The release of the new Outlander has not been as secret as Mitsubishi may have hoped.

Back in 2009, Mitsubishi revealed a few teaser images, similar to those released by Nissan about the new generation Pathfinder. Mitsubishi simply named it the PX-MiEV SUV.

When they revealed the concept, they were giving no sign that this would be the new Outlander. Then everyone put the pieces together, and worked out that this new SUV model would sit comfortably between the Lancer and Pajero.

As far as design goes, it looks like an Outlander should be nothing too drastic. We are a little concerned with the suggested downsize of the engines. The current Outlander is decked out with a 3.0L petrol and 2.4L diesel. Sources say that this will be replaced with 2.0L petrol and 2.2L diesel.

The Outlander is an SUV and hence is not necessarily renowned for its off-road ability. Having said that, whenever something new arises on the market, we tend to poke our head up every now and then and see what all the fuss is about.

The new Outlander is expected for a 2013 Australian release.

Would you sacrifice power in your engine if it meant you spent less on fuel?