Is the hottest vehicle on sale in the US right now also one that might be the oldest? Mitsubishi’s Outlander Sport is having the year of its life right now, with sales through the roof. In the first half of 2026, Mitsubishi’s smallest model has already sold more units than it has in a full year since 2021. Considering its bones are far older than that, it seems Mitsubishi has taught this old dog some new tricks.
Outlander Sport Is in High Demand Right Now
2025 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 3rd Gen (XD) Facelift SUVMitsubishi
So far in 2026, 20,508 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport crossovers have found new homes. In the first half of 2025, Mitsubishi sold 11,878 and in the entire year, it managed just 20,479. That wasn’t just a one-year slump, either: the Outlander Sport had 15,124 sales in 2024, 15,016 in 2023, and 16,374 in 2022. Somehow in 2021, it managed 32,214 sales, though that year buyers were desperate for new cars that they could actually find on dealer lots.
Base Trim Engine
2L I4 ICE
Base Trim Transmission
CVT
Base Trim Drivetrain
Four-Wheel Drive
Base Trim Horsepower
148 HP @6000 RPM
Base Trim Torque
145 lb.-ft. @ 4200 RPM
Base Trim Fuel Economy (city/highway/combined)
23/29/26 MPG
Infotainment & Features
6 /10
Sales of the Outlander Sport are up 73% year over year for the first half of 2026, and nearly triple the first half of 2024. What’s going on? Mitsubishi calls it “a sharp focus on responding to a growing consumer affordability issue.” In other words, it’s affordable in an era where affordability is a priority.
Outlander Sport is one of the tiny number of crossovers with a suggested retail price starting under $25,000. It comes in at $24,995, though that’s before $1,795 in destination fees. All-wheel drive is standard equipment, which is another huge plus, and it’s the most affordable standard AWD model on sale today.
Old Bones, Long Warranty
2025 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 3rd Gen (XD) Facelift SUVMitsubishi
To further help with affordability, Mitsubishi offers a five-year, 60,000-mile warranty, a 10-year 100,000-mile powertrain warranty, and two years or 30,000 miles of included maintenance. The service deal helps in the short term and the powertrain warranty is handy if you have to stretch out that loan. Combine the warranty and MSRP “and you get the sales success the vehicle saw in Q2,” a company spokesperson told CarBuzz.
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The Mitsubishi Outlander, as we know it, will only last for a few years before it moves on to a totally different platform.
Still, it’s a surprise to see a vehicle first revealed in 2010 posting strong sales in 2026. The Outlander Sport has had a number of refreshes over the years, including a cosmetic one in 2014 and a tech and cabin update in 2019. The Outlander Sport, which has nothing in common with the larger Outlander, is neck and neck with the Dodge Durango for oldest new car that isn’t a General Motors commercial van.
Mitsubishi’s other lowest-cost model has also been selling well. The Eclipse Cross also starts under $30,000, and it’s from 2018, so it is much newer. Sales of that one were up around 50% for the second quarter versus the same period last year.
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Mitsubishi needs a model well under $25k to match the competition.
What might be the strangest part of the sales bump is that Mitsubishi has fewer dealers than it has had in years. The company lost 30 stores in the last year and a half and 56 since 2019, according to previous reports, or around 16% of its total. The remaining dealers, then, must be having a field day.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport – front 3/4 angle Mitsubishi
This one isn’t complicated: Buyers want more affordable vehicles and Mitsubishi offers them. That’s bound to drive sales in a tough economy.
It could be a mixed blessing for shoppers long-term, though. With more customers and more sales, Mitsubishi will have less supply and less motivation to offer discounts and cheap financing. But other car companies might see the successes and bring lower-cost models of their own, which could be good for buyers looking for bargains.
