2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Debuts With Updated Styling

When you put your best-selling model under the knife, you can’t screw it up. Mitsubishi approached their update to the Outlander Sport in much the same way they approached the bigger three-row Outlander: make a number of small, meaningful changes; update the styling; and continue to deliver versatility and value. To that end, the “Dynamic Shield” styling concept has been expanded to the smaller two-row, in addition to small changes that aim to make the crossover more livable in the day-to-day.

As with some mid-cycle refreshes, the Dynamic Shield front end treatment will likely take some time to grow on us. First impression: it’s better in person. It’s a little more restrained than the Outlander in its use of angular chrome, which is a plus in our book. A new 18-inch wheel design is available in addition to revised wheel lip moldings. Three new exterior colors are also added: Cool Silver, Diamond White Pearl, and Quartz Brown.

Inside the updated 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport many of the items that see daily use have been improved, such as a new leather-wrapped steering wheel, improved seat materials (light gray is now an optional color), and a new air conditioning panel design. Also added is a new auto-dimming rearview mirror with Homelink.

The slow death of the manual transmission continues with the Outlander Sport as well: the only way to get the five-speed is on the front-wheel-drive version of the base ES trim level and the 2.0-liter I-4. The 2.4-liter I-4 is also now available on all trim levels, expanding to the SE model, which was previously available only with the 2.0-liter I-4.

If you compared the options and features list of the 2015 Outlander Sport with the 2016 model you’d be hard pressed to spot the differences, and that’s on purpose. Mitsubishi has brought their best seller in line with their new styling direction, but they haven’t messed with the rest of the recipe.

The 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport will have a starting MSRP of $19,595, which is unchanged from 2015.

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