2019 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Expert Review
Reviewed by Duncan Brady
For the 2019 model year, the Outlander Sport adds a new GT trim that includes active safety features and a larger, more powerful 2.4-liter engine. The small crossover will receive a significant design update for the 2020 model year.
What We Think
The Outlander Sport subcompact SUV sits at the bottom of Mitsubishi's SUV lineup, below the Eclipse Cross and three-row Outlander. In its growing segment, the Outlander Sport fails to stand out, and performance, pricing, and efficiency fall in the middle or toward the bottom of the pack. There's also lots of noise and vibration from the four-cylinder engine. Even if you're set on a Mitsubishi, the Eclipse Cross is a better choice.
Performance and Fuel Economy
Save the top-trim GT model, all Outlander Sport models are powered by a 148-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with Mitsubishi's CVT—excluding the front-drive ES with its manual gearbox. Front-drive models return 24/30 mpg city/highway and all-wheel-drive models aren't far behind at 23/29 mpg city/highway. In our First Test of an all-wheel drive Outlander Sport with the 2.4-liter engine, it accelerated to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds and delivered 23.0/32.0 mpg city/highway in Real MPG testing.
What's Standard
A base Outlander Sport ES comes equipped with front-wheel drive and the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with a five-speed manual transmission. All models wear 18-inch alloy wheels. Manually adjustable seats wear fabric upholstery and a 7.0-inch touchscreen sits in the center of the dash, though buyers will have to step up to the LE for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
3 Cool Features
- The entry-level front-wheel-drive Outlander Sport ES comes standard with a five-speed manual transmission
- Front-drive models have a 16.6-gallon fuel tank but all-wheel drive models have a 15.8-gallon tank
- All-wheel drive models have selectable drive modes
Safety Ratings
The Outlander Sport scores relatively well in IIHS crashworthiness testing, earning the highest possible rating of Good in four of six categories. It earned and Acceptable rating in the driver-side small overlap front test and a Marginal rating in the same test on the passenger side. Even the upgraded headlights on the top-level GT trim only receive the second-worst Marginal rating and the base headlights get the worst rating of Poor. Thanks to the GT trim's forward collision mitigation system, the Outlander Sport earns a Superior front crash prevention score. It receives a four-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA.
