Should you buy a used Mitsubishi Outlander? Probably not.

By Jason Allan, former head of vehicle reviews and ratings at Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader

The Mitsubishi Outlander is a much better compact SUV than it used to be and still one of the worst in the group at holding its value. The 2022 redesign put it on the Nissan Rogue's platform and it shows: the cabin materials are a big step up, upper trims get quilted leather and a head-up display, the ride is comfortable with real body control, and it's the only compact SUV that pairs a standard third row with all-wheel drive. Edmunds puts it in the top half of the 12 compact SUVs it scores in Bestest's set, and Car and Driver in the middle of its 13.

Where the Mitsubishi Outlander trails is resale, the engine and the first year. The 181-horsepower 2.5-liter and its CVT are slow and loud whenever you ask for speed, worst on a freeway on-ramp, and the third row is for children: seven seats means four adults. In NHTSA's records for the 2021 to 2024 models, complaints of every kind, counted per 10,000 cars sold in the first two years on sale, run higher on the Outlander than on any other compact SUV in the group, nearly all of them on the 2022 car. Used Outlanders also drift off franchise lots: more than half of those for sale in Orange County sit at independent dealers, the highest share of the 13.

So the Mitsubishi Outlander isn't a Bestest car. A 2023 or 2024 is a respectable family hauler if you need seven seats on a budget, but you'll give back more of the price when you sell than with any compact SUV Bestest lists. If you want an Outlander anyway, here's how I'd shop for one.