2026 Mitsubishi Outlander SE
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Term
mild hybrid
A mild hybrid helps the gas engine work more efficiently, but it usually can’t run the car by itself on electricity. It mainly helps with things like turning the engine off when you’re stopped or coasting.
Brand
Yamaha audio systems
Yamaha is a company that makes high-quality audio gear. If a car has “Yamaha” in the sound system, it usually means the speakers/amplifier setup is designed to deliver better audio than the basic system.
Concept
options
Options are extra features you can add to a car, like convenience or tech upgrades. They can add a lot of cost, so it matters when you compare prices.
Term
touch screen
A touch screen is the kind of screen you press with your finger to control things. They’re saying they like real buttons better because they’re often quicker and easier to use.
Term
tachometer
A tachometer tells you how fast the engine is spinning. It’s measured in RPM, and it can help you drive more smoothly and know when the engine is working harder.
Term
digital instrument clusters
Instead of classic round gauges, a digital instrument cluster uses a screen to show your speed, RPM, and other info. Some cars let you change what you see.
Concept
tweener
A “tweener” is a car that doesn’t fit neatly into one size category. It’s kind of in-between a smaller SUV and a bigger, three-row family SUV.
Part
bolsters
Bolsters are the padded sides of the seat. They help keep you from sliding around and can make the seat feel more supportive.
Term
lateral supportive
“Lateral support” means the seat supports you from the sides. That can help you feel steadier and less tired, especially when driving around corners.
Term
Seatback reclines
Seatback reclines means the back of the seat can tilt backward. That can make the ride more comfortable, especially for longer trips.
Term
The seat moves forward and backward
This means the seat can slide forward or backward. In the back seat, that helps you adjust legroom for whoever’s sitting there.
Term
center console intrusion
Center console intrusion means the middle area of the back seat gets crowded by the console/tunnel. It can make the middle seat less comfortable or make side-by-side seating feel tighter.
Term
hard plastic
They’re comparing interior materials. Some cars use hard plastic in places your knees or arms can touch, which can feel uncomfortable. Softer padding in those spots makes a big difference.
Term
padded dashboard
They’re talking about the top of the dashboard being covered with softer material. That usually feels nicer and can be safer than bare hard plastic.
Term
padded windowsills
These are the areas by the windows that you might touch with your arm. If they’re padded, they feel more comfortable than hard trim.
Term
perforated steering wheel
This is a steering wheel with little holes in the covering. It can feel grippier and more comfortable, but some people think it feels thicker than other wheels.
Term
RPM
RPM (revolutions per minute) is how fast the engine is spinning. They note that above a certain RPM (around 3500), the noise increases, which helps pinpoint when the engine becomes less refined.
Term
wind and road noise
Wind and road noise are the sounds you hear from outside—airflow and tires/road texture. If they’re well controlled, the cabin feels quieter and more comfortable.
Term
body roll
Body roll is when a car leans outward as you turn. If it leans a lot, the ride can feel less stable; if it leans less, it feels more planted.
Term
second row slides
If the second-row seats slide, you can move them forward or backward to make more room in the back. It helps people get into the third row and can improve legroom.
Concept
headroom
Headroom is how much space you have above your head. In the third row, it can be tight, so taller people may feel like their head is pressed up against the roof.
Concept
third row seat
A third row seat is the extra row of seats in the back. It can be great if you truly need it, but it often comes with compromises in space or comfort.
Term
destination charge
A destination charge is the cost to ship the car to the dealer. It gets added on top of the advertised price, so you should include it when comparing deals.
Concept
rebates
Rebates are cash-back discounts that reduce the price. The point is that shoppers may not realize they qualify, so they miss out on savings.
Brand
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi is the company that makes the Outlander. They’re saying you can check Mitsubishi’s website to see what discounts and offers are available.
Concept
warranty
A warranty is the agreement that the company will pay for certain repairs for a period of time. The host is saying a longer warranty can make people feel safer about buying the car.
Car
Hyundai Santa Fe
The Hyundai Santa Fe is another family SUV option. The speaker is basically saying: if the price difference is small, the Santa Fe might be the easier choice.
Company
consumerreports.org
Consumer Reports is a site that tests and rates cars. They’re saying the full results will be posted on their website.
Term
cold temperatures
When it’s cold outside, engine oil doesn’t flow as easily. Thin oil is chosen so it can still lubricate the engine right away.
Term
cold start
A cold start is when you start the car before the engine has warmed up. It can be harder on the engine and uses more fuel until things get up to temperature.
LIVE
Before we get started, we want to let you know that the Talking Cars team is going to
be in New York City for this year's New York Auto Show, and we want to meet up with you,
our fans of the podcast.
We'll be at the Canucks Sports Bar in Manhattan on Wednesday, April 1st at 5pm.
Come in for a bite.
We'll be talking about what we saw at the show and handing out some groovy Consumer
Reports swag.
So, if you're in the neighborhood, stop by because we'd love to talk cars with you.
And now on to the episode.
Hi, everybody.
Welcome to another episode.
I'm Mike Monticello.
I'm Joe Veslak.
And I'm Jeff Bartlett.
So, today we're going to be talking about our first impressions of the 2026 Mitsubishi
Outlander.
And we usually start these off talking about, like, what are the three things people should
know right off the bat?
And I think, number one, is that it has a new powertrain.
Instead of the previous 181 horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder with a continuously variable
transmission or CVT, now it has a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with a CVT, and
it makes 174 horsepower.
The second thing is, it's actually a mild hybrid powertrain.
Mitsubishi says they designed it and developed it.
It's a 48-volt mild hybrid, and it's their first ever mild hybrid for the U.S. market.
And if you don't know what a mild hybrid is, basically, so it used this 48-volt system as
an integrated starter generator instead of a traditional alternator.
And basically what it does is it helps with the, it gives it the ability to turn off the
gas engine when you're coasting, which a normal gas car wouldn't do.
And then it helps with the engine stop-start system in terms of being able to have the
engine off longer at stop lights.
And also, it's more seamless in terms of the way the engine fires back up when you want
to get going again.
So, and the third thing is Yamaha audio systems.
And I know that's a weird thing to bring up, but it's just not something you see in, you
know, obviously Yamaha has been around a long time with home audio systems, but you just
don't see Yamaha audio systems that much in cars.
And the Outlander has two different versions you can get with it, and the one we bought
actually has the ISO on, so we can talk about that a little bit.
So those are the first three things.
And I do want to say that our test vehicle, so this is our test vehicle that we're going
to, we purchased ourselves anonymously, this is going to go through our program.
It did cost $42,680 and it's an SEO wheel drive, but keep in mind our test car, we didn't really
want to necessarily have all these things, but it does have about $5,000 worth of options.
Sometimes we can't avoid that when we're trying to get the vehicle quickly.
My point is the Outlander doesn't have to cost quite as much as this one.
This one does.
Okay, so let's get right into it.
And Joe, let's start with you.
Let's talk about what you're liking so far about this new Outlander.
Yeah, so I think the controls in general are pretty easy to use.
A lot of the more important primary functions are actual buttons.
The shifter's easy to use.
We're already familiar with the steering wheel, which is pretty straightforward.
There's a few gripes there with maybe the ADAS functions and some of the labeling.
But other than that, I think it's some, yeah, control-wise, usability-wise,
it's pretty straightforward and easy.
I like access.
I know we'll probably get into why some might not like access.
Traditional door handles.
The openings, decent size.
The seat is right around hip height.
But talking access, I'm talking more front and rear, not third row access.
That's all the story that we can get into, but to your point,
well, it's, I guess, considered a compact SUV.
And there, it's a little on the larger side for a compact SUV.
And they're typically some of the easiest vehicles to get into,
just the height that they're at above a sedan, but below a larger SUV.
So that definitely the access.
And I totally agree with you on the controls.
It is refreshing to get into a redesigned or refreshed model
and not have everything be all touch screen or capacitive touch panels,
real buttons and knobs for the climate control, right?
You got to love that.
I like that you can adjust the driver screen to have what I call,
I guess, a digital analog tachometer.
We're seeing fewer and fewer tachometers these days,
or sometimes they're these little weird bars that aren't very helpful.
It's nice to have choices, because no matter what's in there,
you're going to want something different, at least you can change it.
Yeah, that's great.
And that's the nice thing about the digital instrument clusters
is that you can do that before, obviously, back in the day.
It was whatever it was, was what it was.
How did we survive back then?
I don't know.
It was so difficult.
Somehow we made it.
Pretty good controls all around.
Yeah.
Heated steering wheel, push button, heated seats, push button.
To me, that's very important, especially dealing with some of the touch screens
where you're fumbling through that, getting all this delay
when it's below freezing out.
And you're like, this is the one thing I just wanted to do correctly.
What are some of the things you're liking, Jeff?
Well, to me, the vehicle presents very well in the showroom.
You sit in it.
It's easy to enter, especially up front.
Seats are very comfortable.
You see the controls.
It's got a little bit of flash.
Even some of the materials are quite nice.
The idea that this is a tweener, it's not a small SUV.
It's not quite a three-row midsize SUV.
That's great.
I really like the front seats.
And I think these are some of the best front seats in a compact SUV.
A combination of pretty pronounced bolsters on both the bottom cushion
and the seat back that holds you in place really well,
plus this sort of microswade kind of material down the center,
which also helps hold you in place.
And I also just, so they're both supportive in terms of
laterally supportive and just comfortable for me.
I just fit in it really well.
The phone's great.
It feels like they spent money on it.
It really stands out.
One of the nicest parts of the car.
Absolutely.
And I also thought the rear seat is actually pretty good too.
For me, I know, Jeff, that you don't always,
we don't always fit in seats the same.
I can't sit upright.
Yeah, I felt the, yeah, that was flat.
For me, what's interesting is we used to talk about stadium seating.
And I feel like they've gone away from that a little bit.
But this one has crazy stadium seating.
Like you sit in there, you're like, you feel like you're way up above the,
like maybe too much actually, even though I do like stadium seating.
It's a little strange, but I still, even with that stadium seating,
I still have good headroom back there.
Seatback reclines.
The seat moves forward and backward.
Thought under leg support was pretty good.
So I thought for a rear seat in this type of vehicle, it's not bad.
And I also, for the most part, liked the driving position.
It fit me pretty well.
Again, plenty of headroom, well padded armrests.
You know, we talk about symmetry and it's pretty good symmetry.
For me, the center one's a little off,
but it didn't matter because they're both high enough.
Even though I might be a little canted,
they're both high enough that I'm not reaching for them.
And they're both well padded.
So I thought that was really good.
There is some center console intrusion.
That's one of my pet peeves that people who watch the show know about.
But this one's, again, well padded for a compact SUV.
You quite often don't see that.
So even though your knee might be rubbing against it,
sometimes at least it's not hard plastic.
That makes all the difference in the world.
Because you don't want to not only be uncomfortable, but sore.
Yeah.
The driver's seat's definitely the best seat in the house.
Yeah.
And also, if you're wearing shorts and your knee is now hitting hard plastic,
I think there's some really nice elements of the interior.
Yes, there's some parts that aren't so great either.
But this is a lot of compact SUVs to get into.
And there's just a lot of hard plastic everywhere.
But there's a lot of padded pieces in there.
Besides the nice looking seats and really well padded dashboard
and padded windowsills front and rear.
Quite often in this, you either don't get any windowsill padding up front,
but you definitely don't have any in the rear.
And this has that some sort of like carbon look trim around the window and mirror controls.
I like the perforated steering wheel.
I know some people might think it's a little thick.
I don't like it.
Oh my God.
I like the big rear wheel.
You must have bigger hands.
I guess, I don't know.
But yeah, so I know that if you look at the logbook,
some people like half the people liked it, half the people didn't.
But I think it has a nice feel to it.
I think there are some positives.
Unfortunately, there's also a fair amount of negatives that we should probably get to.
And so why don't we start with you, Jeff?
Let's get into it.
Well, where do we start?
I guess, you know, kind of the beginning.
Beginning of our conversation, you touch on the engine.
Yeah.
You know, I always look with a little skepticism when
a new engine has a much smaller displacement.
Full leader.
Full leader.
Yeah.
These are tiny little cylinders in this.
They have a, it's got turbo.
Yeah.
And a mild hybrid, which sounds great,
but it doesn't feel great on the road.
This doesn't feel as quick and robust as frankly,
some of its competitors that aren't using all these tricks.
So, you know, like I said, the showroom experience is really positive.
But as you start driving, some of these things start to disappoint.
Ride and handling are also kind of, yeah.
Well, let's let's let's stick with the powertrain for a second.
Because I do want to touch on a couple of positives.
It does do the simulated upshifts, which a lot of us like,
not everyone likes speed simulated.
Yeah.
So it does these simulated upshifts so that it's going to keep the,
try to contain those revs so that when you're accelerating,
they're not just going to hang up high.
It's going to try and do these, these shifts.
So I think that's kind of good.
One of the things I didn't like about it is that I found it a little bit abrupt
off the line.
I don't know if you guys noticed that as well,
but and also sometimes the power delivery surges, right.
And again, maybe because of the turbo, I'm not sure,
but like you're expecting you dip into the throttle and you're expecting a certain amount of
power to come on.
But at times it comes on stronger than you expect.
It's not linear.
Did you guys notice that?
Yeah.
Did you guys notice that a little bit too?
And honestly, I don't mind that there's other vehicles that are tuned similar
where they're just a little jumpy off the line.
And I'd prefer that rather than having a large delay.
The biggest thing is it's misleading because you feel this jumpiness at first and you go,
Oh, this has got some get up and go.
And then, you know, then you actually go beyond 30% of the pedals travel.
And you realize there's nothing really there.
And it's not a great sounding engine either, right?
No.
It's a little bit buzzy.
We don't expect TurboForce to be the most wonderful things.
But as you mentioned, Jeff, it is a smaller one.
So it's harder when it's smaller, right?
I'm sure.
But I noticed like above 3500 RPM, it definitely when that's when the noise really has an uptick.
And that's when the buzziness comes about.
And you're also noticing some vibrations through the steering wheel, right?
And so we don't see that in all cars.
We see that in some cars.
A lot of Toyotas, there's significant vibrations come through the steering wheel with their
TurboForce.
And so that's not the best.
Also, speaking sort of speaking of noise, I actually thought wind and road noise were
pretty well controlled.
But when you hit these larger bumps, and we'll talk about the ride next maybe,
when you hit larger bumps, you're not only are you feeling them that we'll talk about,
but you're hearing them, right?
You're hearing those that thump come through the cabin when, you know, because of the
decently, I think the 20 inch wheels with sort of smaller sidewalls.
So you're hearing those and feeling those.
So, but let's talk about that.
I sure feel like you have some stuff to talk about.
You can dig deep and you know, you can peel the layers off this.
Let's dig deep.
But the real thing is just the first impression.
You know, I keep thinking back to the person buying this, they're going to take a lap around
the dealerships block, scoot out on the highway, and it starts to expose some compromises.
And some things are tried off, she'll make.
If the engine perhaps isn't as powerful or refined as you'd like,
well, if it has tremendous fuel economy, then that's fine.
You know, we'll have to wait for our tests to know for sure.
But I'm not seeing big promises there.
The ride, you know, it may make a first good impression if you're on the perfect road.
But then as you start experiencing, you know, the cracks and everything on roads around town,
it starts to feel like a little.
It's pretty brittle.
Brittle, yeah, which is a word that almost everyone put in the logbook.
We need a bigger vocabulary, but it just feels like it gets a little.
It feels a little bouncy if, you know, things thud through.
It just feels a little less controlled than its rivals.
I wrote down, to speak in a logbook, I wrote down if there ever was a car
that initially tricks you into thinking it might have a smooth and comfortable ride at first,
and then it completely falls apart as soon as you hit anything challenging,
it's this outlander.
Is that reasonably fair?
Maybe too much hyperbole?
Totally agreed.
When I read that, which, you know, thinking back to the test drive,
make sure you're taking a long enough one.
And with some, make sure you hit some roads that have some challenging imperfections.
Even with that being said, which I agree with you is keeping in mind that
I think that it is an improvement upon the 2022 that we actually tested in the past.
And that's not to say it's a great thing necessarily,
because I agree with what you just said about this current version as well,
that it's, you know, it has its limitations.
It really does trick you because on smoother roads and most of the time,
you're like, things aren't so bad.
Like I can see this isn't a bad vehicle, but it just, you know,
it has its limitations and they come on quicker than all of the other competitors.
Well, and kind of to the improvements part,
one of the things we noted with the last outlander was unusually quick or darty steering,
right? And it was to the point that it was annoying to drive even on the highway, right?
Because it's nice to have quick ish steering, like when you're on a fun road or whatever,
but when you're having to constantly correct because you just moved the steering a little bit
and it turned the car much more than you thought.
So it seems like they improved that.
And I thought the steering was definitely less darty, but still quick enough that it's fun.
And I thought the suspensions tuned well in terms of body roll.
There's not that much body roll when you kind of pick up the pace on a back road.
So I thought that part was good.
But then it feels like they kind of traded one problem for another.
Again, I don't know the specifics, but it feels like they addressed the steering dartiness by
giving it extra weight or something.
Did you guys notice that as well that then it made it like oddly weighty when you're turning
just off center. And then I had some issues where if I went right through that to go,
you know, taking a turn, if I got into the turn and then I needed to make an adjustment,
it then felt resistant for me to make an adjustment.
Did you notice that?
It doesn't feel smooth and quite what you would expect, which again,
I think is how the whole dynamics come across.
Like it feels like it would have benefited from a few more months of R&D fine tuning.
And maybe that's why the steering wheel is so thick to give you a little bit more leverage.
But in fairness, what Joe was saying in terms of they have made improvements,
I think fully recognize and underscore that the tough thing though is so have the competitors.
This is a very popular segment.
A lot of big companies investing heavily in their product.
Ultimately, the consumers, the winner, they have a lot of good choices.
Let's talk about the third row seat for a second.
And I don't know which one of you wants to talk about it first.
But I would say this, I think as long as you know that it's useless for adults,
you need to know that going in.
This is not a third row.
This is not a three-row vehicle in a sense.
You know what I mean?
When we talk about three-row vehicles, which are typically a mid-sized SUV and up, right?
So basically, unless you're a really small adult, you're either not going to be able to get back
there. Or if you do, your head's going to be like this.
And actually, producer Dave, can we throw something in this video to show the thing that
Ryan and Pistlekowski and Alex and Isaac, two of our taller guys, did this sort of funny video
thing, just a short video, where they were in the third row of the Outlander.
And it's just comical because there's just no way they fit.
I mean, it's hilarious.
So you got to check that out.
But did you guys try something back there?
I was back there yesterday.
So yeah, I'm doing the video and so I'm back there.
And I've talked with Alex about this.
The only way to realistically go fit three people going first, second, third row,
all behind each other, is really compromising the driver position.
You have to max that out because now you have to sit forwards.
So now, and that's you're chewing on the steering wheel at that point.
And then now there's plenty of steering wheel to eat.
But so then the second row, now it's nice that the second row slides.
Now you slide the second row all the way forward.
And then I can get in the back and you can pull it off.
That being said, my head is jammed into the ceiling.
There is no headroom.
I actually can, I tried poking my head out the back like they did where I'm in between that.
Or yeah, there is no way.
It's uncomfortable.
In terms of headroom, you're not fitting anybody.
Yeah, any adults aren't going back there comfortably.
So then the tough thing is who is it really for?
Because it's a little hard to get to.
So who's the third row for?
Yeah, yeah.
So with most vehicles, you're looking at kind of a size and age range.
And usually that's, you know, the kids that are out of car seats but aren't tall teenagers.
So you have a kind of a limited span of middle school or whatever it is.
With this, that useful size is really narrow.
The foot room, the foot space, everything.
Like I don't know, I even look at little kid sneakers.
Like there's not, my foot was completely turned 90 degrees and barely fit.
So you don't have much.
Yeah, you could see like in say a mid-sized SUV, right?
That has a three row.
That even if you only had a couple of kids, you could see someone, one of them actually
as they're getting a little older, maybe wanting to sit back there to have their
space from their siblings, right?
Yeah.
Once they get to a certain size, no one's going to want,
even kids aren't going to want to be back there anyway.
Right.
It's such a very narrow band.
So I mean, in the end, ultimately, hey, it's great that it's a little bit bigger than some
of the smaller SUVs in, you know, that has certain benefits.
But if you're interested in a third row, then you probably should consider other vehicles.
Or maybe the third row truly doesn't matter.
It's just a distraction in which case just ignore it and focus on the rest of the.
Yeah, you want added cargo for a Nissan Rogue, you know?
Maybe you want a little more so then you're not really using a third row.
It's like it is the whole mindset of you're essentially putting a third row into a Rogue's
wheelbase with, you know, some slightly bigger dimensions, but it's not by much.
Yeah.
So for those that don't know, the Rogue and the Outlander are, you know, basically share a
platform and they're very similar in a lot of ways with the exception that the Rogue doesn't have
the third row seat options.
So the final question for you guys then is what's the value story?
And would you say it's a good vehicle for the price?
As we said, it is slightly larger than some.
Not by a lot, but it's a little bit larger than your average compact SUV.
And it has that third row seat if you can make some use of it.
So I guess, Jeff, maybe who was this Outlander for?
And are there other SUVs that aren't that much more expensive at all that maybe would
be better for most people?
And I just want to also say just folks, look at the destination charges these days,
because that is part of the price of the vehicle.
Don't just look at the base price that they're advertising.
You got to look at the destination charge because on this Outlander, it's $1,745,
which is really expensive for a compact SUV.
Most of the others that you're looking at are more in the $1,400 to $1,500 range,
whereas, you know, $1,745 is a lot of money.
So Jeff, if not the Outlander, what instead, I guess, is what I'm asking?
Well, the value story of this is really a big and interesting part of the whole vehicle in
terms of, yeah, our sticker price is a little misleading.
If you look at the base price, popularly equipped, it is attractive compared to,
you know, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai Kia.
But with this, I think it's pretty important to look beyond just the sticker to think of,
well, what incentives are available?
With this, you know, right now, incentives are between $500 and $4,000.
Now, all of a sudden, that really lowers the price and it offsets the destination charge,
but there's still more to it.
So we looked at transaction prices right now, and it turns out people paying pretty close to
sticker even though there are huge rebates available.
So to me, that suggests people slow down, do a little research, you can go right to the Mitsubishi
website to find this information.
So they aren't realizing that they have these rebates available potentially?
It indicates that people aren't taking full advantage of both rebates, which is easy money,
dealerships happy to pass that right along to you, but in not negotiating.
There seems to be plenty of these around.
So if you negotiate, take full advantage, all of a sudden now you're getting much more for
you money.
But then the other side of it, this is an imported vehicle, 100% from Japan.
So it's not eligible for the tax credits that you can get on a vehicle that's made in America,
which may favor some of the competitors.
So it is a very interesting numbers heavy story.
So who is it for?
And what about the warranty?
I think you said the warranty is quite long as well.
The warranty is terrific, which is smart because I suspect the company found, much like Hyundai had,
that one of the reasons a customer might be resistant is questioning long-term reliability.
A big warranty addresses that at least for a certain number of years.
And in this case, it's bumper to bumper for five years.
And the powertrain is a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty.
For that new powertrain too.
So it's unproven, you don't know.
One of the first one thing too would be like, well, this is also what's the reliability,
how for someone looking for this vehicle, and we don't necessarily know about this new powertrain
engine.
Of course, the other dimension is I'm not sure I'd want to drive that engine for 100,000 miles,
but that's a different story there.
So, and then I keep thinking about this as we've been talking about the vehicle.
The person who's buying this Mitsubishi is someone who is choosing to drive past the Toyota dealer,
the Honda dealer, the Honda, they're driving all the way down Auto Mile to make this decision.
It really has to come down to, do they like it?
And I know we've had some criticism.
Some of them are just based on our personal comfort and so forth.
That's a very individual thing.
But people should approach it with an open mind, but also a critical life.
Is it going to satisfy all of the things that they need?
Also bear in mind that there are fewer Mitsubishi dealers than there are from many of these other
brands, which if you're buying this, it's probably in your town or neighborhood anyhow.
But you may not live there forever, especially over the next 10 years.
So there are a lot of things to consider.
And the important thing is like with all cars, that you do a little research and slow down enough
not to be taken in by the marketing, but to consider what it really delivers.
Good answer. Joe, what about you?
Yeah, I think I kind of agree with all of that.
You know, I pin you down on a specific vehicle.
Well, I would.
So I was looking like at the current price we paid with that, you know, the added option
and looked at the Hyundai Santa Fe.
So now if you're actually looking to get a third road that you want to use,
there's like $1,000 right there between maybe difference, I can't say for sure.
But you know, say it's $1,000 less or $1,000 more and you get yourself into a Santa Fe
as an option, which is I find that hard to go.
Why would I ever get an Outlander?
Even if I even if I didn't want the third row, now you can just add added cargo space,
added room because it's almost like a even larger tweener because it's not really a full
mid-sized SUV, but it has a more usable third row.
The problem with living in between two segments or categories where you're just like,
you're going to push someone up or down or they settle and they stay there, which is a very
probably small group of people like Jeff was alluding to.
Well, if you look at the Hyundai, you also get a great warranty.
Yeah, yep.
And that by that Santa Fe is really nice.
I think if someone was leaning the other direction, realizing I probably don't need
that third row, but I do want a little bit more elbow room, I would lean toward the Honda CR-V,
which I think is a wonderful package.
And it is a little bit bigger than most of its key rivals.
Yeah, that was actually my choice.
I was going to steer them toward a CR-V or if they have even a little bit more money,
a CR-V hybrid, which both road test scores are really good.
But I also still have a kind of a sweet spot for the Mazda CX-5, the 2025,
which they're still available, still a fair amount out at the dealer.
And maybe, I don't know if we're allowed to say this either, but we currently have the 2026
that we're driving, a borrowed one.
And I think there's some things maybe still that are very, very interesting about the 2025
that you might want to stick with that one, because some controls that have been changed
and things like that.
And for me, the CX-5 doesn't have all the faults that the Outlander has in terms of the
unrefined ride and the buzzy engine and some sort of some powertrain quirks here and there.
And yet it still has a really nice interior for the segment, right?
So I think that there are some better choices for sure, but we will do a full road test on this
Outlander and we'll be able to tell you exactly where it does fall after that is done.
So look for that in hopefully a couple months.
It'll be up on consumerreports.org.
We'll have a big huge, big beautiful road test for everyone.
So with that, let's move on to the audience question segment of the show.
Don't forget to send those questions, comments, videos to TalkingCarsaticloud.com.
But don't forget that if we use one of your questions, then we will send you some CR swag.
So that's always something to look forward to.
So send that.
That's an incentive.
Talk about incentive, incentive to send in an amazing question, right, Jeff?
It has to be amazing to make it on air.
Okay.
So we have Gary from Brentwood, Missouri sent in an amazing question.
Okay.
So Gary says, what effect does the hybrid system have on the overall health of the gas engine?
I'm wondering about a short commute where the hybrid is in play until the car speed exceeds
25 miles per hour.
The hybrid hands off to the gas engine, but the commute ends before the engine warms
to the point where the oil warning light goes off.
Could you discuss the detrimental effects of the engine not warming?
So Gary, you know, sometimes we answer these ourselves.
Sometimes we look to one of our experts.
So in this case, we have several really good mechanics here.
So let's hear what they have to say for you.
Hi, Gary.
What a great observation and thank you for the question.
Let's talk about it.
Engines are designed to operate at a temperature.
They call it operating temperature.
That's where it is most efficient for fuel economy.
It's best for emissions and also longevity of the engine.
But here's the thing.
Hybrids are everywhere.
They're basically commonplace.
So the engineers have had to, over time, they've had to make changes to the engine,
but also the systems that help support the engine.
Here's what's going on.
Number one is engine oil.
Most new cars are going to require synthetic engine oil.
This happens to be from Toyota.
It is a 0W8 engine oil.
It's basically like water.
This is what they run in the Toyota Crown.
But even the Prius is running a 0W12.
Again, very thin oil.
The benefit of the thin oil is that it flows easily even at cold temperatures.
That way, you can get to all the important engine bits and pieces that needs to protect
in time to do its job.
Even when it's cold, even on that initial startup,
when the system switches over from hybrid mode as an EV,
to hybrid mode as internal combustion.
But it's not just the engine oil itself.
There's a lot of other supporting systems.
The positive crankcase ventilation system has gotten more robust over time.
That's a system that deals with moisture buildup inside your engine.
That's a bad thing because there's steel parts,
steel and water.
You're going to have rust over time.
So they have systems in place to help mitigate those kinds of issues.
Now, I will say if the only driving you do is to and from work in your commute
and your engine never truly gets up to operating temperature,
that could be a concern down the road.
So what I would recommend in your case is drive your car a little bit more.
Let your engine get up to operating temperature because it's not just your engine.
Your transmission wants to work at a certain temperature.
And when it comes to hybrids,
there's been a lot of advances in terms of how transmissions are controlled as well.
When you set off in hybrid mode,
you may or may not be using your transmission.
It kind of depends on which vehicle you have,
but you need pressure in the transmission just like you need oil pressure.
And without some sort of pressure reservoir,
whether it's an electric pump or some type of an accumulator,
your vehicle would not move.
So there's a lot of systems that are happening in the background
that as a driver, you're not necessarily aware of.
And the only other thing I want to mention here is you didn't mention what kind of car you have,
but if you are seeing any type of an oil warning,
hopefully it's not an oil level warning or an oil pressure warning.
I'm thinking maybe Gary, you're driving a Honda that has the little blue temperature icon
down on the dashboard that goes away once the engine is up into the operating temperature zone.
Hopefully that's what it is.
But if you do see any type of level warning, pressure warning, something like that,
you need to get that checked out ASAP.
That way you don't cause any kind of expensive and extreme damage to your engine.
Well, so thanks for that response.
And to that end, hybrids have been very reliable vehicles,
even though there is, I can see trepidation about, well, what's going on with the engine?
It's not, you're not treating it the way you normally would.
But if you think about one of the most reliable cars for decades now,
really has been the Toyota Prius, right?
It's the poster child for hybrids and for reliability.
And we do our annual surveys and we have an article from December 2025.
Hybrids are still the most reliable cars CR survey shows.
That's obviously, there's use cases involved here, but in general hybrids are really reliable,
more reliable than gas engine cars and way more reliable than electric vehicles
and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
You know, there's a way that they address these issues to make it so that, you know,
the way a hybrid acts isn't detrimental to the gas engine.
Yeah, it's not like cold start every single time.
Exactly.
Similar to that situation, traditional vehicles.
Yeah, so the keys really like it with any powertrain.
If you're choosing a car that's a hybrid,
choose one that's been production for a little bit and check its reliability history.
Whenever something's new or redesigned, there are unknowns.
Yep.
All right.
All right.
Well, I think that's going to do it for this episode.
If you want to learn more about the cars and the topics that we talked about,
you can click on the links in the show notes.
Don't forget to send those questions, comments, videos to TalkingCarsaticloud.com.
Thanks so much for watching and we'll see y'all next week.
About this episode
Mitsubishi’s 2026 Outlander SE gets a close first-impression look, starting with three headline changes: a new 1.5L turbo + CVT replacing the prior 2.5L, a 48V mild-hybrid system, and optional Yamaha audio. The interior earns praise for easy controls, supportive seats, and mostly well-padded surfaces, but the drive disappoints—abrupt off-the-line power, buzzy turbo noise/vibration, and a ride that feels brittle over rough pavement. The “third row” is treated as mostly unusable for adults, making value hinge on incentives, warranty, and whether you truly need extra seats.
Original notes
We purchased a 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander SE for our test program and share our first impressions of the updated compact SUV, including its new 48-volt mild-hybrid turbo engine, improved interior controls, and why the tiny third row and rough ride may give shoppers pause. We also discuss whether a hybrid system may harm the gas engine if short trips prevent it from fully warming up?
Join CR at https://CR.org/joinviaYT to access our comprehensive ratings for items you use every day. CR is a mission-driven, independent, nonprofit organization.
SHOW NOTES
-----------------------------------
00:00 - Introduction
00:16 - Overview: 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander SE
02:10 - What we liked
07:39 - What we disliked
18:16 - Would you buy it?
25:07 - Question: Could the hybrid system harm the gas engine if short trips prevent it from fully warming up?
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Test Results: 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/mitsubishi/outlander/2026/overview/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
Who Makes the Most Reliable New Cars?
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/who-makes-the-most-reliable-cars-a7824554938/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
10 Best SUVs You Can Buy Right Now
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/suvs/10-best-suvs-you-can-buy-right-now-a8518508556/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
Which Brands Make the Best Cars?
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/cars-driving/which-car-brands-make-the-best-vehicles-a6159221985/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
Hybrids Are Still the Most Reliable Cars
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/electric-vehicles-are-less-reliable-than-conventional-cars-a1047214174/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
Talking Cars (MP3)
Consumer Reports
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30:41