Compare the2023 GMC TerrainVS 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Terrain are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Terrain’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali offers an optional Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Outlander Sport only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

The Terrain has standard OnStar®, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Terrain and the Outlander Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the GMC Terrain is safer than the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport:

	Terrain	Outlander Sport
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	159	208
Neck Injury Risk	17%	29%
Neck Stress	190 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	10 lbs.	90 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	363/349 lbs.	334/511 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	26%	43%
Neck Stress	153 lbs.	221 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	91 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	264/236 lbs.	394/494 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the GMC Terrain is safer than the Outlander Sport:

	Terrain	Outlander Sport
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Restraints	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	0 cm	1 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	22 cm	28 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Femur Force R/L	.7/.1 kN	3.43/.93 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	1%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Tibia index R/L	.47/.51	.68/.36
Tibia forces R/L	1.2/.2 kN	1.9/1.9 kN

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the GMC Terrain is safer than the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport:

	Terrain	Outlander Sport
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	109	163
Hip Force	357 lbs.	518 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	288	349
Hip Force	630 lbs.	794 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	17 inches
Spine Acceleration	40 G’s	41 G’s
Hip Force	730 lbs.	807 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Terrain the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 233 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Outlander Sport was not even a “Top Safety Pick” for 2016.

Warranty

There are over 5 times as many GMC dealers as there are Mitsubishi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Terrain’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Terrain has a standard 700-amp battery. The Outlander Sport’s 530-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Terrain third among compact suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Outlander Sport isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC above average in initial quality. With 64 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is rated below average.

Engine

The Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 27 more horsepower (175 vs. 148) and 58 lbs.-ft. more torque (203 vs. 145) than the Outlander Sport’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 7 more horsepower (175 vs. 168) and 36 lbs.-ft. more torque (203 vs. 167) than the Outlander Sport GT’s standard 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Terrain gets better mileage than the Outlander Sport:

			MPG
Terrain
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/29 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/28 hwy
Outlander Sport
	AWD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Terrain’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Terrain has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the GMC Terrain higher (7 out of 10) than the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport (5). This means the Terrain produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Outlander Sport every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Terrain’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Outlander Sport:

	Terrain	Outlander Sport
Front Rotors	11.8 inches	11.6 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Terrain has larger standard tires than the Outlander Sport (225/65R17 vs. 215/70R16). The Terrain’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Outlander Sport (235/50R19 vs. 225/55R18).

The Terrain SLE/AT4’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Outlander Sport S’ standard 70 series tires. The Terrain’s optional tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Outlander Sport ES/LE/SE/GT’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Terrain SLE/AT4 has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Outlander Sport S. The Terrain’s optional 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Outlander Sport ES/LE/SE/GT.

The Terrain has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Terrain’s wheelbase is 2.2 inches longer than on the Outlander Sport (107.3 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Terrain is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than on the Outlander Sport.

The Terrain Denali AWD handles at .79 G’s, while the Outlander Sport 4WD pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Terrain Denali AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Outlander Sport SE 4WD (27.5 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .55 average G’s).

Chassis

The front grille of the Terrain offers available electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Terrain uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Terrain has 5.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Outlander Sport (103.2 vs. 97.5).

The Terrain has .6 inches more front headroom, 2.3 inches more front hip room, 1 inch more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 3.4 inches more rear legroom, .2 inches more rear hip room and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Outlander Sport.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Terrain’s rear seats recline. The Outlander Sport’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Terrain has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Outlander Sport with its rear seat up (29.6 vs. 21.7 cubic feet). The Terrain has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Outlander Sport with its rear seat folded (63.3 vs. 49.5 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Terrain’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Terrain offers an optional power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or on the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali, by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Towing

The Terrain has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Outlander Sport has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Terrain uses the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Terrain’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Outlander Sport does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Terrain (except SLE) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Terrain’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Outlander Sport has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The power windows standard on both the Terrain and the Outlander Sport have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Terrain is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Outlander Sport prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Terrain’s front and rear power windows all lower with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Outlander Sport’s passenger windows don’t open automatically.

On a hot day the Terrain’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Outlander Sport can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Outlander Sport’s standard power locks don’t automatically lock the doors. The Terrain’s standard doors lock when the transmission is engaged. This is an important feature for occupant safety. Locked doors are proven to open less often in collisions, and they are also effective in preventing crime at traffic lights.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Terrain has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Outlander Sport only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Terrain has standard extendable sun visors. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer extendable visors.

When the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Outlander Sport’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Terrain’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Outlander Sport has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Terrain and the Outlander Sport offer available heated front seats. The Terrain Denali also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Outlander Sport.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Terrain Denali keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Terrain’s optional dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Terrain and the Outlander Sport offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Terrain has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Terrain offers an optional Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the GMC Terrain Denali has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Terrain offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Terrain Denali’s optional Automatic Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Terrain owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Terrain will cost $1215 to $3285 less than the Outlander Sport over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Terrain is less expensive to operate than the Outlander Sport because typical repairs cost much less on the Terrain than the Outlander Sport, including $57 less for a water pump, $63 less for a starter, $114 less for front struts and $250 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

The GMC Terrain outsold the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport by over five to one during 2022.