Holden Captiva vs Mitsubishi Outlander

What's the difference?

The Captiva is very, very long in the tooth and is heading towards retirement some time in the next twelve months. Before then, it's a lot of car for the money, particularly the seven seat LS. It's not fast, flash or futuristic but it will do the job and with all of the early problems sorted, will probably do it for quite some time.

The Captiva's low scores are mostly to do with the car just being old and feeling it, with dodgier plastics, slightly undercooked ride and handling and a lack of engine and safety tech. It doesn't mean it's a terrible car, because it isn't and Holden papers up the cracks with a low starting price and good after-sales.

The Outlander PHEV in GSR spec is a nifty daily driver, quietly appealing and more than capable of heading off-road as long as you drive it well within its AWD limits.

If you reside in the city or suburbs and your daily driving is not too punishing in terms of distance, then this PHEV makes a lot of sense. A hybrid vehicle is a happy-compromise move towards an EV future – and the Outlander PHEV is a big step in the right direction.

Formerly known as the Captiva 7, the seven seat body has remained mostly the same for its 11 years on sale. The only real changes have been around the front end, with Holden several times fiddling with the grille, lights and bumpers. There's nothing flash about the Captiva, but you know exactly what it is coming at you, with the double grille and big Holden badge.

In profile there's a lot of the original BMW X5 if you squint, right down to the copyright lawyer-dodging shape of the rear quarter window. It also has that X5's big gaps between wheelarch and tyres and a good view of the wheelarch itself. If that's your thing.

Little has changed at the back apart from bumpers and the LED effect lights added in the last update in 2014. It's unlikely you're buying the Captiva as auto haute couture, though.

Inside is basic, and you can place the Captiva's genesis in the mid-2000s, there's a certain generic GM feel to it. The switchgear feels old and clacky, the plastics are hard but do fit well enough. An Audi interior it isn't. The update in 2014 to make the 7.0-inch screen fit in the dashboard is fairly obvious and it's a shame the whole dash couldn't have been replaced. The huge steering wheel surrounds a tightly packed instrument cluster with small dials and a very old-looking LCD panel for trip computer duties.

In terms of exterior dimensions, this PHEV is 4710mm long (with a 2706mm wheelbase), 1862mm wide and 1745mm high.

The Outlander is an inoffensive-looking AWD wagon with an appearance every bit in line with its GSR spec and price-tag without going over the top.

On the outside, this top-shelf GSR incorporates Mitsubishi’s 'Dynamic Shield' design facade, which was divisive in its early years but has since attracted its fair share of fans.

On the inside, this Outlander has black leather-appointed upholstery with silver stitching, the same treatment applied to the soft-touch armrests, centre console top, sections of the dash and elsewhere.

And the big 20-inch machined alloy wheels top off a classy yet relatively subdued overall look.

In the realm of medium-sized city-going SUVs with weekend road-trip inclinations – think Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Kia Sportage and the Outlander’s hybrid rivals like the Nissan X-Trail e-Power, Toyota RAV4, et al – this Mitsubishi AWD more than holds its own because in terms of design none of them are bound to set hearts a-flutter. But they’re all fine. 

The Captiva's interior dimensions are impressive. In seven seat versions, the boot space starts at 87 litres, expanding to a handy 465 litres with the 50/50 split fold rear row stowed. Flop the middle row forward and you're up at 930 litres, a good size cargo area that could swallow a flat-pack wardrobe. If you snaffle a five-seat version, you can remove the boot floor panels to reveal another couple of hundred litres of hidey holes.

There are cup holders up front (two), in the middle row (two) and in the boot (one, strangely) for a total of five. In the seven seater, two will go thirsty.

This SUV has a family-friendly and functional interior with a premium feel, even if it does seem somewhat underdone for the price.

But it has all the right elements of a family tourer, in a cosy cabin in which it’s easy enough for driver and passengers to spend a chunk of time on lengthy road trips without complaint. I know, because we did.

The GSR has comfortable leather seats, a (mostly) user-friendly multimedia system, plenty of charge points (USB-A and USB-C up front and two USBs for second-row passengers), lots of soft-touch surfaces and a reasonable amount of storage space peppered throughout.

Nice touches, such as the heated steering wheel and heated front seats, which also have the massage function, top off what is an impressive interior.

There is wired charging for smartphones with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, as well as a wireless charging pad. There are also 240V/1500W power outlets.

The 9.0-inch multimedia touchscreen is too small for me (perhaps a case of Old Bloke Eyes?), but it’s better when engaged in Apple CarPlay mode. The 12.3-inch high-resolution digital driver display is simple enough to use, and the 10.8-inch head-up display is a handy feature.

The driver has an eight-way power adjustable seat, so they’re able to dial-in their favourite driving position.

As stated, this Outlander’s seats are comfortable with a reasonable amount of room for everyone, though the third row is a tight fit for anyone other than children.

The second row is a 40/20/40 split configuration, while the third row is 50/50.

In terms of packing space, there is 191 litres in the rear cargo area when all seats are being used, 461 litres when the third row is folded flat, and 1387 litres when the second and third rows are stowed away.

The seven-seat 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV GSR is the top-shelf variant in a five-model PHEV AWD range and has a price-tag of $73,790, excluding on-road costs. 

Standard features include a 9.0-inch multimedia touchscreen, a 12.3-inch digital driver display, wireless smartphone charging, a nine-speaker BOSE sound system, multi-zone climate control, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, head-up display, heated massage front seats, two-tone leather-appointed seat trim, a panoramic sunroof, a powered tailgate and 20-inch alloy wheels.

Exterior paint options for the GSR are, 'White Diamond', 'Red Diamond', 'Black Diamond' or 'Graphite Grey'.

Note: The Outlander does not have a spare tyre – not even a space-saver.

The Outlander PHEV has few to no rivals in the mid-size SUV segment, certainly none that can offer anything near Mitsubishi’s (conditional) 10-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

If you like a choice of engine size, you've come to the right place. The Captiva has three engine specs in the range - two petrols and a diesel.

The smaller petrol, a 2.4-litre four-cylinder, produces 123kW at 5600rpm and 230Nm at 4600rpm. Driving the front wheels, this motor is available with choice of gearbox, either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. This 2.4 is only available on the LS and Active.

The 24-valve 3.0 SIDI V6 is available on LT and LTZ and produces 190kW at 6900rpm and 288Nm at 5800rpm.

The single diesel is a 2.2-litre iron block with common rail direct-injection and makes 135kW at 3800rpm and a stout 400Nm within a very usable range of 1750-2750rpm. You can have the oil burner in all three trim levels, driving the front wheels in the LS and four-wheel drive in the LT and LTZ.

Both the V6 and diesel are available only with the six-speed automatic transmission. 

Unlike earlier Captiva models, none of these engines feature a timing belt. Those early engines suffered from issues related to the fabric belt while problems with the later timing chain driven engines are less common. Reliability of the V6 is well-proven in the Commodore while later four cylinders also perform well.

Zero to 100km/h performance varies between the engines. The 2.4 will reach 100km/h in around 10.5 seconds while the V6 is rather quicker at 8.6. The diesel falls right in the middle at 9.6 seconds.

We've not yet carried out a towing review, but according to Holden, towing capacity is rated at 750kg for unbraked trailers and 2000kg braked.

The Outlander PHEV has a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 98kW at 5000rpm and 195Nm at 4300rpm, an electric motor on the front and rear axles, and a lithium-ion battery pack with a total capacity of 20kWh.

Combined output (engine and electric motors) is 185kW and 450Nm and this PHEV’s electric-only driving range is listed as 84km on a full charge.

It has a single-speed transmission and drive modes include 'Eco', 'Normal', 'Power', 'Tarmac', 'Gravel', 'Snow' and 'Mud'.

It has three power-use settings: 'EV Mode' for low to medium speeds urban running, 'Series Hybrid Mode' which allows the petrol engine to step in for urgent acceleration or climbing hills and 'Parallel Hybrid Mode' for highway overtaking where the vehicle runs on engine power with electric assistance.

If you're after good fuel economy, the Captiva probably isn't the car for you. 

The 2.4-litre petrol is quoted at 9.7L/100km on the combined cycle but, as we recently discovered, is more likely to return closer to 12.5L/100km.

Diesel fuel consumption on the official combined cycle is listed at 8.5L/100km but our most recent test yielded a slightly startling figure of 12.9L/100km. The diesel's performance, particularly in the gears, is better than either petrol but it appears you'll pay for it.

The big banger V6's official fuel consumption figure is listed at 10.7L/100km, but past CarsGuide reviews suggest 14.0L/100km is a more likely real world figure. As far as fuel economy goes, diesel vs petrol usually falls to the diesel, but not in this case.

Fuel tank capacity is identical across the range at 65 litres.

The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV GSR has a listed fuel consumption of 1.5L/100km on a combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle but, as with all official fuel figures from any carmaker, you can take it with a hefty grain of salt.

That said, if your daily driving distances are within this PHEV’s electric driving range (84km, as listed) and you’re able to drive in EV mode most of the time, then at the very least you will have chopped your fuel bill.

On this test, dash-indicated fuel consumption was 5.8L/100km; actual fuel consumption, as measured from pump to pump, was 7.7L/100km.

The good news is the Outlander PHEV runs happily on the cheaper 91RON 'standard' fuel.

Our dash-indicated power usage was 20.8kWh/100km. This PHEV gobbled through most of its 20kWh battery capacity quite swiftly on the drive from the vehicle pick-up point in Sydney to our test start-point just over 100km away.

It recouped 10km electric driving range via regenerative braking on a series of long downhills when set to ‘Charge’ driving mode (with the combustion engine generating power to the battery), but I had to cycle through regen modes to optimise that power regain.

The dash-indicated combined driving range (battery and engine) was 748km on a full charge and a full 56-litre tank.

Mitsubishi states that if you’re charging off a standard household power point it will take “approximately” 9.5 hours to fully charge your Outlander – or 6.5 hours if you’re using a home or public charging device.

Things speed up considerably if you use a public rapid recharging station. In that case, Mitsubishi says your Outlander Plug-in Hybrid EV will reach 80 percent battery capacity in 38 minutes.

You sit on the Captiva rather than in it, a feeling encouraged by the flat, shapeless seats. It doesn't matter which Captiva you choose, the front seats are not exactly huggy but they'll certainly take people of all shapes and sizes. 

You twist a funny knob where the key barrel used to be to start the engine. The view out front and out the sides is commanding as there is a fair bit of glass all around, with just the view out the rear window restricted as it's quite small. If you've got passengers, forget it, but the reversing camera will save the day there.

The ride is, for the most part, reasonable, but will deteriorate along with the road surface. The suspension isn't very quiet and the overall firm feeling delivers passable handling, which you'd expect from a big heavy machine like this. It doesn't have anything like the finesse of much younger metal from Hyundai, Kia and Mazda.

The diesel specs suggest strong performance and that's exactly what you get. It's by far the torquiest of the three engines and shifts the Captiva's two tonnes with reasonable verve. It's a noisy, grumbly unit but works well with the six-speed auto.

The engine specs of the two petrols don't really tell the story. While the V6 is quicker in a straight line, its extra weight knocks the shine off the torque increase and the engine itself isn't a shining example of modern engine tech. Actually, neither of them are, missing out on stop-start and other goodies.

This isn't an off-road review, but moderately ambitious mud-plugging is doable in the AWD models, with a ground clearance of 200mm but no low range or off-road mode. We even checked the manual to make doubly sure there wasn't a diff lock button hidden somewhere.

As ever, the idea here is that when you're buying a Captiva you're buying a lot of space and a cheap ownership experience.

As mentioned earlier, hybrids are your best buy at this moment in time, if you want to help save the world from climate-change disaster, avoid range anxiety, and save some money on fuel bills – all without having to sacrifice safety, comfort or features.

And – bonus – the Outlander is quite nice to drive. Not to mention a pretty handy light-duty off-roader. But more about that later.

It has a kerb weight of 2145kg with light but sharp steering and a tight (11.2m) turning circle so it’s an easy vehicle to manoeuvre around busy city and suburban streets.

The teaming of a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and two electric motors works seamlessly well. There's always plenty of power on tap and, no matter how energetic your driving becomes, this Outlander remains smooth and quiet.

Throttle response is sharp and there’s plenty of punch off the mark as well as zippiness around town when you need it.

The PHEV’s EV-only driving range is a listed 84km but our test vehicle chewed through most of its battery power on a 110km highway trip through hilly territory.

Regenerative braking regained very little of that used power and the Outlander switched to rely on petrol for the remaining 30km or so of that trip.

The driver is able to adjust the degree of regenerative braking via paddle shifters on the back of the steering wheel: use the left to add more and the right to ease up.

The drive mode options tweak engine, electric motor, transmission and other factors to suit the selected set-up.

Other than that, ride is quite firm, handling is civilised and, overall, this Outlander is rather pleasant on sealed surfaces.

And, as I alluded to earlier, it’s surprisingly comfortable and capable off-road – as long as you stick within the parameters of the kind of 'off-road' terrain an AWD SUV is built to cope with: well-maintained gravel roads and dirt tracks with minor corrugations in dry conditions… or, at worst, rain-puddled blacktop.

The Outlander has satisfactory off-road measures for a city-focussed vehicle: of 18.3 degrees (approach angle), 22.2 degrees (departure), 18 degrees (ramp breakover) and 203mm of ground clearance (unladen). 

It feels nimble in the bush because steering is light and precise, visibility is good all-around, and the vehicle settles well on gravel and dirt tracks at speed, only ever skipping around a bit on rougher sections, due to its firm suspension and road tyres.

You can switch drives modes to either Gravel, Snow or Mud to best suit the terrain on which you’re driving but with the Outlander’s lack of ground clearance, road-biased tyres and 20-inch wheels, this SUV is hamstrung by its city-biased physicality.

But, this is still a handy dirt-road tourer, yielding comfortable and controlled ride and handling, only ever becoming rattled when the road or track surface becomes very chopped up and bumpy.

The Outlander’s 'Super-All Wheel Control' (S-AWC) system deserves a fair amount of credit. This traction control system manages torque application so it is instantaneous, and delivers drive with impressive levels of throttle control and an even-handed management of power.

Worth noting the Outlander did, of course, go through battery capacity at a faster pace off-road than it did when we were on sealed surfaces .

Off-roading, by its very nature, is more difficult and demands more of a vehicle than driving on smooth sealed surfaces does. And, for that reason – and the fact the Outlander is quite low – I’d avoid driving this SUV on terrain more challenging than well-maintained gravel roads and dirt tracks with minor corrugations in dry conditions.

I’ve driven an Outlander PHEV on sand before and it taxes the capacity even faster.

As mentioned earlier, this Outlander does not have a spare tyre. The absence of a spare – even a space-saver – is a disappointment, especially if you’re considering using your PHEV as a touring vehicle. A puncture repair kit is provided.

Payload is listed as 605kg, towing capacity is 750kg for an unbraked trailer and 1600kg braked. GVM is 2750kg and GCM is 4350kg.

The Mitsubishi Outlander has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing in 2022.

It has eight airbags (driver and passenger front, driver and passenger front side, driver knees, centre and curtain) , as well as a comprehensive suite of driver-assist tech including AEB (with pedestrian/cyclist/junction assist), adaptive cruise control, blind-spot assist, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, driver attention monitoring, emergency lane-change warning (with auto braking), traffic sign recognition, front and rear parking sensors as well as an around-view monitor.

There are two ISOFIX child seat anchors and three top-tether points across the second row.

As with all new Holdens, the Captiva owner benefits from a three year/100,00km warranty and lifetime capped price servicing. All prices are available on Holden's website.

Service costs for the diesel are significantly higher than the either of petrols, but do include oil changes.

The standard package also includes a year of roadside assist.

For common faults and complaints, check out our Holden Captiva problems page, which covers known automatic transmission problems, engine problems and diesel problems. There aren't any widespread diesel engine problems with the later version.

Resale value is often a consideration and we've looked at the last major update, released in 2014. 

A seven seat Series II LS from 2014 - the second major update for the Captiva after the 2011 update addressed lingering problems - cost $30,490 when new and will trade at around $13000-$15000, below fifty per cent of the purchase price, with private sales a little higher. 

An LTZ diesel from the same period sold for $41,490 and trades in the 45 to 50 per cent of purchase price and a little over 50 per cent in private sales.

The Outlander range is covered by a 10-year/200,000km warranty – as long as servicing is completed on time by an authorised Mitsubishi dealership (otherwise, five years/100,000km) – and 10 years capped price servicing and 12 months roadside assist.

Outlander service intervals are scheduled at 12 months or 15,000km. Service costs can officially range from $349 through to $799 for a 10-year average of $549 per workshop visit.

The battery set-up has an eight-year/160,000km warranty.