2012 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 Outlander Sport, and includes Mitsubishi Outlander Sport safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

Take a Mitsubishi Outlander crossover SUV platform, chop more than 12 inches off the length, install the Lancer compact car’s underwhelming base 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, and you’ve got the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. This five-passenger SUV’s primary benefits over the Lancer Sportback are additional cargo space, a taller driving position, greater ground clearance, and available all-wheel drive.

In the Outlander Sport’s sophomore year in the small crossover SUV market, Mitsubishi takes much-needed steps to refine the vehicle by improving noise isolation and acceleration response on models equipped with the continuously variable transmission (CVT). The ES model gets new wheel covers, and models with the manual transmission receive a new upshift indicator light. The SE model is decorated with new chrome interior accents, as well as a new 18-inch wheel design. Buy the Premium Package for the SE model, and you’ll get a new reversing camera with the display embedded into the rearview mirror. Finally, every 2012 Outlander Sport is delivered with a full tank of gas this year.

When choosing a 2012 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, buyers can select between ES and SE trim levels, the latter exclusively available with the company’s All-Wheel Control all-wheel-drive system.

Standard equipment for the ES model includes power door locks with remote keyless entry, power windows, power heated side mirrors, a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, cruise control, and air conditioning with a pollen filter. The driver’s seat features a manual height adjuster, the steering wheel and shift knob are wrapped in leather, and dark tinted rear privacy glass is included in the base price. A four-speaker stereo includes a CD/MP3 player and an auxiliary audio input jack, and the Outlander Sport ES is equipped with Mitsubishi’s FUSE Bluetooth hands-free connectivity technology, floor mats, a trip computer, an outside temperature indicator, and headlights that automatically turn off to preserve the battery. What’s more, when you order the optional continuously variable transmission (CVT), you get a set of magnesium paddle shifters for manual gear changes as well as a set of aluminum wheels that rids the SUV of its ridiculous 16-inch steel wheels with plastic wheel covers.

The Outlander Sport SE is positioned as the sporty model, and as such it is equipped with fog lights, a chrome exhaust outlet finisher, and a handsome set of 18-inch alloy wheels. The CVT is standard on this model, and the SE is equipped with automatic climate control, FAST-Key keyless entry and push-button starting, a better stereo system, automatic high-intensity discharge headlights, and rain-sensing wipers. The seats are wrapped in upgraded fabric, the visors have illuminated vanity mirrors, and the Outlander Sport SE is equipped with a large center console with a sliding center armrest as well as a center armrest for the rear seat.

Several option packages are available on both versions of the Outlander Sport, but most represent frivolous ways to spend extra money. Among them, the All-Weather Package (remote engine starting, mud guards, all-weather floor mats) and the Cargo Package (cargo mat, cargo net, cargo shelf board) offer real practicality. Dealers can also install rear park assist sensors, a CD changer, and other upgrades.

The SE model is exclusively available with numerous upgrades, including Mitsubishi’s All-Wheel Control – essentially an on-demand all-wheel-drive system – which includes heated front seats when ordered. The SE model is also the only Outlander Sport available with a Navigation Package (navigation system, real-time traffic reports, 40GB hard-drive with music server, reversing camera), and a Premium Package (panoramic glass roof, LED mood lighting, auto-dimming rearview mirror with reversing camera, 710-watt Rockford Fosgate Punch sound system, satellite radio, CD changer, roof rails).

If there’s an area begging for improvement with regard to the Outlander Sport, it’s the engine bay. The only engine offered in this vehicle is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 148 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 145 pound-feet of torque at 4,200 rpm. A five-speed manual transmission is standard on the ES model, delivering power to the front wheels. Mitsubishi’s Sportronic CVT is optional on the ES and standard on the SE, driving the front or all four wheels.

Mitsubishi’s All-Wheel Control system is available on SE models, an all-wheel-drive system that continuously distributes power to the front and rear wheels, as needed, when the center console selector is in 4WD mode. A Lock setting produces equal power distribution when desirable.

Fuel economy, as rated by the EPA, is impressive for a small crossover SUV. The ES model gets 24 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway with the manual transmission, while the CVT achieves 25 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway with front-wheel drive. As is expected, fuel economy ratings dip with the SE AWD model, coming in at 23 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.

With seven airbags, including a knee airbag for the driver, four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist, and a traction and stability control system, the 2012 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport meets the minimum standard for modern safety equipment. Additionally, this crossover SUV is equipped with a brake override system that makes it impossible to accelerate if the brake pedal is depressed, and hill start assist to keep the Outlander Sport from unexpectedly rolling back on hills. The SE model comes standard with rain-sensing wipers and, if you order a navigation system or the Premium Package on the SE AWD model, a reversing camera. Dealers will install rear park assist sensors for a fee.

There’s little data available with regard to the Outlander Sport’s performance in crash tests. As this review is written, only the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has conducted any tests, and even the IIHS data has holes. According to the IIHS, the Outlander Sport gets a Good rating in the offset frontal impact test and a Good rating in the side impact test. Testing was not performed for rear-impact injury prevention or roof crush strength. Still, the IIHS has more data than the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which has not performed a single safety test on the Outlander Sport.

Despite the fact that the Outlander Sport has been on sale for more than a year, dependability data is scant. J.D. Power and Associates predicted that dependability would be average in its most recent assessment of Mitsubishi products, and Consumer Reports is not making predictions as the information for this review is compiled.

The Outlander Sport’s generous warranty coverage should help alleviate concern in this regard. The SUV is equipped with a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, a five-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, and five years of roadside assistance with no mileage limit.

The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport’s engine carries a “4B11” designation. What does this mean? Basically, this engine serves as the foundation upon which the fabled Lancer Evolution’s awesome turbocharged powertrain is based. But don’t get too excited. Without turbochargers and the rest of the Evo’s enhancements, there’s nothing much happening under this SUV’s hood.

The Outlander Sport is light as far as crossover SUVs go, tipping the scales at 3,263 pounds with all-wheel drive. But that’s still too much for the engine’s 148 overworked horses.

With 8.5 inches of ground clearance, the Outlander Sport SE equipped with All-Wheel Control AWD ought to do a fine job of battling snowstorms.

Cargo volume measures 21.7 cubic-feet behind the rear seat, unless you have the Rockford Fosgate premium sound system, in which the case the subwoofer eats space and drops the volume to 20.1 cu-ft. Fold the rear seat, and you’ve got a maximum of 49.5 cu-ft to work with, but the optional panoramic roof and Rockford Fosgate audio system reduce the already modest amount of maximum cargo space.

The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is equipped with a brake energy regeneration system that captures energy when the SUV is stopping, and uses it to recharge the battery.

Mitsubishi is planning to start building the Outlander Sport at its Normal, Illinois assembly plant, which until recently assembled the Eclipse, Endeavor, and Galant models.

There’s plenty to like about the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, but at the same time, there’s plenty to dislike. We’re impressed with this compact crossover SUV’s interior fittings, fuel economy numbers, warranty coverage, IIHS crash-test ratings, and genuine value. However, the Outlander Sport has an underpowered engine, limited cargo space, and is sold through an increasingly limited dealer network. We also find the styling to be oddly proportioned. Nevertheless, this makes a good choice for the kind of buyer who doesn’t want to be seen driving the same vehicle that everyone else owns.

By Christian Wardlaw