MrFatbooty

This picture floated around the internet a couple of months ago. Many assumed the Japanese-spec truck was the next generation Outlander. Many assumed correctly. Mitsubishi has confirmed this truck is the Outlander and is on a newly developed platform with much better crash performance. The U.S. production model should share much of the design of the Asian model.

http://www.autoblog.com/entry/1234000257044393/

M Type X

The Japanese are still using those funky hood-mounted mirrors? JDM yo.

Eh, so it's a car. Not a bad design or anything, but we'll have to see pricing before we can comment on how it'll do in the market. (I won't mention Mitsu's lackluster dealer network, because Mike doesn't believe that matters.)

mayonaise

are they finally ditching the retarded bucktooth grilles?!

the front looks fantastic, maybe a little murano-ish.
yup! tons of japanese cars still have them. they help with the blind spots a helluva lot, and you don't have to take your eyes as far from the road to look at them.

TheOtherDave™

Looking good.

When the Teg was in the body shop this February, I had an 04 Outlander XLS AWD for a rental. I was surprised at how much steering feedback the car..er..truck had.
The Sportronic trans was pretty obedient too. It just needed another 100 hp. h:

Maybe they'll address that problem this time around.

kazi

Not bad. Much nicer design than the current one. But I do see a bit of VW in the front.

MrFatbooty

Talking about dealers is fine. I just want the discussion of dealers to take the general climate into account as well as the situation on the ground in one particular market. Individual examples are fine, however since this forum has people from all over the place it helps to tie it back into the national scene to have the best quality posting. Sorry if the wording in the other thread was not clear on this.

M Type X

Mayo brought up a good point. The grille is clean! If it had the new Galant front end, then I'd be whining about that. Well, clean and inoffensive is better than ugly anyday.

MrFatbooty

Come this autumn, Japanese automaker Mitsubishi will be unveiling the next generation of its compact off-roader for its home, domestic market. While Mitsubishi was a latecomer to the soft-roader SUV game, the Outlander has proven to be a worldwide success, selling beyond the company's expectations.

Taking the motto, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" to heart, the upcoming Outlander doesn't mess with the original's low ground clearance, high seating position, comfort-biased ride and overall proportions. Mitsubishi describes the new car as combining "flexible utility" with "sporty style".

Unlike the current model, the upcoming Outlander will be standardized as a global product. Currently, the Outlander which we receive here is different from the product offered elsewhere in the world: the European Outlander featured a unique interior with a console-mounted shifter, while in Asia the car is sold as the Air Trek, essentially the production version of 2001's ASX concept. The Air Trek differs from the Outlander by its less distinguished snout, quad headlamps and slightly different tail.

With the second generation, Mitsubishi aims to standardize the appearance of the vehicle for all markets, and thus reduce costs. Therefore the clumsy looking nose with its bisected grille will be gone, replaced by a more conventional single grille opening, along with smooth wraparound bumpers, a beveled hood, flared wheel wells and integrated fog lamps. A curved roofline, hockey-stick shaped rear pillars and largish 17-inch alloy wheels will go far to put the sport back into this sport utility.

But there's more to the Outlander than Mitsubishi's official release. Following a longstanding tradition of cooperative vehicle development with DaimlerChrysler, the Japanese automaker is said to have joined forces once again with the new crossover. Whether that development process started with the upcoming Lancer redesign, the chassis architecture which underpins the Outlander, a model which will share general C-segment architecture and drivetrains with the next-generation Dodge SX 2.0 (Neon) replacement and Dodge Caliber (if this model actually comes to market as we've seen it introduced in concept form), or whether there was separate co-development with Outlander for future Chrysler Group (probably Dodge and Jeep) compact SUVs, is not known publicly.

The aforementioned C-Segment platform will be made in both front and all wheel drive variants, as with the current Outlander. Mitsubishi claims that what it has learned in terms of body structure, panel and drivetrain technology will be reflected in the new Outlander, which should make it a competent, roadworthy companion, even with respect to the latest Outlander, which is highly praised for ride and handling.

There's also word that Mitsubishi may even create an extended wheelbase variant, in a similar fashion to what the company did with the European Colt to create the Colt Plus. This would allow the Outlander to accommodate additional cargo space, or a third row of seats like the Vitara-based Suzuki XL-7.

In order to maximize profits and minimize costs, it's rumoured that Mitsubishi has signed a deal with French automobile conglomerate PSA Peugeot-Citroen. The deal is quite similar to the PSA-Toyota cooperation, which saw PSA donating funds and the associating company developing and engineering. It's a similar business model that yielded the C1-107-Aygo subcompact city car triplets that were recently introduced outside of North America this year. The French nameplates will restyle the compact SUV according to their corporate images, and will serve as the duo's long-overdue first attempt at the compact sport utility vehicle market.

To further differentiate the triple-diamond badged machines from its French clones, Mitsubishi will offer the Outlander with unique engines. The main 'global' engine is slated to be a revised version of the 2.4-litre MIVEC inline-four powerplant. With multiple camshaft profiles, and a block made of cast aluminum (instead of iron), the engine is expected to produce 170-horsepower, up 10 horses over the current workhorse. Other markets will also have the option of a 136-horsepower 2.0-litre turbodiesel, sourced from Volkswagen. The 2.0 PD-TDI is the same unit featured in our local market Passat TDI, as well as the European Golf Mk. V TDI. The French clones are expected to feature a 2.2-litre PSA-engineered common-rail turbodiesel.

Mitsubishi would be smart to sell one of these diesels in North America, being that the company is struggling here and anything unique to set it apart from Honda, Toyota, and its many other rivals could only be seen as a boon to sales. Volkswagen, another company which is currently languishing from a sales perspective, sells 40 percent of its lineup equipped with diesels in Canada, and if it weren't for the fuel saving alternative engine it would no doubt be contemplating survival in our highly competitive market.

With this recent wave of new models around the globe, such as the European Colt subcompact, Grandis minivan and the North American Eclipse sports coupe, plus the Raider pickup which will join Mitsubishi's lineup in the U.S. this fall and Canada in early 2006, the alternative Japanese brand continues to strengthen its backbone. From here, financial woes not withstanding, there's really nowhere to go but up, and the next generation Outlander should help this process significantly.

Hopefully, Mitsubishi will fulfill its promise of delivering a sports 'Evolution' or 'Ralliart' variant with the new Outlander. The original had the mechanical hardware and compatibility, but the top-tier variant never made it out of Japan. Keep your fingers crossed. Expect the Outlander Mk. II to make its North American debut early- to mid-2006, just in time to compete with the new Suzuki Grand Vitara, a new Toyota RAV4 and updated Honda CR-V, among others. Yes, the competition is tough, but the Outlander looks to have the right stuff to make it a viable alternative, especially enticing when factoring in the automaker's 5-year bumper to bumper and 10-year drivetrain warranty.

http://macleans.auto123.com/en/info/...tid=41616&pg=1

MrFatbooty

Mitsubishi's sales in the U.S. have hit the skids lately, but that doesn't mean they are throwing in the towel. In fact, they are working hard on creating the new products that are needed to get sales revived again. One important piece of this new-product plan is an all-new mid-size Mitsubishi Outlander. These photos capture a test prototype of the next-generation Outlander as it undergoes high-temperature testing in the southwest.

The test vehicle has right-hand drive, indicating that it is a Japanese home-market vehicle. It is expected that the new Outlander will be introduced in Japan for the 2006 model year, while its U.S. intro will lag until the 2007 model year.

The new Outlander is larger than before, and is expected to seat as many as seven people with the use of a fold-down third-row seat. The engine for the Japanese market will be a 2.4-liter four-cylinder, but the U.S. market is expected to get a 3.0-liter V-6 engine with a six-speed automatic transmission.

Styling is modern and more rounded than other recent Mitsubishi products like the Mitsubishi Endeavor SUV. The prominent Mitsubishi "beak" in the center of the grille has been banished, replaced with a simply styled grille featuring horizontal slats. The front-end shape integrates the grille with the front bumper, giving a more rounded look and eliminating the normal gap between the grille and bumper. Bold fender flares accent the big wheels and tires, and the roof sports the usual roof rack that seems to be a requirement of virtually every SUV.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Enth...178.A9080.html

At first I wasn't sure if this was the same thing as the studio picture from above. But the fender flares match, so I guess it probably is.