Older than the oldest Outlander
This is a first generation Mitsubishi Outlander. However? Yes and no. It is the car on which the Outlander was based, the Japanese Mitsubishi Airtrek. Moreover, it is a Turbo-R, an SUV with Evo genes!
The first Mitsubishi Outlander is relatively rare even in European form. The Outlander only really became known here later in its career and the original version of this model was only in the showrooms in Europe for three years. From 2003 to 2006, to be exact, making the Outlander somewhat later than the Japanese-market car it was based on. The Mitsubishi Airtrek already appeared in 2001 and was heavily modified for export, especially at the front.
If you look at this blue Airtrek, you can probably imagine why. With its double viewers, the Airtrek reminds us a bit of the second generation of the Lexus GS. On the SUV body of the Mitsubishi, this produces a perhaps somewhat taste-sensitive and ‘un-European’ image, although we can secretly appreciate this somewhat remarkable front.
A ‘European’ Outlander Turbo
The car shown here is from 2002 and therefore actually older than the oldest Outlander. It’s not just any Airtrek, it’s a Turbo-R. It has the engine of the famous Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, although it delivers less power in this application. Instead of the paper ‘280 hp’ of the Evo – after all, that was the agreed maximum in Japan at the time – the Aitrek comes to 240 hp. That is still more than the European counterpart of this car, the Outlander Turbo. It had 201 hp and is itself a real rarity.
Compared to its European brother, the Airtrek distinguishes itself with that nose, but also with unique bumpers, the lack of the rather striking roof rails, a large roof spoiler and those typical windshields above the side windows. The rear lights in the Japanese version have ‘normal’ red glass, at least largely. The orange part intrigues us, because the turn signals are housed in the space next to it. The Airtrek originally had no rear fog light, hence the LED triangle placed under the bumper. The Airtrek in question has been seen on Dutch roads since 2018 and has not changed hands since its arrival here. Our advice: keep that thing, because it really is something special.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl