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Updates arrive for most of the Mitsubishi lineup, but it’s curtains for one the last truly affordable cars.
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The next model year brings a handful of updates and surprises to Mitsubishi’s lineup. As some models get fresh power or new features, others quietly fade from the roster. Keep reading to find out what’s new for 2026.
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Mitsubishi keeps updates light for its larger subcompact SUV this year. SEL and SEL Touring trims now wear Eclipse Cross badging across the hood, and built-in navigation—once available on SE and higher—has been dropped. The Eclipse Cross first launched in 2018 and refreshed in 2022 with sharper styling and a retuned suspension.
MotorTrend Ranked: #16 in subcompact SUVs (2026 model).
Read Our Experts’ Full Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Review
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The 2026 Outlander SUV gets a major update under the hood with a new mild hybrid setup that pairs a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with an electric motor. Mitsubishi hasn’t confirmed output, but it’s expected to at least match the outgoing 2.5-liter’s 181 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque.
The trim lineup also shifts this year, highlighted by the range-topping SEL Black Edition and the return of the Ralliart, a new midlevel LE slotting between ES and SE. The Trail Edition introduced last year sticks around, too.
MotorTrend Ranked: #9 in compact SUVs (2025 model).
Read Our Experts’ Full Mitsubishi Outlander Review
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The Outlander Hybrid adds a few comfort and tech updates. Heated front seats are now standard across the lineup, and the SEL trim gains a heated steering wheel and a panoramic sunroof. Buyers also receive complimentary connected services, including a five-year trial of Safeguard vehicle support and a 12-month trial of Mitsubishi’s Remote Services. The SE Black Edition trim has been dropped for 2026.
MotorTrend Ranked: #4 in compact plug-in hybrid SUVs (2025 model).
Read Our Experts’ Full Mitsubishi Outlander Hybrid Review
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The Outlander Sport carries over into 2026 without changes. Although it received a refresh in 2020, the compact SUV hasn’t scored a full redesign since its 2011 debut. Its most recent updates came in 2024, when Mitsubishi introduced a Trail Edition, complimentary limited maintenance, a new SEL trim, and a rear seat alert, all of which continue for 2026.
MotorTrend Ranked: Unranked in subcompact SUVs (2025 model).
Read Our Experts’ Full Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Review
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The Mirage bowed out after the 2024 model year, though remaining inventory lingered into 2025. Long known as one of the market’s most affordable new cars, it earned praise for its excellent fuel economy and low entry price, but sluggish acceleration and unrefined driving dynamics held it back. With no cost-effective path to electrification, the automaker ultimately chose to retire the model, which means it’s all SUVs for Mitsubishi for 2026.
Read Our Experts’ Full Mitsubishi Mirage Review
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My dad was a do-it-yourselfer, which is where my interest in cars began. To save money, he used to service his own vehicles, and I often got sent to the garage to hold a flashlight or fetch a tool for him while he was on his back under a car. Those formative experiences activated and fostered a curiosity in Japanese automobiles because that’s all my Mexican immigrant folks owned then. For as far back as I can remember, my family always had Hondas and Toyotas. There was a Mazda and a Subaru in there, too, a Datsun as well. My dad loved their fuel efficiency and build quality, so that’s how he spent and still chooses to spend his vehicle budget. Then, like a lot of young men in Southern California, fast modified cars entered the picture in my late teens and early 20s. Back then my best bud and I occasionally got into inadvisable high-speed shenanigans in his Honda. Coincidentally, that same dear friend got me my first job in publishing, where I wrote and copy edited for action sports lifestyle magazines. It was my first “real job” post college, and it gave me the experience to move just a couple years later to Auto Sound & Security magazine, my first gig in the car enthusiast space. From there, I was extremely fortunate to land staff positions at some highly regarded tuner media brands: Honda Tuning, UrbanRacer.com, and Super Street. I see myself as a Honda guy, and that’s mostly what I’ve owned, though not that many—I’ve had one each Civic, Accord, and, currently, an Acura RSX Type S. I also had a fourth-gen Toyota pickup when I met my wife, with its bulletproof single-cam 22R inline-four, way before the brand started calling its trucks Tacoma and Tundra. I’m seriously in lust with the motorsport of drifting, partly because it reminds me of my boarding and BMX days, partly because it’s uncorked vehicle performance, and partly because it has Japanese roots. I’ve never been much of a car modifier, but my DC5 is lowered, has a few bolt-ons, and the ECU is re-flashed. I love being behind the wheel of most vehicles, whether that’s road tripping or circuit flogging, although a lifetime exposed to traffic in the greater L.A. area has dulled that passion some. And unlike my dear ol’ dad, I am not a DIYer, because frankly I break everything I touch.
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