2016 Mitsubishi Outlander focuses on price and features over refinement

How good does a car need to be to appeal to buyers? That's the question posed by the Mitsubishi Outlander small SUV, newly updated for 2016. While it’s quieter now and feels more solid, the freshening goes only so far.

Mitsubishi seems to be turning into the Walmart of car companies. Price and practicality are the main attractions, while shoppers seeking higher levels of quality and design shop elsewhere. Forget about exciting rally-bred Evos or slinky Eclipse coupes. Those days are long gone, hastened by the brand's near-collapse in America. This is an automaker that once predicted it would sell a half-million vehicles a year here; last year it barely topped 75,000.

Now, the Outlander serves as Mitsubishi’s unlikely flagship here. Unfortunately, when this generation was introduced for 2013, not only did it score near the bottom of Consumer Reports' ratings, but it was also panned by most critics and even Mitsubishi officials admitted that it wasn't ready for the U.S. market.

Enter the 2016 Outlander, which received many changes to address myriad shortcomings. Many changes attempt to make the Outlander look less proletarian, with more chrome trim and the addition of soft-touch materials throughout the cabin.

Other updates aim to be deeper. The biggest improvement is the addition of sound-deadening measures to subdue the previously offensive levels of interior noise. But they only go so far, as the standard 166-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine still creates plenty of racket when it struggles to motivate the Outlander. Even though the continuously variable transmission was also revised for 2016, this CVT reminds us why we often dislike this technology. Pressing the accelerator makes the car surge unevenly, like its horsepower is trapped in a clogged garden hose.

Suspension changes were made to address complaints about handling. However, the Outlander still feels rather ungainly to drive, with none of the agility that was once possessed by its predecessor. The ride is less stiff, and the car is quieter.

Inside, the Outlander received a bunch of updates, but they come across as half-hearted. The second row seat is less Rube Goldberg-esque to fold out of the way for cargo, but it still requires too many steps to perform. You still can’t get a power driver’s seat unless you choose the leather option, and adjustable lumbar isn’t even offered.