Picking the Right GMC Terrain for the Way You Drive
Seven Seats for Compact SUV Money
Shopping for a three-row crossover usually starts with a wince at the window sticker. Most family haulers with a usable back row sit a full size class above the compact segment, and the price tag follows right along. One nameplate keeps landing on shortlists anyway. Seven seats come standard at compact-SUV money, and the warranty coverage behind it is something almost nobody else matches.
- Every trim seats seven people, and the third row folds flat.
- Mitsubishi covers the powertrain for 10 years or 100,000 miles for the original owner.
- You can add Super All-Wheel Control to any trim, even the entry model.
Three Rows Where Rivals Stop at Two
Park one next to a RAV4 or a CR-V and the footprint looks about the same. At 185.8 inches long on a 106.5-inch wheelbase, the Mitsubishi Outlander lives squarely in compact-crossover territory. What separates it is that flat-fold third row, standard on every single trim, while most compact rivals call it a day after five seats.
Is that third row a road-trip palace? No. With all three rows up you’re working with 10.9 cubic feet behind them, which is roughly a grocery run and a diaper bag. Drop the back row and you get 30.6 cubic feet behind the second row. Fold everything flat and the number climbs to 64.3 cubic feet. Kids and carpool duty are what that space was built for, and for that job it works fine.
What You Get Before Checking a Single Option Box
Base trims from a lot of brands feel like a punishment. This one doesn’t. Even the entry ES ships with 11 airbags. You also get Forward Collision Mitigation with pedestrian detection, Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and Rear Automatic Emergency Braking. A 12.3-inch touchscreen with navigation is standard too. So are wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a Yamaha eight-speaker stereo, push-button start, and rear seat air vents.
Under the hood sits a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder paired with a 48-volt mild-hybrid setup, rated at 174 horsepower and 206 lb-ft of torque through a CVT. EPA estimates land at 26 city and 31 highway with front-wheel drive, or 26 city and 30 highway with S-AWC. Bolt on the factory hitch and you can pull 2,000 pounds, enough for a small utility trailer or a single personal watercraft.
Feature Breakdown by Trim Level
| Feature | ES | LE | SE | SEL | Black Edition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seven-passenger seating | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| 12.3-inch touchscreen with navigation | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Blind Spot Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Alert | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Adaptive Cruise Control | – | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Multi-View 360-degree camera | – | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Heated front seats | S-AWC models | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| MI-PILOT Assist with Stop and Go | – | – | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Power liftgate with adjustable height | – | – | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Seating surfaces | Fabric | Synthetic leather | Synthetic leather | Leather appointed | Semi-aniline leather |
| Ventilated front seats and heated steering wheel | – | – | – | Standard | Standard |
| Yamaha audio system | 8 speakers | 8 speakers | 8 speakers | 8 speakers | 12 speakers |
| Wheels | 18-inch alloy | 20-inch black alloy | 20-inch two-tone alloy | 20-inch two-tone alloy | 20-inch black alloy |
| Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional |
Packages shift things around from year to year. Check the window sticker on the exact one you want.
Where the Warranty Earns Its Keep
Ask an owner why they picked this SUV and the warranty usually comes up fast. Powertrain coverage runs 10 years or 100,000 miles for the original owner, with bumper-to-bumper protection good for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Rust coverage stretches 7 years or 100,000 miles. Roadside help lasts 5 years with no mileage cap at all. Mitsubishi also picks up the tab on the first 2 years or 30,000 miles of upkeep, which means three oil changes, three tire rotations, three checkups, and a cabin air filter. Call that real money you’re not spending in year one.
Where It Gives Up Ground
Fair is fair. That 1.5-liter turbo with a CVT gets the job done around town, but merging onto I-65 with seven people and luggage aboard asks a lot of 174 horsepower. Gas mileage is solid, though it doesn’t lead the class. Row three is still kid territory, best kept to short hops. Two adults back there on a drive to Chicago wouldn’t thank you. Need more room or more muscle? Shop one size class up and plan to pay for it.
Picking the Trim That Fits Your Driveway
Most shoppers land on SE and stop there. It adds MI-PILOT Assist for the highway drive, a power liftgate, the 360-degree camera, and 20-inch wheels. LE works if you want adaptive cruise and the camera system without paying for MI-PILOT Assist. SEL and Black Edition are for people who want leather, ventilated seats, and a heated wheel. Whichever badge you choose, ordering S-AWC is smart money in an Indiana winter.
See the Outlander Lineup at Ray Skillman
We stock Outlanders across trims at our Southside Mitsubishi store in New Whiteland. Sit in an ES and an SEL back to back and see which features you’d really use. Our product specialists will walk you through what S-AWC changes on a slushy morning, fold the third row up and down with you, and let you park the thing to test that camera system. Factory-trained techs handle the upkeep here too, so owning one stays as easy as buying one. Browse our inventory online or come see us for a test drive.
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