As car models become older, it’s not uncommon for sales to decline. It’s completely logical. Other companies will have launched competitors that are newer and offer more value, performance, or even just some fresh styling, so they may steal some sales. Plus, why would you want to replace your old car with almost the same one, but with a new monthly payment? And yet, two of the oldest vehicles on sale in America just keep selling.
Those two models are the Dodge Durango and Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, both of which have been on the same core generation for 15 model years, and both companies are moving shocking numbers of them.
Dodge Durango Is On Track For Its Best Year Ever
2026 Dodge Durango R/T 392 Launch EditionDOdge
The first model year for each of these SUVs was 2011, and each represented a completely new vehicle. In the Durango’s case, though, the nameplate wasn’t new, and the 2011 model year launched the third-generation of the line. Its predecessor ended production after the 2009 model year, and the first generation launched at the end of the 1990s. With its 15-year run, it’s the longest-lived generation of the SUV.
Third-Generation Dodge Durango Sales Highlights
Current Year-to-Date
38,575 (2026)
Best Year
81,168 (2025)
Worst Year
42,589 (2012)
Biggest Increase (Volume)
21,811 (2025)
Biggest Increase (Percentage)
43% (2013)
Despite its remarkable age, this generation of Durango is selling better than it ever has, even when it was completely new. The best full year of sales it has had so far was in 2025 when Dodge managed to move 81,168 of them. That marked a huge 37% increase over 2024. This year is looking even better. Despite the second quarter being slower than it was last year, sales to date are higher at 38,575 for 2026 versus 34,399 for 2025. Between 2011, the first full year for the third-generation of Durango, and 2024, sales never hit 70,000 units, making it clear just how huge a jump its seeing.
What May Be Driving Durango Sales
2026 Dodge DurangoStellantis
Although it’s ancient, the Durango has a unique feature that nothing else in the segment offers: a V8. Every other midsize to large three-row mainstream SUV has shifted to offering four- or six-cylinder engines. Even Jeep dropped the V8 option from the Grand Cherokee after the 2023 model year. Technically, there are competitors with lower cylinder counts that match the output of the V8 Durangos, even across some of the different displacement sizes and power levels, but it’s clear that there is a segment of buyers who really want the V8 feel. You can look to the Ram 1500’s increased sales following the reintroduction of the V8 option.
That V8 option may even be poaching a few former Charger and Challenger buyers. The previous-generation Charger and the two-door Challenger were also old, but were perennial sellers, and mainly for their unique classic muscle car character. However, the new Charger is only available with a twin-turbo six-cylinder or an electric powertrain, which likely doesn’t satiate die-hard V8 fans.
The Durango, while bigger, has the same V8s that those muscle car buyers loved, and the platform is even related to those vehicles. So they may find the Durango to be their only real option to replace their beloved sedans and coupes.
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Also Has A Shot At A Record
2024 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport exteriorMitsubishi
Mitsubishi’s compact SUV has been around just as long as the third-generation Durango. However, it’s the first in its line, rather than the third. It filled a slot underneath the Outlander, as that model had grown to the point of having V6 engine options and even a third row of seats. Rather than being replaced, it has lingered, while Mitsubishi launched a newer, similarly sized option with the Eclipse Cross. This left the Outlander Sport as a budget option.
Surely part of why Mitsubishi has kept the Outlander Sport around with just the most minor updates is because it’s still managed to sell in decent numbers. With that said, it hasn’t ever reached the heights of the Durango, nor been quite as consistent. In 2022, sales took a serious tumble by more than 50% of the previous year’s sales, and 2023 was the worst year overall. At least, it was the worst as far as we can tell. Mitsubishi doesn’t have detailed sales online before 2013, so we don’t know how the Outlander Sport did in 2011 and 2012.
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Sales Highlights
Current Year-to-Date
20,508 (2026)
Best Year
39,153 (2018)
Worst Year
15,125 (2023)
Biggest Increase (Volume)
6,103 (2014)
Biggest Increase (Percentage)
35.4% (2025)
Related
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The Outlander Sport has already outsold its entire 2025 run… and 2022, 2023, and 2024 to boot.
Surprisingly, though, sales turned around in 2025, and 2026 is looking even better. So far this year, Mitsubishi has sold 20,508, topping the full-year total for 2025. This quarter was quite strong at 8,432 for 2026, and just 4,968 for the same quarter last year. If sales keep up, it’s entirely possible that the Outlander Sport could top its best year that we know of, which was 2018 with 39,153 units.
What May Be Driving Outlander Sport Sales
2025 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 3rd Gen (XD) Facelift SUVMitsubishi
Cars have never been cheap, but they feel as though they’re more expensive than ever before. The average list price for a car has topped $52,000, and people are taking out longer loans with high monthly payments to cover the costs. The number of cars with an MSRP of less than $25,000 has become quite slim. However, one of those cars with just that kind of MSRP is the Outlander Sport. It starts at $24,995, and with destination charge, it comes to $27,030.
In addition to the low price, the Outlander Sport does have some attractive features on paper. It comes standard with all-wheel drive, automatic climate control, and LED lighting. Its closest competitors either only offer those as options, or cost more to begin with. It’s also about as spacious, powerful, and economical as other small SUVs with an MSRP in this ballpark, such as the Chevy Trailblazer, Nissan Kicks, and Kia Seltos.
2025 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 3rd Gen (XD) Facelift SUVMitsubishi
To top it all off, Mitsubishi offers some of the best warranties available in this segment, with a 10-year / 100,000-mile powertrain warranty, seven-year / 100,000-mile rust perforation warranty, and five-year / 60,000-mile general warranty. The company is also known to offer financing to people with bad credit. So, in a world where cars continue to get more expensive, while customers are having a harder time affording them, a high-feature, practical SUV with easy financing and a good warranty is probably attractive to many buyers.
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What Comes Next For These SUVs
Both Dodge and Mitsubishi will be updating their SUVs, but to completely different extents. During the Stellantis Investor Day in May, the company revealed that the Durango will simply get a refresh in the near future, rather than a full redesign. Admittedly, with sales significantly on the rise, we can see a bit of the logic for keeping the basic SUV unchanged, as long as it continues offering its V8s. We do have some concerns about its long-term future, though, if there aren’t plans for a totally new model, possibly one with more electrified powertrains, coming later on.
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Mitsubishi, on the other hand, will finally launch a new generation of the Outlander Sport for the US. This is based on reports from a private dealer meeting held by the automaker in June. It will reportedly arrive in 2028, and it will be on a Mitsubishi-specific platform shared with the larger Outlander, rather than something borrowed from corporate collaborator Mitsubishi. That launch window means that it will be a hybrid of some sort, too.
It’s part of Mitsubishi’s major lineup revisions that adds new models and redesigned current ones. Oddly, the Eclipse Cross was not mentioned, so that opens up the possibility that the Eclipse Cross will soldier on relatively unchanged as the new budget offering.
