Automotive

Mitsubishi designs special edition Outlanders for summer and winter sports

Mitsubishi designs special edition Outlanders for summer and winter sports
The Mitsubishi Outlander Winter Edition is ready for the slopes and backcountry
The Mitsubishi Outlander Winter Edition is ready for the slopes and backcountry
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The Outlander Winter Edition has a coffeemaker and gear storage in back
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The Outlander Winter Edition has a coffeemaker and gear storage in back
Matching his and her snowboards
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Matching his and her snowboards
Body color trim blends with gray suede, black leather and yellow stitching
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Body color trim blends with gray suede, black leather and yellow stitching
The Outlander Winter Edition seats seven and includes a special Recaro booster seat
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The Outlander Winter Edition seats seven and includes a special Recaro booster seat
The Summer Edition has various bins and mounts for sport and fitness gear
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The Summer Edition has various bins and mounts for sport and fitness gear
You'll never have an excuse for missing a workout in the Outlander Sport Summer Edition
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You'll never have an excuse for missing a workout in the Outlander Sport Summer Edition
Both Winter and Summer versions have integrated GoPro cameras
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Both Winter and Summer versions have integrated GoPro cameras
The Summer Edition's interior is trimmed in burnt orange
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The Summer Edition's interior is trimmed in burnt orange
Every shoe and helmet in its place
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Every shoe and helmet in its place
The Outlander Sport Summer Edition has his and her Trek bikes on top
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The Outlander Sport Summer Edition has his and her Trek bikes on top
Organized snowboard gear storage
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Organized snowboard gear storage
An iPhone 5 with camera lens in the Outlander Winter Edition
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An iPhone 5 with camera lens in the Outlander Winter Edition
The Winter Edition includes a ski pole-style gear shifter and LED-illuminated Thermos holder
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The Winter Edition includes a ski pole-style gear shifter and LED-illuminated Thermos holder
Inside the Outlander Winter Edition
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Inside the Outlander Winter Edition
Ready to hit the mountains ...
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Ready to hit the mountains ...
The Summer Edition's graphite wheels
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The Summer Edition's graphite wheels
The Outlander Sport Summer Edition has his and her Trek bikes on top
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The Outlander Sport Summer Edition has his and her Trek bikes on top
The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Summer Edition is ready for the great outdoors
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The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Summer Edition is ready for the great outdoors
The Mitsubishi Outlander Winter Edition is ready for the slopes and backcountry
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The Mitsubishi Outlander Winter Edition is ready for the slopes and backcountry
View gallery - 19 images

Giving a little competition to BMW and its Concept Powder Ride and Concept Active Tourer Outdoor, Mitsubishi has its own ideas of what SUVs specially outfitted for winter and summer sports should look like. It has revealed those ideas in two new concept cars designed in cooperation with H360 Group. The Outlander Sport Summer Edition opens the door up for all kinds of adventure and fitness, while the Outlander Winter Edition is all about shredding snow.

Mitsubishi's ideas are a little more sport-focused and down-to-earth than BMW's. Instead of massive roof box sound systems and conceptual hatchback bike stands, the concepts stick to the basic roof wear. The Outlander Sport Summer Edition has a roof rack complete with his and her Trek mountain bikes, while the Outlander Winter Edition has his and her snowboards mounted up top.

Since the warm weather of summer tends to encourage a larger variety of sports, the Summer Edition is a full-fledged multi-sport mobile. Open the tailgate, and you'll find a storage system designed to hold all kinds of sports gear, including helmets, sneakers and yoga mats. A waterproof bin is built specifically for holding a life vest and wakeboard rope. Other equipment that is mounted and stowed around the interior includes a tennis racket, jump rope, kettlebell workout weights and resistance bands.

Every shoe and helmet in its place
Every shoe and helmet in its place

On the other end of the interior, a remote-controlled GoPro Hero3 is mounted to the dash for filming vehicle action. Pop it out of the mount, and you can also use it to film whatever adventure the Outlander Sport Summer takes you to. A workout USB is plugged into the port in front, and there's also a mounted iPad Mini that connects to the vehicle's integrated Wi-Fi.

The Outlander Winter Edition is focused around the specific sport of snowboarding. Its cargo area has an LED-lit metal shelf to hold snowboard boots, jackets, goggles, pants and gloves. For cold mornings that quickly make cold soup out of drive-up window coffee, the car includes a mini Keurig coffeemaker in back and an insulated Thermos in the center console. If your winter adventure includes a long trek up the mountain or into the forest, you can brew yourself a cup of coffee when you arrive at the trailhead and take it in your Thermos. The Winter Edition also has a dash-mounted GoPro, along with an iPhone 5 with camera lens in the armrest.

The Outlander Winter Edition has a coffeemaker and gear storage in back
The Outlander Winter Edition has a coffeemaker and gear storage in back

We won't be too hard on Mitsubishi, since these are just design exercises that it explicitly says aren't intended for production, but we are not sure that the trendy combination of integrated fitness center, bike closet and wakeboard stash will work for everyone in the target market. An SUV can fit all that stuff pretty well without the cute little cubbies and shelves that will probably be more annoying than useful for most purposes. And while a coffeemaker out in the trunk might come in handy on rare occasions, how about just a cup warmer to keep a regular cup of coffee hot on long, chilly commutes, like the ones you'll take every day of the winter.

The Winter Edition includes a ski pole-style gear shifter and LED-illuminated Thermos holder
The Winter Edition includes a ski pole-style gear shifter and LED-illuminated Thermos holder

On the actual automotive hardware side, both the Summer and Winter Editions are essentially stock Outlanders with a few cosmetic upgrades. The 5-person Summer Edition has a burnt orange body planted atop 20-inch graphite wheels shod in Nitto NT420S tires. Inside, it has a combination of black leather, gray suede, and burnt orange accents and stitching. The Winter Edition has brushed aluminum exterior trim, brushed silver 20-inch wheels with upgraded brakes and tires, black leather and gray suede seats with yellow stitching, body color interior trim, all-weather floor mats, and a ski pole grip shifting knob to add a little decorative cherry on top.

Amidst all the novelties and cosmetics, Mitsubishi doesn't mention what engine is running the show, so we're left to assume it's a stock engine, like the 2.0-liter MIVEC four-cylinder or 2.2-liter diesel.

Source: Mitsubishi

View gallery - 19 images
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1 comment
rubentodd
Mitsubishi always bring something very unique and is always appreciated by people.