim levels but the highlight is a sleek, chiselled body that will really cut the ice compared with main rivals Honda, Toyota and Nissan.The cabin is bigger than most rivals and detailed work to the cabin make it a very attractive proposition, especially to the mainstay female buyer group.Outlander gets two new engines - one is it first segment foray into V6 territory, picking up a new 3-litre engine that is available in the two premium models.The four-cylinder is a 2.4-litre but it has no relation to the outgoing engine of the same capacity.The V6 is attached to a six-speed auto while the 2.4 gets a continuously-variable transmission (CVT) with paddle-shift manual changes as a bonus. Normally the CVT will operate as a pure auto.Mitsubishi said that this engine mix will allow the vehicle to compete with the four cylinder rivals such as RAV4, CR-V and Nissan X-Trail, while the V6 version will go up against the Toyota Kluger, Subaru Outback, Holden Captiva and Hyundai Santa Fe.There is also suggestions that the Outlander has the ability to lure Ford Territory buyers, specifically because of its optional seven-seat capacity - a new move for Mitsubishi in this arena.The Outlander shows its family relationship to other Mitsubishi products with its nose, though the tail treatment is new.It's clean and simple though distinctive on the road with a broad buyer appeal. Thankfully, the styling is a farewell wave to the freestyled, heavy grille-oriented artwork of the previous designer Olivier Boulay who also penned the last Magna.The simplicity of the exterior continues inside. The cabin feels bigger and brighter than its four-cylinder rivals, showing excellent room for the five occupants.The boot is big and wins extra points with its double tailgate. A low, bottom hinged gate folds down to make easy loading onto a flat cargo bed. This gate, rated at 200kg, also serves as seat.The seven seat option adds $2800-$4800 to the price of the various five-seat models.But while seating the seven sounds grand, the third row is made just for small kids.All but the base model get a keyless entry and start system but all miss out on a full-size spare tyre.On the road the Outlander feels more confident than its predecessor.The longer wheelbase and wider track give better stability and cornering precision, though that improvement is countered by some steering wheel vagueness.Only the four cylinder variants were driven and, hence, only the CVT box. Initially impressive for its simplicity of driving, there were times when the 2.4-litre engine - even with variable-valve timing - struggled to get the power quickly to the ground.It could also be noisy when the right foot pressed hard. But the CVT won back points for its quietness and low-speed engine revs that improved fuel economy.For those seeking performance, the manual version looks a better bet and will hit here next year at an expected $29,990.