Mitsubishi's new trapezoidal grille design is spreading throughout the lineup, and the Outlander looks to be the next vehicle that gets struck with the corporate underbite. At least now the Lancer won't be the only Mitsu wearing a grille cribbed from the '57 Chrysler 300. The new front fascia will include angry-eye headlamps and appears to be the only external change to the Outlander during its mid-cycle freshening. A gaggle of engineers were rumored to be fussing over the cars that spy photogs snagged in the Western US desert, which may mean powertrain changes. Can we cast our vote for an Evo powertrain under the new sheetmetal?
We've covered the adventures in rebadging undertaken by PSA Peugeot Citroen with the forthcoming Mitsubishi Outlander clones, the Peugeot 4007 and Citroën C-Crosser. The 4007 is homely-looking, but the Citroën's visual transformation fares much better. In the UK, it appears to have connected with Citroën dealers, who have bought up the full 2007 allotment of the cars.
If car buyers show the same level of confidence in the French-branded SUVs as the dealers have shown in stocking up on them, it could pave the way for more interesting vehicles out of the Franco-Japanese joint venture. Industry resource Just-Auto reports that one possibility could be a Peugeot/Citroën-branded "lifestyle pick-up" based on the Mitsubishi L200, which has seen some success in the UK market already. The idea would be to leverage Mitsubishi's 4WD expertise to offer something very different from PSA's traditional passenger vehicle lineup. The C-Crosser and 4007 are the automaker's first SUVs.
Larger and more powerful than the model it replaces, Mitsubishi has aimed its Outlander at bigger game. Where last year's model had Subaru dead in its sights, the 2007 model is taking on Toyota's RAV-4 and Honda's CR-V.
So what makes the Outlander shoppable against those two best-sellers? They're about equal on options and pricing, but the Toyota is less fun even with its V6 option, and the four-cylinder Honda doesn't even offer a third row seat, no matter how useless those extra seats are in these smallish CUVs.
The Outlander's looks have moved away from the "toughwagon" genre dominated by the aforementioned Subies towards the sporty mini-ute segment. Its side windows are tall, but the rear-leaning back window adds a look of speed. The standard roof rack, while practical, also improves the Outlander's looks with a bit of shine on top. A roof spoiler and 18" wheels help accentuate the car's sporty intentions.
We brought you the Citroën version earlier, and aside from the new face, this ride's essentially identical. Say hello to the Peugeot 4007, which will make its debut in Geneva with its sibling, the Citroën C-Crosser. Like we said, the two are interchangeable, so that means each gets everything their source vehicle, the Mitsubishi Outlander, offers. Like the Citroën, the new Pug is powered by a 2.2L HDi diesel putting forth 160 hp (156 hp EEC).
Unlike the Citroen, the Peugeot is saddled with a face only a mother could love. The giant mouthlike grille with its pronounced vertical elements looks like it'd be more appropriate on a plankton-slurping baleen whale than an SUV. Also, note the added grillework behind the little hood-mounted lion badge. Suffice to say that we're generally unmoved by the styling up front. You can check it (and the rest of the car) out in detail via the attached gallery.
An interesting aside on the name: The "00" names are reserved for Peugeot vehicles that are different and/or original, and outside the standard model range. The only other Peugeot that falls into this category is the nifty, sliding-doored 1007 city car.
Click photo for gallery of the UK Outlander, the Citroen C-Crosser, and Peugeot 4007
In an unexpected bit of quid pro quo, PSA will supply Mitsubishi with a 154-horsepower 2.2L turbodiesel engine that the Japanese automaker will offer in the Outlander SUV when it goes on sale in Europe. That will allow Mitsu to offer a pair of diesels in their Euro-Outlander, as they already had a deal in place to sell it with 138-hp VW-supplied 2.0L diesels. This is good for Mitsubishi because now it gets to offer a diesel engine range, which is always helpful on the continent. Naturally, a traditional gasoline engine will also be offered.
PSA's happy, too, because their existing partnership with Mitsubishi netted them the badge-engineered Peugeot 4007 and Citroën C-Crosser. Truth be told, we're totally curious to see whether or not the sharp-looking Mitsu outsells its Francophone doppelgangers. We know we'd take the Mitsu every time, but there's no accounting for the tastes of our friends overseas. Seriously, how else do you explain the horrifying 4007?
You can read the Mitsubishi/PSA joint press release after the jump. For reference, we've also included the PR on the UK-spec Outlander, which will be available with both diesels discussed above. Check out our gallery for high-res shots of the UK Outlander as well as its Peugeot 4007 and Citroën C-Crosser cousins.
The Lanver Evolution is by far the best thing going on at Mitsubishi right now and has been for awhile. The automaker's product portfolio, however, is starting to perk up, especially with the addition of the very capable new Outlander CUV. Still, we can only imaging good things would come from Mitsubishi adding a little bit more EVO to its lineup. The EVOLANDER is just that, an Outlander with a little bit of EVO in its system thanks to the folks at Ralliart. Those hoping for an all-out EVO CUV, however, will be only partly pleased. The Outlander's 3.0-liter V6 is apparently turbocharged, as the placard next to the vehicle refers to its power rating as 300 hp at 6psi of boost. That would surely account for the extra 80 horsepower underhood, as well as provide a little mechanical lineage with with the turbo EVO (although that car makes do with a turbocharged four-cylinder producing 286 horsepower). Because the outlander's a CUV, however, we would've like an EVO version that had significantly more power than the car to carry around that extra weight. 330-350 hp maybe? There are Lancer EVO styling cues around the truck, 20-inch wheels, Brembo brakes and Recaro seats, as well as an aftermarket suspension and center mounted exhaust. Despite the fact we don't consider the EVOLANDER a true EVO truck (maybe 4/5 an EVO-inspired CUV), we still think Mitsubishi should be selling it in limited quantities. Just as long as it's not neutered from the get-go like the Galant Ralliart.
Check out more pics and all the info we've got on the EVOLANDER after the jump.
Images are floating around the internet purportedly showing the upcoming Peugeot 4007 sport-ute. The crossover is one of two PSA trucks to be based on the new Mitsubishi Outlander, together with the upcoming Citroen C7. The 4007, C7 and Outlander will all be built on the same assembly line at Mitsubishi's plant in Okazaki, Japan.
While the images certainly look professional, some have expressed doubts as to their authenticity. Although the front of the car shows clear and distinctive Peugeot design cues around the headlights, hood and grille, the rest of the truck looks almost identical to its Mitsubishi counterpart. As we've seen from previous Mitsubishi collaborations (particularly with Chrysler), the badge-engineered vehicles can look nearly identical to each other (save the badge), but we've come to expect different from the French automaker who usually style its cars more uniquely (although this is Peugeot's first sport-ute).
Mechanically the 4007 (and the C7, for that matter) is expected to carry-over from the Outlander. Engines will likely include a 2.4-liter gasoline powerplant producing 170 hp, together with two diesels, coupled to Mitsubishi's electronic all-wheel-drive system and six-speed continuously-variable transmission.
The Mitsubishi made its debut at the last New York Auto Show in April and has been on the road for over a year now, while Peugeot is expected to reveal the 4007 at Geneva next year.
You may remember DAMD as the Japanese tuner house that grafted an Aston Martin nose on a Nissan 350Z (more on that in a later post). Now the aftermarket company has set its sights on the brand new Mitsubishi Outlander, which in our opinion looks just fine off the showroom floor. But those DAMD tuners went and produced a three-piece body kit for the Outlander that includes a new front spoiler, rear apron and side skirts. A new grille insert can also be bought to finish off the company's kit. The wheels are 20-inch in diameter and look to be about all the Outlander's fenders can handle. We wish we could tell you this DAMD Outlander was packing some heat over and above the stock 3.0-liter V6 producing 220 horsepower, but DAMD produces parts strictly for show, folks. If you live in the U.S., however, it makes no difference as DAMD sells its wares only in Japan.
Mitsubishi just released pricing on the upcoming 2007 Outlander and it looks to be priced just right to compete in this very competitive class, unlike its predecessor that remained a bit player. Base prices range from $19,990 for a 25th Anniversary-discounted ES up to $25,010 for the top-level XLS with 4wd. That puts it about $700-$900 below the upcoming '07 CRV from Honda and Toyota's RAV4. This all-new second generation Outlander represents a huge launch for Mitsubishi and with a 220-hp MIVEC V-6 and 6-speed, manually-shiftable automatic, it looks like it might have what it takes.
As we told you when it was first shown at the New York Auto Show in April, the new Outlander is significantly larger and even offers an optional flip up third-row of seats to become a 7-seater (by name only, don't put humans back there). And for the first time in this class, it is even offered as a P-ZEV in California where the V-6 will be rated at 213 hp. Based on the new Lancer platform, it should handle well for a CUV, too. Standard features include skid and traction control supervision, anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution, 'FAST-key' keyless entry and ignition, and a 140-watt stereo with compact disc and MP3.
The optional all-wheel-drive system offers selectable modes controlled throuh a center console dial. This allows drivers to select front-wheel drive, "4WD Auto" that directs a variable amount of power to the rear wheels, or "4WD Lock" which enables more power to go to the rear wheels for snow or mud. Other options include a 10 gig hard-drive based sat-nav system that allows owners to load MP3s, rear-seat DVD with wireless headphones, Bluetooth compatibility and an optional Rockford-Fosgate 650-watt stereo with Sirius satellite radio.
Who says that Europeans, especially the French, are not interested in SUVs? Automaker PSA has partnered with Mitsubishi Motors to develop a pair of new soft roaders, the Peugeot 7007 and Citroen C9.
Details are still sketchy, but both vehicles will be based on the new Mitsubishi Outlander which is due in the U.S. soon. Possible engines include a 170-bhp, 2.4-liter gas engine from Mitsubishi and a 136-bhp 2.0-liter diesel provided by PSA. The French automaker plans to roll out both SUVs sometime in 2007 at a price of between €20,000 and €30,000.
Mitsubishi's new trapezoidal grille design is spreading throughout the lineup, and the Outlander looks to be the next vehicle that gets struck with the corporate underbite. At least now the Lancer won't be the only Mitsu wearing a grille cribbed from the '57 Chrysler 300. The new front fascia will include angry-eye headlamps and appears to be the only external change to the Outlander during its mid-cycle freshening. A gaggle of engineers were rumored to be fussing over the cars that spy photogs snagged in the Western US desert, which may mean powertrain changes. Can we cast our vote for an Evo powertrain under the new sheetmetal? 
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