The Cheapest Mitsubishi Available In The US For 2025
If you head over to the vehicles page on Mitsubishi’s official website, you’ll find that they’ve still got 2024 Mirage listed for sale. Load up the Mitsubishi car locator and punch in your zip code, and you’ll probably find hundreds of available Mirages and Mirage G4s within driving distance. The 2024 Mirage starts at $16,695, and the G4 starts at $17,795, making these cars, officially, the cheapest Mitsubishis still available brand-new in the US. But, with the announcement that they’ve been discontinued for 2025, they’ve passed the most affordable model crown on to the $23,745 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport for the new model year.
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi is a Japanese automaker founded in 1870 and is part of the Mitsubishi Group and broader Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Mitsubishi Motors officially started producing passenger vehicles in 1917, the Mitsubishi Model-A, before building a legacy as the manufacturer of off-roaders like the Pajero. Mitsubishi established a strong presence in motorsport, with models like the Lancer Evolution competing in WRC and the Pajero Evolution taking multiple wins in the Dakar Rally. Its best-ever sales year in the USA was 2002, when it sold 345,915 cars.
- Founded
-
1870
- Founder
-
Yatarō Iwasaki
- Headquarters
-
Tokyo, Japan
- Owned By
-
Mitsubishi Group
- Current CEO
-
Takao Kato
You could call this a “changing of the guard” moment, as the Mirage was a hatchback, and the G4 was a sedan, while the Outlander Sport is a subcompact SUV. We haven’t heard so much as a rumor of Mitsubishi building any new sedans or hatchbacks to replace the outgoing Mirage, so it seems that, for the time being, it’s focusing all its attention on the SUV segment, and the days of cheap Mitsubishi compacts may be over. The good news is there’s plenty to like about the Outlander Sport. Let’s take a look at the new cheapest Mitsubishi available.
“Cheapest” for the purposes of our overview refers to the Mitsubishi with the lowest entry-level MSRP for the 2025 model year. Any opinions offered thereupon are those of the author unless otherwise attributed.
A Look At The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
|
Engine |
2.0-Liter NA 4-Cylinder |
2.4-Liter NA 4-Cylinder |
|
Power |
148 hp |
168 hp |
|
Torque |
145 lb-ft |
167 lb-ft |
|
Drivetrain |
All-Wheel Drive |
|
|
Transmission |
CVT |
|
If you’ve never heard of the Mitsubishi Sport, you’re probably thinking it’s just an entry-level trim for the Outlander, right? It’s more of a Ford Bronco/Bronco Sport situation. The Outlander is a compact, the Outlander Sport is a subcompact. The Outlander began life under the Mitsubishi Airtrek nameplate in Japan, while the Outlander Sport goes by the name Mitsubishi Xforce overseas. There are some similarities between the two vehicles in terms of appearance and branding, but they’re built on different platforms with different engines, and they offer two very different driving experiences.
The Outlander Sport Is Available In Five Trims
|
Grade |
MSRP |
|---|---|
|
2.0 |
$23,745 |
|
2.0 ES |
$25,745 |
|
2.0 LE |
$26,445 |
|
2.0 SE |
$27,745 |
|
2.4 SEL |
$28,545 |
Maybe the coolest thing about the Outlander Sport is the fact that every trim has all-wheel drive. This means that it’s not just the cheapest Mitsubishi on the market, it’s also one of the cheapest ways to get off-road, with 8.5 inches of ground clearance. Admittedly, it’s more suited for light-duty off-roading than rock-climbing, but you won’t feel stranded on broken roads and dirt trails.
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The 2.0 ES adds LED fog lights, rain-sensing wipers, and a more robust suite of advanced driver assistance software. The LE adds a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, along with heated leather seats. The SE features power-folding side mirrors, soft-touch seating surfaces, and a six-speaker sound system.
The main draw with the 2.4 SEL is the 2.4-liter engine, offering a twenty-horse boost over the base model, but it also features heated leather seats up front and a six-speaker sound system.
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What Does It Cost To Own A Mitsubishi Outlander Sport?
Some cars are cheap to buy, but you get what you pay for, and the frequent nickel-and-dime repairs eventually make up the difference that you saved on the price tag. So, how about the Mitsubishi Outlander? Going to RepairPal for annual maintenance estimates and CarEdge for ten-year costs, here’s what we turned up:
|
Annual Maintenance Estimate |
$498 |
|
Ten-Year Maintenance Estimate |
$7,644 |
J.D. Power has not reviewed any recent model year for the Outlander Sport, but RepairPal gives the automaker a reliability rating of four out of five stars, listing the following as the most expensive common fixes for the Outlander Sport:
- Brake caliper replacement (2023, 2024): $1,458
- Suspension shock or strut replacement (2024): $929 – $989
- Exhaust pipe replacement (2023): $3,383 – $3,422
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The current Outlander Sport (introduced for 2023) is based on the Mitsubishi Xforce, while the previous generation was based on the Mitsubishi ASX. As such, CarComplaints records for anything before the 2023 model aren’t relevant to buyers of new Outlander Sports, and the website doesn’t have any complaints registered so far for the 2023-2025 models. In other words: no news is good news.
Is The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport The Best Cheap SUV In Its Category?
If you’re looking for a dirt-cheap subcompact SUV from an Asian automaker, the Nissan Kicks Play starts out at just $21,520. The Play is a front-wheel drive model that cranks out 122 hp. If you want all-wheel drive, the $27,680 Nissan Kicks SR model will hook you up, and it delivers 141 hp.
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Discussion: The Kia Soul and Hyundai Venue are two of the cheapest SUV models for 2023, but which one is best?
Both these sub-$20,000 crossovers are good, but we prefer the Kia. It has more power (147 hp to 121 hp), comparable gas mileage (31 mpg combined) and better cargo space behind the rear seats (24.2 to 18.7 cubic feet). On a more subjective note, the Soul also has more interesting styling. Which of these two would you spend your money on?
At the moment, the Hyundai Venue is the cheapest SUV on the market today, starting at just $20,200 for the SE trim. The Venue packs a 1.6-liter Smartstream four-cylinder delivering 121 hp, so it’s the least powerful SUV we’re covering here, but the specs aren’t bad for twenty grand.
The Outlander Sport Might Be The Best-Value Purchase For Performance In Its Price Range
There are cheaper SUVs out there than the Outlander Sport, but we ultimately feel confident in giving it a strong recommendation based on the simple fact that it’s an all-wheel drive SUV delivering 148 hp in its weakest configuration, which places it if not head-and-shoulders, then at least close to what Nissan and Hyundai are offering in the low-$20,000 range.
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Sources: Mitsubishi, CarComplaints, CarEdge, RepairPal
